
Spike Jonze returns to music videos, co-directing with Mary Wigmore, to celebrate the friendship of two born entertainers: Coldplay's Chris Martin and Dick Van Dyke, 99 years young.This remarkable film is a celebration of Dick Van Dyke's showbiz career - including his famous Cockney chimney-sweep role in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and his huge success on TV in the 1960s. But also rather more than that, as Chris Martin performs the song All My Love to Dick at his home, surrounded by family on his 99th birthday. That is the cue for Dick himself gets involved in singing, and dancing to the song. In his 100th year, he is still very much the song-and-dance man he's been all his life.This is also a celebration of the friendship between the two men, based on huge mutual respect, and Jonze and Wigmore's craft is to ensure that comes through palpably on screen. In this director's cut - the official video is here - we hear Jonze's prompting with questions to Dick Van Dyke, allowing the veteran entertainer to reflect upon his life and also display his enduring positivity, and alertness to fresh creativity. And then, with a little prompting from Spike, for good measure Chris Martin composes a tribute song to Dick on the spot. It's heartwarming, cheering stuff. And although not strictly a Christmas-themed video, what better time to welcome this into our lives?
Promonews - 11 months ago
