You Gotta Beat the Clock

Every once in a while I happen upon an old music video that I've never seen before, and the experience can only be described as something close to life altering. Today I happened upon the amazing, classic, and timeless video for Sparks "Beat the Clock". I was actually searching for Giorgio Moroder related videos at the time, and was pretty confident that zero results would turn up. Surprisingly, the aforementioned Sparks video showed up. I wasn't sure how this related to Giorgio Moroder, if at all. But as It turns out, Moroder produced the Sparks 1979 release No 1. in Heaven, which boasts the track featured in the video.

I never really paid much attention to Sparks, but after viewing the video for 'Beat the Clock' I have to admit that I'm just a little bit hypnotized by them. The music is actually pretty good too (thanks to Moroder's production skills of course). I'm wondering though... How did that one guy get away with having that Hitler moustache? He should have been sporting a nice handlebar Moroder style moustache after all. I'm also curious as to how the singer got away with wearing that insanely low cut v-neck sweater. With bright orange pants nonetheless.

There is this wonderful instrumental Morodery interlude in the video, including a giant clock as seen from directly overhead with the classic Busby Berkeley bird's eye view camera angle. This section incorporates choreographed walking patterns and four girls sitting and laying on the clock in formation, executing mechanical arm movements. Both concepts pay homage yet again to the Busby Berkeley stylized movements and camera angles that can be seen in films such as 1933's 42nd Street. This section of 'Beat the Clock' also includes some giggle inducing high tech edits such as the band members being moved around, acting as the hands on the clock.

I also really like the woman wearing the shiny blue spandex unitard that keeps strutting past the band members from right to left across the screen, getting closer to the camera each time. That moment in the video reminds me a lot of this experimental short film by Maya Deren entitled A Study in Choreography for Camera, circa 1945. The film features modern dancer Talley Beatty and has a part in it where the camera continually traces the dancer from right to left and keeps finding him amongst a forest of birch trees. Each time, he appears closer to the camera until he is right in your face. The similarity between Talley Beatty in the forest and the strutting blue spandex lady on the clock is uncanny. If you want to analyze it even further, the band members could equal the stationary birch trees in the Maya Deren film. It probably sounds like a bizarre comparison, but I'm convinced that's where the director of the Sparks video got the idea from.

I'm really glad that I happened upon this video pretty much by accident. I really enjoy looking at those Sparks boys. Orange pants, hitler moustache, v-neck sweater and all. And of course my love for Moroder has once again been re-re-re-renewed. It is highly recommended that this video be watched at least five or six times consecutively.