VIDEODROME
Directed & Written by: David Cronenberg.
Produced by: David Héroux.
Director of Photography: Mark Irwin.
Edited by: Ronald Sanders.
Music by: Howard Shore.
Released by: Criterion Collection.
Country of Origin: Canada/USA. 87 min. Rated: R.
With: James Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry, Peter Dvorsky & Leslie Carlson.

DVD Features: Commentary by David Cronenberg & Mark Irwin. Commentary by James Woods & Deborah Harry. "Camera," starring Leslie Carlson & directed by Cronenberg. "Forging the New Flesh," half-hour documentary by Michael Lennick about the creation of Videodrome's video & prosthetic makeup effects. "Effects Men," an audio interview with the special makeup effects creator & video effects supervisor. "Bootleg Video: The complete footage of "Samurai Dreams" & seven minutes of transmisions from "Videodrome." "Fear on Film," a 26-minute roundtable discussion between filmmakers David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis & Mick Garris. Trailers. Stills gallery. New high-definition of unrated version with restored image & sound.

Max Renn (James Woods) manages a shoddy cable channel. He seeks soft-core pornography until his assistant (Peter Dvorsky) staggers upon an unexplainable satellite broadcast of what appears to be simulated torture. Fascinated by the tape, Max goes on an emotional and mental quest to eventually buy and air the video. His search for answers denigrates into an incomprehensible array of gross-out imagery that far overshadows the actual video itself.

Cronenberg succeeds in creating an inability to differentiate between reality and illusion for both Max and the viewer. If at first Videodrome is an intriguing sexual exploration of sadomasochism, it soon devolves into a bona fide cartoon of stream-of-consciousness pandering. At first, the downward spiral is disheartening. Cronenberg does such a fantastic job of setting up Max's quest, and creates such staggering questions about “Videodrome” (the name given to the tape), that you feel cheated when the film drastically veers off into a hall of carnival mirrors. Ultimately, when you accept the fact that the film isn't about sexuality, but rather the effect of technology and the media on the human body, you begin to appreciate it as the horrific comic book that it is. James Woods is perfect as the smarmy Max, a degenerate uplifted by the revelation that there are, in fact, others more low brow than he. Videodrome, at last, is both darkly unique and highly creative. This much is undeniable.

DVD Extras: “Forging the New Flesh” is a worthy look at the film's most entertaining aspect - the eye-popping visual effects. Acknowledgment is to be given to iconic makeup artist Rick Baker (Star Wars) for his contributions. “Fear on Film” is a surprisingly interesting 1982 promotional piece featuring an ensemble interview with up-and-comers Cronenberg, the obviously uncomfortable John Carpenter, and John Landis. It is enjoyable to watch the reserved Carpenter delegate amongst the immensely animated Landis and Cronenberg. Also noteworthy is “Bootleg Video,” a hilarious and sometimes disturbing look at the creation of the soft-core porn used throughout the film, as well as the filming of the actual "Videodrome" video. For such sick and brutal footage, the actual filming of it is rather tame and uneventful. Michael Belkewitch
October 26, 2004