Thriller was an event even when it was being shot in October 1983. Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire, Rock Hudson and Jackie Kennedy Onassis all turned up on set, and Eddie Murphy, Prince and Diana Ross were spotted at the private premiere on 14 November. Thirty years ago this week – on 21 November – it was first shown to the public. To be eligible for the Oscars, it needed a week-long theatrical release, so Landis arranged for it to open, bizarrely, for Disneys Fantasia at a single cinema in LA. And then, at midnight on 2 December, after weeks of trailers and hype, MTV showed it to the world. Music videos in the early 80s started as a little cottage industry in Britain, really, says Brian Grant, the British director who made the Private Dancer video for Tina Turner and Whitney Houstons I Wanna Dance With Somebody. As soon as the Americans got involved, things became monetised, turning music videos into a proper industry, which operated alongside MTV. The big turning point was Thriller. AA
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 22:16:19 +0000
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