| Rhythm Nation 1814 | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Rhythm_Nation_1814_Film_VHS.png) VHS cover | |
| Directed by | Dominic Sena |
| Starring | Janet Jackson |
| Music by | Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | A&M Records |
| Original release | |
| Network | MTV |
| Release | September 16, 1989 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Rhythm Nation 1814 is a 1989 American musical short film based on Janet Jackson's fourth studio album of the same name. Directed by Dominic Sena, the film notably includes the music video for "Rhythm Nation", as well as the videos for "Miss You Much" and "The Knowledge". It was filmed at a power plant located in Pasadena, California. The video is notable for its "post-apocalyptic" warehouse setting, the unisex black military-style uniforms in which Jackson and her dancers were outfitted, and its choreography, considered to "set the template for hundreds of videos to come in the Nineties and aughts". The film premiered on MTV on September 16, 1989, coinciding with the release of the album, and was also later released on VHS and LaserDisc by A&M Video.
It won multiple accolades, including MTV's Video Vanguard Award for Jackson's impact on entertainment. Various actors and choreographers, including Wade Robson and Travis Payne, have cited Jackson and the "Rhythm Nation" routine as a primary influence to their careers. Entertainment Weekly considered the video "legendary", and Rolling Stone included it in a list of 10 Favorite Dancing Musicians, calling Jackson "a brilliant dancer" who it said "arguably had a greater long-term impact on the choreography of contemporary music videos" even more so than her own brother Michael Jackson had had.[1] The publication also titled it "the gold standard for dystopian dance pop music videos", featuring "some of the most memorable choreography in pop video history".[2]
The long-form video won a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video in 1990.[3] The home video release has been certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 200,000 units.[4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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bestapocalypticwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "2021 GRAMMY WINNERS : 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ "JANET JACKSON RHYTHM NATION - Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2024-04-18.