Medium Cruel: Reflections on Videodrome
By August 30, 2004
In 1981, it seemed to me that a new era of the fantastic cinema was upon us. With this in mind, I persuaded an editor at Heavy Metal to accept an essay Read more »
- Canada
- 1983
- 87 minutes
- Color
- 1.85:1
- English
SYNOPSIS: When Max Renn goes looking for edgy new shows for his sleazy cable TV station, he stumbles across the pirate broadcast of a hyperviolent torture show called Videodrome. As he struggles to unearth the origins of the program, he embarks on a hallucinatory journey into a shadow world of right-wing conspiracies, sadomasochistic sex games, and bodily transformation. Starring James Woods and Deborah Harry in one of her first film roles, Videodrome is one of writer/director David Cronenberg’s most original and provocative works, fusing social commentary with shocking elements of sex and violence. With groundbreaking special effects makeup by Academy Award®-winner Rick Baker, Videodrome has come to be regarded as one of the most influential and mind-bending science fiction films of the 1980s.
Cast & CreditsOpen
Cast
| Max Renn | James Woods |
| Bianca O’Blivion | Sonja Smits |
| Nicki Brand | Deborah Harry |
| Harlan | Peter Dvorsky |
| Barry Convex | Les Carlson |
| Brian O’Blivion | Jack Creley |
| Masha | Lynne Gorman |
Credits
| Director | David Cronenberg |
| Screenplay | David Cronenberg |
| Producer | Claude Héroux |
| Cinematography | Mark Irwin |
| Executive producers | Pierre David and Victor Solnicki |
| Associate producer | Lawrence Nesis |
| Music | Howard Shore |
| Editing | Ronald Sanders |
| Art director | Carol Spier |
| Special makeup designed and created by | Rick Baker |
| Special video effects | Michael Lennick |
| Production manager | Gwen Iveson |
| First assistant director | John Board |
| Creative consultant | Denise Di Novi |
Disc Features
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET:
- New high-definition digital transfer of the unrated version, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Two audio commentaries: David Cronenberg and director of photography Mark Irwin, and actors James Woods and Deborah Harry
- Camera (2000), a short film starring Videodrome’s Les Carlson, written and directed by Cronenberg
- Forging the New Flesh, a new half-hour documentary featurette by filmmaker Michael Lennick about the creation of Videodrome’s video and prosthetic makeup effects
- Effects Men, a new audio interview with special makeup effects creator Baker and video effects supervisor Lennick
- Bootleg Video: the complete footage of Samurai Dreams and seven minutes of transmissions from “Videodrome,” presented in their original, unedited form with filmmaker commentary
- Fear on Film, a 26-minute roundtable discussion from 1982 between filmmakers Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis, and Mick Garris
- Original theatrical trailers and promotional featurette
- Stills galleries featuring hundreds of rare behind-the-scenes production photos, special effects makeup tests, and publicity photos
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- A booklet featuring essays by critics Carrie Rickey, Tim Lucas, and Gary Indiana
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Videodrome: Make Mine Cronenberg
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