Synopsis

Set against a stark black-and-white London, the video follows a chauffeur transporting an elegant woman through hotel rooms, apartments, streets, and underground spaces. Their journey leads to a deserted multistory car park, where she meets another mysterious woman for an intimate, dreamlike encounter. The chauffeur remains a detached observer as the film unfolds like a nocturnal fashion fantasy, blending erotic tension, ritualistic movement, and gothic atmosphere rather than offering a conventional narrative.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in London in autumn 1982 while Duran Duran were away on tour, so the band does not appear in it.

• Its visual style was shaped by the fetishistic, high-fashion photography of Helmut Newton. The band reportedly wanted something dark, elegant, and gothic, set around a hotel and a garage.

• The imagery also draws on Liliana Cavani's 1974 film "The Night Porter," particularly the chauffeur-inspired costume and the eroticized power dynamic.

• Perri Lister appears in the climactic chauffeur role. She was known at the time as Billy Idol's partner.

• The video's nudity and sexually suggestive imagery restricted its television exposure. MTV did not show it, limiting the clip's early reach despite its later cult reputation.

• "The Chauffeur" was not released as a single. Its video was instead included on Duran Duran's 1983 long-form video release, where it stood out as the only clip without an on-screen appearance by the band.

• The film helped establish a darker and more experimental side of Duran Duran, contrasting sharply with the band's more colorful and location-driven promotional videos.