Videodrome

Videodrome (1982)
a film by David Cronenberg

Many things can be said about this movie except that it is a conventional film. This is the original and daring proposal of David Cronenberg that bombs the screen 80s style with the interesting premise of technological obsession.

Videodrome is a really shocking film. It features some memorable images that seem taken from a Nam June Paik exhibition and others that belong to the tradition of visceral gore of the mondo films. But it is not only the images what make this story so appalling, it is also the premise of a world in which mind can be infected through the television images, in which reality can be bend by the exposure to the images that produce obsession and desire.

It makes me shiver the devotion that some fans profess to this film. For me it was uncomfortable to watch it -it could be the horrendous style of the 80s- and it gave me a feeling of desolation, but I can see the great creativity and work put into this story. I liked the scene where the characters of Debbie Harry and James Woods are interviewed for a talk show, the idea of the Cathodic Tube Church and the original score. I don't know if was more horrified by the organic videotape or by the image of Toronto having the same streetcars 30 years ago.

I did not like Videodrome but nevertheless the way in which ideas as the ones proposed in this movie come from somebody's mind, make a story on the screen with such a particular style and provide ground for discussion about the contemporary world are a proof of the vision and genius behind this story despite my personal taste.