Synopsis

A solitary scribe moves through shadowy cathedral ruins, surrounded by candlelight, dust, and looming religious imagery. His journey leads him to Auguste Rodin's Gates of Hell, where he spots a mysterious woman on the other side. She addresses him with the song's French lines, tempting him toward the gate. After he opens it, the entrance becomes a trap and unseen forces pull him inside. The surreal vision ends abruptly when the scribe awakens, leaving the encounter suspended between dream, desire, and damnation.

Factoids & Trivia

• The gate featured in the video was inspired by Auguste Rodin's sculpture The Gates of Hell, itself based on imagery from Dante's Inferno.

• The woman beyond the gate was played by French model Kati Tastet, also known as Cathy Tastet. She lip-synchs the French vocal passages rather than Sandra, the singer associated with many of producer Michael Cretu's projects.

• Tastet was 17 when the video was filmed. She later became an Elite model in the United States.

• The cinematography was handled by Jerome Robert, and the production used the standard 4:3 television aspect ratio of the period.

• The video helped establish Enigma's anonymous, atmospheric image. It received heavy rotation on MTV Europe in January 1991, at a time when the project's identity and unusual blend of chant, electronic music, and sensual imagery were central to its appeal.

• "Sadeness" is a reference to the Marquis de Sade and his writings about sexual desire. Some English-language releases used the title "Sadness Part I," while the "Sadeness" spelling made the wordplay more explicit.

• The video was nominated at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards in the Breakthrough Video category.