New video! Over the next month, Marie will be releasing a video for each of the songs on her Japanese Blossoms record. The first one is the title track for the record, Japanese Blossoms.
Story Behind The Video:
When I was searching for footage for this video, I came upon this old home movie from the 1940s (or 50s, I can't tell). There's something about the posed awkwardness of the subjects, a calculated presentation of the family- it drew me in. The little girls were obviously told how to walk and how to pose- the camera was new to all of them. I can't tell you how many times the family did the "stoic-pose-then-walk-towards-the-camera" bit in the original footage, individually with each of the family members. It was calculated, and yet vulnerable- you can see their discomfort in front of the camera, the hesitation and the unfamiliarity. It was striking to me and I couldn't get it out of my mind. I don't know who this family is, but I would love to know them. They led a beautiful life and I am honored to have them as the stars in my Japanese Blossoms video.
The song was originally written about the loss of love, but when I watched this footage and began compiling this video, I realized the video had become about the loss of childhood. The little girls play a main theme in the film, the father and the mother threaded throughout. This footage reminded me of my childhood, the little girls felt familiar- childhood is a beautiful thing and we all lose it at some point, and the lyrics to this song took on new meaning to me as I began pairing this footage with it. Funny how nothing has changed when it feels like nothing's the same, yes?
- marie