Fiona Apple: Hot Knife (2013 Music Video) User Reviews

It's a fantastic display of the warmness that comes with new-found love.

[HankCoT · 9/10 · 5 April 2024]

This is just airtight, I love the multiscreen effect, all variating close-ups of Fiona chanting passionately, separating the layered lyrics into distinct sections, in extension accentuating the feeling expressed. The camera is right next to her, watching her genuine smile as she sings, rocking back and forth, sometimes in and out of the screen, making these simple little movements seem big and dynamic. A warm spotlight surrounds her, either in black-and-white or in colour, distinguishing nicely the panels who shift between the two styles, guiding our attention as the song progresses. It's a fantastic display of new-found love, in perfect synergy with audio and video.

This is probably my favourite PTA music clip, with 'Across the Universe' in second place, also by Fiona Apple. That being said, I recommend every fan of his to watch all his musical projects, as this particular rabbit hole is filled with great grooves, all immaculately presented.

It's been a while

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 25 October 2015]

Singer Fiona Apple and filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson were a couple in the 1990s and they made several music videos together. In 2013, 15 years after their relationship, they reunited for another work. Unfortunately, I must say, as much as I love Anderson as a director, these music videos of his do not appeal to me very much. Apple's voice isn't bad, but also not really memorable, nor are the lyrics or contents of her song "Hot Knife". And it's not as catchy as it tries to be. In terms of style, this is probably more simplistic than their other works as, in this one, we only see Apple most of the time from start to finish during these 4 minutes. All in all, I found this slightly underwhelming. Not recommended.