David Cronenberg and the Cinema of the Extreme was made by the BBC right here in the UK as a brief 20 odd minute time filler to proceed a showing (maybe the premiere?) of Cronenberg's brilliant Videodrome (1982) which was shown on the same channel straight after.
In it he talks briefly about Shivers (1975), then he goes into a bit more depth surrounding Videodrome itself & then he again briefly talks about what was at that time his latest film Crash (1996) before rounding things off with a rant about censorship. George A. Romero gets a few minutes as well to discuss various issues & British director, writer, editor & actor Alex Cox sporting a hairdo created with the help of a pan full of chip fat is the only other contributor.
This is pretty insignificant & forgettable stuff, it's obvious that since this was playing just before Videodrome & that it spends most of it's duration discussing that film this was probably a promotional piece more than anything else. As always Cronenberg never really talks in layman's terms & he seems to want to find some hidden complex meaning in just about everything he discusses, Romero & Cox have nothing of any real note to say. If your looking for a detailed interview about Cronenberg's work & career this isn't it as it ignores most of both but it's fascinating to hear him talk & since Videodrome is maybe my favourite Cronneberg film it was nice to get a brief insight, albeit a shallow one.
Featuring clips from Shivers, Videodrome, Crash & Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) & filmed in what looks like an aquarium as the contributors all seem to sitting in front of huge fish tanks...
In it he talks briefly about Shivers (1975), then he goes into a bit more depth surrounding Videodrome itself & then he again briefly talks about what was at that time his latest film Crash (1996) before rounding things off with a rant about censorship. George A. Romero gets a few minutes as well to discuss various issues & British director, writer, editor & actor Alex Cox sporting a hairdo created with the help of a pan full of chip fat is the only other contributor.
This is pretty insignificant & forgettable stuff, it's obvious that since this was playing just before Videodrome & that it spends most of it's duration discussing that film this was probably a promotional piece more than anything else. As always Cronenberg never really talks in layman's terms & he seems to want to find some hidden complex meaning in just about everything he discusses, Romero & Cox have nothing of any real note to say. If your looking for a detailed interview about Cronenberg's work & career this isn't it as it ignores most of both but it's fascinating to hear him talk & since Videodrome is maybe my favourite Cronneberg film it was nice to get a brief insight, albeit a shallow one.
Featuring clips from Shivers, Videodrome, Crash & Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) & filmed in what looks like an aquarium as the contributors all seem to sitting in front of huge fish tanks...
