Runaway (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Runaway is a 35-minute short film directed by and starring Kanye West
. It serves as the music video for a compilation of songs from West's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It is inspired by other music-related films such as Purple Rain
, Pink Floyd The Wall
and Michael Jackson's Thriller and painters Picasso and Matisse. Directors Federico Fellini
and Stanley Kubrick
as well as fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld
are also direct inspirations. The film depicts a romantic relationship between a man and a half-woman, half-phoenix
, and is set to music by Kanye West from his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).
over the period of four days in the summer of 2010. The script was written by Hype Williams
with the story written by West. Vanessa Beecroft
served as the art director with Jonathan Lia producing. West describes the video as an "overall representation of what [he dreams]" and a parallel to his music career. Speaking to MTV News
, West said he wanted women in his life, including his mother and ex-girlfriends, represented in the video, and for them to "connect with the different emotions". According to model Selita Ebanks
, who co-stars in the video, the moral is, "the world doesn't accept, or they try to change, what is different, instead of trying to understand it."
The teaser trailer for the film debuted during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
and the full video was screened in Paris
on October 5 and at the BAFTA
on October 6. The video debuted on October 23, 2010 on VEVO
, MTV
, BET
and VH1
.
in an English accent. A phoenix
(Ebanks), appearing as half-woman and half-phoenix, crashes down to Earth
as a meteorite
and Griffin crashes his MTX Tatra V8
in the forest. This scene, according to GQ, echoes West's car accident that was the inspiration for "Through the Wire
". While the car explodes in the background, Griffin carries the phoenix in his arms and brings her home. The phoenix comes into contact with objects from the human world, including a news display on a flat-screen television and a porcelain
teacup. After she dances to a remix of "Power" that Griffin plays on an MPC2000XL, he takes her to see different sights, including a carnival with a papier-mâché
bust of Michael Jackson
, a marching band, and fireworks in the desert. "All of the Lights
" is heard during this sequence. Griffin falls in love with the phoenix and they attend a formal dinner party, during which "Devil in a New Dress
" is heard. The disgusted guests appear to exchange negative comments about the phoenix. An upset Griffin responds with a performance of "Runaway
", backed by an interpretive dance
sequence with ballerina
s in black tutus, followed by a slow-motion sequence where lead dancers perform solos to an Auto-Tune
d continuation of the song. The diners toast to the lyrics saluting the "douche bags" and applaud Griffin's performance. The dinner ends when the phoenix, horrified, screams in anguish at the revelation that the main dish is a large turkey
, driving the guests away from the table. After the dinner, the couple is seen sitting outside under the stars (in a scene reminiscent of Jackson's Moonwalker
) where they chat about the creation of sculptures. The phoenix claims they are phoenixes that have been turned to stone by society. She comments on the repressive nature of his world, declaring, "Do you know what I hate most about your world? Anything that is different you try to change." She then tells him she must burst into flames to avoid this fate, and thus, return to her world. Griffin, however, cannot accept this and they make love to "Lost in the World
" (featuring Bon Iver
). He wakes up the next morning on his apartment roof, only to find the phoenix ascending into the sky, donning a gold breastplate. The film ends back in the forest scene from the beginning of the film.
s Ken Tucker, calling it "a carefully modulated art-film made by a man on a mission". He noted the usage of dominant colors as well as the imagery in the film. Jozen Cummings of The Wall Street Journal
praised the video's implementation of the nine West songs, calling it "where the movie shines the brightest", and admired its concept as "a vision truly realized" beneath the surface of the seemingly nonsensical story. Musicians Swizz Beatz
and Pete Wentz also complimented the immensity of the project.
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
. It serves as the music video for a compilation of songs from West's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It is inspired by other music-related films such as Purple Rain
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
, Pink Floyd The Wall
Pink Floyd The Wall (film)
Pink Floyd—The Wall is a 1982 British live-action/animated musical film directed by Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. The film is highly metaphorical and is rich in symbolic imagery and sound...
and Michael Jackson's Thriller and painters Picasso and Matisse. Directors Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
and Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
as well as fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
are also direct inspirations. The film depicts a romantic relationship between a man and a half-woman, half-phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, and is set to music by Kanye West from his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).
Background
It was filmed in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
over the period of four days in the summer of 2010. The script was written by Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
with the story written by West. Vanessa Beecroft
Vanessa Beecroft
Vanessa Beecroft is an Italian contemporary artist living in Los Angeles.-Artistic practice:Beecroft's work is a fusion of conceptual issues and aesthetic concerns, focusing on large-scale performance art, usually involving live female models...
served as the art director with Jonathan Lia producing. West describes the video as an "overall representation of what [he dreams]" and a parallel to his music career. Speaking to MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, West said he wanted women in his life, including his mother and ex-girlfriends, represented in the video, and for them to "connect with the different emotions". According to model Selita Ebanks
Selita Ebanks
Selita Ebanks is a Caymanian fashion model. She worked for Victoria's Secret and as a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2005-2008.-Early life:...
, who co-stars in the video, the moral is, "the world doesn't accept, or they try to change, what is different, instead of trying to understand it."
The teaser trailer for the film debuted during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
and the full video was screened in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on October 5 and at the BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
on October 6. The video debuted on October 23, 2010 on VEVO
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
Synopsis
The video opens with Griffin (West) running down a road in a forest with his shirt unbuttoned, followed with a narration by Nicki MinajNicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
in an English accent. A phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
(Ebanks), appearing as half-woman and half-phoenix, crashes down to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
as a meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
and Griffin crashes his MTX Tatra V8
MTX (automobile)
MTX is an automobile that has been made in Czechoslovakia and now in the Czech Republic by MTX R5 sp.o.o of Prague since 1969. MTX is short for Metalex. Originally, it was a repair shop for Škoda racers....
in the forest. This scene, according to GQ, echoes West's car accident that was the inspiration for "Through the Wire
Through the Wire
"Through the Wire" is a hip hop song performed by rapper Kanye West from his debut album The College Dropout . Released in 2003 as the album's lead single, it peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100...
". While the car explodes in the background, Griffin carries the phoenix in his arms and brings her home. The phoenix comes into contact with objects from the human world, including a news display on a flat-screen television and a porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
teacup. After she dances to a remix of "Power" that Griffin plays on an MPC2000XL, he takes her to see different sights, including a carnival with a papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
bust of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, a marching band, and fireworks in the desert. "All of the Lights
All of the Lights
"All of the Lights" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released January 18, 2011, as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy...
" is heard during this sequence. Griffin falls in love with the phoenix and they attend a formal dinner party, during which "Devil in a New Dress
Devil in a New Dress
"Devil in a New Dress" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West. It appears as the eighth song on the track-listing of his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Originally released as the fourth G.O.O.D...
" is heard. The disgusted guests appear to exchange negative comments about the phoenix. An upset Griffin responds with a performance of "Runaway
Runaway (Kanye West song)
"Runaway" is a single by American recording artist Kanye West, released as the second single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It features a guest verse from rapper Pusha T of Clipse. The single debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100.A 35-minute short film...
", backed by an interpretive dance
Interpretive dance
Interpretive dance is a family of dance styles that seeks to translates particular feelings and emotions, human conditions, situations, or fantasies into movement and dramatic expression combined...
sequence with ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
s in black tutus, followed by a slow-motion sequence where lead dancers perform solos to an Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
d continuation of the song. The diners toast to the lyrics saluting the "douche bags" and applaud Griffin's performance. The dinner ends when the phoenix, horrified, screams in anguish at the revelation that the main dish is a large turkey
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
, driving the guests away from the table. After the dinner, the couple is seen sitting outside under the stars (in a scene reminiscent of Jackson's Moonwalker
Moonwalker
Moonwalker, also known as Michael Jackson: Moonwalker, is an American anthology film released in 1988 by singer Michael Jackson....
) where they chat about the creation of sculptures. The phoenix claims they are phoenixes that have been turned to stone by society. She comments on the repressive nature of his world, declaring, "Do you know what I hate most about your world? Anything that is different you try to change." She then tells him she must burst into flames to avoid this fate, and thus, return to her world. Griffin, however, cannot accept this and they make love to "Lost in the World
Lost in the World
"Lost in the World" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song features vocals by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and also heavily samples his 2009 work, "Woods"...
" (featuring Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
). He wakes up the next morning on his apartment roof, only to find the phoenix ascending into the sky, donning a gold breastplate. The film ends back in the forest scene from the beginning of the film.
Reception
The music video was praised by Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Ken Tucker, calling it "a carefully modulated art-film made by a man on a mission". He noted the usage of dominant colors as well as the imagery in the film. Jozen Cummings of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
praised the video's implementation of the nine West songs, calling it "where the movie shines the brightest", and admired its concept as "a vision truly realized" beneath the surface of the seemingly nonsensical story. Musicians Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
and Pete Wentz also complimented the immensity of the project.