Released for the first time on DVD to coincide with Duran Duran's 25th anniversary tour, Arena (An Absurd Notion) was the band's first live album and foray into film. Pop idols ranging from Elvis to the Spice Girls have all attempted to make the crossover to the big screen; often such celluloid adventures turn into disasters, with the performers' acting talents rarely matching their vocal proficiencies. Filming is squeezed into a few days between the recording of a new studio album and other duties such as touring, ensuring that the end result is typically dire. Arena manages to avoid many of those pitfalls by giving the band no opportunity to act, instead focusing exclusively on their live concert performance. An additional SF sub plot is included centred on Doctor Duran--the evil dictator from cult film Barbarella, from whom the band got their name. The doctor, played by original actor Milo O'Shea, returns to earth from exile confused by the fans' call for Duran Duran. Crash-landing his ship underneath the stage, he and his three Brummie henchmen are determined to disrupt the show. Despite their attempts to abduct fans, and create anarchy the band continue to perform.
Very much a product of its time, the film combines nomadic futuristic imagery with a big budget. Following the critical acclaim of the "Wild Boys" video, Arena seeks to capitalise on its style but also take the promotional video to a new extreme using expensive sets and special effects. The Barbarella sub-plot serves little purpose apart from illustrating the story behind the band's name. The live performance footage is excellent though, not just because of the music but also the guys' authentic mullet hairstyles.
On the DVD:The original "Making of Arena" documentary is included on the DVD, along with a vintage interview with Simon Le Bon. The dubbed TV ad for the video and album is also featured along with a trailer, and video mix. Considering the age of the film, the sound and visuals have both transferred well to DVD, with the extended mix of "The Reflex" sounding particularly good. --John Galilee
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