Secret Project REVOLUTION! THE QUEEN OF LIFE!

[ULIZOS]

This was fucking incredible, and the interview, IMO, is even more incredible. The woman is brilliant.

I'd just like to address a few things:

1) For those of you saying that this looks familiar and she's already done this, it took me 2 seconds to realize that she wanted to get her message from her concert(s) to a much wider audience. We, the fans, have gotten a taste of what she's been trying to do in her concerts through her performances and backdrops. This project is clearly a culmination of all of that. It's her bringing it all together in a beautiful and cohesive project, and it looks familiar because this is how she does things. This is her style. This is Madonna.

2) Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I, for one, LOVE the way she incorporates flashes of strong, uncomfortable images in her interludes and other projects, like American Life (the original video), for example. I feel this short film would've been a lot stronger had she done that at the end of the video when the images start flashing. However, this is what I would have done, but this isn't my project, it's Madonna's. It seems that those of you who don't seem content with this project had different expectations. I remember saying a few months back in the Secret Project thread that I had no expectations, I didn't care when it came out, I was going to be patient, and I was just happy to see Madonna pour her heart out there for the world to see. Some of you were pissed off back in January or whenever that this hadn't come out. Some fans seem to take Madonna for granted, and it sounds to me that you guys think Madonna is here to please you. She's not.

3) God, I love this so fucking much I want to cry.

Thank you

[Stephen]

EVERYONE BETTER BOW DOWN TO THE MUTHA FUCKIN QUEEN

[Guest]

Review from The Imagist

SECRETPROJECTREVOLUTION : AN ART FOR FREEDOM PROJECT : MADONNA AND STEVEN KLEIN : A REVIEW BY JOHN RAY JR.

The film begins abruptly, as if the beginning had been chopped off: we are not prepared, we are not being led into the film, instead we are being thrown into it like the prisoner into the cell, abrupt and without mercy. SECRET PROJECT, the SK/M collaboration is a cinematic psychological lockdown in that everything is restricted to an underworld, a dank existence of fascism and fantasy: where even the baroque is circumcised and rendered as a different type of prison.

The narration of the film is steady and relentless and one cannot escape it. It is didactic. One can assume there is no room for didactic in art but prior history can attest that there is. Certainly much of the work of Bertolt Brecht is didactic. Jean Luc Godard's examination of a Maoist collective among young Parisians LA CHINOISE is didactic offset by the beauty and integrity of its images, colors and compositions. Likewise, SECRET PROJECT's seduction is the visual underworld the we encounter. Like most didactic art there is a tension between the focus of the message and the beauty of the visuals and this may serve as an irritation to some, even a determent and for others a spiraling through to dark beauty.

The film is unsettling and just as we are rising to the occasion of revolt we are given a disturbing coda that suggests otherwise: that things remain the same…or do they? You see SECERT PROJECT is a Rosetta stone. It requires that the audience not be idle, that the viewer participate in the decryption of data that is both obvious and encoded.

Some may view this film as an anomaly but there is a tradition proceeding it. It goes back to Bretch, Godard, Duras and the early films of Alain Resnais: that art should be uncomfortable, that art should irritate, that art should twist what is regarded as structure and that art is beautiful because it does not fit the scheme of things.

In this regard, SECRET PROJECT succeeds on all levels.

SECRET PROJECT, the SK/M collaboration is a cinematic psychological lockdown in that everything is restricted to an underworld.

great review!!!

[Nonoka]

Wow. Just wow. That's the Madonna I love. I fell in love with. I'm usually very careful with statements like that, but that project seems to turn out to be one of the best things she's done in years when it comes to creativity and the impact of her messaage. Wow. I mean, MDNA was nice and everything, but I stil was kinda disappointed because I thought she lost her passion, her urge to move people with her music, to put a statement out there. The MDNA tour was already a hint she's approaching that direction again, and this video now definitely shows she's at that point again.

Oh, and that performance was amazing. Great vocals. Lots of emotion. She really gives me hope now that the next album will not only show her as the happy pop queen singing some la la la-songs (at least that's how she presented herself for the era, if you take GGW as en exception), but a Madonna who wants to move people, who's passionate about her music because she put all her efforts into it.

[ULIZOS]

After watching the short, my two cents are that her intentions are good but I think it gets a little bit abstract for making a real change. Starting a revolution of love is generic. Heartfelt? yes, noble? of course, but where do I start with? Expressing myself one would say, and I agree, I see a lot of people are, like she said, deprived of the right of expression and some other people are taking for granted that right.

But I can't help but thinking a lot about what I see has been going on for the past years insistently: a lot of artists are focusing on promoting people to voicing their opinions but when most of them do so, there's not a real substantial opinion to voice, you know? I mean, yes, we hear you now, great, but what do you have to say? That's what bores me the most from artists like Lady Gaga for example, her whole life revolves about getting attention and when she gets it, what is the message? "look for attention"

Of course I understand Russia for example right now has a lot of issues to resolve on the matter of freedom of speech, but I don't think it's a subject that should be addressed altogether with the rest, because (and this is where I believe Madonna fails to deliver) right now the world has grown the widest range of scenarios. I can't help but be biased by the current situation in Latin America, where a lot of countries are emerging with popular governments that are fighting for once FOR and not against the people and the news spread across the globe are that Latin America is still the same old backyard filled with drugs and corruption, meaning that most notably here than in the rest of the world the OPRESSOR for starters is not the political government but the MONOPOLIZED MEDIA responding to their economic interests, and that's a different kind of fight which is equally dangerous that deserves as much attention, for like Malcolm X said “If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

I think Madonna has awesome intentions, but consistent with her ego, she is seeing a limited reality she is provided and not the full picture. However, the short is daring and provoking and probably will be polemic. But again, I don't think it will lead to an expected revolution. Hopefully I'm wrong.

The interview is very interesting.

Her performance yesterday night with the Elliot song was my favorite thing about this project

I live in Mexico. The incredibly corrupt political party that collapsed this country's economy in the 80's, that held power by holding completely false elections year after year, that crushed human rights by ruling like an iron fist much like in Argentina's dark dictatorship, that let huge organizations of drug cartels, which are now terrorizing the public and have killed almost 100,000 people over the last few years, gain power in all aspects of the country's society, just came back into power. Things have improved vastly in the country over the past 30 years, but from what I see, things are taking a huge u-turn and going in the opposite direction again. My boyfriend is Brazilian and although most people don't know this, violence is surging there (Brazil has a higher murder rate than Mexico's), protesters are being squashed like animals, etc., etc., yet everyone is gloating about how fantastic their economy is doing and how people are moving into the middle class so now they can buy iPods and cars, which they couldn't before. Things are so amazing there you would think according to the media. However, all of this is a bit irrelevant.

This to me seems to be Madonna's message. We're moving in the opposite direction and nobody is really aware of it or, even worse, people are totally okay with it. Like she said in her interview, it's complacency, which is terrifying.

Yes, I am a bit disappointed that she seems much more interested in Europe and seems to be much more in touch with their political matters than most places around the world that need a voice much more. It was also a bit disappointing for me to know that when Madonna came to Mexico we had just had one of the biggest demonstrations ever (much bigger than the demonstrations in Brazil and Turkey at the time) against the political party that was about to regain control of the country, she mentioned the Mayans prophecy of the end of the world and... that was basically it. Especially when her message in Gang Bang, for example, hit a nerve with the people who live in constant fear of guns.

But again, Madonna isn't here for me. She's not here to please me and she's not fighting for me. We can't expect her to fight all of the world's battles. She said she wants to start a revolution, not that this is the revolution. This is just the beginning of a new chapter in Madonna's career, I think.

[Guest]

well, i don't know if she's more interested in european matters the most...she took some episodes that touched her personally, like the pussy riot affairs and the girl from pakistan who was shot because she was going to school (pakistan, not europe) and she took that facts as uiversal examples of repression (reinforced by the fact that they had been against women...). she's not a politician the talk everytime about every fact happening in the world....she gives an example....it's to you to follow it with what touches you the most...

[Chuck82]

Fantastic interview! I will be forcing it upon my family this weekend.

[unruhe]

I live in Mexico. The incredibly corrupt political party that collapsed this country's economy in the 80's, that held power by holding completely false elections year after year, that crushed human rights by ruling like an iron fist much like in Argentina's dark dictatorship, that let huge organizations of drug cartels, which are now terrorizing the public and have killed almost 100,000 people over the last few years, gain power in all aspects of the country's society, just came back into power. Things have improved vastly in the country over the past 30 years, but from what I see, things are taking a huge u-turn and going in the opposite direction again. My boyfriend is Brazilian and although most people don't know this, violence is surging there (Brazil has a higher murder rate than Mexico's), protesters are being squashed like animals, etc., etc., yet everyone is gloating about how fantastic their economy is doing and how people are moving into the middle class so now they can buy iPods and cars, which they couldn't before. Things are so amazing there you would think according to the media. However, all of this is a bit irrelevant.

This to me seems to be Madonna's message. We're moving in the opposite direction and nobody is really aware of it or, even worse, people are totally okay with it. Like she said in her interview, it's complacency, which is terrifying.

Yes, I am a bit disappointed that she seems much more interested in Europe and seems to be much more in touch with their political matters than most places around the world that need a voice much more. It was also a bit disappointing for me to know that when Madonna came to Mexico we had just had one of the biggest demonstrations ever (much bigger than the demonstrations in Brazil and Turkey at the time) against the political party that was about to regain control of the country, she mentioned the Mayans prophecy of the end of the world and... that was basically it. Especially when her message in Gang Bang, for example, hit a nerve with the people who live in constant fear of guns.

But again, Madonna isn't here for me. She's not here to please me and she's not fighting for me. We can't expect her to fight all of the world's battles. She said she wants to start a revolution, not that this is the revolution. This is just the beginning of a new chapter in Madonna's career, I think.

I take your word for what the situation is in Mexico, you're not the first one that mentions it to me and I stand corrected for I failed to address it and it's part of Latin America. The situation in Brazil is, for what I understand, fueled by O Globo, the monopoly of media, which at least makes me raise an eyebrow. I don't deny poverty and exclusion in Brazil, but during the last years since Lula was in charge the poverty reduced notably and needs nowadays are different ones. I may be wrong, but it wouldn't be the first time, neither for the media biasing people nor for me being wrong in either way.

What I mean to express it that SP failed to string a chord in me for I feel the fight is different. I understand she's not a politician, and I understand this is a first step, but if her intention is to make a REAL change (as I don't doubt it is) I don't see how this can start a revolution.

I don't expect her to fight all the world's battles, I just expect her not to intend to.

[ULIZOS]

well, i don't know if she's more interested in european matters the most...she took some episodes that touched her personally, like the pussy riot affairs and the girl from pakistan who was shot because she was going to school (pakistan, not europe) and she took that facts as uiversal examples of repression (reinforced by the fact that they had been against women...). she's not a politician the talk everytime about every fact happening in the world....she gives an example....it's to you to follow it with what touches you the most...

Well, I wrote that up very fast, but that's the point I was trying to make. These are issues that matter most to her, which I totally respect. I don't expect her to fight my battles and, again, even though I was a little disappointed because I felt it was a missed opportunity, I don't expect anything from Madonna.

Madonna could easily vogue and sing her hits for the remainder of her days as an entertainer, but she chooses not to. She's out there ruffling feathers and telling bitches what's UP.

God I love her.

[unruhe]

Well, I wrote that up very fast, but that's the point I was trying to make. These are issues that matter most to her, which I totally respect. I don't expect her to fight my battles and, again, even though I was a little disappointed because I felt it was a missed opportunity, I don't expect anything from Madonna.

You're right, I should learn not to expect and be surprised when most of the times (IMO) delivers amazing stuff

[Guest]

in what sense "a missed opportunity"? (it's not polemic, just to understand your point of view)

[joe]

Just seen it and it's so amazing. I love that we get to see her amazing MDNA tour ass on film again, she looks so beautiful for someone at the end of a 90 date 8 month tour.

I love that the whole thing doesn't have a straightforward message, she's telling us to think for ourselves, she's not explaining herself and that's exactly what Madonna is all about. The whole thing is beautiful, not only what she's saying, but visually too. I dunno if it's just me that sensed shade in the whole "it cannot be downloaded" thing, like she's basically saying this isn't just some shitty feel good empowerment scheme that'll be forgotten within a month *cough* body revolution *cough*, but something that is on going, and something that we have the power to take control of. I literally cannot fault it at all, and the look she was going for is so blatantly obvious and so well done. I love her

[HolidayGuy]

If one means a missed commercial opportunity, that's not why Madonna did this project. Would have been nice to have a new song or whatever with it, but come on now.

[Guest Xanthium]

While I didn't care for the film, finding it to be problematic, I loved the Between the Bars performance. It would be smart of her to put it up on iTunes and have the proceeds go to her new charity.

[redhot]

Wow, total overload. The film, the interview, the performance of "between the bars", the speach, Sean.

She truly is one of the all time greats. A TRUE ICON AND A TRUE ARTIST!!!!!!!!!

[Guest]

Just seen it and it's so amazing. I love that we get to see her amazing MDNA tour ass on film again, she looks so beautiful for someone at the end of a 90 date 8 month tour.

I love that the whole thing doesn't have a straightforward message, she's telling us to think for ourselves, she's not explaining herself and that's exactly what Madonna is all about. The whole thing is beautiful, not only what she's saying, but visually too. I dunno if it's just me that sensed shade in the whole "it cannot be downloaded" thing, like she's basically saying this isn't just some shitty feel good empowerment scheme that'll be forgotten within a month *cough* body revolution *cough*, but something that is on going, and something that we have the power to take control of. I literally cannot fault it at all, and the look she was going for is so blatantly obvious and so well done. I love her

[ULIZOS]

I take your word for what the situation is in Mexico, you're not the first one that mentions it to me and I stand corrected for I failed to address it and it's part of Latin America. The situation in Brazil is, for what I understand, fueled by O Globo, the monopoly of media, which at least makes me raise an eyebrow. I don't deny poverty and exclusion in Brazil, but during the last years since Lula was in charge the poverty reduced notably and needs nowadays are different ones. I may be wrong, but it wouldn't be the first time, neither for the media biasing people nor for me being wrong in either way.

What I mean to express it that SP failed to string a chord in me for I feel the fight is different. I understand she's not a politician, and I understand this is a first step, but if her intention is to make a REAL change (as I don't doubt it is) I don't see how this can start a revolution.

I don't expect her to fight all the world's battles, I just expect her not to intend to.

I do agree with this. However, I get where she's coming from so I'm totally okay with it. Not all of us have traveled the world and been exposed to all the shit she has.

[ULIZOS]

in what sense "a missed opportunity"? (it's not polemic, just to understand your point of view)

No, no. I meant, when she came to Mexico she said absolutely NOTHING about the political climate in one of the most deadliest countries in the world. Absolutely no one is talking about it like in other places of the world. The entire world noticed what was going on in Turkey and in Brazil, and that's fucking fantastic, but a little part of me really wanted Madonna to speak up for what I'm going through in this country, and she didn't. That was the missed opportunity.

I was disappointed, but the point that I was trying to make is that I shouldn't have expectations from Madonna because like I said several times before, she's not here to please me and she's not here to fight everyone's battles.

[Gaudet]

One word: INSPIRATIONAL.

[Stephen]

And the premiere was still the hippest place to be

[Guest]

No, no. I meant, when she came to Mexico she said absolutely NOTHING about the political climate in one of the most deadliest countries in the world. Absolutely no one is talking about it like in other places of the world. The entire world noticed what was going on in Turkey and in Brazil, and that's fucking fantastic, but a little part of me really wanted Madonna to speak up for what I'm going through in this country, and she didn't. That was the missed opportunity.

I was disappointed, but the point that I was trying to make is that I shouldn't have expectations from Madonna because like I said several times before, she's not here to please me and she's not here to fight everyone's battles.

oh, ok....i thought you were talking about the film....

[magom]

AMAZING, everything about it... Love the references from the speech of the MDNA tour.

I really really hope this whole project reach and touch more people than just her fans.

This is not about how great she looks (cause she does) this is on another artistic level.

QoL Madonna.

[ULIZOS]

oh, ok....i thought you were talking about the film....

Sorry, I'm between translating a horrible tax letter and typing up a storm in this thread so my ideas are fragmented and all over the place

Whatever. I'm just too excited. This is the Madonna I fell in love with. I feel like going outside, flipping off a fat Mexican cop and then telling the president to SUCK it.

[vocalism]

The performance was great. Nice to see her singing a ballad - and live.

This was fucking incredible, and the interview, IMO, is even more incredible. The woman is brilliant.

I'd just like to address a few things:

1) For those of you saying that this looks familiar and she's already done this, it took me 2 seconds to realize that she wanted to get her message from her concert(s) to a much wider audience. We, the fans, have gotten a taste of what she's been trying to do in her concerts through her performances and backdrops. This project is clearly a culmination of all of that. It's her bringing it all together in a beautiful and cohesive project, and it looks familiar because this is how she does things. This is her style. This is Madonna.

2) Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I, for one, LOVE the way she incorporates flashes of strong, uncomfortable images in her interludes and other projects, like American Life (the original video), for example. I feel this short film would've been a lot stronger had she done that at the end of the video when the images start flashing. However, this is what I would have done, but this isn't my project, it's Madonna's. It seems that those of you who don't seem content with this project had different expectations. I remember saying a few months back in the Secret Project thread that I had no expectations, I didn't care when it came out, I was going to be patient, and I was just happy to see Madonna pour her heart out there for the world to see. Some of you were pissed off back in January or whenever that this hadn't come out. Some fans seem to take Madonna for granted, and it sounds to me that you guys think Madonna is here to please you. She's not.

3) God, I love this so fucking much I want to cry.

Thank you

Regarding 1) this is true and pretty obvious to me, but she could have also broadcast the show on HBO or something like she used to. I remember when DWT was broadcast, there were billboards all over NYC. You couldn't NOT know about it, and people got together at friends' apartments who had cable/HBO to watch it.

[Barbie]

Can someone PLEASE pm me a download link? I am visiting my aunt for the next 2 weeks and she lives out in the middle of nowhere and has no internet connection :/ I am posting this from my phone so yea. If I knew of an app that let you download youtube videos to your phone I would use that but haven't found one. And not the bittorrent link please! I can't use torrent programs on this annoying phone. Just a simple download link. Mediafire. Zippyshare. Sharebeast. Something. Thanks to anyone who can help me I would GREATLY appreciate it. Love you Madonna family!

[realityisalways]

I just watched it again and I'm crying. Having experienced a bit of the world, I think this is a bold statement to make for someone of her level of recognition, hope it will ignite something in some, I think it's necessary, I'm just not sure if it's enough. I appreciate that she's at least trying this and I appreciate that it's not tied to her career, products or any commercial endeavor.

It did spark something in me, I'll give her that.

And I am thankful for it.

[ULIZOS]

The performance was great. Nice to see her singing a ballad - and live.

Regarding 1) this is true and pretty obvious to me, but she could have also broadcast the show on HBO or something like she used to. I remember when DWT was broadcast, there were billboards all over NYC. You couldn't NOT know about it, and people got together at friends' apartments who had cable/HBO to watch it.

It's on Youtube and the internet and it's free. Youtube has a much, much, MUCH larger audience than HBO.

I love my fellow Madonna fans, but you guys need to stop living in the past. You're holding on to something that happened before. If you guys keep going with that attitude it's going to be one disappointment after another.

[Nikki]

[realityisalways]

It's on Youtube and the internet and it's free. Youtube has a much, much, MUCH larger audience than HBO.

I love my fellow Madonna fans, but you guys need to stop living in the past. You're holding on to something that happened before. If you guys keep going with that attitude it's going to be one disappointment after another.

And this is not a commercial thing, I mean, she's not getting anything out of it, she has already spent a significant amount on money on this. Give her a break.

BTW in kinda unrelated news, the MDNA Tour is being broadcasted on HBO Latino.

[s@ndz]

Wow. MADONNA. WOW.

After watching the short, my two cents are that her intentions are good but I think it gets a little bit abstract for making a real change. Starting a revolution of love is generic. Heartfelt? yes, noble? of course, but where do I start with? Expressing myself one would say, and I agree, I see a lot of people are, like she said, deprived of the right of expression and some other people are taking for granted that right.

But I can't help but thinking a lot about what I see has been going on for the past years insistently: a lot of artists are focusing on promoting people to voicing their opinions but when most of them do so, there's not a real substantial opinion to voice, you know? I mean, yes, we hear you now, great, but what do you have to say? That's what bores me the most from artists like Lady Gaga for example, her whole life revolves about getting attention and when she gets it, what is the message? "look for attention"

Of course I understand Russia for example right now has a lot of issues to resolve on the matter of freedom of speech, but I don't think it's a subject that should be addressed altogether with the rest, because (and this is where I believe Madonna fails to deliver) right now the world has grown the widest range of scenarios. I can't help but be biased by the current situation in Latin America, where a lot of countries are emerging with popular governments that are fighting for once FOR and not against the people and the news spread across the globe are that Latin America is still the same old backyard filled with drugs and corruption, meaning that most notably here than in the rest of the world the OPRESSOR for starters is not the political government but the MONOPOLIZED MEDIA responding to their economic interests, and that's a different kind of fight which is equally dangerous that deserves as much attention, for like Malcolm X said If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.

I think Madonna has awesome intentions, but consistent with her ego, she is seeing a limited reality she is provided and not the full picture. However, the short is daring and provoking and probably will be polemic. But again, I don't think it will lead to an expected revolution. Hopefully I'm wrong.

The interview is very interesting.

Her performance yesterday night with the Elliot song was my favorite thing about this project

I LOVE that Imagist review just posted because it tells what this project really is: a DIDACTIC art. Art that squarely expresses the precise POV of the artist and what that artist (Madonna) WANTS her audience to derive from it and what they'd hopefully DO as a result of being exposed to it. And since its a POV, derived from the artist's own thought process and, more importantly, from her specific experiences, it is thus necessarily unequivocal and narrow-- or, better yet, FOCUSED: it doesn't bother with details ( like your contention of what's the real deal with S. America, etc.) that make for a BALANCED world view: she wants you to zero in on what she thinks is wrong, get unbalanced and agitated, and then DO something about it.

Also, she does not condemn governments per se, but government actions-- even from BENIGN governments she even supports-- that are inimical to actual freedoms or the concept of freedom. But she mostly rails against the people's own apathy to their own freedoms.

On a side note, is this the end of Madonna the postmodern artist who lets her audience decide for themselves what her art means, and the beginning of Madonna, the didact? Or has she always been both?