Music videos are no strangers to hyperbole — or extreme flights of fancy. But, David Bowie’s latest video for his single "The Next Day" appears to have crossed a line. On the same day it was uploaded to YouTube, the company banned it explaining that it “violated YouTube’s terms of service.” The video is still available on Vevo, and in fact, on YouTube as well, though the company has applied an age restriction code to it.
So, what is all the fuss about? In the video, Marion Cotillard plays a Mary Magdalene-type figure who bleeds from stigmata marks on the palms of her hands. Gary Oldman is a rather seedy priest and David Bowie is, well, a Christ-like figure who appears to offer his blessing at the end of the video before promptly vanishing. To be clear, all of this is inferred rather than explicitly stated in the Floria Sigismondi-directed video.
While it is a real pleasure to listen to new material from the legendary Bowie, is this a leap too far? Or, is it just a matter of artistic license that has been blown out of proportion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. (Sky News)