Legendary Michael Jackson video - "Thriller" was only allowed to run from 10 pm
No matter how you look at the "King of Pop" today, one thing is certain: Michael Jackson made music history in many ways. For example, with the "Thriller" video, which was as astonishing as it was terrifying. The cult clip was broadcast for the first time 40 years ago.
It had never been done before: Michael Jackson's music video for "Thriller" merged two genres. Director John Landis, known for films such as "Blues Brothers" and "American Werewolf", expands the title song from the album of the same name into an almost 14-minute musical horror film. In it, the later "King of Pop" is allowed to live out his monster fantasies.
The clip celebrates its TV premiere on December 2, 1983. To date, the high-resolution version has been viewed almost a billion times on YouTube. Here are a few interesting and curious stories to mark the 40th anniversary of the audiovisual masterpiece.
"Thriller" on new paths: The video doesn't just show a superstar dancing and singing, it tells a story. The website "kinofenster.de" from the Federal Agency for Civic Education explains why the clip is more reminiscent of a movie musical and "clearly differs from the usual performance music videos for promotional purposes": An extended prologue is followed by a nested narrative with different levels of reality.
The plot, for example: Michael's date with his girlfriend (model Ola Ray) in the moonlight is interrupted by his transformation into a howling werewolf. The "real" couple (Michael and Ola) watch this scene in a movie theater. On the way home, Michael teases them by singing the verses of the song. At the cemetery, however, the creepy "thriller" really gets going.
Landis copies his own film: Based on his film "American Werewolf", Hollywood director John Landis produced the music video for "Thriller" in 1983. At a total cost of around half a million US dollars, the almost 14-minute scary video is the most expensive music clip to date. Landis directed the short film in the style of a B-movie, drawing on genre classics. One example: Horror film icon Vincent Price speaks a short but impressive text in it.
More movie than music video: The "Thriller" clip is showered with awards. The music channels MTV and VH1 honored the short film in quick succession as the "Best Music Video of All Time". However, Jackson, who died at the end of June 2009, did not receive his greatest award: "Thriller" was the first music video to be included in the National Film Registry on December 30, 2009. The directory of the US National Library lists films that are considered particularly worthy of preservation.
Ahead of his time: US make-up artist Rick Baker is at the beginning of his career in the early 1980s. Today, he has seven Oscars for "Best Make-up" on his business card. He received the most important film award for "Ed Wood" (1995), "Men in Black" (1998), most recently "Wolfman" (2011) and right at the beginning for "American Werewolf" (1982). After working together on the horror comedy in the early 1980s, Landis also hired him for the scary look in the "Thriller" video. "kinofenster.de" describes the metamorphosis of a human being into a monster depicted in the video as a "milestone in animation technology".
"Thriller" as the final video: Although the whole album is called "Thriller", it will only be released as the seventh and final single. The video and song were released over a year after the album, which was available from November 30, 1982 and is now the best-selling LP in the world. There are several reasons why "Thriller" is the last single: The record company Epic Records initially shied away from releasing a spooky song. In addition, the short film for "Thriller" concludes a trilogy. This starts with the video for "Billie Jean", is followed by "Beat It" and ends with the almost 14-minute "Thriller". Michael Jackson explains this in his 1988 autobiography "Moonwalk" with the words: "I wanted to be a pioneer in this relatively new medium."
Wetting his pants in fear: In the age of the internet, YouTube and the like, this feels like an eternity: weeks after its premiere in early December 1983, the long version of "Thriller" was not shown on German television until January 1984. In a special edition of the music program "Formel Eins", the music video is shown in full length - but without credits. Due to its creepy content, it was only allowed to be broadcast in Germany after 10 pm. Despite the late hour, young people sit in front of the TV to have their say. And that's when an accident allegedly happens: according to a report by NDR, the editor in charge receives a complaint from angry parents. Their son had wet his pants out of fear of the zombies.
Zombies are still dancing today: the zombie dance from the "Thriller" video, created by Jackson and choreographer Michael Peters, continues to influence pop culture. In 2006, 62 people re-enacted this classic "Thriller" dance at a Guinness Book of World Records event in Toronto, Canada. This becomes an annual event called "Thrill the World", with dances all over the world. Shortly after his death, Jackson's birthday on August 29, 2009, saw the record number of participants to date: according to the Guinness Book, 13,597 "Thriller" fans danced as if they were zombies in Mexico City on that day.
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Source: www.ntv.de
