Closure (1997 Video) User Reviews

Beautiful...

[GuineaPig · 10/10 · 2 September 2003]

This video is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

This man (Reznor) shows us the human nature like nobody else does. He can make you feel anger, happiness, hate and love all at the same time while he is at the stage. This is what an artist is, a man that knows and understands the violent, sick, compassionate and pathetic nature of humans and creates something beautiful out of it. You can see through that man's eyes while watching this video or listening to his music and if you feel the connection with at least a small part of it, you will understand what a great artist he is.

This video is sometimes shocking and while the sound quality isn't that great (or maybe that adds to its favor) this is still a must have for any NIN fan.

If you are one of the people that believe good music is what is shown in MTV most of the time and if you prefer not to know about the "ugly" part of the world to be comfortable with your life, don't watch this; but if you are a person comfortable with what we (humans) are and you are not afraid to feel you must buy this, you won't regret it.

The road gone wild

[aqua_swing · 8/10 · 30 April 2001]

As a fan who has never seen NIN live, this thing was good for me to get. It has on one side, all the videos, and all the live stuff on the other side. It's crazy videos that have never been shown on TV (Happiness in Slavery) sometimes make you sit there and wonder what was happening in the minds of the video producers, and the live footage makes you wonder how many more times Trent can throw himself into people and musical objects without hurting himself.

The best parts of this video though, are the David Bowie parts. If you've never heard the version of "Hurt" sung with the two of them, you're definitely missing out. Alongside Johnny Cash's cover, it's the best version of this fantastic track.

A must buy for any NIN fan.

This is an aggressive, intense, must for all NIN fans

[mesmre · 10/10 · 11 July 2000]

I was really scared the first time i saw this film, well the second film i watched them the wrong way round, but even so they are still visually stimulating and mentally mind-numbing. Definitely worth there money and weight in gold. The first video is a treat a collection of NIN videos for the not so MTV friendly world, including tunes like head like a hole and wish. The second is an assault of violence giving a sneak view of the self destruct tour, which is just amazing for those pour NIN fans that haven't seen them live. Roar untamed hedonistic power.

Chaotic, Weird and Disturbing

[5CENTLE55 APPRENT1CE · 14 June 2000]

If you are a Nine Inch Nails fan, GET THIS VIDEO! It's amazing! Contains backstage and live concert footage from the Self Destruct Tour (1994 -1996) and a collection of NIN videos from Head Like A Hole to The Perfect Drug. First of all, this video is not for the faint hearted. It is full of violence, brutality and weird imagery that has made NIN a household name. The video for Happiness in Slavery is particularly disturbing and even I found it hard to watch. The other videos are very well done and are very artistic. The "live" video contains some of the most intense performances of classic NIN songs like Terrible Lie, Down in it, March of the Pigs and Wish. This video is highly recommended for any NIN fan but it is not for the faint hearted. Also look for appearances by David Bowie, Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, Richard Patrick of Filter and Marilyn Manson of Marilyn Manson.

Halo 12 is a MUST!

[mstie3331 · 10/10 · 30 May 2007]

Halo 12 Closure is a masterpiece com binding nine inch nails behind the scenes and on stage in the documentary. It may not have the best quality in a documentary but it certainly doesn't matter when you see Trent running around on stage doing crazy stuff like smashing a piano throwing a Mic stand etc. . The documentary takes place during the "Self-Destruct Tour" where the it shows live shows with songs like "The Only Time" "Down In It" and even features a great performance of "Hurt" with David Bowie. The second tape is where the calm sense ends includes Uncut music videos with some videos not air-able on MTV (uhem "Happiness In Slavery") and some showing the true Uncut version (uhem "Down In It"). The videos have some short old films between them some are a little weird but none that would give anyone the urge to puke or anything. The video that comes to mind most when people think of Closure (or Broken) is "Happiness In Slavery" where a man played by Bob Flannigan gets *Spolier*. Overall even if you have a "weak stomach" its worth a buy I definitely recommend it to all nine inch nails fan this may be one of their best Halos.

Closure To Go

[m3lv1n5 · 10/10 · 24 July 2005]

OK...I have this on a double tape. It's going to be coming out on DVD sometime in the future with more footage. Hopefully there will be the entire catalog of music videos available, but who can say? Inbetween songs, there is some vintage footage that Mr. Reznor has chosen himself, along with some other help from various people. What else can I say? Some of the clips in-between songs include the electrocution of an adult elephant, a fly super glued to a chair juggling various little items (he's actually trying to run on these items, and it looks like he's juggling). Totally worth the money (which I don't think is very much...if you can find it that is).

A masterpiece from the ingenious mind of Trent Reznor!

[andy-227 · 5 April 2000]

Normally, I don't write another review of a film or a tape I have already reviewed, but I believe that I gave an unfair review of this tape set from NIN. I was not a NIN fan at the time I saw it, and therefore, was unable to appreciate the power of it's art. I write this second review because I have changed my opinion about this tape set, and I wan't to say what I really think of it.

"Closure" is in short, a masterpiece! It is a two-tape set that contains a documentary about their tours(a very hyperkinetic one too, but you expect that from NIN), which is also very funny and very revealing at times. I didn't really care for the "Jim Rose Circus" part, but that's just my personal opinion about "The Jim Rose Circus". It doesn't affect my opinion about NIN.

The centerpiece of the tape set of course, are the music videos! Here is where the music of NIN and the imagery heightens the power of their music to an art form. We get to see all the videos from "Pretty Hate Machine", "The Downward Spiral", a few live numbers, and even a few from the notorious "Broken Movie".

People like to talk about how graphic this video set is(which I did too), but those who like to talk obviously have not sat through "The Broken Movie", which is so violent, that Trent never bothered to submit it for release. Also, the music gives the images a kind of de-sensitizing feel to them.

I was a little disappointed that "The Broken Movie" was not included, because that was the epitome of Trent Reznor's violent, shocking art. He never made anything quite like it, and probably never will again. All of the videos from "The Broken Movie" are included(except "Physical", the most graphic video of the movie), but they don't flow through well. They worked much better when they were combined with the movie. Here they seem disconnected, and look like separate videos that were meant to be seen separately(which they weren't). Oh well, at least we have them.

Best of all though, the videos are unedited, meaning they were not butchered and tenderized by censorship. We get to see the music videos the way they were meant to be seen! "Closer" can now be witnessed without all the silly "Scene Missing" cuts, and we get to see a REAL music video for a change. My personal favorite video is "The Perfect Drug", which just began to enter the music of "The Fragile".

Like I said, I write this review because I change my opinion about NIN.

Disaster, sex, and drugs in one box.

[Brian Blueskye · 16 September 1999]

Nine Inch Nails appeared to have made a pretty funny documentary of their 1994/1995 Further Down The Spiral Tour. The tape that shows their tour documentary is probably a real life comedy. The band is shown trashing a dressing room attempting to knock down an Exit Sign with The Jim Rose Circus, then you see a look at The Jim Rose Circus' act on the stage.

Good performances by the band on the tape as well, as well as a duet with David Bowie.

It shows some of the low points and the high points of the tour. Such as some of the accidents that occured due to Trent Reznor's violent stage performances. As well as interviews about their shocking Woodstock 94 appearence.

The other tape is all of Nine Inch Nails' music videos. Which I thought was boring when I watched them. Some of their videos on the tape are pretty disturbing, especially the "Happiness In Slavery" video, so for all the kids under 18, don't watch this tape.

This video is for the true NIN fan, and is a must have. But just remember something about the musical videos tape, Trent Reznor is a very disturbing individual.

Closure: Tape 2

[TMBeJ · 24 January 1999]

"Closure," an extensive video compilation released in November 1997 by Nine Inch Nails, contained two tapes. The first tape follows the infamous group around on a 1994-96 tour. The second tape contains all Nine Inch Nails videos ever produced, except for one particular video, for the song from the Oliver Stone movie, "Natural Born Killers." (The name of this song is called "Burn.")

The video segments are sometimes too disturbing and uncomfortable to watch (the videos for "Sin," and "Happiness In Slavery" come to mind.) The rest of the videos, as bizarre as they may be, are slyly connected by the director by interesting, if not partially disturbing segments.

At its best, tape two of "Closure," seems to have been produced without any compromising of aesthetic goals. At its worst, "Closure" proves to be too sickening to be enjoyed. Keep the remote control handy, because you'll want to fast forward through a few of the clips. Some "watchable" videos include "Head Like a Hole," "Down In It," "Wish," "Eraser/Hurt/Wish (Live)," "March of the Pigs," and "The Perfect Drug."

Even if you can stomach extremely disturbing stuff, this one might cause a second or two of crawling skin. Enjoy, NINnies.

Who does NIN hire to do their music videos?

[andy-227 · 23 November 1999]

I borrowed this tape from a friend who likes NIN, yet he said this tape was a gift he didn't ask for and wouldn't have asked for. I watched it knowing what I would see was going to be something sick. It's kind of weird, because the first tape is like a documentary on acid, yet it does have a sense of humor, a first for NIN. One who watches it cannot help but laugh at the scene where the group throws everything they can at an exit sign to knock it down, including beer bottles, couches, chairs, and so on. I found myself enjoying this tape, as twisted and distorted as it was. Then came the second tape, which was an assortment of their music videos, complete and uncut. It was here that the enjoyment of the music and the madness took a downfall. It gets particularly disturbing. I originally had an interest in buying this tape, but the video "Happiness in Slavery" was enough to make me run the other way(I don't want to get into the details). Who do they hire who are willing to participate in portraying such sick activities as depicted on these music videos? It's a mystery! I don't think I'll know what NIN or Trent Reznor's trademark of technical distortions and sick imagery really means or why they are doing it, but a little bit of really sick stuff never hurts, as long as it stays within a boundary that's watchable.

Happiness In Slavery

[BlazeFox · 11 April 2003]

Oh yes.. love that video to death though it makes me grab my testes to make sure they are still there. I would absolutely kill to have Closure on DVD. I'm a huge []\[] [] []/[] fan. Trent Reznor is my christ.

The video which so terribly disturbed the previous poster, Happiness In Slavery, is about the terrible consequences of submittance and conformity. Kinda reminds me of the atmosphere for The Matrix.

The actor is mr. Bob Flanagan a performance actor whom Trent hired to be in the video.

The central theme depicts a nakid man (Flanagan) strapped to a torture machine looking much like a dentist chair being systematically disembowled. He is then further eviscerated alive by a 3 fingered metallic claw.

The brutal piece climaxes with close ups of the victim's nipples being torn off and a wooden board smacking him in the testicals.

The man's clothes are burned and his remains are fed into a grinder to feed the flowers. Trent walks in, lights a candle, sets it on the sink and prepares to go thru what the man before him did. A shocking and interesting video artwork.

Of course MTV banned this video (Yet they had no problems airing gun brandishing Gansta Rap videos) and the Brittish censors ordered it to never be shown or duplicated in that country again.

-BlazeFoxKitsune =^.^>

classic but you might be shocked first time around

[ninionized · 28 June 2003]

truly "closure" is classic in the world of nine inch nails fans. at the time it was released, it showed behind the scene's footage of what happened while on tour and unique performances. it also showed the world their first glimpse of long rumoured videos and uncut versions of the videos we had all scene on mtv but were forced to see censored versions, examples of this would "down in it" with trent's "dead" body, and just about anything considered offensive in "closer" that was not nudity.

this two tape set is for the most devoted nin fan of course. i would be remiss if i didn't mention that there is some stuff on this tape set that most would consider offensive, mr. lifto on tape 1 for example and the videos for "sin", "happiness in slavery" and "help me i am in hell". it is probably a given that the first time you watch this and run across these moments, you will be shocked and perhaps disgusted, but after multiple views...you might look upon it as unique individual pieces of art...well except mr. lifto...that is just weird hehe.

tape 1 contains the live stuff and behind the scenes footage. some might gripe about the poor quality of the audio or video during some of the performances, but in a way it is refreshing and different. perhaps the jewels of that first tape might be "something i can never have" & "hurt" with david bowie. tape 2 contains all the videos nin had done up to '97 [except "burn"]. all presented uncut and inter-connected with odd footage from old films. it is hard to pick out what makes the second tape so good, although in my opinion its "gave up", "help me i am in hell" & "eraser" but thats me.

but there is one thing that could be said about this video after watching it: it's that trent reznor and what he has down with nine inch nails both musically and visually is a testament to how much of a creative individual he is.