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Jeremy Irons gives another superb and underrated performance in M Butterfly, an elegant adaptation of the Broadway hit by playwrightDavid Henry Hwang. Irons plays a French diplomat in China in 1964 whofalls in love with a star of the Beijing Opera, not realizing that theentrancing performer holds secrets that will ruin his life--that thesinger is a spy for the Communist government is only the beginning of thediplomat's troubles. Though M Butterfly may seem like a departurefor director David Cronenberg (best known for horror and science fictionflicks like The Fly and Scanners), the themes of desireand self-deception fit comfortably into his oeuvre, alongside hisadaptations of difficult novels like Naked Lunch and Crash.M Butterfly, like the more popular movie The Crying Game, isa cunning examination of love and denial. Also featuring John Lone (TheLast Emperor). --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Tragic and sympathetic characters caught up in history
This 1993 film is based on the true story of French diplomat, Rene Gallimard, who carried on an affair for 18 years with Chinese opera singer Song Liling. Later, he was arrested when it was discovered he was passing diplomatic secrets to the Chinese government through his lover. However, there is a twist. Song Liling was actually a man, not a woman, and supposedly kept this fact from Gallimard through all this time.

Jeremy Irons is cast as Rene Gallimard. John Lone, who was actually trained in the Beijing opera and who played the title role in The Last Emperor, is cast as Song Liling. He is not a convincing female but I feel this was the director's intent. The story is, after all, about Gallimard's blind obsession in his desire for the perfect woman. Both Irons' and Lone's performances are magnificent. Both are tragic and sympathetic characters caught up in history.

The theme is also about the role of men and women as well as Communist China and the cultural revolution. Great cinematography and setting brings us to the heart of China which is going through its growing pains. Deception and betrayal are everywhere, not just between the two leading characters involved in the romance.

I was unprepared to like the video as much as I did. It did not do well at the box office, I knew the theme in advance and felt it would strain my belief system. However, I was swept away in the story and the excellent performances and had no trouble overlooking its flaws. Of course the author took dramatic license and created a ending that played like an opera, but who is to blame him; the story itself just cried out for theatrics.

Recommended as an interesting departure from the ordinary.

Cronenberg and Irons: Masterful
A bit of a departure for horror/sci-fi director David Cronenberg, but nonetheless one of his best films. Jeremy Irons plays Rene Gallimard, an accountant for the French Embassy in Beijing, who becomes infatuated with a Chinese diva (Song Liling), played by John Lone. After a passionate and scandalous affair, Song leaves Beijing, supposedly pregnant with Gallimard's child. Years later when he is arrested for espionage, Gallimard is forced to confront the fact that not only was his lover a spy for the Chinese ministry, but a man. Some people find John Lone's inability to completely pass as a woman problematic, but as Cronenberg explains: "I didn't want an unknown who was incredibly female and almost undetectable. I wanted a man. When Gallimard and Song are kissing I wanted it to be two men. I wanted the audience to feel that... M. Butterfly for me is about transformation.." For me, it's a brilliant exploration of the nature of curiousity and desire that necessarily ends tragically. The devastating notion that you can give up your entire life for something that is not true, that it's possible to fall in love with an idea, an image, a masquerade. Cronenberg abounds in his insights to imperialism, gender performance and the human capcity for transformation. Still, above all is the emotional intensity of this film, his best (in that regard) to date. Beautiful cinematography and exquisite acting, earns five stars for the closing scene alone. Highly recommended.

Breathtaking
I don't think anyone could have done justice to writing the screenplay to M Butterfly (based on David Henry Hwang's stage play) than Hwang himself. While it is a bit of a departure from the 1988 play based on the true story of a French diplomat who falls in love with a Chinese opera singer and the disastrous outcome of their affair, as a film it could not have been done otherwise.

Jeremy Irons, a wonderful actor no matter what role he plays, makes for an astounding Rene Gallimard. Less sarcastic than John Lithgow, who created the role on Broadway, Irons gives new depth and intensity to the frustrated, naive accountant. The dramatic depth to John Lone's Song Liling is equal to Irons and equal in departure from BD Wong's somewhat giggly Broadway portrayal of the Chinese diva.

A great deal of "s" words can be used to describe David Cronenberg's film, the top of that list including subtle and sexy. The tone is set, mostly, by the score--which includes traditional-sounding Chinese music and variations of Puccini's Madame Butterfly (especially the recurring theme of "Un Bel Di")--and the scenery (shot in the Far East and Budapest). The ubiquitous soft red and gold tones add to the seductive, nearly erotic edge of the film, all of which culminate at the end.

I don't want to give any of it away, mainly because when I saw the movie I had already read and seen the play, and there is so much more meaning to realize the end with Rene, but I will say that it is moving to the point of tears. Not necessarily because of the outcome, but more in how the actors play it and how the director has realized it. If you have ANY interest in purchasing this film (especially if you have any experience with Hwang's stage play), by all means buy it. It won't disappoint.

Who's French??
Yet another spectacular tale of love and maddness with a Freudian twist by the great David Cronenberg. There are some slight flaws with the film such as a cast portraying French people, none of which sporting French accents. But I suppose thats better than trying to do a French accent and it being inconsistant. All-in-all though, a really great, really strange (though not as strange as some of his other work) surprisingly poetic movie. Definately a must see for fans of Cronenberg and Jeremy Irons alike.

Moving
Considering that it was a Cronenberg movie, I found it surprisingly normal and accessible. I also found it thoroughly engrossing and much more emotionally satisfying than I's expected, given some of the reviews. Jeremy Irons gave his usual pitch-perfect performance; perhaps this film was something of a warm-up for his playing Humbert Humbert in the similarly themed Lolita. However, I was blown away even more by John Lone. He wasn't as convincing as a woman as he might have been, but that really wasn't the point, and when you see his transformation to his true persona at the end of the film, the sheer contrast, and the conviction to both the performances, should prove just how talented he is.
Overall, I found an unexpected treasure here; what from the box could have been a overwraught weepy sex-drama was actually intelligent, emotionally truthful, and well made. ... Read more

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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 breath 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 ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Videodrome - It's Watching you!!!
David Cronenberg is obsessed with technology and body modification - especially how all of this equates to sex and death. How do things CHANGE us? VIDEODROME is probably one of his most blatant statements about television, and the dangers of being more than a voyeur. There is a danger lurking in every scene of this movie, and even the sex scenes take on a disturbing horror vibe. Graphic and disturbing? Yes. But also very thought-provoking, and well-done. The DVD lets you see the movie in its widescreen unedited gory glory. Also included is a very disorienting trailer that was produced on a COMMODORE 64! The performances are outstanding including James Woods at his most likeable, and Debbie Harry as a distant emotionally cold woman who is turned on by the atrocity that is VIDEODROME. The plot centers on Woods as a slimey cable producer looking for hardcore programming to launch his cable channel. He stumbles across a show called VIDEODROME that is pure sex and torture to the point of death. Is it real? Where is it coming from? And why does everyone who watches it become a part of it? EXIStENZ is VIDEODROME's bookend - the gaming side of this theme.

Outstanding Horror
TV will rot your brain, some say- and in the world of Videodrome, that's exactly what happens. A group working with a media philosopher (a nice parody of Marshall McCluhan) has created a signal that can be superimposed on a video program that will, quite literally, mutate the brain. It may be a tumor- or it may be a new organ. It's infected cable TV president Max Venn (James Woods), and is starting to change him and his world in bizarre ways.

Videodrome is a wonderfully original movie that mixes a well crafted script with some novel (for the time) special effects and a marvelous darkly comic sensibility. Puns abound; the president of "Spectacular Optics"- itself a pun- is named Convex. Brian Oblivion (the Marshall McCluhan parody) founded the "Cathode Ray Mission" (as in "cathode ray emission"), where the homeless and destitute are re-integrated into society by providing them with exposure to television.

Underneath this is a dark, sexual theme- Max's attraction to the images of bondage and sadism that are his undoing, and to radio psychologist Nikki (Debbie Harry, in a compelling if inartful performance) who is willing to go a lot farther than is Max in her pursuit of kinky thrills.

Is Max really being physically transformed, or is it all in his head? Is the New Flesh real, or another delusion? All in all, a compelling and original film that will delight any fan of cult films and erotic horror.

David Cronenberg Scores Again With Videodrome!
David Cronenberg is one of the greatest horror film directors to come on the scene. His stylish mix of science fiction and horror gives us surreal films easily compared to directors like David Lynch amoung others. Videodrome is probably my favorite Cronenberg film.

The film is about a television station that specializes in showing softcore pornography and other disturbing types of film. Max Renn, played wonderfully by James Woods, has people go out and find new footage for the network to play. In his search, Renn comes across a video entitled Videodrome, which contains footage of a brutal torture of a few woman. The video becomes an obsession of Renn's and begins to control his life.

An incredible film, with amazing performances from Debrah Harry, singer for the band Blondie, and Woods. The film gives a surreal look at how what we see on television can control our lives. I recommend it to anyone who loves Sci-Fi or horror movies. Definately a classic.

"I want to play something for you."
Max Renn (James Woods) is the CEO of a sleazy little cable channel that is eking out its niche in the market by offering violence and soft-core pornography. Always on the lookout for something tougher, he becomes excited by the pirate broadcasts of a program called Videodrome, 30 minutes of torture with no pretense to any plot. He decides to track down the makers of the show, little realizing that he is already in way over his head...

David Cronenberg is a consistently interesting filmmaker and his major themes are on display here-the question of identity and the ways, both physical and psychological, that man is transformed by his technology. "Videodrome" is prescient in the way it forecasted the ever-increasing levels of depravity and sensation that has become available in the media. The film becomes increasingly surreal and phantasmagoric as the story progresses, but stick with it and think about it afterward. All the pieces fit together.

Thank you Criterion.
This film is finally getting the treatment it deserves, a double-disc Criterion edition. It will be re-discovered and newly discovered by Cronenberg & Criterion fans alike.

The soundtrack and the dialogue were always more disturbing to me than the imagery, which still shocks and creeps under your skin more than any CGI effect ever could. It's the organic nature of Cronenberg's style that sets him apart from everyone, period.

It's also his most prophetic work, a warning for how television can and has warped our sense of reality.

"The battle for the mind of North America will be fought in the video arena, the Videodrome." ... Read more

Reviews (20)

The Good Mother
Director David Cronenberg is known for bieng a bit of a maverick behind the camera. His films run the spectrum of either being really good, like the remake of The Fly and Dead Ringers, to the really awful Naked Lunch. Fotrunately, 1979's The Brood, comes in at the upper end of my scale. Unlike most of Cronenberg's other horror flicks, this film has a bit more of an emotional subtext, to go along with its scares.

The stress of a child custody battle between Nola (Samantha Eggar) and Frank Carveth, (Art Hindle) forces Nola to seek treatment from contoversial Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed). Thanks to regression therapy and other "treatments", his patient soon discovers that a hidden childhood trauma, forces all of her inner conflicts to take the form of a group of murderous child-humanoids. These children will do anything to protect their "Mother".

The film boasts great prefomances by Reed, who's effective at making Raglan-not a typical villian-and Eggar, who really is convincing as Nola-a woman on the edge of insanity. A metaphor for family dynamics, The Brood, has enough psychological and real scares to keep you on edge the entire time. Composer Howard Shore's underscore puts the icing on the cake.

The theatrcal trailer is the only extra on the DVD. Here's hoping that the powers that be release a special edition someday. As one of Cronenberg's best from early on in his career, it deserves it. For now--this version will have to do. Recommended

Rage Made Manifest...
David Cronenberg is one of the most under-rated horror directors of all time. This is one of his forgotten movies. People remember The Fly, Scanners, etc. But THE BROOD gets lost in the terror-shuffle. This is a scary movie! Written and directed by Cronenberg, THE BROOD is a tale of disturbing psychological forces unleashed. Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed) is using his faddish "psychoplasmics" techniques to "help" a compound full of nuerotics. Among them is Nola (Samantha Eggar), the estranged wife of the skeptical Frank (Art Hindle). When their daughter Candice returns from a visit with mom, Frank finds her back covered in bruises, bite-marks,and scratches. Infuriated by this, he seeks to keep Candice away from Nola and Dr. Raglan. Meanwhile, Raglan's methods of role-playing are bearing strange fruit, as Nola releases her rage toward her mother and father who abused / neglected her as a child. Her rage is somehow made tangible in the form of a "brood" of murderous, mutant children! This results in the bludgeoning deaths of both her mom and pop. Frank and the police are baffled when one of the creatures is autopsied and found to be lacking a navel. The dread mounts when Candice is snatched from her school classroom, leaving her teacher dead on the floor. Where is Candice? What will Frank do to get her back? What is the dark secret of THE BROOD? Highly recommended...

cronenberg; hollywood's challenging pair of brass knuckles
in the midst of a countless crop of directors lacking in personality or vision, there is david cronenberg.
he has, to this day, remained obsessivley true to a relentless, aesthetic vision.
this film and rabid are the two early masterpieces.
brood is gruesome and unsetletting, about as subtle as a pair of brass knuckles, but it is a highly personal film with many layered messages and, like all great art, it challenges you.
rise to the occasion.

An unsettling but thoroughly moving piece from Cronenberg
It is said by the great man himself that this is the closest he has ever got to making a sort of autobiographical film " and I don't want to come any closer " he feels. And in some respects you have to agree with him. The acting all round is superb and unlike in many of Cronenberg's films where the actors are almost wooden in their performance, none of them here are wooden in their performances. There's a sense of realism in this which you won't get from any other Cronenberg film. There's always a creepy sense " of what might happen " than the " wham bam you're dead " sort of horror movie

You don't really need me to tell you the story of the film since many others have commented on it. But I will say this is that Oliver Reed plays his part well. There's always an underlying threat of menace in his voice even when he's trying to convince Frank that he's on his side ( although you probably wouldn't think it at the time )

And as for those side effects that these people have while in his therapy are truly one of the most revolting things you'll ever see. Even though this film is menacingly restrained yet emotional, it'll take a strong stomach to see one of the more gruesome scenes of the film ( although it ain't as gruesome as Scanners or Videodrome )

However this is a film that has to be watched purely being for the reason that this maybe the only time that Cronenberg makes a highly personal movie.

An abused girl's traumatic experiences...
When a man picks up his daughter from a weekend visits with her mother who is institutionalized in a private clinic he notices bruises and bite marks on her back. This is seems to be linked to the psychiatrist at the mother's clinic, who opposes the idea of removing the daughter from the visits. The father then attempts to prevent the mother from seeing the daughter, but finds out that he will most likely lose custody of the daughter if he continues to press the issue into court. Squeezed in between a rock and hard place the father begins to gather evidence that could aid him in a possible custody battle in court. However, this is interrupted by the mysterious murder of the daughter's grandmother. The Brood has an interesting idea, but the story falls flat as the characters make dim and predictable choices. In the end, Cronenberg does not create a story of disturbing suspense as he did in Dead Ringers (1988) and Spider (2002), but he does create a story that equals many other poor horror films. ... Read more

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David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of the science fiction classic about a scientist who accidentally swaps body parts with a fly is both smart and terrifying: an allegory for the awful processes of slow death and a monster movie with a tragic spin. Jeff Goldblum gives a masterful performance as a sweet, nerdy scientist whose romance with a writer (Geena Davis) makes him more fully alive. Next thing you know, a tiny oversight in an experiment causes him to transmogrify, gradually, into something more like an insect than a human. This is Cronenberg (Scanners, Videodrome) country, so expect The Fly to be a gross-out, but in the way that disease corrupts the body and can make a loved one unrecognizable on every level. This is one of Cronenberg's best films, and certainly one of the important movies of the 1980s. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (35)

A good mystery about a man who turns into a fly
I've been watching this movie since it first came out on video when I was a kid. I haven't ever seen the original movie, but I know one thing, this 1986 version of "The Fly" is a great movie. It stars Jeff Goldblum as a brilliant scientist who has discovered a way to teleport things between two machines. However, there are some flaws to this new invention, but he eventually gets it right. Jeff Goldblum successfully teleports himself through the machines, but there's one problem. When he teleported himself, there was a fly inside the machine with him, so he will soon be turning into a fly.

"The Fly" is a great classic movie. It's not really a horror movie, it's more of a mystery movie than anything. Geena Davis also stars as a journalist who starts a relationship with Jeff Goldblum. Both of them do a great job in the movie, and when you see "The Fly," you'll see why it won an Oscar for best makeup of the year. It's an entertaining movie that I recommend anybody to get.

Not your ordinary household pest
The Fly is loosely based on a short story by George Langelaan. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is working on a matter transmission device. If his work succeeds, it will revolutionize the transport industry and change the world forever. He has already succeeded in transporting inorganic objects and he has ironed out the glitches with organic matter. Now he can test the machine on himself. Unfortunately, Seth failed to notice the fly that was in the machine with him...

After the experiment, Seth undergoes a gruesome change. The DNA of the fly has become mixed with his own, causing him to slowly mutate into something almost too horrible to describe. He gains all the charateristics of a fly: tremendous strength, ability to climb walls, and an insatiable craving for sugar. Seth's girlfriend (Geena Davis) can only watch in horror as he becomes a hideous monstrosity.

Not only is this film nauseating and graphic, there is a sense of tragedy too. If Seth's excitement had not got the better of him, he should have thought of giving his machine a fail-safe mechanism, so that the machine would not work if more than one creature was in the booth. You wonder how long the creature Seth became would have lived for. Flies only live for a few days, so maybe this creature would have had a short lifespan, which would make its misery mercifully brief.

I think some of the effects were unnecessarily over the top, but it's a clever story. It's a good idea not to be eating while you watch this film.

Good intent, bad delivery
This movie is a remake of the 1950's classic in which a scientist accidentally combines himself with a fly, creating a hybrid organism. While the science is more believable in this version the original is a better movie. Jeff Goldblum is a marginal actor at best and does little to hold your interest. As uninteresting as he is however, this is probably his best role. He actually evokes a sense of pity for the nerdy physicist.
One of the factors of this movie that is most controversial is the graphic representation of his transformation (as well as other choice scenes). The effects are expertly done, and look very realistic. The problem is that there is simply too much of it. A little bit if fine to establish the mood, or set the image, but when you saturate the film with it loses its effect. Either it becomes tedious, or overly disgusting. The only people who enjoy it are those who derive a primitive pleasure from graphic violence and images.
The sad part was that this could have been a good movie without the 'gross out' factor. The disgusting effects weren't really necessary. The writer, producer, and director should have spent some time watching Hitchcock movies. There is an art in leaving some of the more climactic scenes to the viewer's imaginations. Their own minds can supply far more horrifying images than you can produce on film.
I've seen this movie, and don't really care if I ever see it again. I will stick with the original

Frightening, but very moving.
When I first bought this back in december 2002 it was my favourite film ever. Now, I have moved on, but I will always remember what a classic it is.

Jeff Goldblum is a scientist called Seth Brundle, living in a condo. But when he is working on a teleporting experiment, he accidently merges with a housefly. Geena Davis is Veronica, she has fallen in love with him, and has yet to know that he is transforming. Soon, Seth starts to get bad skin, his nails start to fall of, and he begins to get stronger, and Veronica expects something is wrong. When she finds out what's happening to him she realizes that she is going to have a baby, Seth's baby, and she thinks it will become what Seth is about to become. She tries to get the help of her ex-boyfreind (John Getz) and stop Seth for good.

This is a gory film, with a sickening ending and lots of disturbing scenes, but it can also really touch you, you can see how much pain Seth and Veronica are going through in the movie. In my opinion this is an 80s classic. Wonderful performances, great makeup and just a good plain horror movie.

The Fly (1986 remake)
When a movie is this gross, I would give it no stars. But this remake was so much better than the original and the acting was so much better that I had no choice but to give this film five stars. But I have to say that after the first time I have seen this film, I was literlly sick to my stomach, but that only goes to show you that the make-up was that amazing. I am not a fan of Jeff Goldblum's, basically because most of the time his acting is kind of dry and dull, even though he can play a pretty good "brainy" character, but I really liked him in this film. Yeah is playing a somewhat dull-brainy-dry part, but he doesn't play it dry.

Jeff Goldblum is in the role of Seth Brundle, a scientist who does his experimentations with these two tripods. The process is to put one thing into one tripod and put something else into the other and the two objects or animals transport to the opposite tripod. One night, while doing the experiment on himself, a fly became trapped in the tripod Seth was in. The fly's DNA had mixed with Seth's causing him to become part human, part fly. Geena Davis plays Veronica "Ronnie", Seth's girlfriend. She begins to witness Seth's gruesome transformation. Then, Ronnie reveals to ex-boyrfriend, Stathis Borans (played by John Getz), that she is pregnant with Seth's child. She decides to go tell Seth, but by then, Seth is in one stage away from becoming a complete human-fly being. She goes in and has a talk with Seth, but after seeing what Seth has become, she decides not to say anything about the baby to Seth. Instead, she finishes the conversation with Seth and runs out to tell Stathis that she wants an abortion. Seth, hearing this from the roof, builds a third tripod and kidnaps Ronnie. With the third tripod, he can put Ronnie in the first, himself in the second, and then Seth, Ronnie, and their unborn child will come out of the third as one. Ronnie wants no parts of it and that is when Seth transforms one last time into the most horrifying, but most disgusting creature this world has ever seen, which leads to a heartbreaking conclusion that will leave you breathless, and also have grabbing a bottle of pepto.

Yes, this film is very gruesome, but I really enjoyed it. The acting was unbelievable, the make-up was incredible. What's not to like? The movie even won an Oscar for Outstanding Make-Up Effects. Watch this film and I guarantee that you will enjoy it. ... Read more

Reviews (142)

This is SO wrong...
What 'Deliverance' did for kayaking down remote rivers out in the middle of nowhere, and 'Jaws' did for going to the beach, 'Crash' does for head-on automobile collisions! And just when I thought there were no more weird sexual fetishes to go 'round. People getting off to car crashes and accident scenes? Yeesh-it's definitely one of the most perverse concepts I've ever been exposed to. But then again, writer-producer-director David Cronenberg is infamous for making (or in some cases re-making) movies that contain surreal & disturbing elements ("Naked Lunch", "Scanners", the new version of "The Fly", "The Dead Zone", et. al.). Here, his realization of concepts from the book this flick is based on helped make 'Crash' into a disquieting, rather than erotic, movie experience. A sex-scene-filled NC-17- rated feature that's more a turn-off than anything else is definitely a rare cinematic find. And even though the 'crash' fetish was something that was imagined for this film (or, to be more precise, imagined for the book that was- well, you know...), I'll never look at those highway accident-scene rubberneckers in quite the same way ever again!

Of course, if you're too uptight to watch the extra-naughty version, you can select the somewhat-more-prudish R-rated rendition. Rounding out the bonus features are a restricted-audience trailer (never knew they made those!), text mini-bios & filmographies of the marquee cast & crew, and- well- that's about it. But it's not like you're gonna watch this for extra features anyway, now is it...?

'Late

Very good
This is a very unusual film. The basic plot involves a group of people who are turned on by car crashes thus allowing a series of sex scenes invovling scrapes, bruises, leg braces, scars, etc. If you are disgusted by the thought of that description, don't see this movie because you would probably (a) not understand the film or (b) be completely disgusted by its graphic sex, violence, and car crash related gore.

The film is very well made. Throughout most of the film, a dark atmosphere is kept giving the film a sort of surrealistic and noirish quality. The actors take the film very seriously and never play it for humor or take the film's subject matter lightly.

By taking a sexual fetish (car crashes) that nobody has, the director (David Cronenberg) has allowed himself the freedom to explore the realities of such a fetish. Had he chosen to direct a film about something that people actually are turned on by, he could have disappointed many by inaccurately portraying this.

This film is not for everyone. Some may consider this merely an excuse to show graphic sex scenes boardering on pornography (the reason why the film is rated NC-17 - the R rated version was created for Blockbuster since they do not carry NC-17 rated films). As realistic as the sex may appear in some scenes, it is soft core, just like any other R rated film.

If you can appreciate this film, you will see nearly flawless acting from James Spader, Holly Hunter, and Elias Koteas. The film is expertly directed by a master (Cronenberg, director of such masterpieces as "Naked Lunch" and "Dead Ringers"), and based on a novel that has become over time a cult/underground favorite by J. G. Ballard. If you have an open mind, see this film and appreciate it, otherwise seek out any of Cronenberg's other films (except "M. Butterfly").

Wow! Trully Unforgettable.
Soon after a head on car crash James Ballard (Spader) is introduced to a world of fetishists who find arousal in mixing raw sexuality, the mangling of human bodies, and the twisted steel of a fresh auto accident. Their fetish soon becomes a suicidal obsession with death and the ultimate pleasure.

Based on the novel by J. G. Ballard, Crash was one of most controversial movies of the 1990's. Exploring the psyche of those who extract pleasure through risk and eroticism through automobile accidents. James and Catherine Ballard are a married couple whose sex life has been reduced to recounting tales of mutual infidelity to turn each other on. James is eventually involved in a car accident that leaves one man dead. After his long rehab he meets the other survivor of the crash Helen (Hunter). They soon realize that the accident was the biggest turn on of their lives. Helen introduces James to a group, led by Vaughn (Koteas) who share in their fetish. To up the ante the group engage in more and more dangerous accidents to heighten their own arousal.  

Anyone familiar with director David Cronenberg's work should know what to expect from this movie, only here it seems that Cronenberg has license to go as far as possible with the message he was trying to get across about the human animal and our twisted psyche when it comes to what we find erotic. His experiment with Crash was met with much controversy at the time of it's initial release in 1996. While many will find the film repulsive and/or sick, I happen to find it a rather genius character study. A film that succeeds in challenging the viewer by showing them a different side of the human spirit and hopefully pointing out their own sick little perversions. One thing is for sure, whether or not you "like" the movie you have to admire the balls it took to make such an anti-Hollywood film that went against everything "politically correct." What's sad is that a challenging, though provoking film like Crash couldn't be made today and if it were the people making it would most likely be jailed. 
 
Cronenberg injects the film with a dreamy, trance-like quality that sucked me in from second one. That along with the low key score created a menacing atmosphere. The acting from the always brilliant James Spader is top-notch as always. Elias Koteas is one of the most underrated actors out there, he's brilliant here as well. Holly Hunter and the lovely Deborah Unger are also strong in supporting roles. This is what happens when a great script (written by Cronenberg), a great director, and great actors merge to create a truly original and daring film.

Much can be said about Crash, but the bottom line is: GO SEE IT! Rent the NC-17 version if your video store has it and explore this movie with an open mind. Whether you love it or hate it, Crash will challenge, make you think, and hopefully enlighten. Now days when crap films are recycled over and over like a commercially friendly PG-13 pop can, it was great to see a film that didn't treat the viewer like an idiot. Check it out! 

Pitiful; a major turn-off. What was Holly Hunter thinking?
One of the worst movies I've ever seen. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. What was Holly Hunter thinking? Trust me; leave this one behind. It's a pitiful excuse for a movie.

You either GET IT or YOU DON'T
No, there are no limits to human stupidity. I don't know where to begin...Crash opens up like an after-dark Cinemax movie (which made me cringe). However it foreshadows the promise of a strange sensuality between metal and skin, something that James Ballard and Remington slowly find it as a kindling to stir up actual emotions to their boring, orgasm-less sex lives. Ballard meets Vaughan (played by Koteas) and he descends into the strange, twisted and druggie like world of Crash. Koteas is the real star of the movie here...James Spader and Holly Hunter merely serve as vehicles of boredom and a sense of being lost, finally finding what's missing in the oddest of places, while Koteas really drives the point across, really gives you an idea of what this underworld is like. He's slimy, creepy and insane, yet plausible.

This movie is not for everyone. There are a heavy amount of explicit sex scenes--and I only use the word explicit when I mean explicit. These scenes aren't porn. You watch these scenes, and they add to the mood. They add to a creepy, dirty feeling that's set on you from the beginning of the movie. And that's where Crash takes place...in the underworld. These scenes are done to enforce the mood. It's eerie. If there's one bad thing to say about Crash is that you'll go through over an hour and a half without hardly cracking a smile...and if you do, it's probably because the movie feels so good at parts that you just can't help yourself. This movie is far, far, far away from being trash. Everyone has their own opinion. Some opinions are just plain wrong. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

The PRINCE of KING'S Cinema translations!
First-off: I'm not a fan, but acknowledge Stephen King's preeminence among horror writers. Of half-dozen horror novels I've read, my favorite is NEEDFUL THINGS, a wicked Americanization of FAUST's legend. I've more enjoyed...because of eclecticism manifested....straying-off the path with THE RUNNING MAN onto THE GREEN MILE. King could use an editor however; his books aren't sold by the pound.

THE DEAD ZONE, in my estimate, is singular as King's movie masterpiece. Characterization carries the story from tragic beginning to sad, evocative climax. Phasers-not-on-stun master, David Croenberg...SCANNERS; VIDEODROME; THE FLY... deserves plaudits for restraining usual, often grotesque flamboyance. But the show "goes" with Chistopher Walken, playing JOHNNY SMITH. The "Dead Zone" refers to a faculty of Smith's brain...jolted into function by a near fatal car crash...that makes him CLAIRVOYANT.

The excellent cast includes Brooke Adams (as "lost" sweetheart);
Herbert Lom (as psychiatric mentor); Anthony Zerbe (as concerned parent of a reclusive son...Simon Craig...whom Johnny saves from drowning; Colleen Dewhurst (as devoted mother to the town's sexual predator and serial killer);
and Martin Sheen (as Greg Stillson: would-be President of the United States who...in perverse moment of ebulience in power... will start WW III in Nero-like act of self-glorification).

A complicated plot focuses on "blessing"/curse of psychic powers on Johnny. It approaches tragedy (DZ is not a "horror" story") because Walken is superb in refusing to "melodramatize" his most unwanted "celebrity" status as "Who wants to be Psychic?" hero. He hates the "freak quality" it confers; as well as having cost TRUE LOVE.
Again, I think the book was too long; King telegraphed Johnny's heroic confrontation with the American Anti-Christ. However
the film's pacing...particularly pursuing the serial killer...jolts. All...(sometimes Sheen is overly DEMON-strative as Prime Candidate of the Demagogue Community)...actors contribute qualities of NORMALCY King as writer so magnificently exploits to HORRIFY. Perhaps THE DEAD ZONE is really our USA still(son) pretending to be NORMAL when it isn't; with "President Greg" waiting (in THE WEST WING?) to prove it. Again: this is MOVIE KING...or at least crowned PRINCE of cinema efforts...

Intriguing Character-Driven Film
Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken), a young teacher, has been in a coma for the last five years as a result of a car accident. When he suddenly awakens, he finds that the world around him has completely changed. The love of his life, Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) has married another and he has received the dubious gift of second sight. Johnny finds that when he touches another person, he can see their future. Distraught and unable to bear the ramifications of his gift, Johnny retreats into himself and lives alone in a small town in the country. He tutors children in his home to make ends meet and tries to avoid physical contact when at all possible. However, as opportunities to use his gift come up, Johnny finds that he cannot resist. First there is the rapist/murderer, then there is the young boys' hockey team falling through thin ice, and finally there is an obsessed politician (Martin Sheen). In the end, Johnny must make the choice between doing what is right or continuing to endure his bleak, loveless life...

Director David Cronenberg did a wonderful job adapting this Stephen King novel. It is not a horror story like many of King's books are, but a wonderful story about a man's inner landscape. Christopher Walken was fabulous as the self-tortured lead character and I felt that I knew exactly what he was going through, even though he never said anything. He was also ably supported by other actors, including a conflicted Brooke Adams as his love interest and Martin Sheen as a characteture of a smarmy politician who takes kissing babies to a whole new level. Shot almost entirely in a bleak, gray, cold winter, the settings were perfect for this film and really let you focus on the characters. A wonderful movie to curl up at night with.

The Best King Adaption!
John Smith (Walken) leads a humble, but fulfilling life as a teacher, has a sweet girlfriend and an all around normal life until, in his words: "God through and 18-wheeler at me." After a 5 year coma Johnny wakes up to find he knew is a different place and that he is a different person.

I've seen The Dead Zone in bits and pieces many MANY times on TV, but surprisingly never sat down and watched it from beginning to end. Well, one night I popped this baby in and realized what a dumbass I had been. The Dead Zone is simply an unforgettable thriller and quite possibly the best film based on a Stephen King novel. Our hero in this film is the everyman, a man who lives humbly and happily. A man with a lovely girlfriend and would-be wife who is respected in his community. Everything is good in his little world until one rainy night when he has a run in with a big truck that puts him in a coma for 5 years. When Johnny wakes up he finds the world has changed. His girlfriend is now married with child, his job is gone, and his body is shot. AND on top of that he can predict the future of those he touches. Mostly predicting death and destruction, but occasionally seeing the past. This new ability is considered a curse at first. As though God played a cruel trick on him, but after saving a little girl's life, solving a series of brutal murders, and saving a boy from drowning, Johnny considers his gift a blessing.

Just as Johnny begins coming to grips with his abilities he meets Greg Stillson (Sheen), a candidate for a senator and very dangerous man who dreams of becoming president. After seeing some kind of Hitler-esque prophecy Smith sets out to change the future, even if he has to sacrifice himself.

The Dead Zone is of course based on the book by Stephen King and is directed by David Cronenberg who's best known for making sexually surreal thrillers. This is definitely Cronenberg's most straight forward and best film. Shot in the fall, covered in bleak gray skies, and snow, the atmosphere of The Dead Zone couldn't be more perfect. The small town adds a sense of isolation that forces Smith to take digs at a new location at the half way point of the film to get his back together. Cronenberg's usual bleakness is here, but in this film is means something is crucially needed not just for the sake of atmosphere.

Christpher Walken is riveting as Smith, one of his best performances. The tragic everyman, who didn't ask to be anything special, but when it came down to crunch time the guy wagered it all to save the many. A truly powerful exercise in selflessness. Brooke Adams is great as Smith's would-be wife, now torn between her feeling for him and her new love. Great performance! Martin Sheen is a good villain, but takes his character a bit over the top at times. Herbert Lom is good as Johnny's friend/slash doctor as well.

The Dead Zone can be looked upon as a depressing tragedy, but I don't consider it to be that way. The finale speaks volumes about selflessness, seizing your potential and not pissing away your true gifts. The finale while sad is more chilling and unforgettable, not a tragic fate, but a product of ultimate sacrifice.

The Dead Zone is simply a brilliant film, an unforgettable journey, and one of the most fulfilling films I've seen. A true classic and one film that deserves it's place in cinema history. Check it out!

Cronenberg in his best movie!
Exciting adaptation of the Stephen King novel . It turns around a man who uses physic powers to solve multiple murderers and perhaps avoiding the end of the world. Christopher Walken as always , perfect for the role. Cronenberg once more in one of his most challenging works, but he wins all the way. Notice this is a little crossroad of The Green Mile fifteen years after.

OH JOHNNY WHERE HAVE YE GONE?
David Cronenberg took a definite twist from his usual shock-laden films when he helmed THE DEAD ZONE. One of King's best books, this is also one of the best adaptations of his books. Beautifully filmed with an expert talented cast, THE DEAD ZONE is a heartbreaking look at Johnny Smith, a young man who loses five years of his life lying in a coma. When he awakens, the girl he planned to marry has already wed, and has a young son. He is physically handicapped and sentenced to a world he doesn't know or understand. Christopher Walken gives one of his finest performances as Johnny. Beautifully understated and poignantly touching, Walken creates a Johnny you will never forget. And what a fine cast he has to support him: Brooke Adams as his love Sarah who still loves Johnny but knows there is no hope for a future together with him; Martin Sheen as the preening, dangerous Senatorial candidate with a predicted itchy finger; Tom Skerritt as the frustrated sheriff who seeks Johnny's help; Colleen Dewhurst as the mother of a serial killer who knew his crimes; Herbert Lom as Walken's doctor and mentor, who tries to help Johnny adjust; Anthony Zerbe as the father who wants so much for his son to function normally in his world; and Nicholas Campbell as a deputy hiding a horrifying secret.
The stark winter landscapes add to the chill and there are horrors here, but they are the horrors of not belonging, of loving someone you can never have.
A brilliant film and a must for King affecionados and lovers of compelling psychological thrillers. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Definitely worth the wait!
I placed the order for this DVD at the beginning of April. I received it at the end of August. But boy, was it worth the wait!!

I remember seeing this film a while back on television and loving it. Jeremy Irons is one of the world's finest actors, and he sure shows it in this film.

As usual, Criterion- the creme de la creme of DVDs presents an amazing DVD. And with a combination of Irons and Cronenberg, how can you go wrong?

I must warn, that people may find this film disturbing, to say the least- especially women. If you can get past that factor, this is a must-see film

Jeremy Irons plays both Elliot- the playboy- and Beverly- the more work obsessed of the two- identical twin gynecologists, and things start to fall apart when a soap star(played brilliantly by Geneviève Bujold) enters the boys' lives- in particular, Beverly(For Elliot, It's just another fling)

As usual, Criterion spare nothing when it comes to extras. DEAD RINGERS has to have one of the best commentary tracks I have ever heard. I don't think there is ever a moment where no one is not talking!

There's Director-David Cronenberg; Actor-Jeremy Irons; Editor-Ron Sanders; Production Designer-Carol Spier; and Director of Photography-Peter Suschitzky

Other cool features include "Mathematics in Metal" and "Instruments for Operating on Mutant Women"- a gallery of photos and designs that were made for the film; The designs for the opening sequence(I just adore that music!!!!)

A good featurette that is quite lengthy compared to others, and a trailer. And one of my favorite features- how the twinning effects were done.

A brilliant, but at the same time, disturbing film!

OH, DOCTOR! AM I IN TROUBLE?
'House Calls' were never quite like this.

David Cronenberg takes us deep into the ever-festering and drug-distorted world of Identical Twin Insanity - this time based on fact! JEREMY IRONS provides the disturbing double-trouble with appropriate brilliance as Doctors Beverly and Elliot Mantle - the dead-ringer gynecologists. [You know the story - # 1 would start the exam, leave - # 2 would enter, continue the exam - and the patient? Totally oblivious of the switch! Nasty, very nasty ...]

GENEVIEVE BUJOLD as the Caustic Star, provides the catalist. A superb performance as the woman who eventually unhinges the twins.

It's a cool, disturbing movie, especially considering the trust one has to place in physicians, as They say "We practise medicine". "Practise???"

Nasty moment? Those 'specially designed' instruments - for 'the mutated'. It's close to Kafka - leaving metamorphosis to the imagination.

A superlative performance by Mr. Irons - who went on to "Reversal Of Fortune" [Award Winnner], another chill!

More 'punishment'? Try "Requiem for a Dream"

welcome to cronenbergs brutal beautiful world
the criterion collection is a superb presentation of david cronenbergs masterwork; dead ringers.
this film stands with crash, rabid, the brood, and spider as essential cronenberg.
his whole body of work has been impressive and one is hard pressed to come up with a more individualistic auteur in cinema today.
dead ringers contains two of the most incredibly acted performances in recent memory. irons, of course , and bujold.
much has rightly been made of irons' dual performance and he deservedly (and surprisingly)won an oscar nomination for that performance.
but as much as irons performance was celebrated, bujolds was somewhat ignored. her character is smoldering in tormented sexuality and she balances coolness, vulnerability and agressive sexuality in a truly jarring performance. bujold, with barbara hershey,remains one of the most underrated actresses of her generation and she (unlike actresses such as nicole kidman) is an actress we need have no fear of ever going 'merchant ivory'
the visuals in this film are numbing and one walks away with various shades of horrific red seared into your brain (and of course we know red equals both sex and death, an understandably favorite obsession with cronenberg).
the images of gynological instruments transformed into sculpural torture devices is one of the most horrific ever shown on celluloid and this takes that whole sex and death theme to the nth degree.predictably enough, it is one of the most squirm inducing moments of the entire film.
by the time this film is finished you are mentally drained and i remember walking out of the theatre mumbling (probably incoherently) to myslef.
there are not many films that can make me feel like ive just been run over by a freight train.

Jeremy Irons' Best Work
Maybe it's the combined effect of having two Jeremy Irons for the price of one, but I believe -and Irons has been quoted to the same effect- that this is the finest work this fine actor has commited to the screen. Much more deserving of the oscar than his recessive Claus Von Bulow in 'Reversal of Fortune.'
The way he plays the weak twin off the stronger one, whose influence fades when a woman comes between them, is extraordinary. If you don't mind the pervasive grimness of the story in general, than do yourself a favor (God, starting to sound like that pretentious guy from the Actors Studio on Bravo), and get 'Dead Ringers.'

Cronenberg-Irons tour de force.
'Dead Ringers' may indeed be David Cronenberg's best film. Jeremy Irons performance is truly extraordinary. As for not being able to tell the difference between the two brothers, I could sense immediately which brother was which by simple body language and how each brother carried himself. Which is a testiment to the subtlties of Iron's acting, that he could make you believe he was two different people at the same time on screen. This belief was also helped by the amazing motion control camera sequences which allowed Irons to "act with himself" in the same frame. The clean perpendicular lines of the twins' appartment was especially chosen to make it easier to cut the film together.

Viewers should be warned beforehand that 'Dead Ringers' is not a horror movie, it's more of a psychological character study. The twin brothers have an unusual gendered relationship. Elliot as the suave unfeeling male who's "no good with the serious ones" and Beverly, with the girl's name, as the the sensitive, caring female. Soon they come to realize that they are one physical entity, forever separated as two physical beings.

In talking about the film Cronenberg has said that men have proven to be much more squeamish about this film than women as lying on the gynecological chair is an experience that many women have gone through. Yet many men have no idea what it's like. Cronenberg was fascinated by these doctors who knew more abaout their patients than their husbands did.

The only drawback about this whole project is that the marvellous soundtrack is not available anywhere! ... Read more

Reviews (49)

Spider pulls you into it's web.
Spider is a fantastic film. Although slow moving, it's showcases some superb acting and Cronenburg's grittiness, while keeping you filled with anticipation and curiosity. Ralph Fiennes, in his best performance to date plays Spider a mumbling schizophrenic who can be seen picking up random bits of trash or putting his hands down his pants to pull out a sock where he keeps his note. Spider recalls his past, particularly the relationship between his mother (played brilliantly by Miranda Richardson - who plays multiple roles in the film) and his father (played by Gabriel Byrne) while he was a small boy. Young spider is played by Bradley Hall a boy who's trying to deal with the confusing world around him. It's a remarkable performance for this young actor's film debut. The film's quite thought-provoking and ends up playing out like a mystery, to see how a young boy became the Spider he is today.

Realistic representation of madness.
This is a disturbing film because its depiction of madness conveys an astonishing realism. Director, David Cronenberg, (Crash, Naked Lunch and The Fly) has managed to merge the leading character's disquieting mind with the audience. This is no small task considering the subject matter, and the fact that the protagonist is suffering from intense delusions concerning his past. We see through the eyes of Spider - the memories of his childhood, though as the tale unfolds, we begin to distrust his memories and see that they blend with fantasy. The film is a study on the mechanics of repression, and the psychological notion that memory cannot be trusted.

Spider (Ralph Fiennes) arrives at a halfway house somewhere in London. Mrs Wilkinson, (Lynne Redgrave) meets him at the door. This woman is everything you would expect from a proprietor of a house for newly released mental patients. It is here that we begin to learn of Spider's childhood: his relationship with his mother and father, which is the key to the cause of his present condition. Miranda Richardson plays three different roles in the film - Spider's mother, the prostitute and later, the proprietor of the halfway house. The mother and the prostitute are entirely different, but the proprietor is an impressive blending of all three. As we learn more about Spider's childhood, we really don't know what to make of his father (Gabriel Burne)...is he an abusive man, an adulterer and drunk or merely a man doing his best to cope with an unhappy marriage? Gabriel Burne admitted that this was one of the hardest roles he's had to do, because he had to play the character on a fine line, so as not to give anything away to the audience. When you see the end of the film, you'll agree that he succeeded in his intended performance.

David Cronenberg is well known for his fascination with the darker more disturbing aspect of the human mind. He's one of those unique directors that will capture the right atmosphere for the subject under study; in this case, madness is realistically represented and seems to exude that strange feeling of the uncanny. A good example is the scene where Spider lays in the bathtub in the foetus position, blankly gazing into space. This is a disturbing image of a lost soul in the throes of passive insanity.

I would not say that this picture is an enjoyable one, but it is certainly an intriguing journey into a troubled mind, attempting to come to terms with his past and the truth.

Haunting
After sitting on my self for well over a couple of months I decided to give this movie a try. My expectations weren't very high and I expected something on par with Willard.
From the very beginning I was captivated with Ralph Fiennes' performance and he really communicated the feelings of being totally drawn in on himself.
The unfolding of the story was depicted in such a way that we experience the confusion and emotional turmoil of the main character.
While I've never been a big fan of Freud, the movie does make use of Freud's Oedipal Complex theory and models Spider's entire relationship with his parents is based on it. Spider's idealization of his mother made him incapable of seeing her negative qualities. While his mother did make efforts to be a "good mum" she also shared her husbands wrecklessness and drinking problem. In order to displace his mothers undeniable neglect he displaces her, in his mind, with a bar fly who flashes her breast at him at the local pub.
In reality Spider's father isn't too far removed from his mother. A man who makes efforts to be a good father but doesn't do much to eliminate his vices, however, Spider staying true to Oedipal victimhood takes a hostile view of his father and ignores the good qualities and demonizes his father.
While it is clear that Spider's memories are often twisted and others are mere imagination that he uses to make sense of what's going on around him, we can still say with relative certainty that his parents were too selfish in their drinking and partying to have any idea what their actions were having on their son.
The truly sad part of the movie is that Spider is never willing to look the truth straight in the face and the only time he admits to himself that the drunken woman really was his mother is when he kills her. So he selectively chooses to see the truth only when he is at fault. This partial look at the reality of his life is what keeps him locked in his past.

A truly sad movie and one I will not soon forget.

Touching and Disturbing
If Samuel Beckett himself had written and directed this film, I would not have been surprised. I would qualify that statement by saying that Beckett probably would not have considered it one of his best.

While the film is undeniably powerful, and Fiennes' performance deserves an Oscar, there is a certain malaise (perhaps deliberate) about it which reveals a certain laziness in direction. "Spider" the novel is as distant from "Spider" the film as "The Metamorphosis" is from "Kafka" starring Jeremy Irons.

Fiennes' character, Spider, is borderline insane. He has one foot in reality and one foot in his horrific memories of a sordid, miserable, neglected and misunderstood youth. The best parts of the film are the scenes in which Spider stands outside the scenes of his past, reciting verbatim the dialogue between his father, mother, and his repulsive mistress. The ugly reality of insanity is presented here with no romantic embellishment; Spider is deranged, and does not understand the motives behind his own actions. Awash in misery, the mood of each scene is more or less consistent: tragedy and confusion. The only parts which even approach humor consist of Spider's entrance to the madhouse.
We feel sympathy for Spider, but for practically no one else in the film (except at the end, which reveals the somewhat predictable truth behind the murder of his mother.) Cronenberg tried a little to hard to shove the viewer's face in every nasty form of human behavior: alcoholism, degenerate sexual encounters (between his father and his real or unreal mistress), domestic abuse, etc. The mood is almost TOO much Beckett.

Nonetheless, this is a film that deserves to be watched, if only for some scattered scenes and am ambiance of degeneration I have rarely seen in a film. Watch especially for the opening, with Spider stepping off a train. Not a masterpiece, but a worthy curiosity.

Haunting and Captivating
The front cover of the video box really makes it seem like Ralph Fiennes is looking for a killer named spider, making the movie appear not what it actually is. In actuality, it is the tale of a man recently released from the insane asylum to a halfway house to re-enter society. Ironically, it is near where he used to live, where a family murder took place.

Many people may say this movie is slow. I guess it's really to your own opinion - as for me, halfway through I thought to myself, "The pace of this film is rather slow." However, that was regarding the pace. Some films are boring because they present an uneven pace, but this movie takes it's time the whole way through out. It never jumps any where and it never tries to hurry things along - that is a GOOD thing.

I must also say this is perhaps the best performance I've seen Ralph Fiennes give. He barely says any thing in his role except a handful of understandable words - most of the time he is moving about the scene mumbling to himself, constantly lost in thought and with a sad, tortured look on his face. I have to say that through out the whole film I felt absolute PITY for him. Yes, pity. This was a poor man, and I personally wished I could have given him some relief, and I must confess it gave me some compassion for the plight of the mentally insane. Usually entering an insane person's mind is used for murderous psycopaths, but here it is used instead as insight on the mind of the person who wants to be better, but continually finds himself plagued by his own limitations. Here is an actor playing a mentally handicapped character I have absolute pity for when ten years ago he was playing a Nazi I loathed with a passion - if that isn't good acting, I don't know what is.

As others have suggested, this isn't for all tastes. As I've said about other films, this isn't the type of movie you watch with friends over beer and pizza, this is a movie to observe - basically, like a book performing itself in front of you. It was well worth my time, and if you like what you've read, it's well worth yours. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

You are now entering Interzone, William S. Burroughs's phantasmagorical land of junk, paranoia, and crawly things. Best travel advice:"Exterminate all rational thought." In David Cronenberg's superbly shot, unnerving warp on the Burroughs novel, the novelist himself becomes a main character (played in an implacable monotone by Peter Weller), with elements from Burroughs' life--including the shooting of his wife during a "William Tell" game, and bohemian friends Kerouac and Ginsberg--added to frame the book's wild visions. This is, ironically, a somewhat rational approach to an unfilmable book (and it makes a hair-curling double bill with Barton Fink, another look at writerly madness, with both films sharing Judy Davis). Cronenberg is a natural for oozing mugwumps and typewriters that turn into giant bugs, of course. But in the end, this is really his own vision of the artistic process, rather than Burroughs's hallucinatory descent into hell. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (62)

It's a literary high
Cronenberg's version of Naked Lunch is a brilliant combination of Burroughs' novel and Burroughs' life. He blends the true story of Burroughs life (and his reason for writing) with the surreal dark-comedy 'routines' of the novel until they become one story. The story is a quiet hallucination featuring exterminators, addiction, typewriters in the form of insects, typewriters that grow genitals, a global conspiracy of intelligence agents, the drug trade, homosexual ambiguity, writer's block, accidental murder, and literary paranoia. None of these elements is explored completely. Instead, Cronenberg touches on each one until they form some strange, underlying logic.

This edition of the DVD has enough extras to make it the only version of Naked Lunch you'll ever have to buy. (They won't release a bigger, better edition later.) The BBC documentary is okay. It's about 45 minutes long, giving Cronenberg and William Burroughs a lot of time to speak. (Burroughs is particularly good, with a dry sense of humor and a habit of saying obvious truths that make people uneasy.) The second disc also has stills from the special effects team, showing how the various creatures and organic typewriters were developed.

But it's the first disc --- the movie itself --- that makes it worth buying and watching. The special audio track, shared by Peter Weller and Cronenberg, adds a lot of useful background information. The film itself is bright and sharp, a perfect example of DVD clarity. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who is interested in the best films of the 1990s. Naked Lunch didn't make as big an impact in theaters as it did in book stores, but it should have.

"It's time to do our Wiiliam Tell Act"
Talking slithering strangely sexual typewriters, addicts of cockroach-exterminating pyretheum powder (who like to breath on cbugs and watch them die while on it), thick-fluid sipping mugwhump creatures, an assortment of strange parasitic characters to represent the sinister parts of you you never knew ere there, and a high as a kite protagonist to narrate it all. What more can I say? This is both a brilliant representation of William S. Burrough's no-holds-barred dark imagination and director Cronenburg's as well, both with the twisted audascity to take all these horrific atroscities of reality and fantasy and breath eroticism & mystery into them...

Impossible to describe or even explain (almost but not quite as incomprehensible as FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS), the movie is not exactly a telling of the book Naked Lunch (even though some characters, namely the vile mugwhumps, show up) as it is a telling of Burroughs writing the book and what he may have imagined while writing it.

THe film starts out with the main character William Lee and his even more "creepy" (if anyone in the Burroughs line ever wanted to label what's inside themselves) wife, Joan, are addicted to the roach powder pyretheum, which Lee obtains thru his job as an exterminator. After playing a drunken William Tell act with his wife and blowing her head off so to say (which actually happened to Burroughs and his wife, and is said to have sparked the writing of Naked Lunch), he escapes to Tangiers, Mexico (with a "ticket" which actually appears to be a syringe). There he flows into a seemingly hallucinatory Interzone--a place populated by all the things mentioned above and tons more weirdness. He also meets the wife of a bisexual author who looks almost identical to his wife...and they engage in a particularly freaky sexual practice in which a typewriter tries to join in. If I say any more, the plot will be totally given away, so just watch, and compared to all the elaborate twists and turns on this unreal path to hell, I've said very little.

Great performances from Roy Sheider (who plays Dr. Benway, another character direct from the book), Paul Weller as Lee, Judy Davis as Joan and the other Joan, and Robert A. Silverman as a truly unique black centipede meat salesman with a disquieting manor (the black centipede meat, as well as Burroughs' thoughts on how centipedes controlled many Interzone lives, were from the novel). You'll either be completely confused or completely tripped out of yr. mind, but you won't leave the film unchanged...just like Burroughs' writings.

welcome to interzone!
In my opinion, Cronenburgs best film, or at least that i've seen. Amazing movie, Peter Weller (robocop) does an awesome job too. One of those joints you pop in the player and are thinking about it a week after you've viewed it. Runaway to Interzone with talking typewriters, giant sea centipedes, and the innermost sanctum of paranoia, bizarre eroticism, delusion, hallucination, and beautifully depressing schizophrenia. It's something else. Tough movie to describe, definitely required viewing for anyone with oddball tastes like mine and a good respect for a true artists unique vision (in this case two artists, Cronenberg and Burroughs). p.s. (just don't ever try the William Tell party trick)

Out to Lunch
If you're going to watch this film then you pretty much already know what you're in for. Take Cronenberg and Burroughs, mix them together and you've got yourself a pretty weird film. And it is weird, but it's also so much more. It deals with addiction like no other film has. Specifically how addiction effects the creative process. This is far from youre average nice Saturday night film viewing, but it's a real treat nontheless. Criterion has once again done an amazing job. I'd be surprised if there's ever a better release of the film.

David Cronenberg's Very Best
Before you even try to watch this movie, realize that David Cronenberg's films are among the most bizarre and perplexing films you will ever see. If you like your films to stick to traditional narratives and standard plot devices you will probably hate 'Naked Lunch' (and any other David Cronenberg film you chance to come across). If, however, you are extremely open minded (as in, "I'm open to watching a movie where people have sex with typewriters that turn into giant insects") you may find yourself addicted to Cronenberg's surreal style of film making.

'Naked Lunch' follows the story of a bug-exterminator-cum-secret-agent who...you know what, forget it...because the plot in 'Naked Lunch' isn't really what this movie is about. I'm not going to say that the movie is plot-less (it's not), but the story (an insane organic blend of sections from Burroughs's novel and episodes from his life) exists mainly as an alibi for Cronenberg's signature style of subconscious imagery; more specifically, for his metaphoric exploration of writing as an erotic addictive binge to "exterminate all rational thought." If that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, don't blame me. The fantastic thing about this movie is that it has a twisted logic that is entirely of its own making, and it sits with you. 'Naked Lunch' is a film that is difficult to deal with. It's a movie that I love, and I don't know if that's going to come across in this review. But, 'Naked Lunch' is nothing if not ambiguous, and that's what makes it great art. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Early Cronenberg shows lots of promise
I had read a review of this movie and decided to buy it because it sounded very original. It is original and pretty disturbing to me, but it only marks the beginning of David Cronenberg's strange visions. In case you don't know what this is about, here it is in a sentence. A scientist created a parasite that would inhabit humans in order to replace missing organs, but it makes its recipients sex maniacs who can pass the parasite by way of kissing and having sex. There are other details, but I'll let you discover them when, or should I say if, you see it.
To call this movie strange isn't completely accurate because it definitely isn't as strange, or demented as his other work. In some ways he seems like he's going for a more conventional horror movie here rather than doing a scary social commentary like his other films. At the end of the widescreen VHS version of this movie, which I have, Cronenberg talks about how he was just starting to become a visual director during the making of this film and that should be obvious to anyone familiar with his work because there's less sophisticated frame composition in this movie. Quite simply put, this film has a documentary cinematography style except for some slow motion effects. If you put all of that aside it's still a good and scary vision even though it's also an obviously dated movie. I believed that the best moment was watching the infected little girl kiss the adult in the mouth in order to infect him. If you enjoy strange and dated horror, you'll probably like this.

They're in the mood for Love...
Shot on a shoestring budget and in a whirlwind 15 days in Montreal, "Shivers" (also known as "They Came from Within") is Canadian horror visionary and all-around Creepy Guy David Cronenberg's astounding, jaw-dropping little gem about the end of the world, in which humanity doesn't go out with a Bang or a Whimper, but more of a Moan.

But let's get something out of the way right now: David Cronenberg is a genius and, for my money, one of the top 3 horror film directors *ever*. And while it's certainly useful to view "Shivers" as a preview of coming attractions---without a doubt, it's amazing what the young Cronenberg was able to pull off under severe budgetary, time, and talent limitations---the movie stands on its own as a ground-breaking little nugget of unflinching grue that burrows under your skin and truly disturbs.

Things break down quickly in "Shivers", which is about a medical experiment gone horribly wrong, and the terrible toll it takes on the residents of a luxury island apartment complex outside Montreal---and from there the world. The film's mad scientist (a nice turn by Fred Doederlein, who pops up again as the yoga master in "Scanners") wants to produce designer parasites that can be introduced into a body, devour a failing organ, and 'become' that organ, thus helping its host at the cost of a little blood.

But wouldn't ya know it, his first experiment Annabelle(a fetching Kathy Graham) refuses to play along with the Doc's good intentions, chiefly because the parasite has two complications: 1)within a few hours it turns its victim's mind to mush, and 2)it also has the unfortunate side-effect of making the subject a ravening sexual psychopath.

In the fim's shocking opening sequences, the Good Doctor brutally tries to abort his little extracurricular activity, but Annabelle has been a popular girl around the Starliner apartments, and faster than you can say "sick building syndrome" the little parasites, which look like a phallic combination of extra-large garden slug and Jimmy Dean sausage, are going a-roving through the apartment building in search of victims. And faster than the tenants can say "the check's in the mail", they've been converted into a legion of slug-infested serial rapists looking for love in all the wrong places.

It may very well have been that Cronenberg's limitations forced him to adopt a style that was so sterile, brutal, and overlit that the film couldn't help being brutal and startling: from an infected old woman groaning from behind her door to a startled delivery man "I'm hungry...for LOVE", to an avid slug crawling up an elderly lady's walker, to the horrible death of Dr. Lenski, to the wicked elevator infection scene, to the part where screen goddess Barbara Steele is infected by one of the nasty parasites *in her bathtub* (ewww!), Cronenberg keeps up the pressure and ratchets the horror level up so high you feel your brain will pop. You haven't seen ghoulishly creepy until you've watched Allan Colman pleading and talking with a nest of parasites that have been setting up shop in his stomach. Grisly stuff.

Technically this is an average DVD. It could very well be that the movie was shot in a 1:33:1 aspect ratio, in which case the full-screen format is appropriate, but the sound here is atrocious. The extras here, including a theatrical trailer and an illuminating, goofy interview with Cronenberg, are pretty spare, so let's hope someone gets around to releasing this creepshow with the quality treatment it deserves.

Yes, "Shivers" highlights a promising career---but for sheer skin-crawling nastiness, it has yet to be surpassed.

Terrific re-release by Anchor Bay
Yes, this is David Cronenberg's first film and it is great considering he's still in training while making it. He wrote it as well and it's a great, pulpy, horror film for late nights. Truly distrubing at times, but funny at others. Gruesome though. THE REASON TO GET THIS IS THE CRONENBERG INTERVIEW AFTER THE CREDITS. He talks about all of the pertinent stuff concerning the film that anyone would want to know and it also gives a face to the man in case you thought he might look and sound like a serial killer. He's a pretty normal looking, and sounding guy. Very educated as well.

A CREEPY CRONENBERG CATASTROPHE-David's 1st Feature Film
There is no doubt in my mind, by watching/reading many interviews with David Cronenberg & viewing everything that he has created thus far that David is a "very special boy". Cronenberg has the kind of imagination, lunacy, & repression to really create the kind of visuals in films that once you view them, you never forget. Cronenberg's 1st feature film, "Shivers", does just that. Filmed on a shoestring budget during 15 hectic days of production in Canada, this film tells the story of a doctor/madman that develops a parasite to live in human beings, take over their intelligence, morals (social & spiritual) & of course, their physical body, & transforms them into oversexed, libertine, bi-sexual cretin beings.

The film is set in and on an exclusive & elite island compound in Canada. The compound has everything one would ever need. A grocery, a drugstore, tennis courts, olympic sized swimming pool, doctor's & dentist offices, room service. The compound includes everything that your little heart desires, plus an extra surprise of parasites roaming in air vents, plumbing, & elevators that resemble a strange cross between a giant,slimy garden slug, a small phallic symbol and a smokey-link breakfast sausage.

This is definitely a catastrophic/end of the world type movie because as the film and the parasites progress to all the inhabitants of the island, there really is only one conclusion...

Of course, I won't give away the ending, but for anyone who enjoys films like Night Of The Living Dead, Outbreak, Dawn Of The Dead, 28 Days, or genre films that feature zombies/animals/mutants/disease taking over the entire world, you will enjoy this movie. Happy Watching!

Cronenberg's grotesque first film
Every once in awhile I like to watch a David Cronenberg film. I have seen several at this point, from his earliest stuff like "Rabid" to his seminal reworking of "The Fly" starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. One thing you will always get from a Cronenberg film is a serious look at how technology and human beings interact. Like science fiction author J.G. Ballard, Cronenberg's films embrace a synthesis of man and machine that is exceedingly grim, an outlook usually complimented with generous helpings of gore. The overarching theme in his cinematic examinations seems to be that humans simply do not know enough about the technology they develop, or if they do, their arrogance in the ultimate abilities of mankind always leads them charging into experiments despite the risks. That we are just not far seeing enough to predict the outcome of using new drugs or messing around with human genetics may be a good message to take from a Cronenberg film. "Shivers" is Cronenberg's first major motion picture, and it is quite an auspicious beginning for the Canadian director. This film isn't great, not compared to some of Cronenberg's later magnum opuses, but it showed just enough promise to merit attention from Hollywood.

It's the wonderful 1970s in "Shivers," a time when fancy high-rise residences went up offering prospective tenants all the amenities. The Starliner, an apartment building situated on an isolated island somewhere in Canada, is one of these luxurious projects. The building offers everything for modern living--including a parasite that turns people into raving sex maniacs. Yep, you heard right. "Shivers" is about a bunch of poor souls undergoing painful invasions from nasty looking creatures that feed off their host in particularly vicious ways. The problem starts when a quack seeking funding for a radical new medical procedure experiments with the idea of replacing failed organs with an engineered parasite that will take over a particular organ's function. He introduces his repulsive creation into the body of a young girl living in the Starliner with the intention of monitoring how well his idea works, but things quickly go awry. It turns out that this young lady is quite popular with many of the male residents in the building, leading to the rapid spread of the parasite. At first nothing much happens to those people infected with the bug. There might be a fit or two of coughing, a general lethargy might set in, but after a few hours the psychoses set in. When it does, it is already much too late to stop the nightmare from spreading through the Starliner. Women, men, children--no one is immune from the horrific effects of this parasite.

The hero of "Shivers" is the physician at the Starliner, a man with little idea of the horrors he will soon combat as the parasite infects his patients. Aided by his loyal nurse (played by Lynn Lowry), the doctor soon finds himself hunted down by the insane residents as the late stages of the infection set in. The best plan of action is to get out of the building, which isn't as easy as it sounds since the Starliner purposely set out to provide an isolated atmosphere for its tenants. Throw in packs of ravenous loonies prowling the vast corridors of the building looking for fresh meat, and you can see the complications inherent in a run for freedom. The doctor must shoot and bludgeon to death several of his former patients just to stay alive for a few more minutes. As his panic grows, as his movements through the madhouse become increasingly erratic, he witnesses one nightmare after another. His nurse falls prey to the parasite, he sees children panting and crawling about like dogs, and he encounters a father and daughter in a mind-shattering situation. The conclusion to the film is what you would expect from a Cronenberg film--bleak, with little hope for a positive outcome.

You can tell "Shivers" is low budget fare, but Cronenberg uses what he has to great effect. The central idea of the film, that modern people seeking isolation from the larger population will fall flat on their faces, works because it doesn't require big budget set pieces. Heck, the director didn't even need big stars. Joe Silver, who did a turn in the director's next film appears here as a doctor on the outside who learns about the infection and pays a bloody price for his knowledge. Barbara Steele plays a small part as a single woman named Betts. The rest of the cast is unfamiliar but effective. Sure, some of the effects are slightly cheesy, the editing isn't all that great, but this movie stays with you. You can almost hear some Hollywood big shot saying to Cronenberg after watching the film, "Yeah, this part could have been better. Yeah, you should have done this instead of that. But kid, you got promise and we're going to keep an eye on you." Let's be thankful someone gave Cronenberg a chance to follow up on "Shivers."

I thought the DVD edition of the film was good. There's a twenty-one minute interview with Cronenberg where the director talks about his film experiences. I thought h