Friday Video Pick: Emotion in Motion by Ric Ocasek

In keeping with this week’s ‘80s fairy tale theme, we thought we’d spotlight this Ric Ocasek video, in which the singer portrays a prince who must fight and defeat a powerful beast to obtain the potion that will revive his Beloved.

While the video is more subdued than some of the era’s filmed fairy tales that scream “80s!,” the decade puts its stamp on the piece in several ways:

• We love that Ric Ocasek kept his signature ‘do for this 1986 video. His height and gentle demeanor make him a striking prince, and like David Bowie in Labyrinth, his inherent style lends an unmistakably ’80s slant to the role:

• Let’s not forget the way the video’s story slowly unravels, a trait that separates ’80s vids from their fast-cut, hyper-edited counterparts of later decades.

• Though we weren’t inside of the director’s head, it’s hard to imagine the video wasn’t influenced in part by Ridley Scott’s 1985 film Legend. In addition to similar stories involving princesses (in lookalike dresses) requiring immediate assistance, nature-rich “outdoor” shots and close-ups of the video’s heroine seem to channel some of Legend’s best images (see below):

The heroine of Legend in an unconscious state (left); the heroine of Emotion in Motion in an unconscious state (right)

Have a “happily ever after” Friday…