Directed By – Dominic Sena
Producer – Aris McGary
The movie "Rhythm Nation 1814" features selections
from the album "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814" including:
Black Cat
Miss You Much
The Knowledge
Rhythm Nation
"Rhythm Nation 1814" is a 1989 American musical short film based on Janet Jackson's fourth studio album of the same name. Directed by Dominic Sena, the film notably includes the music video for "Rhythm Nation", as well as the videos for "Miss You Much" and "The Knowledge". It was filmed at a power plant located in Pasadena, California. The video is notable for its "post-apocalyptic" warehouse setting, the unisex black military-style uniforms in which Jackson and her dancers were outfitted, and its choreography, considered to "set the template for hundreds of videos to come in the Nineties and aughts". The film premiered on MTV on September 16, 1989, coinciding with the release of the album, and was also later released on VHS and LaserDisc by A&M Video.
It won multiple accolades, including MTV's Video Vanguard Award for Jackson's impact on entertainment. Various actors and choreographers, including Wade Robson and Travis Payne, have cited Jackson and the "Rhythm Nation" routine as a primary influence to their careers. Entertainment Weekly considered the video "legendary", and Rolling Stone included it in a list of 10 Favorite Dancing Musicians, calling Jackson "a brilliant dancer”. The publication also titled it "the gold standard for dystopian dance pop music videos", featuring "some of the most memorable choreography in pop video history".
The long-form video won a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video in 1990. The home video release has been certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 200,000 units.
