Idolator’s Tribute Video Treasury Returns To Steal From The Rich And Give To The Poor

Kate Richardson | June 12, 2008 3:00 am
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Once again, Idolator intern Kate Richardson scours the video sites, looking for the best fan-made music videos. In this installment, she tries to see if Bryan Adams or Richard Ashcroft is a more appropriate foil for Disney’s animated adapation of the classic tale Robin Hood:

Robin Hood is without a doubt one of Disney’s finest productions. Between the chill minstrel rooster and the bad-ass soundtrack, it comes damn near perfection, but it’s often forgotten among the showier films in Disney’s catalog. If ever there were a place for such an overlooked gem to shine, it would be the tribute video community. Yes, our old friends have done things with this movie so fantastic–and fantastically bizarre–that after about seven months away, I’m resurrecting Objects of Affection just for a pair of particularly strange Robin Hood videos. These clips prove two very important points: 1, “Bitter Sweet Symphony” can and will be used to make any sequence of visuals melancholy and/or poignant; and 2, Bryan Adams isn’t just for live-action versions of Robin Hood anymore.

Song: “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve Concept: Robin Hood as love story between two medieval heroin addicts. This is definitely one of the artsier tributes I’ve come across. The obligatory sepia segment–from :45 to 2:00–is deliberate and refined, and the editing is swift and smart. I would say the clips are well chosen, but whether or not you think a shot of a baby cartoon turtle wearing big round glasses meshes well with “Bitter Sweet Symphony” is just too subjective for that kind of statement. Overall, though, it makes for a highly enjoyable viewing experience. The Disney/British alt-rock pairing may be a bit distractingly incongruous, but it’s a deftly produced and aesthetically pleasing clip. Plus, if you think about it long enough you might start to see a connection between the two elements. After all, what was Robin Hood doing if not “trying to make ends meet, trying to make some money?” Best music-to-image sync-up moment: The capture-of-Robin Hood sequence, starting at about 4:40, nicely captures the sadder tones of the song, especially the closeup of Maid Marian shedding a single tear. Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment: At 5:25, when Maid Marian is dancing with the handicapped hound dog. It’s just extra absurd for some reason.

Song: “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams Concept: Robin Hood as tender tale of two foxes in their mid-40s looking to give love a second chance. Considering the nature of the song, this video spends way too much time on clips from the movie that have nothing to do with the Robin/Maid Marian romance. For instance, the minute-long sequence of the hen lady-in-waiting sword fighting with the baby rabbit is just way off in context. That and the random acts of sepia make for a disorienting and rather boring video, though the novelty of the combination carries enough weight to compel the viewer to watch at least once all the way through just by sheer force of curiosity. Originally written for the 1991 Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the logic–if you can call it that–behind pairing this song with this movie exists in theory, but that doesn’t make it any less bizarre. Best music-to-image sync-up moment: The last two and a half minutes–during the schmaltzy jam session at the end of the song–feature the romantic moonlit walk sequence of the movie, and it’s about the only portion of the video that makes any sort of sense (insofar as this kind of thing can make sense). Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment: Starting at 1:58 there’s a slow motion sepia clip of Maid Marian frolicking with her matronly lady-in-waiting and it appears for a moment as if they’re the subject of the song.

Verdict : No contest, really. While the Bryan Adams clip is respectably strange, the “Bitter Sweet Symphony” video is weird and entertaining, making the winner of this special edition of Objects of Affection and the most morally upstanding bandit in all of Sherwood Forest.