Is anybody alive out there? One … two … three … four! Okay, so impressions don’t come across too well when you’re merely writing it out – but I’m really excited about this little piece of news. That was a Bruce Springsteen gimmick earlier if you hadn’t already guessed, and, speaking of which, we are happy to report that the Boss is making news with his latest music video for the song Hunter of Invisible Game.
The New Jersey rocker has made his directorial debut alongside long-standing collaborator Thom Zimny (who worked on documentaries about the Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town albums) with a 10-minute short film which takes its name from the song in question.
However, Springsteen is no stranger to the cinema and Hollywood – in 1993 he won an Oscar for his song Streets of Philadelphia, which accompanied the Tom Hanks drama, Philadelphia. He won a Golden Globe for his song The Wrestler (from the film of the same name), and also had a brief cameo in the John Cusack movie, High Fidelity.
The film, while very impressionistic, stars Springsteen as the central character – a downtrodden loner wandering the forests and wilderness of Western America. The plot is difficult to decipher, yes, but from what we can piece together, the Dancing in the Dark singer begins in a very dark place filled with inner turmoil, before finding his redemption in the form of a lost child. The Guardian hasten to believe that the film is a post-apocalyptic Western, while HitFix were quick to draw comparisons with Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven in both subject matter and overall feel.
One thing is for certain, Joe DeSalvo’s cinematography is absolutely majestic, matching the weight of the track – a critically-acclaimed song which appeared on Bruce’s last album, High Hopes – and while we were a little confused by the (mostly) silent picture, some of the imagery is staggeringly beautiful.
On his website where the film dropped, Bruce Springsteen had this to say about Hunter of Invisible Game and his much-lauded recent two year tour:
“A hearty thank you to our friends and fans who supported us on the High Hopes leg of our World Tour. Our South African and Australian/New Zealand shows were a particular highlight, but a big shout out has to go to our American fans who brought us down the home stretch.
The past 2 plus years and nearly 170 shows have been a life changer. Thanks to you, we have dwelled deep within the transformative power of rock n’ roll. You’ve helped us bring a new and revitalized E St. Band into being. We take this break with a sense of joy, renewed purpose and filled with the spirit to bring you our best in the future. We’ve still got a few surprises for you.
For a long part of the year, Thom Zimny and I have been talking about shooting a short film for “Hunter Of Invisible Game.” We’ve finally got the job done, and we think it’s one of our best. Thanks Thom for the hard work and brotherly collaboration. You and your crew bring it all. And to all of you out there in E St. Nation, we hope you enjoy! See ya up the road.”
