A programmer at a Toronto TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast.A programmer at a Toronto TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast.A programmer at a Toronto TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 7 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThree different endings were filmed. The ending used in the film was James Woods' idea.
- GoofsWhen Max returns to Spectacular Optical near the end of the film, a sign for prescriptions reads 'perscriptions'.
- Quotes
Brian O'Blivion: The battle for the mind of North America will be fought in the video arena: the Videodrome. The television screen is the retina of the mind's eye. Therefore, the television screen is part of the physical structure of the brain. Therefore, whatever appears on the television screen emerges as raw experience for those who watch it. Therefore, television is reality, and reality is less than television.
- Crazy creditsThe VIDEODROME title experiences a TV white noise distortion.
- Alternate versionsThe director's cut (available in the US on VHS and DVD) contains the following additional footage that was cut from the theatrical release to get an "R" rating:
- During the "Samurai Dreams" scene, a dildo, only partly shown in the "R" rated version, is fully visible.
- The first shot of videodrome in Harlan's workroom runs longer.
- The next scene in Harlan's workroom shows a different, and more graphic take of videodrome broadcast.
- The scene in which Max pierces Nicki's ear has been extended.
- The shot of Max shooting his second partner is slightly longer.
- Barry Convex's death goes another shot.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Phoenix Portal (2005)
In every respect, Videodrome is a great film, managing to repulse and intrigue simultaneously. It is horrific and contains numerous science-fiction motifs, but, unlike the horror and special effects driven pictures of today, Videodrome, to quote the film, has a philosophy. Videodrome is not about mind-controlling cable shows; it is about our un-healthy consumption of visual media. I may not agree with Cronenberg's vision of our relationship with TV, but it is never less than interesting. It's refreshing to see a movie about more than itself; it seems that, since the 1980s, these types of films have become increasingly rare and that's a shame. Maybe it's only nostalgia, but the era when films like Videodrome and Dawn of the Dead were being made by major studios and released to huge audiences seems like a Golden Age to my mind.
Here's to hoping those days will return. What's truly brilliant about Videodrome, beyond its decision to base itself upon an idea, is its seamless blending of the characters' realities and their hallucinations. After the forty-five minute mark, what actually happens becomes lost as we enter deeper and deeper in the the tortured psyche of Max Renn. It is impossible, by the end of the movie, to know what actually happened. Unlike a movie like Donnie Darko, which left me puzzled and irritable, I accept the puzzlement of Videodrome because an explanation would have lessened the film's visceral impact. The open-endedness of the narrative melds perfectly with a film that revels in the hallucination/reality divide. If the characters cannot comprehend what is actually happening, why should we?
As mentioned, every element of this film works. There are amazing set-pieces (throbbing televisions and gurgling video cassettes) and moments of beautiful photography (the shots of Renn approaching the harbor for instance). The acting, even by Debbie Harry in her first starring role, is excellent. James Woods, in particular, excels. He has always been one of my favorite actors and brings to Renn a level of sleaziness that perhaps could have been achieved by only him or Harry Dean Stanton.
This is Cronenberg's first masterpiece (sorry, I'm not too keen on his earlier work, as it doesn't meld his ideas and venereal/technological horror as well) and started a string of absolutely brilliant films. For me, it's also his greatest masterpiece; it's (forgive me for using this word) postmodern vision is spell-binding and the story is, I think, his most imaginative to date. As his career went forward, Cronenberg became more and more respectable and, I think, that hurt his work slightly. In Videodrome, he is at the top of his form and working with his most amazing cast. The movie is an acquired taste and will not appeal to everyone, but I highly recommend it and think you should all watch it with an open mind.
- jay4stein79-1
- Nov 13, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Cuerpos invadidos
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $5,952,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,120,439
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,194,175
- Feb 6, 1983
- Gross worldwide
- $2,124,937