Jack Bond, the visionary filmmaker renowned for his avant-garde approach, passed away on 21 December at the age of 87. Among his diverse body of work and creative partnerships, his collaborations with the Pet Shop Boys in the late 1980s stand out as particularly innovative, blending the realms of music and surrealist cinema.
Jack Bond’s cinematic journey began with a BBC apprenticeship and quickly ascended to prominence through audacious collaborations. His partnership with the visionary Jane Arden in the 1960s and ’70s yielded groundbreaking works like ‘Separation’, ‘The Other Side of the Underneath,’ and ‘Anti-Clock,’ films that pushed the boundaries of avant-garde cinema and psychological storytelling.
Following Arden’s tragic death in 1982, Bond shelved these works for decades, their haunting resonance unearthed only in 2009. Later, his contributions to The South Bank Show—featuring Werner Herzog, Patricia Highsmith, and an indelible portrait of Roald Dahl—cemented his reputation as a chronicler of artistic genius.
In the 1980s, Bond’s idiosyncratic style found a new canvas with the Pet Shop Boys, directing their surrealist feature ‘It Couldn’t Happen Here’ (1988). This surreal narrative intertwined the Pet Shop Boys’ music with enigmatic visuals, creating a cinematic experience that defied conventional genres. Stephen Dalton described it for the BFI upon its 2020 re-release as “a full English breakfast of kiss-me-quick kitchen-sink surrealism” reflecting its unique blend of British cultural references and avant-garde filmmaking.
Bond’s collaborations with the Pet Shop Boys marked a significant intersection of avant-garde filmmaking and mainstream pop. In addition to the film, Bond directed the music video for ‘Heart,’ released in March 1988. The video featured actor Ian McKellen portraying a vampire, adding a dramatic and theatrical element that complemented the song’s themes. He also directed the music video for the Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 reimagining of the Elvis classic ‘Always on My Mind.’
In a statement released on 22 December, The Pet Shop Boys acknowledged Bond’s significant impact on their visual presentation. They expressed sadness at his passing and reflected on their collaborative work, noting that Bond’s direction played a crucial role in bringing their artistic visions to life. They finished by emphasising that “He was a warm and funny man who we very much enjoyed working with and we send our love and condolences to his family and those close to him.”
After his collaborations with the Pet Shop Boys his cinematic wit continued to shine in ‘The Blueblack Hussar’, chronicling Adam Ant’s return to music, and ‘An Artist’s Eyes’, a portrait of painter Chris Moon.
Jack Bond’s death at 87 brings an end to a life of unyielding creative passion. His work includes groundbreaking films with Dalí, Jane Arden, as well as musicians, which underscores his remarkable adaptability and his gift for capturing and often subverting the zeitgeist. How work was much about exploring identity and modernity as they were about creating enduring art. Bond’s influence lives on, flickering in the haunting frames of his oeuvre.
