Videodrome (1983)

"Long live the new flesh!"

Videodrome was a fantastic film by Cronenberg, I remember watching this film for the very first time just a few years ago and I was really impressed by this. I just thought that the film was more relevant and contemporary nowadays then it was back then. This innovative mix of science fiction, sex, violence, surrealism and horror has lost none of its touch over the years. I have enjoyed most of Cronenberg's movies and think he is one of the most underrated directors out there, this film definitely represents his own vision and was quite original I mean nobody would have thought about this concept back in 1983 which is amazing. O.K. so the film was totally bizarre and if you're the type of person who likes watching films that are streamlined and normal then forget it but if your familiar with Cronenberg's work then you'll probably know what to expect, the film gets increasingly more weird and surreal especially during the second half. The story was about Max Renn (brilliant performance by James Woods) who is this scuzzy low-life producer for Civic TV. Renn's station specializes in the perverse, soft core pornography, graphic violence and other such racy material which is Civic TV's specialty, giving viewers "a harmless outlet for their fantasies and frustrations" and that's what Renn obviously thinks and believes in.

Renn's latest program discovery may not be so harmless however, with the help of his techie friend Harlin (Peter Dvorsky) Renn is able to pickup an anonymous broadcast from overseas simply called "Videodrome", the show depicts a women being beaten and tortured in an electric chamber. What the two view is pure unadulterated snuff footage and Renn cannot stop watching, he soon gets hooked on watching this pirated snuff film channel but he soon discovers that everything is not as it seems and that the transmission wasn't broadcast at all but actually a tape which brainwashes him into acts of self mutilation on his body and starts mutating, he has this weird VCR like slit in his stomach. The special fx were amazing and truly shows the craftsmanship that went into this film, it was visually stunning and the gore and level of violence was quite high which is typical from David Cronenberg. The film also stars Deborah Harry from one of my favorite rock groups of all time Blondie and she also gave a fantastic and very memorable performance as Nikki Brand a radio Psychologist who has a disturbing masochistic side to her.

She enjoys pain and suffering and then decides to join "Videodrome" since it provides the perfect opportunity to satisfy her perverse and masochistic sexual desires. Les Carlson who plays Barry Convex the visionary behind "Videodrome" was also great and had the best death scene. The film's message was quite intriguing as it deals with mass-media consumption, brain washing techniques, obsession, media violence and how it effects people ect. you'll also see how the characters realities start blending with their hallucinations. Criterion has prepared a number of excellent supplements for this release. The first disc contains two commentaries and Cronenberg's recent short film Camera. Disc two has the 30 minute featurette "Forging The New Flesh" by video effects supervisor Michael Lennick, The other significant extra is a 1982 panel interview between Cronenberg, John Carpenter and John Landis entitled "Fear on Film". The 26-minute extra is even better than the effects documentary as three of the decades most influential filmmakers talk about various aspects of their films. "Effects Men" is another supplement on the technical aspects of the production, there is also the "Bootleg Video" supplement which includes three of the shorts that were seen within the film. The most entertaining is the "Samurai Dreams" soft-core porn that Cronenberg shot for the film and some truly bizarre trailers that make the film even weirder than it already is and some photo and still galleries and deleted scenes. Videodrome was a fantastic film which was nicely made by David Cronenberg with terrific performances from the three leads, the film also steps up a notch or two in the second half and is a highly creepy and original sci/fi horror film that just gets weirder and weirder! Do yourself a favor and see it now. I believe that Cronenberg is a true genius, Long live the new flesh! ;-).
October 23, 2008

Bad.

Probably the worst Cronenberg film I've seen, and I am a fan. An incoherent, pretentious mess. Sorry I wasted my time. October 9, 2008

Cult

I was disapointed when i watched this movie. Nice cover and booklet, but that's all. September 6, 2008

Snuff, Hallucinations, & Mutations, Oh my!!!!

Rick Baker,
James Woods,
Stomach cavity caches,
Bubbling videotapes,
Bubbling, bullet-rittled bodies,
a uniquely erotic sex-scene,
man morphing with his gun,
assassintion plans,
and a guy who exists entirley on videotapes.
Bizarre doesn't begin to descibe this cinematic anomaly.
There is only one word to descirbe madness such as this.....
....Cronenberg.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Kill your television!!!! July 22, 2008

humorless, yawn.

I really wanted to like Videodrome - I'm a Canadian myself and his later work is compelling. I found Videodrome boring, too self-serious, and some of the plot points inconsistent. I can't go into a lot of detail without spoiling some of it, but it involves explaining away one character as a recording when previously in the film, that character was obviously interacting in the real world.

It seems like Videodrome tries hard to make some philosophical point that doesn't really come through ("Long live the new flesh" is catchy but not meaningful). The much touted special effects were also disappointing, though ambitious and unusual. I realize this is all pre-CGI, but when you consider Blade Runner and Star Wars, also pre-CGI, their effects hold up over time while Videodrome's just look a bit silly. The actors do a fine job, but one has the sense that Videodrome's focus is not the actors or the plot but the idea at the center of it about the possibilities of a new technology at the time. Much in the same way that movies about the internet at the beginning of its arrival seem hilarious in their perspectives about what the net could be used for, Videodrome is a consideration of what mysteries lay behind analog video.

Good things? Criterion's print is beautiful and the colors are crisp and clear. Extras are interesting, and the packaging is made to look like an analog tape from the era - perhaps capturing the tongue-in-cheek attitude that the movie would have benefited from.

I recommend Videodrome for people who are compelled to watch ALL the Criterion films, fans of Cronenberg, and special effects junkies. I wouldn't write it off completely, but it's not a strong classic. It's worthwhile primarily because of its position in time and in Cronenberg's career. July 19, 2008

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