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Xavier Dolan’s new music video stirs up controversy

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C

ComputerMKII

Banned
Link to the video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzjsff_indochine-college-boy_music?search_algo=2

Xavier Dolan’s videoclip for Indochine’s College Boy stirs up controversy

Have you seen the clip for French rock band Indochine’s latest song College Boy? It’s included here but please make sure this is not to be viewed by young kids and anyone who’s not ready for some real disturbing violent images.

The video is directed by hot-shot Quebecois filmmaker Xavier Dolan, the man behind the acclaimed arthouse hits J’ai tué ma mere, Les amours imaginaires and Laurence Anyways. And it’s a powerful piece of work that’s already generated an enormous amount of controversy in France.

Montreal actor Antoine Pilon plays a high-school kid who’s bullied by his classmates, is beat-up, appears to be urinated on by other kids, and is then quite literally crucified by his school-mates. They nail him to the cross and then start shooting at him. When the police arrive, they too start shooting at the teenager on the cross.

Meanwhile the other kids are filming all this on their smart-phones wearing blind-folds.

‘Disturbing’ doesn’t even come close to describing the impact of the clip. Obviously Dolan and Indochine are using these heavy images to make a strong statement about bullying and they seem to be more specifically making a point about homophobic bullying.

But I remain very uneasy with any artists who depict school shootings. Still there’s no denying the emotional force of the piece. And anything that gets people seriously grappling with the concept of teen bullying is clearly a good thing.

The clip has already been censored in France. In fact, it’s even censored on YouTube here. You go to the clip, it begins and then it abruptly cuts and switches to a video of Indochine performing the song.

In Le Figaro, Dolan unsurprisingly objects to the censorship.

“It seems absurd to me that the clip is censored,” said Dolan. “Is it really more violent than all the movies that arrive on our screens every day? The question shouldn’t be – did I go too far? It should be – what’s stopping a group of teenagers from going this far, given how powerful the gun lobby is in the U.S.”

Fighting words. And it looks like the controversy has crossed the Atlantic. MusiquePlus has already said it will not air the clip.

Here it is. Be warned, it’s disturbing stuff.
Click to expand...
http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/20...e-videoclip-college-boy-stirs-up-controversy/

School crucifixion music video shocks censors

A music video by French band Indochine, which features the staged crucifixion and shooting of a bullied schoolboy, has caused outrage in France. The country’s TV and radio regulator said on Thursday the "extremely violent” video should be censored.

French rock band Indochine have provoked an angry backlash with the graphic video for their new single ‘College Boy.’ It shows a bullied teenager being beaten, urinated on, crucified and shot in a schoolyard.

Regulators said on Thursday that the video was likely to face censorship in France.

“It shows images whose violence is immeasurable, and there's enough of this kind of violence already” Françoise Laborde, from the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) told Europe 1 radio.

“Death is not stylish. Violence is not stylish. Torture is not stylish,” Laborde added, describing herself as 'outraged.'

“Since it is extremely violent, it can’t be broadcast on satellite TV. At a minimum, it should be banned for anyone under 16 years of age, and maybe even 18,” she said.

The six-minute video for ‘College Boy’ features black-and-white, slow-motion scenes from the troubled school day and unhappy home life of a bullied teenage boy.

The video shows him having paper and a basketball thrown at his face, and moody, stylistic shots of him looking upset.

However, the second half quickly descends into a disturbing cycle of violence and torture at the hands of a group of schoolyard bullies.

The video shows graphic images of the boy being thrown down a set of stairs, punched and kicked, urinated on and then nailed to a cross wrapped in fairy lights before bring shot.

All the while, fellow pupils are shown capturing the scene on their mobile phones.

Despite such imagery, those responsible for the video reject suggestions it will lead to copycat incidents in real life.

“To say that this encourages violence is completely stupid,” the video’s Canadian director, Xavier Dolan, told French daily Le Parisien on Thursday.

“Is it really any more violent than the movies that are constantly appearing on our screens?” he added.

Dolan reacted angrily to the prospect of the video being banned during daytime hours on music channels in France, .

“That really bothers me. On these kind of channels you see situations that are racist, violent and degrading – particularly to women.

“So it seems absurd to me that this video should be censored," he added.

While French regulators may be shocked by the video, Dolan and Indochine have received significant support from French users of social networks. Radio and TV host Emilie Mazoyer summed up the view of many Twitter users, saying:

"Some people find Indochine's music video 'violent.' Yes, it does turn your stomach for six minutes. But bullied students go through that 300 days a year. Imagine that."
Click to expand...
http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-bands-graphic-crucifixion-video-angers-censors
 
shira

shira

Member
Sorry but it is hard to take anything with Dolan in it seriously. I'm sure this is a serious topic but I'm already LOLing.
 
M

mellz

Member
dolandolan.jpg
 
G

gutter_trash

Banned
Dollan is a hipster hack

oh look, I am provocative avant-gardiste!!!! ooooohhh LOL

like being provocative hasn't existed before eh


it's just smut to me, when an artist needs to resort to gruesome violence or sexually imagery to convey a message.

Bullying is a serious topic and shouldn't be taken advantage of by an attention seeking provocateur
 
G

Grimsen

Member
Bullying sucks ass. I don't see how that video would be a bad thing, it gets people talking about it.

Except on GAF. :p
 
S

shuri

Banned
Link for the uncensored video: It's pretty damn ham fisted and cheesy to be honest.

And as a bonus, Xavier Dolan's fantastic haircut: a never ending source of comedy:

304632-xavier-dolan.jpg


He has changed his image since: I guess he got tired of the jokes and is now trying to look tough

A friend of mine knows him and he's a really good guy in private that hates the media bs but god damn his public persona image has to be the most pretentious Super Hipster Extreme Alpha Turbo 2. I guess this explain his new look he's been sporting lately; he must be trying to kill that image that the average informed public has of him.
 
N

ngower

Member
Any links to a version available in the US?

gutter_trash said:
Dollan is a hipster hack

oh look, I am provocative avant-gardiste!!!! ooooohhh LOL

like being provocative hasn't existed before eh


it's just smut to me, when an artist needs to resort to gruesome violence or sexually imagery to convey a message.

Bullying is a serious topic and shouldn't be taken advantage of by an attention seeking provocateur
Click to expand...

How so? He's a master student of cinema, with influences clear as day (Godard, late Kubrick, Truffaut, Berman, etc).

And I'm unsure why you're so vehemently opposed to the portrayal of violence and sexuality in this format? Perhaps we should ask what is accomplished in the censorship of violence and sexuality? Why do we censor, and why are we censored? Or, better yet, why you find some examples of violence and sexuality permissible (I'm lead to believe you play video games, given you're posting on GAF), while others (Dolan's work) must be censored?
 
A

Avixph

Member
Computer said:
Look at the bottom of this page: http://www.leparisien.fr/musique/indochine-le-clip-choc-02-05-2013-2773375.php
Click to expand...

shuri said:
Link for the uncensored video: It's pretty damn ham fisted and cheesy to be honest.

And as a bonus, Xavier Dolan's fantastic haircut: a never ending source of comedy:

304632-xavier-dolan.jpg


He has changed his image since: I guess he got tired of the jokes and is now trying to look tough

A friend of mine knows him and he's a really good guy in private that hates the media bs but god damn his public persona image has to be the most pretentious Super Hipster Extreme Alpha Turbo 2. I guess this explain his new look he's been sporting lately; he must be trying to kill that image that the average informed public has of him.
Click to expand...
These links don't work in the USA.
 
S

shuri

Banned
Link for the uncensored video: It's pretty damn ham fisted and cheesy to be honest.

And as a bonus, Xavier Dolan's fantastic haircut: a never ending source of comedy:

304632-xavier-dolan.jpg


He has changed his image since: I guess he got tired of the jokes and is now trying to look tough

A friend of mine knows him and he's a really good guy in private that hates the media bs but god damn his public persona image has to be the most pretentious Super Hipster Extreme Alpha Turbo 2 thing ever. I guess this explain his new look he's been sporting lately; he must be trying to kill that image that the average informed public has of him. Mad props to him, he's funding all his movies himself without any of the gov's money (or his super rich parent's money, they are both well established media people)

But it's just.. THOSE HAIR
 
A

Addi

Member
They are blocking it everywhere, silly. None of the links work. Found a censored version here though (you can see what happens but the violent parts are blurred):

Indochine - College Boy

A bit heavy handed and cheesy in my view, but nothing that should be censored or anything. Silly controversy.
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I hate this guy, stupid hipster with the ugliest haircut you can think of. It's hard to take him seriously whenever I see a picture of him.
 
G

gerg

Member
Interesting video. I wonder if the use of the cowboy is owing to the homoerotic nature of that icon.

SmokyDave said:
That sounds like it could be a great video. Any links to the uncensored version?
Click to expand...

Isn't the link in the OP to the uncensored version?
 
MDSLKTR

MDSLKTR

Member
Oh lord the cheese, I think he tried to went with justice - stress video look and fails completely. Ridiculous.
 
G

GalacticSushiman

Member
Just watched the piece, and as usual with Dolan I am impressed, but ultimately it does not work on me. I preferred Justice take on public aggression in France with Kourtrajme in Stress.
 
K

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
I'm not sure what's supposed to be so disturbing about this video. I can't believe that the CSA woman used the words "immeasurably violent". No, madam, this is not "immeasurably violent". Maybe it would have been in the 50s, but in 2013? I honestly thought it was soft. Even the wrist-nailing part, while actually shown, isn't crudely shot.

Both the video and its message are old news. Could have been made 20 years ago.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
Kilrogg said:
I'm not sure what's supposed to be so disturbing about this video. I can't believe that the CSA woman used the words "immeasurably violent". No, madam, this is not "immeasurably violent". Maybe it would have been in the 50s, but in 2013? I honestly thought it was soft. Even the wrist-nailing part, while actually shown, isn't crudely shot.

Both the video and its message are old news. Could have been made 20 years ago.
Click to expand...
Please think of the children
 
F

Fuzz Rez

Banned
gutter_trash said:
Dollan is a hipster hack

oh look, I am provocative avant-gardiste!!!! ooooohhh LOL

like being provocative hasn't existed before eh


it's just smut to me, when an artist needs to resort to gruesome violence or sexually imagery to convey a message.

Bullying is a serious topic and shouldn't be taken advantage of by an attention seeking provocateur
Click to expand...
Woah, with that set of mind you have to ignore lot of art from painting to literature. Anyway, video wasn't bad, it wasn't your typical music video either but I don't see controversy here. Really liked the song as well!
 
M

Max Armstrong

Member
I can't really hate Dolan, how many directors had 3 movies by 23? With one more coming out this year, that's really impressive.

I only saw Heartbeats from him and I didn't find it very good, looks like he tried hard to make a nouvelle vague film or something but he got a lot of praise for I Killed My Mother, I'll try to watch it one day.

Fuck those hair though, god damn.
 
E

Expendable.

Member
To be honest, I can see why it's being censored. But it really isn't as "offensive" as any number of Hollywood films or even the news.
 
M

MyAbsolution

Member
I don't really understand the Dolan memes... has the internet and gaf had run ins with him in the past?

Ya that haircut is pretty awful... but hes cute without glasses and shorter hair.
 
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