The New Order music video directed by Jonathan Demme
In 1984, director Jonathan Demme delivered Stop Making Sense. Documenting Talking Heads’ four-night run at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, the concert film was lauded for how well it captured the eclectic live energy of the new wave outfit, from frontman David Byrne’s big suit to his quirky dance moves.
Stop Making Sense wasn’t only admired by critics and audiences. Just across the pond, England’s own synth-loving, post-punk pioneers took notice. Looking for someone to direct a music video for their single ‘The Perfect Kiss’, Manchester’s New Order recruited Demme. Luckily, the filmmaker was also a fan of their work, both as New Order and Joy Division and said yes to the project.
The result was a music video with a runtime of just shy of 11 minutes, filmed in any band’s natural habitat: the practice room. The camera flits between close-ups of each band member and their instruments, uncovering the nerves and uncertainty on their faces as they play the track. There’s even a Joy Division poster featured. It’s intentionally simple, almost acting as a character study of the band, an intimate glimpse at a New Order jam session.
This effect was precisely what Demme sought; as he explained in an interview with MTV, his initial idea stemmed from the question, “What if we could do something incredibly simple? What if something new means shooting the entire piece, say, in close-up, so that you get a chance to really study the concentration of the musicians? Because I also wanted to suggest to them that they play it live.”
“They’re a funny group of people and they’re never satisfied with their work,” he continued, “Ever”. Despite the mastery of the synth demonstrated on ‘The Perfect Kiss’, New Order were still unsure of their musical capabilities. Demme wanted to honestly reflect this nervousness in his filmmaking, explaining, “So what you’re seeing in those expressions was them going, ‘Hmm. That wasn’t quite as great as it could’ve been’.”
In the same interview, Peter Hook explained how the idea first came about. According to him, the band didn’t mind what shape the music took, leading them to ask, “What can you do for a video apart from play?” Demme was particularly interested in this idea: “He was just interested in showing a performance.”
True to the final cut, Hook also divulged that he found the recording process nerve-wracking but, ultimately, that he was happy with how skillfully Demme was able to capture that feeling: “It’s really naked. It actually shows somebody that’s just done something that they don’t know whether it’s good or not, because they’ve not heard it. And I think he captured that very well.”
Rewatch Jonathan Demme’s video for ‘The Perfect Kiss’ by New Order below.
