Product Description
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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. Renns ordinary life
dissolves around him, he finds himself at the center of a
conflict between sing factions in the struggle to control the
truth behind the radical human future of "the New ."
Starring James Woods and Deborah Harry in one of her first film
roles, Videodrome is one of writer/director David Cronenbergs
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.
Set Contains:
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Criterion's presentation of Videodrome is thoughtful, thorough,
cleverly designed (the keepcase resembles a vintage Betamax
cassette from the film), and authoritative in its appreciation of
Cronenberg's influential film. In his eloquent commentary,
Cronenberg expounds on issues of censorship, his admiration for
Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan, the challenge of
filming with an incomplete script, and the use of pioneering
makeup and video effects in the pre-CGI era. Cronenberg's
comments alternate with those of cinematographer Mark Irwin, who
provides humorous and knowledgeable in into the technical
aspects of Videodrome's complicated production. Commentary by
James Woods and costar Deborah Harry are similarly alternated,
and Woods (an avowed cinephile and intellectual) proves a most
fascinating spokesman for the film's prescient themes, while
Harry conveys well-spoken acceptance and understanding of
Cronenberg's challenging material. Cronenberg's 2000 short
"Camera" is included, featuring Videodrome actor Les Carlson in a
playful and thought-provoking treatise on the reality-altering
nature of the cinematic image.
Disc 2 supplements are rich and varied, highlighted by "Fear on
Film," a fascinating 1982 panel discussion hosted by Mick Garris
(later a well-known horror director) and featuring directors John
Landis, John Carpenter, and Cronenberg at the peak of their
box-office powers. In "Forging the New ," filmmaker (and
Videodrome's video effects supervisor) Michael Lennick combines
on-set footage with new and vintage interviews with principal
cast and crew. The rest is a potpourri of Videodrome elements,
including "Videodrome" videos from the film's deviant broadcasts,
with optional commentary by Cronenberg and Lennick; audio
interviews with Lennick and makeup wizard Rick Baker; original
trailers and a "making of" featurette; and a stills gallery,
makeup tests, and publicity materials. The 40-page booklet
includes a superb essay by critic Carrie Rickey, a revised on-set
report by Video Watchdog publisher Tim Lucas, and a contextual
appreciation by novelist and culture critic Gary Indiana. Taken
together, these supplements make Criterion's Videodrome an
important archival addition to Cronenberg's oeuvre. --Jeff
Shannon