Just in time for Halloween, Arcade Fire's Will Butler has released a ghost-inspired new version of his "Anna" music video, now starring Emma Stone. Aboard the famed ocean liner the Queen Mary, Stone just can't stop herself from dancing. That is good news for fans of awesome dance scenes, because choreographer Ryan Heffington (you know him from Sia's amazing "Chandelier" video, among others) and director Brantley Gutierrez have outdone themselves with "Anna." Stone dances her way through the ship licking sailors, eating money, and flashing the camera a knowing smile. It's mesmerizing stuff, and, when you know Stone's character is based on a "real" ghost, the story becomes all the more intriguing.
The Queen Mary, which is now a hotel in Long Beach, has a storied history of being haunted. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, some of the stories of the ship's restless eternal passengers are downright disturbing. One ghost seems like she would be a fun woman to pal around with though, dead or not, and that ghost is The Lady in White. I know, I know, that's a pretty standard name for a ghost, but, unlike most ghosts who carry the moniker, the Queen Mary's Lady in White doesn't spend her afterlife weeping for some dude. Instead, she dances.
According to Billboard, the inspiration for Stone's dancing queen was the Queen Mary's infamous Lady in White who is said to frequent the hotel lobby when she wants to show off her moves. Personally, I cannot think of a better way to spend the afterlife than dancing on a luxury liner and freaking out tourists. For her part, Stone embodies the spirit of the Lady with her fun dancing tour of the ship. With an assist from some helpful sailors, Stone and Heffington came up with the perfect imagery to go along with Butler's bouncy yet eerie song.
In the original video, Butler did the dancing himself, but there's no contest as to which video embodies the spirit of the song. Stone brings "Anna" to mischievous life and invokes one of Hollywood's best ghost stories at the same time. If the actual Lady in White was watching while the video was filmed, I'm sure she had a blast. Who wouldn't want Stone to play them in a music video? I mean, anyone who watched Silver Linings Playbook knows she has moves.
Check out Stone's ghostly dance in the expertly choreographed video below. Just a warning, both the song and the video are addicting so if you end up playing it on a loop all day, it is not my fault. Blame Stone, Heffington, and Butler for making such an entrancing video.
Images: Subtractive/YouTube (3)
