Customer Reviews

Madonna - Video Collection 1993-99

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Video Collection 93:99 is Madonna's second video compilation DVD after The Immaculate Collection. This DVD covers from the Erotica Album until the Austin Powers them song. I will ve review the videos, not much the songs since this is a DVD review.

There are 14 videos in this compilation:
1. Bad Girl(1993).- This video is like a movie, the oscar-winning actor Christopher Walken plays the angel that looks over Madonna's caracther a lost woman who looks love in the wrong places, a video with a sad storie but great looks. 10/10
2. Fever(1993).- This video from the cover of Fever is very stylish, there's a lot of red colors since I guess represents fever, the version is dancy and the video somehow erotic. 9/10
3. Rain (1993).- If in the Fever video there was a lot of red in this one there are a lot of blue, Madonna looks very great in black short hair and very deep blue eyes. 10/10
4. Secret (1994).- From too much color ve go to blac and white, I like this song very much, Madonna, a blues band and a new your 'hood is part of this video visual. 10/10
5. Take a Bow (1994).- Spain, a bull fighter and a hurt lover are part of this sepia video, this is my favorite Madonna ballad and the video trasmite the lyrics perfectly. 10/10
6. Bedtime Story (1995).- This video is full of special effect, very cool and different. 10/10
7. Human Nature (1995).- This video is very simple, but the black vinyl and leather that Madonna and her dancers wear makes it very sexy. 9/10
8. Love don't live here anymore (1996).- A video from an old song (from her like a virgin album), not too complicated. 7/10
9. Frozen (1998).- Very dark video, excellent visual effect from Madonna become animals and vice versa, nice song. 9/10
10. Ray of Light (1998).- Classic video, winner of MTV awards, showing the hectic of everyday life, great. 10/10
11. Drowned World (1998).- This video tries to reflect how is Madonna life regardiong with fame and how her priorities have changed now that she is a mother. 8/10
12. The Power of Goodbye (1998).- Beautiful cinematography, filmed at the beach with that ER actor as guest, nice song. 9/10
13. Nothing really matters (1999).- I like this song and the video, Madonna is dressed as Geisha, the video is odd, but I like it. 9/10
14. Beautiful Stranger (1999).- From the Austin Powers movie, Madonna in stilleto shoes dancing with Mike Mayers, fun video.
8/10

With a spectacular cover photography by David LaChapelle, Madonna's "93:98 Video Collection," is a great addition to any music lover's collection. As a pioneer of daring, thought-provoking videos, Madonna has always been on the forefront of creating styles and opinions.

On this video collection, most (but not all) of Madonna's videos produced in the past decade are included for everyone's viewing pleasure. While such videos as "Bedtime Story," are amazing when it comes to their composition and imagination, others like "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," are simple in their theme and imagery.

I was disappointed in the same way I was with her prior video collection, that some videos were omitted from the compilation. If she was able to add a live performance of "Vogue," on the "Immaculate Collection" compilation, she could have added more to this collection. Videos such as "You'll See," "Erotica," "Justify My Love," and "This Use to Be My Playground," which were released during the 1990's have been totally omitted, which is a complete shame. However, the video that I was looking forward in seeing, "I Want You," was also ommitted. This video, which was based on the short theatrical piece "La Voix Humaine," revolves around a woman awaiting for a call from her lover who has left her. In what I consider a very powerful (and long) video, Madonna portrays a woman exhausted by the long wait. Filmed in black & white, this is one of her most moving videos.

Another two things I would have to see on this collection would have been the option to see the lyrics appear on the screen, in addition to motion menus that allows the viewer to get a preview of each video before actually playing it (similar to the motion menus on the "Matrix" DVD). In conclusion, I hope whenever Madonna releases her new video compilation (which most likley will include the videos from her upcoming album "Music," and videos made in between ("American Pie"), I hope she decides to also add all the videos she omitted in the prior two releases, so that her fans can enjoy them as much as the first time we saw them on television.

A great collection to accompany the '91 Immaculate Collection.

I don't believe that Madonna would've excluded 'Erotica' on the collection since she initially chose that video, the choice was stupidly made by WARNER. So it doesn't have 'Erotica', big deal. Her 'Sex' Book pretty much illustrates the video.

And it wouldn't have made sense to include 'I'll Remember' and 'This Used to Be my Playground' because the videos pretty much show more of the movie scenes than Madonna, so they were no special. And the 'Justify My Love' video is still sold in stores like Tower Records as a separate video, so you can still get that.

Though a few look like they were edited over, you'll be dazzled by the visual effects you see in such videos like 'BedTime Story' and 'Ray of Light'and 'Fever'; and some great choreography in 'Human Nature' and 'Beautiful Stranger'. There's also some great cinematography in videos like 'Rain', each video is very well themed.

I could have given it 5 stars but I only gave it 4 due to the 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore' video. While the lighting was all right in it, it was boring. Oh well, they can't all be great.

But it's still a wonderful keeper and carefully illustrates Madonna as the true performance artist that she is, hopefully in another few years she'll have a third collection out.

When you really watch this collection (meaning not skipping any of the videos), you truly get a sense of what an amazing artist Madonna is & all of the talent & creativity she brings to the music industry. There's NO music video like "Take A Bow" with all it's glamour & detail. And most artists would be scared to do something as bleak & haunting as "Frozen." You also get a sense of how much she has changed throughout the decade. Calculated or not, no other artist has ever been as fresh or successful. Many steps above the rest--a beautiful collection.

This second video collection from Madonna only confirms that Ms. Ciccone is indeed the Queen of Pop and of the Music Video. The videos featured here are absolutely spectacular. From the motion picture quality of Bad Girl, to the gorgeous cinematography of Rain, to the out of this world bizarreness of Bedtime Story, to the hyper energy of Ray of Light, this is indeed a special collection. Unfortunately, it is also an incomplete collection. Among the glaring omissions are EROTICA, DEEPER AND DEEPER (both left off presumably due to their sexual content and innuendo), THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND, I'LL REMEMBER, YOU MUST LOVE ME, DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA (all left off presumably because they featured scenes from movies they did not have the rights to), and YOU'LL SEE (who knows why this wasn't included). I had the same complaint about the Immaculate Collection with its missing videos. What makes it even more aggravating is the fact that a video like LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, which was a complete bomb as a single and is one of the most boring videos ever produced, did make the cut. Yes, it is a beautifully SHOT video, and the director is very "in" right now, but it still doesn't deserve a place over some of her bigger hits. For these reasons this collection earns 4 stars. Maybe someday we'll get to see a COMPLETE Madonna video collection.

Warner-Reprise videos never set out to issue the definitive Madonna video collection, nor is this collection labeled The Complete Madonna '90's Video Collection. The collection simply serves to represent significant landmarks in an artist's career; for a video artist of Madonna's caliber this is an overwhelmingly daunting task! This can be attested to by the first Madonna collection, which omitted the low-budget but nevertheless historically significant Everybody video,and any of her popular TV show performances of Holiday which were well-choreographed, visually engaging and qualify for a music video any day. Add to that The Immaculate Collection which omitted Dress you Up, True Blue and Dear Jessie (not to mention the videos-from-films Crazy For You, Gambler,Live To Tell, Who's That Girl and Causing A Commotion. The Madonna Video Collection '93-'99 follows the same avenue. Wanna see Erotica? Grab a copy of the Sex book. Deeper and Deeper? Love the car and the dress but the presence of the Ray of Light video will make the dance club scene a target for cynical comments like, video cliche... You'll See? The photography here may be superior but as a sequel to the musical narrative of Take A Bow, showing the two together may be a little too tedious for today's hyperkinetic and attention-deficient audience. I Want You? Supreme acting but did anybody really hear this song on the radio? Obviously not since this was never released as a single. Contrary to common misconception, Madonna is not a show-off. She simply knows how to put on a good show. She knows the value of peaks and valleys, of conflict, catharsis and denouement, of the balance between ballad and uptempo musical forms. Moreover, SHE KNOWS she's MASTER of the video artform. She doesn't want to rub that fact in your face. And she doesn't want to offer you Benadryl-in-a-cartridge by lumping together 9 (! )ballads, You'll See and I Want you included.

To the Madonna fan, the popular culture observer and the music video enthusiast, this music video definitely belongs in your library of THE BEST IN MUSIC VIDEOS. Put this one under my tree, Santa Baby!

This is a wonderful DVD! I am so glad my favorite Madonna video of all-time, "Bad Girl", was on the DVD! But there were some videos missing on here, like "Deeper And Deeper", "I'll Remember", "You'll See", and "This Used To Be My Playground". But this is still a wonderful collection!

Bad Girl- I love this video! It is so beautiful! 5/5
Fever- Nice video, but not one of her best 2/5
Rain- Another beautiful video! 5/5
Secret- It's okay. 4/5
Take A Bow- My 2nd favorite video of all-time! 5/5
Bedtime Story- Yuck. 1/5
Human Nature- Cool video! 5/5
Love Don't Live Here Anymore- This is another beautiful video of Madonna's! 5/5
Frozen- I always loved this song/video! 5/5
Ray Of Light- Very cool video... This is some of her best work. 5/5
Drowned World/Substitute For Love- I never really liked the sng at first, but one day I decided to watch the video and it was very good. I also like the song now!
The Power Of Goodbye- Beautiful video! 5/5
Nothing Really Matters- I am not really crazy about this video, but it's okay. 3/5
Beautiful Stranger- Very funny video, especially the beginning! 5/5

I bought this DVD for myself as a birthday gift, and while I was blown away by the sound and picture quality (I'd give both a big 5), I must state that as a serious Madonna fan, I cannot but help feeling a little cheated.

First, Madonna's most spiritual and psychotic video to date ('Deeper and Deeper', from 1993) has not been included. This was a US Top 10 hit, and a far better video than many on the compilation here. While many people lament the fact that 'Erotica' does not figure here, it must be remembered that this is a video retrospective from 1993 to 1999, and 'Erotica' misses the mark. However, seeing that Madonna's last collection was dated 1983-1990, its a crying shame that the period from 1991-1992 has gone unaddressed. This would include 'Justify my love' and the stunning 'I'll Remember', both of which do not figure here.

However, the sound quality on the DVD is so exceptional that you may end up forgiving Warner for their sorry effort at conjuring up a Greatest Hits Collection on short notice. Listening to the simple melody of 'Secret' with its' mysterious video playing is a pleasure that I once again discovered. And Madonna's most creative video, 'Bedtime Story' finds a new life on DVD.

The easy access menu is simple and devoid of frills and fancies (the menu DOES get a bit tiresome, I must warn you, as it consists of seven different screens), and it gets the job done. The good thing about this compilation is that it also includes Madonna songs that were utter flops in every country they were released, such as 'Bad Girl' (one of Madonna's finest singles, but also one of her worst chart-performing) and the dismal 'Nothing Really Matters' which has a Japanese-influenced video that gave the song new life (not that this really worked well in the US, where the single peaked at No. 93 before vanishing forever into obscurity).

The ultimate tragedy however, is that Madonna's little seen video 'I want you' (a beautiful piece co-performed by Massive Attack) is also missing. This is a shame because as a work of art, that video best embodied Madonna's creative spirit. On the other hand, the DVD includes the obscure video for 'Drowned World', which was released only in Asia and Europe.

All in all, this compilation is a mixed bag. I bought it thinking that I'd be blown away, but I wasn't really. I felt a bit let down and that I didn't quite get my money's worth. Most people feel the same about this DVD, and its no big surprise. Heres hoping that the forgotten videos turn up some day on DVD, and that we'll finally be able to own Madonna's entire video catalong on DVD.

One can't help but enjoy this IMPRESSIVE video collection on DVD - ok, ok, I LOVE it - because that's the power of this mix of hits and tunes from (only?) 7 years of a great career - BUT a true fan can't help feeling TOTALLY CHEATED out of some of the most valuable gems of Mrs. Guy Ritchie's video history!!! And while I'm at it, why just 7 years? It seems ridiculously apparent that the "suits" at Warner/Maverick/AOL Time Warner, etc., etc., have sliced this package up for "optimum selling power" as a "family friendly" product. And the fact that the fans reviewing this DVD have largely accepted these omissions is strange. The obvious and glaring omissions of "Erotica", "Justify my Love" and "Deeper & Deeper" (no matter when they were released) is an utter act of cowardace on the part of the company to support/back the superior Mrs. Ritchie - and could she have made them any $$richer?? Truly a disgusting error! Again, while I love this digital collection, and view/listen OFTEN, I continue to be GREATLY disappointed that the fans weren't treated to the total package. Mrs. Ritchie is obviously not done creatively (the Drowned World Tour was her best yet), but a retrospective of videos to date is absolutely necessary! Enough with the "teaser" packages!! Other important omissions: "This Used To be My Playground", "You'll See", I'll Remember", and lastly, but NOT LEAST - the haunting "I Want You" featuring Massive Attack (I just can't understand this error!). Additionally, while I'm still ranting, (with the hope that someone at MAVERICK is listening - hello Mrs. Ritchie, are you out there?), it is also important to mention the other videos left out of the first (or second) collection - the always fantastic, "Burning Up"; "Everybody"; (a live and classic) "Dress You Up"; "Crazy For You" and "Gambler" from Vision Quest; "Into The Groove"; "Live To Tell"; "True Blue"; "Who's That Girl"; "Causing A Commotion"; and "Dear Jesse". The company's CHEAP approach at slapping together 2 DVDs with SO MANY missing classic performances really is worthy of attention, but as long as the fans continue to applaud this type of butchery, nothing will change! Power in numbers... start the letter writing campaign to Warner/Maverick and AOL Time Warner and cross your fingers! Oh! Were you looking for a review of the DVD?? Well then, what are you waiting for Madonna fans? Go ahead and buy it already!

Excellent sequence of videos with the masterful touch of Madonna creativity. The sound in 5.1 is tight, allowing the surrounds to blend in for the feeling of total involvement of both sight and sound. Each video is so well directed and produced, that you feel like you're watching short movies.Definitely a must for your dvd music collection.