EHT David Cronenberg's trash and boost the ratings and the The correlation isn't as odd as it victim because Videodrome penetrates sounds. Science fiction has always been and changes him. His odyssey may con­ a genre of ideas. See the movie. Read the Videodrome tain elements of standard fairy-tale ar­ book. Find out just know well ideas can chetype, but it's a long, long way from be developed on screen when somebody being a stock plot. with talent is at the top of his form, Renn's ambiguity is passed on to the viewer in Mark Irwin's tight, well- Andrew Dowler • composed cinematography. When Nicki Whats going to get In the way here, the Brand (Deborah Harry), Renn's lover, one and only thing that might prevent tells him she wants to audition for VIDEODROME p. Claude Heroux d./sc David Cronenberg's Videodrome from Videodrome, he reacts with horror we David Cronenberg exec p. Pierre David Victor reaching the wide, wide audience It Solnicki assoc. p. Lawrence Nesis 1st asst d. share, but if s her that s bathed In warm, John Board Z nd. asst d. Libby Bowden 3rd. asst deserves Is the "l-don't-llke-that-stuff" golden light and him tbats In the cold d, Rocco Gismondi p. co-ord. Roger Heroux tech. syndrome. You know It; the odds are dark at the side of the frame. Similarly, advisor Denise Di Novi p. mait Gwen Iveson asst a thousand-to-one that, at some point or p. mait Janet Cuddy p. sec Angela Gruenthal we're i^^ aware of bis, and our, cont Gillian Richardson loc matt David Coats- another, you're a party to It, It's your taintedn^ In the establishing shots worth art iL Carol Spier 1st asst art d. Barbara complete unwillingness to go to a movie that feature shining skyscraper city- DunphySnd. asst art d. Tom Coulter trainee art because the subject matter, or the style, scapes behind, and above the brown d. Jo-Ann Landenheim props master Peter Lau- or the genre turns you off. terman asst props Greg Pelchat set dresser squalor we really live in. Inevitably, the Angelo Stea 1st asst set dresser Enrico Campana For me, if s anything about a young eye focusses on the shining to the exclu­ 2nd. asst set dresser Gareth Wilson 3rd. asst man or woman coming of age, especially sion of the squalor, just like TV. set dresser Gary Jack costume des. Delphine at the turn of the century, especially in White asst des Eileen Kennedy wardrobe master Carol Spier's art direction carries it Arthur Rowsell Sp. malce-up Rick Baker music the Australian outback forw^d, placing the characters in messy, Howard Shore wardrobe asst Maureen Gurney For a lot of you, it's science-fiction, unattended-to environments and the wardrobe trainee Denise Woodley hd. make­ horror, violence and, especially, David up Shonagh labour hair stylist Tom Booth cast­ actors respond beautifully, behaving like ing/principals, actors Clare Walker IWalker/ Cronenberg. shambling derelicts; James Woods Bowen) casting extras Peter Lavender d.o.p./ Forget the syndrome. Videodrome Is (Renn) especially, until brought to life by operator Mark Irwin Ist asst/focus Robin Miller as far above the average sclgnce fiction/ The Tube and its violent fantasies. 2nd. asst/clapper/loader James Crowe stills Rick Porter gaffer Jock Brandts best boy Scotty horror movie as Coppola's The Conver­ Though Videodrome is James Woods' Allen electric Gary Phipps key grip Maris Jansons sation is above the average mystery —. a movie all the way, all the supporting asst key grip David Hynes grip Brian Daniels loc movie to which it is thematicaily close — players are excellent, creating interest­ sd. mix, Brian Day boom op. Michael LaCroix and worthy of the same kind of careful video co-ord. Michael Lennick IsL asst video ing, well-defined characters even when, Lee Wilson 2nd. asst video Rob Meckler const attention. from a script point of view, they are man. Bill Harman hd. carpenter Alexander What makes It so is that Cronenberg required to be nothing more than plot Russell asst hcL carpenter Joe Curtin carpenters has found, for the second time in only devices. Special mention, however, Kirk Cheney, Alan Sharpe, Robert Sher, John Bankson five features, something filmmakers can labourer Charles Martin hd. painter Nick Kosonic should go to Pefcr Dvorsky as Harlan, scenic painters Janet Cormack. Reel Puhm go a Ufetlme and never find at all — a Renn's comic technical wizard, and painters Simon Harwood, Elaine Cohen, Bill Gib- real monster. In The Brood, be did it Deborah Harry, who, despite reported son trans, co-ord. Don Baldassarra hd. driver with child abuse and created a first-rate problems on the set that resulted in her Randy Jones driver/Winnie John Vander Pas driver Al Kosonic driver/Mr. Woods Isidore of time and partly, I suspect, to keep shocker, but child abuse is a present part being trimmed, has made Nickl Mussalum driver/Ms. Harry David Chud unit those numbers up, it concentrates solely reality for only a few of us. Videodrome's Brand a marvellous kink. pub./Toronto Jill Spitz unit pub./Montreal on folk, MOR and rock and lumps toge­ monster Is much more pervasive, de­ Kinky sex and kinkier violence play a Suzanne Daningburged. Ron Sanders Ist asst ed. ther 3S artists whose only common vouring and deadly to all of us — it's Elaine Foreman 2nd asst ed. Michael Rea Mr. big part In Videodrome, as they do In Cronenbergs personal asst Richard Zygot- ground. In many cases. Is their Canadian television Itself (Look, I don't want to get most of Cronenberg's work. The differ­ kiewicz Mr. David's sec. Monik Nantel Mr. C. citizenship. preachy here, Cronenberg certainly ence here, to reassure the "l-don't-like- Heroux's sec Monique L6gar6 Mr. Solnicki's The Intention, and the achievement, doesn't, but I happen to agree with bis that-stulf' crowd. Is that they are never sec Ellen Rosen comptroller Serge Major asst was clearly to produce a mainstream thesis). Television is transforming us all, comptroller Gilles Leonard p. 300*1 Lacia Kornylo "gratuitous", nor Indulged in beyond asst acc't Rachelle Charron bookkeeper Mau­ show for a mainstream viewer, but It is says Cronenberg, replacing our lived the demands of the story. Nor are they reen Fitzgerald receptionist Bonnie Gold p. sheer superstition to believe such a reality with its created images. "It's the played for tltlllation, and 1 speak as a assfs. Richard Spiegelman, Howard Rothschild viewer actually exists. Through the years, retina of the mind's eye," says Brian man who enjoys bis sado-masochistic craftservice Lydia Wazana p.c. Filmplan Inters it has been well, though Informally, O'Blivion. That name, by the way, is the national Inc, running time 88 min, colour 35mm fantasies; you can close your eyes during dlst/Eng Canada & LIS Universal Pictures l.p. documented that the citizen likely to caracter's own creation for himself This those bits and not feel like you're missing James Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry, Peter have a religious experience watching is the first script in which Cronenberg the film's raison d'etre. If you can close Dvorsky, Les Carlson, Jack Creley, Lynne Gorman, Carole Pope rub her crotch while doing has allowed bis sense of humour full your eyes at all during Videodrome, Julie Khaner, Reiner Schwarz, David Bolt, Lally ""High School Confidential" is also likely play and, in context, he Is very witty. Cadeau, Henry Gomez, Harvey Chao, Kay Hawtrey, you're unbelievable. This is a film that David Tsuboucbv, Robin Mcculloch, Sam Malkin, to tremble with rage and visions of Sid The excellence of the central concept doesn't waste a frame and that spends Ronald Reece, Vicious while watching Paul Anka do - that we ar,e all tainted by the monster an amazing number of them expanding 'My Way and tell how writing it while - generates the excellence that fills and refining its central idea. thinking of his hero, Frank Sinatra, Videodrome at every level. In Michael Whether you're predisposed to like brought him to tears. Apka fans, of Crlchlon's Looker, only part of TV is Cronenberg or not, Videodrome is worth course, will be equally unentbused bv bad: the pure good guys penetrate the your attention as a thoughtful film on a Peter Shatalow's Rough Trade and admirers of Valdis baddies' stronghold and slop the evil. serious subject and, if that subject and "Play Me A Rock'n Roll Song" will not Stock plot. Here, Max Renn, president of Cronenberg's Ideas on it appeal to you, Heart of Gold leap with glee at the sound of beavv CIVIC-TV la station very much like let me recommend a much quieter metaUlsts Rush and Saga. It is the inevi­ Toronto's CITV-TV) is hero, trying to horror: Four Arguments for the Elimina­ table corollary to the something-for- penetrate the mystery of Videodrome, a tion of Television by Jerry ManderfQuill, everyone principle : you will also pro­ satellite-beamed program of graphic, New York, 1978) which covers much the duce something for everyone to bate. plotless sex-and-violence. Renn Is the same material as Videodrome, but Heart Of Gold, Insight Productions" three- To cope with this. Heart Of Gold's villain because be wants to broadcast this through reason, not drama. hour, three-part CBC Superspeclal (aired producers have adopted the Laugh-In Dec. 12, 13, 14) is a classic case of the principle : mix it up and keep it moving; good idea falling among bad ones and if you don't like what's on right now, going tragically wrong.