The Work of Director Michel Gondry

this is a gem in my movie collection. everyone who watches it falls in love. do yourself a favor, resist the urge and watch "i've been twelve forever" (included on the discs) instead of watching the videos separately. he explains the inspiration/context (but not too much to spoil the presentations) behind each work and then you are able to watch each video. in the end, you will have watched an entirely engaging film about a very humble, gentle, and talented, young boy living inside a man. he is a real genius, and i think there would be many more like him if we took life less seriously and stopped making sense.

10 out of 10 because it could not be better!

Brilliant collection of pop music videos directed by Michel Gondry. Until I saw this DVD by chance in HMV, I had no idea that one man was responsible for so many of my favourite music videos - such as The White Stripes' Lego one, the one where Kylie Minogue walks down the street encountering lots of other Kylies, and the Chemical Brothers 'Let Forever Be'. It also includes some more obscure French ones (Gondry's earlier work). The most outstanding video is probably Bjork's 'Bachelorette', a creepy and beautiful postmodern fairytale with layers upon layers of reality and fiction.

It's fascinating to see them all side by side, as it really shows up some of the themes that run through all of Gondry's videos - for example, repetition but with a slight difference, lots of things that look nearly but not quite the same. The extra bits, short films, interview with Gondry, etc are also very interesting and a must-see for fans of his work.

Also a great DVD to stick on in the background if you have friends round - good tunes, variety of artists, and the coolest videos ever.

A neat collection of music videos.

Michel Gondry has a talent to create charming, very dream-like music videos.

The little animations and shorts included in the DVD were an interesting watch for any fan of Gondry.

A five-hour length double-sided CD with a huge collection of Gondry's video-clips, commercials, short films and a documentary about him, which go from year 1987 to year 2003.

The video-clip collection is extensive and impressive and shows the largeness of Gondry's creativity world, from the delightful low-budget animated clips of his band Qui Qui, to the spectacular ones of modern pop-rock bands and soloists. I especially liked his videos for Bjork and the Chemical Bros, but all of them are fantastic, so different, unique and so very Gondry.

There are a few commercials, but they are just visually brilliant and impacting, less Gondry-ish so to speak, but the humor and naughtiness are still there. The one for Levis is just fantastic.

The collection of short stories is not as homogeneous and extensive, and mixes shorts that Gondry made for his family (birthday presents), others that express things that happened to him when young, and those directed to the public, still inspired in his life, with different styles and aesthetics. I loved "So Tiny" and "The Letter".

The bio-documentary is OK, and shows Gondry's childish, creative and naughty personality, but is not well structured, with bits of information missing. The figure of the father, who seems to be so important to him, is barely mentioned, but his mother is over-present. I would have liked a little bit more of biographical details and interviews from his childhood and youth friends, his brothers, and more personal things. However, the documentary focus more in his professional and creative work, giving a detailed explanation on how and why he made some videos, interviews with the bands for whom he worked, a lot of footage about his band Qui Qui, and some hints of his personal life, but very reduced. I think both things could have occupied similar space, but the professional part ends dominating the documentary. I loved that too, but it left me craving for more.

If you like Gondry and/or good quality music clips you'll enjoy this independent DVD.

This tall, skinny, big nosed French man has become a big influence on my own work in the last year that I get cranky every time he out does himself with a new music video.

This DVDography makes you jump in your seat when you discover he is the director of certain works you enjoyed many years ago.

Who knew he is the most awarded commercials and video director of all time? Check the smirnoff ad pre Matrix 'bullet time' days.

Besides, I like him cause he puts 'girlfriends' into 3 catergories; ones that hate farting, ones that don't mind farting and ones that fart back at you!

Come on Michael Jackson let Mr Gondry direct your last music video.. He is French you know!