anton corbijn: Bringing sound and vision together

Dutch photographer and director Anton Corbijn has worked for many legends in Music including, Depeche Mode, U2, R.E.M, Bruce Springsteen, Kurt Corbain, The Rolling Stones and Morrisey. His ability to come up with ideas that merge vision and sound together in perfect harmony is unsurpassed. Corbijn's album covers and music videos are partly responsible for success of U2 and Depeche Mode, defining the two band's image from the mid 80's. With Corbijn making his feature film directing debut in 'Control' which follows the life of Joy Division's Ian Curtis, there has never been a better time to look at the man's work.

Corbijn worked for the NME during the 1970's, before getting into directing music videos. The first of those were 'Hockey' by 'Palais Schaumberg' and 'Dr. Mabuse' by German group 'Propaganda'. Having earned a good reputation after making those videos, English post punk group 'Echo and the Bunnymen' requested for Corbijn to direct a video for one of their singles. Corbijn accepted, producing the video for 'Seven Seas' in 1984 followed by 'Bring on the Dancing Horses' in 1985.

Corbijn well and truly hit the mainstream in 1986 after directing Depeche Mode's video for 'A Question of Time'. Depeche Mode's album 'Music for the Masses' was doing exceptionally well at the time, and Corbijn was to develop a special relationship with the band. Even to this day Corbijn directs Depeche Mode's music videos and produces their album covers. Corbijn has a fondness for filming and photographing in black and white, and his video for 'Never let me Down Again' was a classic example.

Corbijn produced the album cover for U2's 'War' and 'The Unforgettable Fire' in 1983 and 1984 respectively. There is no doubt however that his most identifiable photograph is his shot of U2 in Death Valley in 1986, which of course made the cover of 'The Joshua Tree' in 1987. The photo was to become iconic along with U2's album - without doubt one of the best of the decade.

© anton corbijn

Joy Division were another of Corbijn's clients, and the Dutchman directed the video for 'Atmosphere' in 1988, again in Black and White. Corbijn had also photographed the band in 1975, using some of those images in the video.

Corbijn's next masterpiece came when Depeche Mode's 'Violator' was released in 1990. Corbijn directed all of the video's for Violator's singles and also produced the cover art. The most famous of those videos would have to be 'Enjoy the Silence'. The remote locations shown on the video seemed to match seamlessly with both the music and the lyrics. The result was a popular one, with MTV giving the video plenty airtime.

By the turn of the decade in 1990, Corbijn was a well known and wanted man. Indeed, between 1988 and 1992 Corbijn also produced cover art for major acts such as Morrisey, R.E.M and Bryan Ferry to name but a few.

Despite working with U2 throughout the 1980's it wasn't until 1992 that Corbjin produced his first music video for the Irishmen. In Berlin Corbijn had chosen the almost perfect location. The video was filmed shortly after the reunification of Germany and the fall of the Berlin wall. Once again shot in black and white, the video captured some unique images of the city, including the Olympic stadium. He also painted his own 'Trabants' which featured in the video across various locations in the capital. Despite his idea to dress the band members up as Women - somehow he manages to keep the video on track. This is arguably Corbijn's finest work, and definitely the best video he directed for U2.

Corbijn continued to work with both U2 and Depeche Mode throughout the past decade, whilst also making album covers for the likes of Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and Metallica.

Anton Corbijn's latest work has been an audacious one, directing a full length feature film based on the life of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. The initial signs have been positive, with the film getting a good reception during this years Cannes film festival. Indeed, most reviews of the film have been positive and it's no surprise in my eyes. The man simply knows how to bring music and video together. Having worked with Curtis in the past he would have developed an understanding of his character which should be evident in the film. The Dutchman has a knack of bringing atmosphere to his films, and 'Control' should be no different.

For those of you in the North east, expect to see the film at The Belmont in Aberdeen should you be lucky. Otherwise it looks like waiting for the DVD to come out, as is the case these days with most independent films I'm afraid. More information can be found at the films website:

http://www.controlthemovie.com

Written By Greg