Cronenberg. David Cronenberg emerged from the creative burst the horror genre produced in the 1970s to become one of the greatest auteurs on the planet in the modern era. Cronenberg’s great strength is the quality of his films 1-6 and the consistency of his oeuvre (and I mean hell I love Spider and that’s his #8 film). His 6th film matches up very well with Lynch, Malick, and clearly PT, Wes Anderson and Tarantino (though they are much younger).
Best film: Dead Ringers It is icy, perverse, and utterly brilliant. Jeremy Irons gives one of the best performances of the 1980’s in this ambitious masterpiece. Cronenberg’s work is intellectualized, unsympathetic and haunting- and this is all of those things.
total archiveable films: 16
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 6 (Dead Ringers, Crash, A History of Violence, Naked Lunch, The Fly, Videodrome)
top 100 films of the decade: 7 (Dead Ringers, Crash, A History of Violence, Naked Lunch, The Fly, Videodrome, Eastern Promises)
most overrated: Videodrome–on TSPDT. I’m fine with the #292 ranking- that’s not overrated by much (I’m at #444)– but I don’t think it’s his best film. It’s still a magnificent film that has grown on me since seeing it a decade ago for the first time.
most underrated: Naked lunch. Clever and deliriously funny- it’s a brilliant adaptation of Burroughs yet stands on its own and is obstinately Cronenbergian (thank god). It should certainly be in the top 1000 of all-time (which it isn’t for the TSPDT consensus). It’s #364 for me.
gem I want to spotlight: The Fly. Pop-art at its finest, a horror/sci-fi representation and meditation on AIDS. Any way you slice it this is an absolutely absorbing film.
stylistic innovations/traits: Cerebral, cold and destabilizing. Cronenberg is much more than just “Dave Deprave” (Scorsese’s nickname for him) and the inventor of “body horror”. As a stylist his work varies. Crash is immaculately edited (those shots in the car showing discomfort and obsession). A History of Violence starts with a breathtaking tracking shot. As much as I like his collaborations with Viggo—his best work was from 1983-1996 there’s a definite dark/sterile lighting/mise-en/scene combination (dark blues, greys and blacks) that is distinctly Cronenberg. Clear architecture as character in Spider. Thematically the body mutation is in almost every film. In some the transformation is closer to a baptism (Viggo’s work), rebirth or evolution—– heady stuff.
top 10
- Dead Ringers
- Crash
- A History of Violence
- Naked Lunch
- The Fly
- Videodrome
- Eastern Promises
- Spider
- Scanners
- The Dead Zone
By year and grades
| 1975- Shivers | R |
| 1977- Rabid | R |
| 1979- The Brood | R |
| 1981- Scanners | R |
| 1983- The Dead Zone | R |
| 1983- Videodrome | MS |
| 1986- The Fly | MS |
| 1988- Dead Ringers | MP |
| 1991- Naked Lunch | MS |
| 1996- Crash | MP |
| 1999- Existenz | R |
| 2002- Spider | HR |
| 2005- A History of Violence | MP |
| 2007- Eastern Promises | HR |
| 2011- A Dangerous Method | R |
| 2014- Maps to the Stars | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
@Drake- Did you manage to catch Crimes of the Future and The Shrouds?
@Drake- Did the Shrouds (2024) made the archives?
The Shrouds was decent actually. Better than Crimes of the Future and Map To The Stars
My ranking of Cronenberg`s films that I`ve seen:
1. Dead Ringers MP
2. A History of Violence MP
3. Crash MP
4. The Fly MS
5. Videodrome MS
6. Naked Lunch MS
7. A Dangerous Method MS
8. Eastern Promises HR
9. Spider HR
10. The Dead Zone R/HR
11. Scanners R
15 Best Performances
1. Irons- Dead Ringers 5
2. Mortensen- A History of Violence 5
3. Goldblum- The Fly 5
4. Woods- Videodrome 5
5. Mortensen- Eastern Promises 5
6. Walken- The Dead Zone 5
7. Hurt- A History of Violence 5
8. Koteas- Crash 5
9. J. Davis- Naked Lunch 5
10. Harris- A History of Violence 4.5
11. Mortensen- A Dangerous Method 4.5
12. Weller- Naked Lunch 4.5
13. G. Davis- The Fly 4.5
14. Fiennes- Spider 4
15. Fassbender- A Dangerous Method 4
Sadly the new David Cronenberg movie doesn’t look very promising. Only M. Butterfly has worse reviews in his entire career.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_shrouds
But at least it sounds very Cronenbergian.
@Lionel- “But at least it sounds very Cronenbergian”- agreed there
Final Ranking and Grades:
Study Summary:
David Cronenberg is considered to be the father of Body Horror for good reason. What makes many of his films different than more standard horror is that with body horror there is not an exterior threat like a masked boogie man with a knife in many slashers or supernatural beings resulting from a haunted past like in many ghost stories. With body horror the threat is often internal with the protagonist making it difficult if not flat out impossible to defeat the threat without the character killing themselves like the Goldblum character in Fly (1986)
Cronenberg has distinct/memorable imagery throughout his body of work, much of it disturbing and or gross making it hard to label it “beautiful” like a Malick film but impressive and powerful imagery none the less.
Cronenberg’s intelligence shines throughout his work which is full of philosophical ideas
Cronenberg generally wastes little time getting into the story, in The Fly (1986) Goldblum’s character is telling Geena Davis about his invention a couple of minutes into the film. The majority of his films are in the 85 to 105 min range. They are focused with little to no time devoted to subplots of any sort, there is an impressive efficiency to his storytelling. The only film that I think would have benefited from a longer runtime was Eastern Promises which was set around a Russian Crime Family.
Cronenberg hit fire from Videodrome in 1983 to Crash in 1996. Over a 5 film stretch he went: MS, MS, MP, MS, MP. His work with Viggo is also very impressive with: MP, MS, HR/MS. Existenz was the only film I watched of his that I felt was not a R.
Cronenberg has 3 MP in my opinion and ranking them was difficult, but I have A History of Violence at # 1 and I will admit to a level of bias with it being a favorite of mine and I have seen it way more times than any of his other films. Still, it is an incredibly impressive piece of work between the formal touches as Cronenberg has several scenes in the 2nd half that serve as counterpoints to scenes from the first. You have body horror imagery in some truly gruesome sequences along with magnificent performances and some excellent camera work like the opening tracking shot. None the less Crash (1996) and Dead Ringers (1988) are not that far behind and our worthy MP themselves.
There is a considerable 2nd tier after the MPs including The Fly, Videodrome, Naked Lunch, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, and Spider. The 3rd Tier is every other film from the study except for Existenz
Here are my Final Grades and Rankings
MP
# 1 A History of Violence (2005)
# 2 Crash (1996)
# 3 Dead Ringers (1988)
MS
# 4 The Fly (1986)
# 5 Videodrome (1983)
# 6 Naked Lunch (1991)
# 7 Eastern Promises (2007)
HR/MS
# 8 A Dangerous Method (2011)
HR
# 9 Spider
R/HR
# 10 The Brood (1979)
# 11 Scanners (1981)
R
# 12 Crimes of the Future (2022)
# 13 The Dead Zone (1983)
# 14 Shivers (1975)
Not R
# 15 Existenz (1999)
I saw The Dead Zone after reading the book. It was so much inferior than the book imo. And pretty dated. With a lot of good stuff in the book taken out. Walken is solid.
@Malith – Haven’t read the book but remember watching The Dead Zone as a kid and being impressed…not so much now but still clear R
It’s one of Walken’s best performances. So the R is deserved. But I was disappointed by the film.
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Notes:
Starts with camera pan through crimson red substance in opening credits
2:10 camera zoom out to shot of little boy on a beach
2:47 low angle shot of woman from boys POV
5 min disturbing image of mother smothering the little boy
8:12 slow zoom in on Viggo’s character, Saul, lying of top of strange insect like object
10 min Léa Seydoux as Caprice tends to Saul
13:02 blue/gray tint gloomy atmosphere
15 min Kristen Stewart as Timlin
16 min dialogue about physical pain in humans
18:57 color of screen desaturated as Wippet (Don McKellar) speaks into camera about the National Organ Registry but McKellar and Timlin ask Caprice to stop recording as their operation is not legal
22:28 bizarre imagery as Saul lies in bed
23:45 slow zoom out
24:30 several effective pans showing the crowd of onlookers in this dark, secretive place
25:18 shallow focus as crowd of onlookers blurry
26:21 close up on Saul’s face during procedure
26:55 gross out images as unknown object removed from Saul’s insides
31 min detective name Cope interviews Timlin and Wippet about “performance artist” Saul
34:16 low angle shot
36:28 profile shot of human covered in human body parts to onlookers in the shadows
45 min slight canted angle, destitute
50:18 low angle tracking shot
59:14 mass production of purple colored objects
59:50 TVs in room a la Videodrome
1:10:00 Timlin isolated with Saul
1:13:45 shot reverse shot heavy sequence
1:15:09 “the old sex” has been replaced by surgery
1:19:26 philosophical discussion on Saul’s line of work
1:20:05 nice composition with Saul in center of frame and the detective on far left side of frame in front of rock
1:27:31 shallow focus with low angle shot of Caprice as she circles the center of attraction with blurred out onlookers
1:30:10 green/gray tint
1:32:09 brutal violence with drill to back of head
1:32:50 repetition with this location that Saul and the Detective meet at during the night
1:40:51 black and white image of Saul transitioning to the red imagery for the closing credits that matches the imagery from the opening credits
Thoughts:
Cronenberg back to body horror for the first time in 23 years
Color palette dominated by Grays, Blues, and green; this is a grim world with people who can literally not been physical pain anymore
This is old school Cronenberg for sure, gross out imagery, characters dealing with extreme alterations to their bodies, lack of score throughout much of film
Overall, this is lesser Cronenberg but it’s still an admirable effort, none the less, basically the same with Viggo who gives solid performance
There are interesting ideas and concepts but the narrative was lacking at times, still admire the effort
Verdict: R
A Dangerous Method (2011)
Notes:
Loaded cast with Keira Knightley as Sabina Speilrein, Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud, and Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung. Film set in Vienna in the 20th Century
Starts with Sabina forcibly brought to Carl Jung
2:41 over shoulder high angle shot from Jung POV speaking to Sabina sitting on chair in otherwise empty room
6:52 long shot with Sabina and Jung in center of frame
10 min Sabina again forcibly moved
11:40 close up shots of hands
12:01 split diopter with Jung in foreground and Emma Jung in background of frame, this test sequence uses low ASL
13:39 split diopter
14:58 nice foreground/background work
16:18 again nice foreground/background work
21 min jumps 2 years to 1906
22 min Viggo make appearance as Sigmund Freud
22:30 two shot of Freud and Jung eating together
24:55 split diopter of Freud and Jung
27:10 great depth of field with Jung in foreground and Freud in background
32:35 nice composition with 3 levels of depth of field
33 min Vincent Cassell as Austrian Psychoanalysis Otto Gross
33:57 impressive use of depth of field with Otto in foreground and Jung in background
36:48 another impressive two shot
41:25 Jung and Otto separated by rock as they are on opposite sides of frame
45:10 Jung sleeps with Sabina, after his conversations with Otto Gross who admits to numerous affairs
48 min Jung feels guilty about affair and explains as much to Sabina who seems okay with everything and even asks Jung about his sex life with wife which he describes as “routine” and demands Jung be “ferocious” during sex with her
56:17 great composition with two mirrors so Sabina is on both sides of the frame and Jung in the middle in front of a small mirror as he tries to end their relationship and does in the next scene leading a hurt Sabina to lash out and stab the side of his face resulting in a cut
1:00:41 Sabina writing letter to Freud
1:01:27 high angle shot of Freud as camera slowly zooms in
1:02:08 high angle close up on side of Freud’s face as he narrates letter to Sabina
1:10:00 Freud and Jung on boat to America
1:11:10 Statue of Liberty in background of frame in between Freud and Jung in foreground
1:11:25 jump in time to Switzerland in 1910
1:13:36 split diopter as Jung and Sabina are working together again
1:14:36 Jung and Sabina resume sexual relationship
1:17:03 detailed mise en scene in Freud’s office as he speaks with Sabina
1:23:30 overhead shot of Freud
1:27:08 Sabina and Jung sitting next to each other facing opposite
1:28:35 Jung and Sabina with long conversation
Thoughts:
Cronenberg branching out in terms of genre, taking on a period drama which on the surface would seem to be a significant departure from his previous work but similar to A History of Violence, though on a lesser level, the film examines human behavior. This is intellectual material and Cronenberg is well suited to it as an intellectual himself
The framing is impressive with frequent split diopter shots and Cronenberg frequently changing up angles to avoid cinematically stagnant stretches; it is very effective as this is a dialogue heavy film, which is quite different from the majority of his work
The production design is impressive with costume work and carefully decorated interiors, I love the detailed mise en scene of Freud’s office, I love some of the small detail like pens used in the letters Jung and Freud wrote to one another
The relationship between Jung and Sabina is effective, often Hollywood films will have a meaningless romantic relationship that feels wholly unnecessary to the more important story, but Cronenberg is no ordinary director the relationship here fits into the film’s larger narrative and serves as the films key emotional base, humanizing the characters
3 strong performances with Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender all great as much as I love Viggo it is Fassbender who gives the strongest performance closely followed by the other 2
Vincent Cassell deserves a mention as well even if he has considerably less screen time than the other 3, he is great as always
The dialogue here is more casual than a typical period drama, for the better.
Verdict: HR/MS
@James – I urge you to skip Cosmopolis….
@Harry – yeah, I did. I only skipped two of his films that are in the archives; Rabid (1977) and Maps to the Stars (2014). I actualy started Maps to the Stars but it just was not working for me despite the humor.
Eastern Promises (2007)
Notes:
Starts in barbershop in London
2:54 brutal murder with body horror imagery from some of Cronenberg’s early films
3:56 red in mise en scene
4:56 Naomi Watts as midwife named Anna
5:20 reverse tracking shot
6:15 frame in frame
9:58 nice tracking shot through upscale Russian Restaurant as Semyon, Russian gangster, speaks with Anna about a diary
13:01 Profile shot of Viggo as bodyguard named Nikolai who is standing outside Restaurant
15:05 Anna living with Aunt and Uncle temporarily
15:27 nice tracking shot through restaurant during celebratory night, red and green dominates the mise en scene
18 min Kirill played by Vincent Cassel as incompetent son, a Fredo Corleone type
18:29 low angle shot a la Tarantino trunk shot
28:55 shallow focus outside of car
30:34 Russian prisons tattoos tell your life story, as dead body is examined by law enforcement
33:16 Camera from exterior shot of building to inside where Kirill is partying from prostitutes
34:56 the insecure Kirill demands Nikolai have sex in front of him to proof he is not gay
44 min uncle translates diary and reveals disturbing information
46:46 Nikolai impressing Semyon
47:18 impressive frame of Kirill in background
47:47 Semyon standing face to face with Nikolai, standing in center of frame
51:52 close up on diary passing hand to hand
53:14 rumor that Kirill is gay
55:10 Nikolai in background with diary set on fire in foreground
57:38 overhead shot of crowd during soccer match, football since this is London
58:43 brutal murder in same manner as opening barbershop murder only this one in broad daylight
1:01:47 great low angle shot with Semyon in background elevated above Azim, visual display of dynamics as Semyon is powerful crime figure who literally towers above Azim
1:02:50 slow pan to Nikolai
1:05:47 Kirill sent away to get Brandy, but really Semyon wants to talk shop with Nikolai
1:11:33 Nikolai in foreground wearing nothing but boxers so his tattoos are displayed on body, arms, and legs; Nikolai is being “made” by Chechens who believe him to be Kirill who Chechens want to kill
1:12:29 camera pulls back shows 5 men sitting on chairs and dressed in suits with
1:13:26 Semyon close up shown in isolation
1:14:02 over shoulder shot
1:15:35 Azim brings Nikolai into bathhouse
1:16:32 symmetry with Azim and Nikolai sitting in background of frame
1:18:28 overhead shot of checkered floor of bathhouse as Chechen gangsters attempt to kill who they believe to be Kirill but really is Nikolai, this leads to incredible fight sequence
1:20:52 camera set low, pans over Nikolai crawling toward remaining Chechen
1:21:25 brutal image
1:21:40 segue into hospital hallway where Nikolai is brought after
1:23:58 doorway frame
1:24:38 major plot reveal
1:29:45 slow zoom in on Kirill contemplating throwing baby into water
1:35:50 slow zoom in on Nikolai sitting in empty restaurant as Anna narrates diary ending the film
Thoughts:
Cronenberg reunited with Viggo for another crime/mob film but this one set in London and focused on a Russian Crime Family. London is portrayed using gray and blue palette, there is a dreary atmosphere present throughout the film with the exception of the interior of restaurant which has a vibrant red color
The bathhouse fight sequence is unlike any other, so brutal and shot with realistic way, avoiding the choreographed manner of most movie fight sequences, shaky camera with low ASL and rapidly changing angles with close up on characters hands
Various thematic interpretations, the immigrant experience seems to be one as it is right there in the title “Eastern Promises” as the film is set around Russian immigrants in London, Tatiana’s fate would have likely been a job inside the brothel shown early in the film
Similar but to a lesser extent there is the theme of identity, Viggo plays a low level mob associate to the Russian mafia, and he is later revealed as undercover British agent. Kirill as the screw up son plays a sort of Fredo Corleone character who is likely a closeted gay man as he overcompensates by making sure Nikolai is “no queer” and forcing him to have sex with a prostitute in front of him as a “test”
Some impressive low angle shots showing power imbalances and a number of impressive black in the compositions including a sequence with the diary on fire in the foreground and the Viggo character in the background. Shallow focus is used in a couple of sequences in public demonstrating the isolated nature of Viggo’s character
The 100 minute runtime hinters the impact a bit, most of Cronenberg’s films have thus far been around 90 minutes and up until this point I think that has worked well but this is the first film of the study that I think would have benefited from a longer runtime
Verdict: MS
A History of Violence (2005)
Notes:
Starts with an excellent tracking shot outside low budget motel, insects buzzing in morning
Medium shot of two men who turn out to be vile criminals, one is in 30s the other 50s
5:18 brutal violence off screen
5:36 framing using arms
6:03 brutal real violence transfers to dream of young daughter of Viggo’s character
7:10 shot of Viggo’s Tom Stall and his family with Maria Bello as his wife Edie
7:18 efficient visual story telling so far with shot on mailbox “The Stalls”
13 min the school bully is a little over the top but this sets up later sequence necessary to the films
15:37 reaction shot of Viggo’s face, a couple seconds after we see why, Edie is dressed up as cheerleader making her line from earlier clear “we never got to be teenagers together, tonight I’m going to change that”
19:32 “Milbrook” post office and clocktower
22 min atmosphere has changed as violent men enter Stall’s Diner
24:14 Tom kills both criminals, even before Tom goes into action, he is noticeably calmer than everyone else in the Diner who are clearly terrified
27:20 Tom has shown in profile shot during most of brief media interview outside of his house
29 min Ed Harris as Carl Fogarty and his 2 associates enter Diner wearing suits
29:50 over the shoulder shot of Ed Harris character looking at Tom inside Diner
31:14 close up on Ed Harris face as he takes off sunglasses revealing a brutally injured eye
33:45 reverse tracking shot of gangsters being pulled over by small town Sheriff
35:15 Tom, Edie, and Sheriff shown one at a time, isolated in frame as they speak at the Stall’s house as Sheriff explains the 3 men are organized crime from the east coast
38:38 Tom again shown in profile shot, followed by nice frame in frame
39:48 Tom deep in background of frame as he is running toward his house despite injury
49 min Jack gives brutal beatdown to the school bully and his lackey, this scene set up from earlier locker room scene
52:33 triangle composition of Fogarty and his two guys standing in Tom’s front yard with Jack in the hands of the gangsters
54:32 noticeable change in Tom’s voice as he’s shown in close up
54:56 back and forth shots of Viggo and Harris shot in closeup
55:27 Tom fights back similar to earlier Diner Scene
55:49 brutal violence, interesting back and forth during this sequence between Edie watching the brutality through the upstairs window, and close ups of Tom Stall with 3 gangsters
59:19 Tom reveals truth to Edie
59:47 Tom and Edie opposite sides of frame
1:06:10 a two shot of Edie and Tom on coach as Sheriff confronts about Tom’s past
1:07:36 intense and violent sex scene serves as counterpoint to earlier romantic sex scene
1:10:50 Richie, Tom’s brother who heads a crime syndicate, calls in middle of night
1:11:58 shallow focus
1:14:46 2nd time there is noticeable change in Tom’s voice as he says “yeah I’m Joey”
1:15:40 entering the mansion of Joey’s brother Richie, the head of crime syndicate
1:17:33 Richie shown first time in low angle shot as he descends staircase
1:20:08 nice blocking and foreground/background work
1:20:55 nice use of foreground/background work with shallow focus
1:21:44 “in your dreams are you still Joey?” Richie asking the most important question of the film from a thematic standpoint
1:24:16 start of attempt to kill Joey
1:24:36 Hurt’s face here is comedic gold as he watches Joey start to get the upper hand on Richie’s thugs
1:26:04 nice high angle tracking shot
1:26:49 fatal shot fired
1:27:55 beautiful shot of Viggo looking over water in back of Richie’s mansion, Joey on knees puts water over face resembling a baptism, this immediately is followed with Tom back at his family house
1:30:37 Tom is accepted back by family as daughter places dinner plate for him
1:31:14 close up shots on Edie and Tom end film
Thoughts:
I have found myself spending less time distinguishing between best films from favorites, not that there is anything wrong with this, but I have tried to focus on becoming more objective as a film critic. Still, I cannot hold back here because this is one of my absolute favorite films ever, top 15. And it is a hell of a film, not a top 15 film of all time but a clear MP in my book.
Many thematic elements: Mediation on Identity, violence/evil that humans are capable of, Duality of humans, etc.
Cronenberg’s body horror is on display in the diner scene and the fight at Tom’s house, the brutal violence results in some shots that look straight out of his early body horror films where heads explode. Speaking of body horror, this has elements of it as body horror often revolves around characters who undergo some type of transformation, usually both physical and psychological so while this film may not seem to fit the traditional Body Horror Genre there are undeniable similarities; Viggo’s character undergoes multiple transformations throughout the movie, in some cases the transformation happens almost instantly like the change in Viggo’s voice
Efficient storytelling, clocking in at 95 min but more importantly you have effective formal touches with several contrasting scenes:
sex scenes, the first is romantic, tender sequence between two long time married couple still in love vs the later sequence which is animalistic and violent
A sequence early on with Jack refusing to fight school bully is constructed by later sequence, following the Diner scene, where Jack does fight back and brutalizes the bully and his lackey.
The moderate Stall house with the warm and loving atmosphere shown early on is contrasted with Tom (revealed to be Joey) inside Richie’s extravagant mansion, which despite Richie’s hilarious dialogue, has a cold and eerily quiet atmosphere
The use of close ups works well during the more intense and emotional sequences of the film, particularly the scene where Tom/Joey kills Fogarty and his men in the front yard of his house, this is contrasted with Edie looking though upstairs window with nice use of window frame as everything unfolds, Edie seeing Tom transform into Joey from a distance
I have written on William Hurt’s performance a couple of times before; it is virtuoso acting that on a per minute basis is an all time in my book. In fact, there are four really strong performances here, you have Viggo, William Hurt, Maria Bello, and Ed Harris.
I love William Hurt here:
Viggo is tremendous so the final showdown would not work without an actor capable of giving an equally impressive performance, especially with all the lead up to the Philadelphia scene, thus a lesser actor playing this role would have been a big letdown. Certainly, Hurt’s character is charismatic and over the top (Nicholson in The Departed) but it’s more layered than it appears, yes he’s a mob boss but he plays a combination of vengeful, aggrieved, affectionate, and brotherly all at the same time as heconfronts Viggo’s
character when he returns to Philadelphia to sort out the things he did in his past life. “When you dream are you still Joey?” Hurt is one of those exceptionally gifted actors who can completely change personas on the spot almost as well as De Niro or Pesci. And like Pesci he can alternate between hilarious and utterly chilling in the blink of an eye. His facial expressions watching Viggo’s character start to get the upper hand on the guy who tries to strangle him is priceless as well as some of his one liners. His final line “Joey!” is delivered perfectly as he is a combination of stunned, bemused, and begrudgingly impressed at how Joey has managed to kill his entire crew right before Joey
shoot him to death.”
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp- really well done- enjoyed this read James
@Drake – thanks, its a favorite of mine, going to be tough ranking Cronenberg’s top 3; this, Crash, and Dead Ringers
Spider (2002)
Notes:
Starts with opening credits over green/gray wall
4:45 train arrives at station, Ralph Fiennes character here is Dennis “Spider” Cleg, he walks with his back hunched over
5:14 great low angle close up on head which appears closer to interior roof of station than it actually is
6:37 wide angle shot, shows Dennis walking down a completely empty city street,
7:28 red desert (1964) inspired shot with architecture as character, low angle shot
12:25 camera medium close shots create claustrophobic environment
15:55 overhead shot of Spider in the
16:23 Ozu like pillow shot with this being shot of skeletal gasworks tower
18:48 another shot of the skeletal gasworks tower
19:04 great foreground/background work
23:36 two-shot
26 min flashback with Spider the adult watching over Spider as a kid set in London in the 1950s
40:10 gasworks tower in background
52:44 green grass noticeable contrast with drab color palette used so far
56:02 brutal murder of Spider’s mother by his abusive father
1:03:48 empty street caught with wide angle shot
1:05:15 deep focus with Spider in background of the frame standing outside of the window
1:12:35 close up on Spider in bed
1:13:30 is now seeing Yvonne, a prostitute who started to witness the murder of Spider’s mother, as Mrs. Wilkinson who is in charge of the housing unit the adult Spider lives in
1:19:26 spider like webs created with string
1:30:15 high angle from Spider POV
1:31:10 great pan tracking along string used to create web-like pulley mechanism
1:32:36 big reveal as
1:34:36 shot of Spider through car window, transitions to a child again
Thoughts:
Cronenberg with a psychological drama that is above all else a memory film, going into this I was expecting a film that might blur the line between fantasy and reality but I stead this was more about blending the past with the present
Gray/blue color palette dominates the bleak environment the film is set in
The Ozu like “pillow shots” of the skeletal gasworks tower was a nice touch, impossible not to think of Red Desert as well, you have architecture as character but also the trance like state of the films leads, Monica Vitti in Red Desert and Ralph Fiennes
Speaking of which Ralph Fiennes has never failed to impress me, and this is no exception, it’s a very different role than anything else I have seen him in; Fiennes is so charismatic even playing horrific people so interesting to see him play Spider, who barely has any lines of dialogue. We are not even privy to Spider’s thoughts via narration or through written means narration (Diary of a Country Priest) and instead our understanding of his characters comes mainly through his memories
Verdict: HR
@James Trapp- Good for you James – I remember being thoroughly unimpressed when I saw in for the first time in theater in 2002/2003
Crash (1996)
Notes:
Starts with white and blue lighting during opening credits
3 min camera floating through warehouse with airplane as score cuts out, an attractive blonde woman is pressing her breast again the metal plane
5:15 James Spader as James Ballard, he is first shown having sexual liaison with attractive woman on set
5:48 Deborah Kara Unger as Catherine Ballard, she is married to James, she is standing on balcony overlooking the freeway which contains several highways
7:56 James gets in serious car accident resulting in a man killed, the man’s wife played by Holly Hunter immediately takes off shirt and makes sexually provocative gesture toward James
9:14 rows of empty beds in background, little details like this make it clear this is not meant to occur in realistic world
11:50 a doctor named Vaugn, played by Elias Koteas, speaks with James who is recovering in hospital after the accident, James is wearing medical equipment, and his leg is in a brace
15:21 aerial shot capturing freeway, highways taking up entire frame
16 min James watching traffic with binoculars
16:20 nice tracking shot inside parking garage
22 min Holly Hunter’s character, Helen, rides home with James who nearly gets in accident leading to sex inside the airport garage, James has sex with his wife after
26 min Vaughn, who is the head of a bizarre group of people that recreate accidents based on real life celebrities such as James Dean
31:55 James Dean died of a broken neck and became immortal
32:30 cops show up and everyone runs away like a bunch of underaged drinker at a HS party
43:30 great composition with shot through glass door into bedroom and through glass window
45 min explicit sex scene and dialogue that is equal parts funny and disturbing
47:18 Helen taking up most of frame inside of car
51:21 James and Vaughn cruising around at night
1:00:25 strong blue tint
1:02:06 red flares in an otherwise blue tinted frame
1:06:15 tracking shot as car enters through automatic car wash with James, Catherine, and Vaughn on the inside of the car
1:10:00 slow zoom in on James and Catherine naked in bed, this following James watching Catherine and Vaughn have sex in the back of the vehicle during the car wash scene
1:21:58 shallow focus
1:22:23 parallel editing as James and Vaughn are
1:23:21 James overlooking freeways from earlier using binoculars
1:25:35 slow zoom in on Vaughn lying in his car before he starts going after James as they engage in a battle of sorts going after each other on the highway
1:28:05 nice slow pan counterclockwise showing a low angle shot of James looking below at Vaughn who is now dead
1:33:55 Catherine lying next to Vaughns’s car injured by okay
Thoughts:
This is a truly bizarre film and definitely not for everyone, it has characters that show little to no emotion and none of them are even remotely likable
Color palette of blues/grays match the bleak and emotionless atmosphere
Unsurprisingly this was a controversial and polarizing film when it was released in 1996, I am guessing this would not be quite as controversial if it had been released today. Ebert’s review points out that the film is about the way humans lose themselves to a particular compulsion. “By deliberately removing anything that an audience member is likely to find even remotely erotic, Cronenberg has brought a kind of icy, abstract purity to his subject.” There are other interpretations, but I like Ebert’s take. The film’s characters are so absorbed by their compulsions that they basically shut out the outside world. There is shallow focus on a number of shots throughout the film, which enhances the isolated world the film takes place in; James, Catherine, and Vaughn are the 3 main characters with Holly Hunter being the 4th most prominent character, the main core has little to no interaction with anyone else
This film does not make a single choice that I did not like, it had a mood/atmosphere that is maintained throughout, the performances, dialogue, color palette, etc. making this an excellent and cohesive work that is perhaps Cronenberg’s best of the study so far
I loved the reoccurring aerial shot of the cars driving on the freeway, they add to the icy and cool detachment that is present throughout the film, there is no humor at all and not a single lighter moment and the film is better for it as humor and lighter moments would seem drastically out of place
The score here is not only masterful but allows the film to go for stretches with very limited dialogue, instead it allows the viewer to be entranced
There are several nice tracking shots and camera pans including one that reveals Vaughn’s death
The performances are great all the way around but Elias Koteas steal’s the show, Vaughn is such an oddball character, and I could not take my eyes off of him
1:35:15 “maybe the next one” line from the first conversation between James and Catherine
Verdict: MP
Naked Lunch (1991)
Notes:
Jazz music to accompany vivid colored opening credits, opening set in 1953
The film opens with two quotes:
“Nothing is true; everything is permitted”
“Hustlers of the world there is one mark you cannot beat: the mark inside”
3 min opening shot if close up of bright red door, shadow appears, this is an Exterminator named Bill Lee
5:33 “exterminate all rational thought”
7:20 orange/beige tint as Bill walks into his house as his wife is casually doing hard drugs while they have casual conversation with Jazz playing in background
11:04 triangle composition, followed by characters shown in isolation in frame
12:16 a massive roach
12:48 Bill has back and forth conversation with a talking roach
26:36 Bill shoots his wife to death, seems like accident
28:58 Bill speaks to alien like creature at bar
29:09 soft focus throughout back and forth dialogue
32:20 pan up from typewriter, followed by pan across the room
36:05 shallow focus
37:15 “Clark Nova” typewriter seems to be writing itself until revealed to transform into talking roach
44:54 reverse tracking shot through road in Tangier Morocco
46:15 shallow focus
47:16 pink haze filled through right side of frame
48:44 detailed mise en scene in restaurant
51:43 nice framing with Bill and typewriter taking up entire frame
52 min camera pans along green wall in bathroom following insect
57:04 typewriter insect starts speaking to Lee after brutally ripping apart another insect while chastising Bill for not being more cautious in probably his inner thoughts
1:08:44 extreme close up on Bill’s eyes as he uses typewriter, lighting subtly reflects on glasses
1:10:08 talking insect typewriter and Bill talking casually like a buddy comedy
1:13:32 insect typewriter taken away by agents
1:23:16 Bill shown in background of frame with red prison like bars in foreground
1:24:20 Bills heavily sweat filled face taking up most of right side of frame with gross looking outgrowth from insect typewriter
1:26:13 strong composition using mirror
1:28:08 young adult male appears in Bills bed
1:34:48 high detail in mise en scene, camera panning clockwise as disturbing images progressively becoming more bizarre
1:39:49 close up shot of insect typewriter in Bill’s hands, insect typewriter near death
1:43:13 highly sexualized/suggestive images scattered throughout the frame
Thoughts:
Even by Cronenberg standards this one is quite bizarre with very gross out imagery, not for the faint of heart, in particular there is a great deal of sexually suggestive imagery even more than Videodrome
It is also quite humorous, not really laughing out loud funny but has a ridiculous story told with deadpan delivery
This was my 1st ever viewing so it is tempting to think additional viewings would help decipher the storyline, but I don’t think the narrative it is meant to be viewed a puzzle that can be solved, the vignette structure works well here
Naked Lunch the novel was written in 1959 and is set in 1953, the author of the novel William S. Burroughs was an unlikely icon of 1960s counterculture given his upbringing in a wealthy family, he graduated from Harvard and went to medical school in Vienna but at a certain point got into drugs which altered his life dramatically
The film works as satire and is very open to interpretation; the film’s main character is a repressed homosexual and a drug addict. He is heavily paranoid. Kafka is certainly an influence on this work as well, in particular The Metamorphosis as there are frequent transformations of objects into insects, in particular a typewriter that serves as Bill’s friend and adviser
I could not help but think of Barton Fink watching this, interesting enough both of these films were from the same year, 1991. Both feature writers and are set back when typewriters were still the preferred method of writing although Barton Fink is set about a decade earlier. However, both films involve males who write, one for a living the other in additional to his job as an exterminator. Both feature surrealism although it is far more bizarre in Naked Lunch
Beige/tan/orange and heavy use of green in the color palette throughout much of film is a noticeable change from Dead Ringers which was dominated by shades of blue/grays/silver
Cronenberg’s framing and compositions are perhaps the best of the study so far, heavily detailed mise en scene, especially impressive with the frequent changes, apparently the film had 50 different bug typewriters
Verdict: MS
@James Trapp – yes to this “It is also quite humorous, not really laughing out loud funny but has a ridiculous story told with deadpan delivery”