World Famous Comics: Videodrome - Criterion Collection
Videodrome - Criterion Collection
Starring: James Woods, Deborah Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky, Leslie Carlson Directed By: David Cronenberg Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Criterion Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 1 Release Date: August 31, 2004 Running Time: 87 minutes Theatrical Release Date: February 04, 1983
Description: 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 unearths 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. Renn’s ordinary life dissolves around him, he finds himself at the center of a conflict between opposing factions in the struggle to control the truth behind the radical human future of "the New Flesh." 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, and The Criterion Collection is proud to present it in its full-length unrated edition.
Amazon.com essential video: Love it or loathe it, David Cronenberg's 1983 horror film Videodrome is a movie to be reckoned with. Inviting extremes of response from disdain (critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the least entertaining films ever made") to academic euphoria, it's the kind of film that is simultaneously sickening and seemingly devoid of humanity, but also blessed with provocative ideas and a compelling subtext of social commentary. Giving yet another powerful and disturbing performance, James Woods stars as the operator of a low-budget cable-TV station who accidentally intercepts a mysterious cable transmission that features the apparent torture and death of women in its programming. He traces the show to its source and discovers a mysterious plot to broadcast a subliminally influential signal into the homes of millions, masterminded by a quasi-religious character named Brian O'Blivion and his overly reverent daughter. Meanwhile Woods is falling under the spell, becoming a victim of video, and losing his grip--both physically and psychologically--on the distinction between reality and television. A potent treatise on the effects of total immersion into our mass-media culture, Videodrome is also (to the delight of Cronenberg's loyal fans) a showcase for obsessions manifested in the tangible world of the flesh. It's a hallucinogenic world in which a television set seems to breathe with a life of its own, and where the body itself can become a VCR repository for disturbing imagery. Featuring bizarre makeup effects by Rick Baker and a daring performance by Deborah Harry (of Blondie fame) as Wood's sadomasochistic girlfriend, Videodrome is pure Cronenberg--unsettling, intelligent, and decidedly not for every taste. --Jeff Shannon
Guaranteed to bring up your tv dinner! In the event of an emergency when watching this film, your empty popcorn bucket makes a useful vomitory aid. Your couch cushion can be used as a floatation device, when the bucket overflows, to drift yourself out of the living room and as far away from the tele as you can possibly get. You'll be sick to your stomach for sure knowing you've wasted good money on bile such as this!
Regardless of what you say, it's still incoherent Max Renn (James Woods), the head programmer for a cable TV station that specializes in sleaze, thinks he is on to the next big thing when he discovers "Videodrome", a show containing no plot and non-stop violence. However, Renn soon discovers that "Videodrome" was created by a group of right-wing extremists who wish to kill "the sort of scum who would watch something like that" and gains first-hand knowledge of the consequences of watching "Videodrome", including frightening hallucinations and death.
Given the popularity of movies such as "Saw" and "Hostel", the central idea of "Videodrome", that of someone wanting to kill the sort of people who would watch "gore porn", is still very relevant, in spite of the fact that over 25 years have passed since its release. Watching this film in the context of our modern reality brings a whole new dimension to this film, above that which writer/director David Cronenberg probably originally intended, and because of that, I did find myself appreciating aspects of this film. However, overall, I was disappointed by "Videodrome". As the film progresses (and Woods hallucinates more and more), in becomes increasingly incoherent; the supposedly "disturbing" special effects seem unimpressive compared with what modern audiences would be used to; and although the subject matter was original when this film was made, subsequent movies (such as the Spanish movie "Tesis") have better dealt with it. I am glad that I watched this movie, but its short-comings make it unlikely that I will ever watch it again.
Not sure what all the noise is about Very weird film with a dark message about TV watching, I guess. I wasn't entirely sure where this was going, and I wasn't terribly impressed with the swamp monster special effects. This has gotten all sorts of cult worship over the years, but I really can't see why. Debbie Harry gives an interesting performance, and James Woods does the same hyper-schtick he went on to give throughout his career. I did like the ominous, spooky organ soundtrack, like something out of "Phantom of the Opera." For Cronenberg fanatics only.
Amazing This shipping was exceedingly fast, when I didn't need the DVD until after Christmas due to when I would be seeing the person who the gift was for. It came in excellent condition brand new fully wrapped in plastic wrap. Needless to say, I wouldn't expect less from Amazon. Wonderful job.
"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! ;-).
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