SPIDER
Directed by: David Cronenberg.
Produced by: Catherine Bailey, Cronenberg & Samuel Hadida.
Written by: Patrick McGrath, based upon his novel.
Director of Photography: Peter Suschitzky.
Edited by: Ronald Sanders.
Music by: Howard Shore.
Released by: Sony Picture Classics.
Country of Origin: France/Canada/UK 98 min. Rated: R.
With: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne & Lynn Redgrave.

DVD Features: Featurettes: "In the Beginning: How the Spider Came to Be". "Weaving the Web: The Making of Spider". "Caught in Spider's Web: The Cast". Director's commentary. Filmographies. English subtitles. Trailers.

Dennis Cleg has returned to his English hometown to live in a decrepit halfway house. With a shell-shocked expression, the posture of a man twice his age, and mumbling incomprehensibly, he keeps to himself, hoarding rubbish in his pockets, and writing in his own private language. In his mind, he is journeying back to his adolescent home life with a controlling working-class father (Byrne), a plumber, and his beloved mother (Richardson), who affectionately nicknames her only child Spider for his fascination with webs. Through these flashbacks, pieces of the puzzle about how and why Dennis has come to his present condition are laid out through the clever structure of McGrath’s script and the theatricality of Cronenberg’s direction. Dennis hovers in the background, repeating dialogue, as he looks on to his past. But It’s a Wonderful Life this isn’t. Despite the bleak setting and the dour music, this engrossing and repellantly grim story holds interest as clues are doled out bit by bit. Fiennes has so internalized the role that his emotions are clearly shown through his eyes. But because he plays a character with an unchanging mental condition, the film’s most riveting performance is Richardson in the dual role of a Madonna/whore that she clearly relishes. Her cheap tart Yvonne (“You gonna do me pipes or what”) is the most slovenly character in recent memory. But unlike films that take on a new meaning the second time around, even after the puzzle has been solved, this would be a difficult film to see again.
May 1, 2003

DVD Features: Director Cronenberg's commentary offers many provocative insights. It will erase any confusion that a viewer may have after initially viewing this complex film. A few of these insights are also revealed in the featurettes. To fully experience Spider, it is essential to view these after seeing the film. KT
August 2, 2003