Sade - “Smooth Operator” (1984)
You know, Julien Temple really wanted to direct movies instead of videoclips. You can feel his yearning in this clip: he took the song lyrics and brought them alive in a lush minimovie, running eight and a half minutes in the full-length version. You have the “smooth operator” that has his way with the ladies AND pursues some dirty businesses, Sade as the loved-then-deserted singer, a high class club, the police investigation, chases, rooftops, guns. And all very beautifully directed, joy to the eyes.
Of course, Julian went on to direct the massive commercial flop “Absolute Beginners”, laughed at by the public and critics together, and which partly resulted in the British film industry entering a period of decline, as Wikipedia asserts. But that’s another story.
