Nowadays you can fill a Costco with cinema studies dissertations about the semiotics of kitchen appliances in mid-80s slasher flicks, but believe it or not there was a time when hardcore film snobs would turn their nose at the entire horror genre. Respect came slowly. One of the first genuine auteurs who resonated not just with horror fans but with critics was David Cronenberg.Cronenberg went from obscure, heady art films in the late '60s, dove right into exploitation films in the '70s and then crafted a particular niche of "venereal horror" starting in the '80s. Since then he's made some studio pictures, some edgy arthouse fare, one genuine clunker and a fantastic graphic novel adaptation. We are pleased as punch that Eastern Promises is getting good buzz.
He is the direct stylistic link between the world of Stanley Kubrick and the world of George Romero. He has a distinct voice, an inimitable point-of-view and, here's what some people don't get at first, a wicked sense of humor. "Cronenbergian" is a word that gets tossed around a lot -- it means something specific. It's when the body is changed on an elemental level, either by technology or mutation. Or vice-versa. An example from my life:
Years ago I got a second telephone line in my house. (One to dedicate to my 56K computer link, boo-yah!) I went to put the phone cord in and there was this viscous ooze that came out of the little hole in the jack attachment. I actually called the phone company to ask what the hell it was -- they told me, but I promptly forgot -- all I could think was "Long live the new flesh!!"
With that, let's look back at this Canadian lunatic's career, visiting the highs and lows and zeroing in on that perfect "Cronenbergian" moment.
The retrospective includes 18 of Cronenberg's films (see the sidebar to read about individual films), hitting all the high and low points of his long and varied career.
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