Justice - Stress
(Romain-Gavras)
Fuck, this video is brutal. My props to Romain-Gavras for coming up on top with this shit. If you don’t know who Romain-Gavras is, he’s the one responsible for our #44 video of 2007 for DJ Mehdi’s “Signatune”. Let’s just say this guy is no joke. Certainly he’s the real deal.
When videos come up on you like this and they don’t compromise themselves for being hardcore, for the most part, you’re on the right path to success. R-G has a certain shakey documentary-like style to his credit that he can manipulate and thus bring that added punch to his videos. Like the “Signatune” video, he knows how to play with and be played by the track and use it to his advantage. Some of his best work belongs to the little nuances that he captures among the madness that are his videos. Like the warm embrace of the family in “Signatune” or the scared looks of the victims in this piece.
This also works on another level, as Brian pointed out:
I love how Justice’s album got wrote off as summer fun, but now it’s next summer and people are still talking about it = Music Videos used right.
He couldn’t be more right, and this you have to hand to Justice themselves. Like any decent artist out there, they take care and consideration when it comes to their work. They don’t just knock out videos and singles just to get them on the airwaves and garner exposure. They make sure they have their shit tight and then they jump off from there. If you’ve got the time, go check out this interview they did about the making of DVNO and you’ll see how they are in charge of what gets put out in their name.
Editors Note: We’re pretty sure this hasn’t officially been released yet, so consider any of these versions temporary. We’ll try to keep checking and make sure there is something available, just don’t be surprised if shit gets pulled down. Hang in there and we’ll do you right.
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How to you base your opinions (Critiques) of a video? I am not trying to insult you or your work, I think you do a very first-rate job.
As I previously stated in my post about Speed-Racer, I do not claim to have a degree in Film nor do I claim to be scintillating when it comes to evaluating and giving critical disclosure on this subject.
I am just curious…What are your bases for a great, good, horrible video? How do you ratiocinate these thoughts?
By the way, Los, you do a great job.. I know you put in long hours……
this video is AWESOME - so kinetic, matches the song brilliantly love it.
[...] Shotsringout snagged the info along with a tasty QUICKTIME. Get over to their site and grab the high quality version while it lasts! [...]
Video makes me think of Grand Theft Auto en masse. Gorgeous video and an awesome manifestation of the GTA ethos in real life, not CG.
I agree this video was awesome… I understand why I think it is, but I was just curious to see why you like it Los. Then when I view the video and can see what you are looking for and then I can properly compare my opinion to yours.
So… wonder if this guy has seen “A Clockwork Orange”? I better go remake parts of some other Kubrick movies as videos before they all get taken.
watching it a second time, even better - 4:24 sound guy running with the boom pole - sets up the ending quite nicely
Its my first time on this blog and I’m sorry that what I’m going to write is not necessarily positive.
I’m a dude from Paris… I would even say the so called “ghetto” of Paris…
And my look on this video is quite different.
First from an aesthetic point of view I got to say that it is a masterpiece.
The video brillantly serves the video and its title STRESS!
If music videos were only to be judge on an artistic level I would stop here but
socially speaking this video could be an advert for the far right political party of France (Le Front National)… What bothers me a bit is that Romain Gavras is a rich kid who’s always been fascinated by the ghetto…
I think he fucked up on this one…;
maybe he has good intentions about the whole thing but Im curious to hear about it..
PS: too much dick riding in the media and blogs about famous groups (I like Justice & edbanger)
Hi there, i just received a link to this page, i had seen the video before.
I’ve lived in Pris for 17 years, and know a little about what suburbs, gangs, racism, politics, tv and other propaganda medias …
What is the script of this video ?
Black people (and from north Africa) are attacking white people on their way …
The attackers are ALL from immigration, and the victims are ALL white.
And what’s going to last in most of people’s mind is that those guys from the suburbs are all like that, bad guys.
That band “Justice” is trying to change their image, and make a buzz. They are so far from reality.
This Video really sucks, even if it is well done (no more)
Hey thanks to the Paris readers for chiming in. We appreciate your view on things, since the video is actually about where you live and I doubt most of us here in the states have any idea what it’s actually like there.
And look at this guy, trying to look like Lemmy … but in fact he is a dad’s nice little boy, looking for a stronger identity … don’t steal from the nasty boys your judging dudes, stealing from R&R from suburb culture, from punk rock … but don’t understanding anything about all that, they just think it’s cool to look like that. THIS IS WRONG
Shoddy attempt at scoring cool points…Ill conceived, ill thought out and only the execution (just about) saves it from being a pile of crap. Yes, it’s a good piece of film-making but it’s a terrible piece of storytelling.
What I want to know is, are Justice going to give the profits of this or any record to ending the social depravation that causes gangs like this to rise… Probably not.
Are they going to maybe commission a film into the supposed backgrounds of the people that they’re portraying, to show what has brutalised them into treating the world this way… I doubt it.
Maybe take some time out to promote something in the local area where it was filmed… I would hope so, But I fear that they may be too busy celebrating record sales in a cool part of Paris with their cool mates.
Gang violence is an endemic problem in Europe but then so is Paedophilia - but I can’t see a band making a video of it… Why? Because they can’t look cool by association by ’showing the world as it is’ and having the rapist wearing their logo on his/her jacket.
Don’t even mention this in the same breath as La Haine… A film that actually showed the people behind the social problem and try to propose some solutions.
I couldn’t agree more with the french people above.
I myself am french, living in Paris and this just throws a shit load of gas on the fire.
The people in the ghettos of Paris have enough image problems. The bad ones are a minority, and the others pay for it: those who can’t get an ambulance because they don’t dare drive in there, think of the image this gives. It’s like telling the rest of France, those who were still hesitating “vote extreme right wing”, get the immigrant people out, all they do is terrorize all the nice innocent white people.
I think my next music video will be about a group of Neo-Nazi french cops going into the projects to beat up little black people with a Justice logo on their backs, guns and arm bands.
what do you think? cool no?
This coming from a group called JUSTICE whose logo is a cross… just makes it even worse.
When you are an artist, one with their exposure, you have a responsability and you cannot do something just for the sake of art or aesthetics.
The question I unfortunately have to ask myself (although I love their music) is are the guys from Justice racists?
Imagine one of those kids, who wakes up in front of MTV, on a school day, and sees that video…
What do you think he’ll do?
think:
“This is a second degree music video”
or put “stress” in his ears, skip school call his friends, take a baseball bat and go break things (ot people) motivated by that song.
You tell me?
Yo Frenchies! Thanks again for chiming in! Although I do have some responses to your concerns.
What Do You See Here: It seems to me that there are not just “Black people (and from north Africa) are attacking white people on their way”. I defintitely see a white guy or two in the gang. And I believe they attack a Spanish(?) couple amongst their white victims. Of course I can’t say for sure, but I definitely see that.
Director: Neo-Nazi French Cops huh? That sounds more like a movie than a video! All jokes aside, I highly doubt that Mtv would step up to playing anything remotely close to this. I mean, they bearly played “D.A.N.C.E”, let alone something so violent like this. That’s the thing about Ed Banger’s art direction crew and others in the electro field, they make this stuff knowing full well that it probably wont be seen on tv or to the masses, and they’re ok with that. It probably gives them even more freedom in fact.
So I don’t think kids will see this and copy it in real life. But if they did, yeah, its kinda glorifyingly cool. But there’s always a chance with that stuff when you make a video of this sort.
As for Romain-Gavras image. I really don’t see how he looks affects his work or has anything to do with it. As well as his background or fascinations. I suppose his personality and way of life are more important, although even then, if we’ve never met him, it doesn’t really matter.
And finally, James: Yeah its a C.O. ripoff, but I mean, at least he has good ripoff taste right?
Well, what a piece. Of art? Probably. It is definitely a masterpiece. But, yes, Black, question remains to what end. What will be the responses of the people who are angry and those who are afraid of the others already - even before the watched “stess”. It’s the old Leni Riefenstahl Debate - what’s the responsibility of the artist to the rest of the world? Justice - in the good sense of the word - evokes hope for the better. In the bad sence of the word, revenge, get-back at “them”, perhaps “chaos” as a response to get back at “them”. Chaos, anarchy is - of course - what them are most afraid of. BUT bottom line: There is no way to peace - peace is the way. Even in the ghetto. If people get it right - I mean - the video: great. If not, collaps.
It’s a perfect illustration of stress. The video is stressing to watch and the guys are stressed too. That’s where I see a point if there is any.
Now, I do have a problem with violence without meaning and artistic provocation using violent means without giving any key or explanation. I feel difficult to handle with the disturbing feelings I get then. Like with this crap movie”Irreversible”, a film that shows crudely the horror of rape. As if we didn’t know already before how terrible, disgusting and violent it is. It’s only a flow of provocative images and at the end the director hasn’t made any point.
I feel a bit the same with this video.
Oh, I’m french too by the way.
Or like the ads Benetton used to make.
It creates a debate about itself using something social and repulsive but keeps itself outside the debate (about the reality and the facts). It’s not constructive.
And I think that idiots like those portrayed in this video won’t see it as a mirror’s reflexion of their stupid acts but will only find it amusing and cool.
I think it’s important to point out that the video, whether you personally like it or not, is very effective. I agree that it is truly an aesthetic achievement. That said, it seems to be provocative for the sake of being provocative. It isn’t necessarily being honest or thorough about issues of gang violence and racism in the Paris suburbs, which are issues that deserve more attention and a greater depth of knowledge than a music video could possibly provide. Lots of musicians use controversial videos to get attention, and now with forums like YouTube, they don’t have to worry about the MTV censors. I don’t agree with Justice’s decision to exploit a controversial issue to get attention, but I can understand why they did it.
1) The gang aren’t all non-whites. The group of young guys seems to be pretty ethnically diverse.
2) There’s no reason why a music video shouldn’t explore, artistically, an issue or setting or characters like this. But you have to understand that it can’t do it the same way, or perhaps in the same depth, as, say, a film like La Haine.
3) The gang aren’t supposed to represent people on the estate - that’s made clear by the resident in the high-rise giving the gang the finger and shouting abuse at them. It’s not homogenising the residents of the bainlieues (spelling? Sorry!), because it’s showing these guys threatening and terrorising the residents of the estates as well as the central Parisians and tourists.
4) I think it’s worth noting, particularly given Romain-Gavras’ rich-kid, hipster background, that if you watch all the way to the end of the video, the guys making the film are set on fire and beaten senseless by the young guys they’re filming. There are obviously different ways of reading this, but I think it’s perfectly valid to see that as a pretty self-aware statement by Romain-Gavras et al. The video punishes the guys making the film, possibly suggesting that they’re naive, and/or deserving of punishment for their voyeurism and fetishism of this violence, and the deprived social conditions that creates it.
I realise that’s kind of circular idea, but it’s an interesting, and valid, one.
5) the Justice bomber jackets are interesting, and kind of difficult to read… Are they playing on the idea of “Justice”? making a statement on the religious references that their music makes? Continuing the idea of ignorant and naive exploitation and fetishism of minority cultures by upper-class/white musicians? Or are they just trying to associate themselves with urban grittiness and “realness”?
The fact that the film has got me thinking and reasoning like this is pretty impressive on it’s own. Plus, it hits you between the eyes.
i love the video, it fits perfectly with the song !
where can i buy one of those jackets ?
Man this video does not incourage violence! Think further you fool(s). By the way I think Its really well done very well directed. I like the song to. Cut the crap!
When I read some of these comments it sounds like some never even seen the video. It’s not true that the victims are all white. You’d know that if you’d watch the video prick.
I would like to note that a comment should be more than a simple statement of your “side”, but backed off with some substantial perspective about the argument discussed.
I do believe that one important point about videos like this revolves around your original thoughts about the issues portrayed in said videos. If you simply don’t have any sort of consideration regarding these social situations it’s clear that videos like this will promptly make you snap a judgement in a heartbeat.
If you have some extreme right winged ideas rooting the way you think surely this video shall give you some redundant “evidence” that you should start bashing minority’s heads around.
But if in fact you have more pacifistic ideas as a background, surely, one could look at this video as portrayal of “reality” more like a statement that this shit does happen, it can give you that jolt that could propel someone to act, trying to understand the roots of such behaviour as too elaborate ways of resolving this kind of violence.
As from my perspective, this violence is far from senseless. As humans we all respond based on several aspects, being them cultural, social, economic, religious or of any other nature. The fact is that we react based in what our reality is. This has roots in several facts that should be understood if we do hope to see this kind of violence come to an end.
Picture this, based on some sort of comfortable way of life that some of us have, the most some of us will do is type some words on a blog, without actually trying to react effectively in a proactive manner to resolve said issues… Maybe that alone is some sort of baby step towards that attitude.
It’s a scandal such offensive racist and violent video is shown online, let’s hope the JUSTICE STRESS video gets taken off and originators punished and prosecuted for suggesting mass crime
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