REVIEW: MADONNA - CELEBRATION THE VIDEO COLLECTION

Although I have my reservations on the necessity of yet another Greatest Hits CD from Madonna, I have no hesitations in saying that a Greatest Hits Video Collection is long overdue. Celebration The Video Collection recaps her massively successful years under Warner Bros. Records from 1983 to 2009. The two-disc DVD set features 47 of Madonna's best videos with a few crucial omissions including Holiday, Bad Girl, This Used To Be My Playground, Me Against The Music, You Must Love Me and Dress You Up.

It cannot be disputed that Madonna has revolutionized and shaped the art form of the Music Video as we know it today. She remarkably has remained relevant as one of the key forces of the MTV era, which saw many stars rise quickly and fade just as quickly. In her earlier videos like Burning Up and Borderline, one sees very simplistic plot lines and a focus on vanity. Like a Virgin and 1985's MTV Best Female Pop Video Material Girl still retain a classic quality thanks to masterful direction from Mary Lambert. This timelessness clause however, does not apply so much to videos like Crazy For You, Live To Tell and Into The Groove. These videos feature vignettes of the films from which they were theme songs, a telltale sign that dramatic advancements have been made since the mid '80s in terms of video editing.

I must admit that as a child, I never fully grasped the magnitude of Papa Don't Preach. This is Madonna's first video to really deliver a real social message. Watching it today as an adult, I can appreciate Madonna and director Peter Percher's bravado in tackling the issue of abortion and the song's pro-choice leanings through popular culture. The video also has an emotionally resonant father-daughter storyline which is as poignant today as it was in 1986. Percher truly brought out the best in Madonna.


And how could one forget the brilliant choreography and iconic styling of both Vogue and Express Yourself, directed by David Fincher? Fincher later went on to direct important films like Seven, Zodiac, Fight Club and more recently, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Never one to avoid the spotlight, Madonna is at her controversial best in Like a Prayer scantily clad and dancing in front of burning crosses; she is also seen making love to Saint Martin de Porres, often confused as a black Jesus Christ in the video. Needless to say, the Catholic Church was outraged. And if this were not enough, Madonna pushes the envelope further sexually in both Justify My Love and Erotica, both of which were banned by MTV in 1990 and 1992 respectively.

On disc two of Celebration The Video Collection, one can start seeing Madonna's noticable transition into a more subtle version of herself. Take a Bow remains one of her most beautifully shot videos. With the help of director Michael Haussman, she was able to land the coveted role of Eva Duarte de Perón in the 1996 film adaption of the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Essentially this video served as an audition tape for her. Many of us tend to forget that Madonna is also an accomplished actress, having been awarded a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy in Evita.

Still hot director Jonas Åkerlund's Ray of Light remains a visual feast 11 years after its initial release, with its high speed montage of time-lapsed images and a high contrast colour treatment. It was awarded Video of the Year at 1998's MTV Music Video Awards.

Although he is immensely talented already, let's not forget Sacha Baron Cohen who undoubtedly received a huge career boost from his cameo in the video for 2000's Music, playing his signature character Ali G. Who would've known that Cohen would eventually go on to earn an Academy Award nomination for his work on Borat and also top the box office as a gay fashionista in Brüno?

After a series of ventures into the realm of higher art with videos like Hollywood and What It Feels Like For a Girl, the latter directed by then-husband Guy Ritchie, Madonna returned to her dance pop roots again in the video for Hung Up. The video is one of her few choreography-centric videos in quite some time.

The collection is capped off with the video for latest single Celebration, also directed by Åkerlund. The video however, features the Benny Benassi remix of the track as opposed to the Paul Oakenfold mix heard on radio and featured on the Celebration CD set. Perhaps this is a strategy to entice fans to buy both the Video Collection and CDs. Madonna fans are loyal after all, so why not?

In all honesty, there is little to critique with Celebration The Video Collection. It is almost perfect, even though it is missing a few important highlights from Madonna's illustrious career. And despite being sold at a higher than average price point for a DVD, one can see its value quickly peering through the Track Listing. Although her chapter with Warner Bros. Records is now over, we fans can look forward to this icon's next re-invention under Live Nation. Grade: A+

*Also, if you love Madonna, don't forget to check out these pics and write-up I did over at sister blog Arjan Writes, from the Toronto leg of her Sticky and Sweet Tour last fall.