Videodrome (1983)

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writer:

David Cronenberg (written by)

Release Date:

4 February 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

First it controlled her mind, then it destroyed her body... Long live the new flesh!

Plot:

A sleazy cable-TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control in a very unusual fashion when he acquires a new kind of programming for his station.

Plot Keywords:

Video | Tumor | Hallucination | Murder | Telephone

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

James Woods	...	Max Renn
Sonja Smits	...	Bianca O'Blivion
Deborah Harry	...	Nicki Brand
Peter Dvorsky	...	Harlan
Leslie Carlson	...	Barry Convex (as Les Carlson)
Jack Creley	...	Brian O'Blivion
Lynne Gorman	...	Masha
Julie Khaner	...	Bridey
Reiner Schwartz	...	Moses
David Bolt	...	Raphael
Lally Cadeau	...	Rena King
Henry Gomez	...	Brolley
Harvey Chao	...	Japanese Salesman
David Tsubouchi	...	Japanese Salesman
Kay Hawtrey	...	Matron
Sam Malkin	...	Sidewalk Derelict
Bob Church	...	Newscaster
Jayne Eastwood	...	Woman Caller
Franciszka Hedland	...	Bellydancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Cronenberg	...	Max Renn in helmet (uncredited)

Directed by
David Cronenberg

Writing credits
David Cronenberg		(written by)

Produced by
Pierre David	....	executive producer
Claude Héroux	....	producer
Lawrence Nesis	....	associate producer
Victor Solnicki	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Howard Shore

Cinematography by
Mark Irwin		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ronald Sanders

Art Direction by
Carol Spier

Set Decoration by
Angelo Stea

Costume Design by
Delphine White

Makeup Department
Rick Baker	....	special makeup effects designer
Thomas Booth	....	hair stylist (as Thomas L. Booth)
Shonagh Jabour	....	makeup artist
Steve Johnson	....	special makeup effects artist
Michael Kavanagh	....	makeup effects assistant
Inge Klaudi	....	makeup assistant
Maureen Mestan	....	assistant hair stylist
Mark Molin	....	makeup effects assistant
Constant Natale	....	hair stylist
Bill Sturgeon	....	special makeup effects artist
Kevin Brennan	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Tom Hester	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Shawn McEnroe	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Mark Shostrom	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Kevin Sturgeon	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Janet E. Cuddy	....	assistant production manager (as Janet Cuddy)
Gwen Iveson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Board	....	first assistant director
Libby Bowden	....	assistant director
Rocco Gismondi	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jon Bankson	....	carpenter
John Bentley	....	carpenter
Enrico Campana	....	set dresser
Kirk Cheney	....	carpenter
Elaine Cohen	....	painter
Janet Cormack	....	painter
Tom Coulter	....	assistant art director
Joe Curtin	....	assistant head carpenter
Barbara Dunphy	....	assistant art director
Bill Gibson	....	painter
Ed Hanna	....	set dresser
Bill Harman	....	construction manager
Simon Harwood	....	painter
Gary Jack	....	set dresser
Nick Kosonic	....	scenic artist
Peter Lauterman	....	property master
Harry Pavelson	....	painter
Thomas Pearce	....	carpenter
Robert Pearson	....	carpenter
Greg Pelchat	....	assistant propman
Reet Puhm	....	painter
Alex Russell	....	head carpenter (as Alexander Russell)
Alan Sharpe	....	carpenter
Bob Sher	....	carpenter (as Robert Sher)
Gareth Wilson	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Charles Bowers	....	dialogue editor
Peter Burgess	....	supervising sound editor
Terry Burke	....	foley artist
Elius Caruso	....	sound re-recordist
Michele Cook	....	assistant sound editor
Paul Coombe	....	sound re-recordist
Gary Daprato	....	assistant sound editor
Bryan Day	....	location sound recordist
Mike Hoogenboom	....	sound re-recordist (as Michael Hoogenboom)
Michael LaCroix	....	boom operator
Beverley Neale	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
James Stuart Allan	....	carpenter: special effects
Frank C. Carere	....	special effects (as Frank Carere)
Robert Rouveroy	....	special effects: video effects creator (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Michael Lennick	....	special video effects
Robert Meckler	....	assistant video effects
Lee Wilson	....	assistant video effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Scotty Allan	....	best boy (as Douglas 'Scotty' Allan)
Jock Brandis	....	gaffer
James Crowe	....	assistant camera
Brian Danniels	....	grip
Christopher Dean	....	grip
David Hynes	....	assistant key grip
Maris H. Jansons	....	key grip (as Marris Jansons)
Robin Miller	....	assistant camera
Donna Mobbs	....	camera trainee
Gary Phipps	....	electrician
Rick Porter	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Peter Lavender	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Denise Cronenberg	....	wardrobe trainee (as Denise Woodley)
Maureen Gurney	....	wardrobe assistant
Eileen Kennedy	....	assistant costume designer
Kat Moyer	....	wardrobe assistant
Mary Partridge-Raynor	....	wardrobe assistant
Arthur Rowsell	....	wardrobe master
Kathy Vieira	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Elaine Foreman	....	assistant editor
Carol McBride	....	assistant editor
Michael Rea	....	assistant editor
Christopher Severn	....	color timer
Bill Wiggins	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Michael Jay	....	music mix engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Donato Baldassarra	....	transport coordinator
David Chudnovsky	....	driver (as David Chud)
A. Randy Jones	....	driver captain (as Randy Jones)
Allen Kosonic	....	driver
Jerome McCann	....	driver
John Vander Pas	....	driver
Jeff Steinberg	....	driver
Alan Zweig	....	driver

Other crew
Rachelle Charron	....	assistant accountant
David Coatsworth	....	location manager
Pierre David	....	presenter
Denise Di Novi	....	creative consultant
Kirsteen Etherington	....	choreographer
Maureen Fitzgerald	....	bookkeeper
Bonnie Gold	....	receptionist
Angela Gruenthal	....	production secretary
Roger Héroux	....	production coordinator
Lacia Kornylo	....	production accountant
Monique Légaré	....	secretary: Mr. Héroux
Gilles Léonard	....	assistant comptroller (as Gilles Leonard)
Serge Major	....	comptroller
Monik Nantel	....	assistant to executive producer
Gillian Richardson	....	script supervisor
Howard Rothschild	....	production assistant
Ellen Rozen	....	assistant: Mr. Solnicki
Victor Solnicki	....	presenter
Richard Spiegelman	....	production assistant
Jill Spitz	....	unit publicist
Lydia Wazana	....	craft service
Richard Zywotkiewicz	....	personal assistant: Mr. Cronenberg

Thanks
Tom Coppola	....	special thanks: for music
Paul Freedman	....	special thanks: for music
Cheryl Hardwick	....	special thanks: for music
Peter Hedeman	....	special thanks: for music
Michael Jay	....	special thanks: for music
Rosemary D. Merriam	....	special thanks: for music
Maury Rosenfeld	....	special thanks: for music
Michael Werner	....	special thanks: for music
Marty Zofcin	....	special thanks: for music

Production Companies

• Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC) (produced with the participation of)
• Famous Players (produced with the participation of) (as Famous Players Limited)
• Filmplan International (producer)
• Guardian Trust Company
• Victor Solnicki Productions

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• S.N. Prodis (1984) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1983) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• DiscoVision (1983) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Pioneer (1997) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2008) (Italy) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Atari  thanks
• Broadway Video  special thanks for music to
• CKEY Radio  thanks
• Film House  mixing facilities
• Film Opticals  opticals
• Harbor Castle Hilton Hotel  thanks (as Harbour Castle Hotel, Toronto, Canada)
• Magnasonic  provided by (Sanyo Consumer Entertainment products) (as Magnasonic Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada)
• Panavision  lenses and Panaflex camera (as Panavision®)
• Paratel  worldwide publicity
• Publifilms Limited  marketing
• T.'n T. Services Ltd.  negative cutting
• Walker-Bowen  casting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

87 min | USA:89 min (unrated version)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/18 | Finland:K-18 (cut) (2002) (DVD) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1983) (theatrical) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1988) (video) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Brazil:18 | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:16 (video rating) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 (cut) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Fleetwood Apartments, 64 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)

Trivia:

The majority of the trailer was created with a Commodore 64 computer.

Quotes:

[First line]
Man's voice on television:Civic TV. The one you take to bed with you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007)

I just can't cope with the freaky stuff.

Well, Mr. Convex, too bad for you... Videodrome, David Cronenberg's first masterpiece, tells the tale of one Max Renn. Played with expert sleaziness by James Woods, Renn oversees a low-rent, exploitative cable network, which specializes in showing increasingly violent and pornographic shows. When he stumbles upon the satellite transmission of "Videodrome" - a realistic S&M/Torture show from Pittsburgh - Renn believes that he's discovered the next wave. Then come the hallucinations... maybe dead bodies, cancer guns, stomach-vulvas, etc. Reality bends and, perhaps, Videodrome has taken over...

In every respect, Videodrome is a great film, managing to repulse and intrigue simultaneously. It is horrific and contains numerous science-fiction motifs, but, unlike the horror and special effects driven pictures of today, Videodrome, to quote the film, has a philosophy. Videodrome is not about mind-controlling cable shows; it is about our un-healthy consumption of visual media. I may not agree with Cronenberg's vision of our relationship with TV, but it is never less than interesting. It's refreshing to see a movie about more than itself; it seems that, since the 1980s, these types of films have become increasingly rare and that's a shame. Maybe it's only nostalgia, but the era when films like Videodrome and Dawn of the Dead were being made by major studios and released to huge audiences seems like a Golden Age to my mind.

Here's to hoping those days will return. What's truly brilliant about Videodrome, beyond its decision to base itself upon an idea, is its seamless blending of the characters' realities and their hallucinations. After the forty-five minute mark, what actually happens becomes lost as we enter deeper and deeper in the the tortured psyche of Max Renn. It is impossible, by the end of the movie, to know what actually happened. Unlike a movie like Donnie Darko, which left me puzzled and irritable, I accept the puzzlement of Videodrome because an explanation would have lessened the film's visceral impact. The open-endedness of the narrative melds perfectly with a film that revels in the hallucination/reality divide. If the characters cannot comprehend what is actually happening, why should we?

As mentioned, every element of this film works. There are amazing set-pieces (throbbing televisions and gurgling video cassettes) and moments of beautiful photography (the shots of Renn approaching the harbor for instance). The acting, even by Debbie Harry in her first starring role, is excellent. James Woods, in particular, excels. He has always been one of my favorite actors and brings to Renn a level of sleaziness that perhaps could have been achieved by only him or Harry Dean Stanton.

This is Cronenberg's first masterpiece (sorry, I'm not too keen on his earlier work, as it doesn't meld his ideas and venereal/technological horror as well) and started a string of absolutely brilliant films. For me, it's also his greatest masterpiece; it's (forgive me for using this word) postmodern vision is spell-binding and the story is, I think, his most imaginative to date. As his career went forward, Cronenberg became more and more respectable and, I think, that hurt his work slightly. In Videodrome, he is at the top of his form and working with his most amazing cast. The movie is an acquired taste and will not appeal to everyone, but I highly recommend it and think you should all watch it with an open mind.