Videodrome

Ah, Videodrome. This is a cool flick. ery weird and very thoughtful. It’s not the best cyberpunk movie by any means, but it is pretty fun, and James Woods is always a treat. he does the sniveling asshole bit better than any actor ever. And Debbie Harry is just freaky, she has such an incredible capacity to unnerve you in every movie she’s in.

Hi DannyV, its amazing how many people I’ve run into that were blown away by this movie. I don’t think its aged particularly well, but it certainly was hot stuff way back when. And yeah, Debra Harry can definitely do freaky!

Videodrome is the name of a video rental shop in Atlanta Georgia, with a lot of indie/cult flicks, guess when you name yer shop after this flick, you would have to.

http://atlanta.citysearch.com/profile/2997770/

Ah, a true cyberpunk headtrip of a film, the kind of movie that burns its way into your subconcious (the best kind of film, in my opinion). A film that can not only inspire tons of in-depth post-viewing thought, but is a gold mine of memorable lines (from the mini-catchphrase “long live the new flesh”, “I live in a highly excitied state of overstimulation”, or pretty much any line by Brian O’blivion)

Your review noted:

“Videodrome’s desire to create the “new flesh,” in movie terms is the merging of human consciousness with mass media. In a more post-human sense, Cronenberg seems to be saying that humanity itself is becoming lost as society slips further and further into this new mass-media culture. By feeding our deviant unconscious desires that have been surfaced by addiction to mass media, in effect, our humanity and individualism is lost.”

But I wonder if this apparent loss of “humanity and individualism” that you say the idea of the New Flesh seems to be suggesting isn’t something, instead, that Cronenberg actually endorses, in a way. Perhaps he’s suggesting that our ability to explore our deviant nature, whether coerced or sought out, might actually be a doorway to the collective unconscious. Perhaps there is more humanity by losing oneself in the “Plasma Pool” to quote “The Fly”.

From “The Fly”:
“You only know societies straight line about the flesh. You can’t penetrate beyond societies sick grey fear of the flesh… I’m not just talking about sex and penetration, I’m talking about penetration beyond the veil of the flesh. A deep penetrating dive into the plasma pool.”

Admittedly, in both movies the hero effectively “dies”… and these are horror movies, so it’s hard to see their actions as something Cronenberg advocates. But I also don’t feel he is warning us about this “penetration beyond the veil.” Instead, I’d argue that he is indicating this is a foregone conclusion in terms of human evolution.

In interviews Cronenberg has been asked whether he thinks there should be limits to medical and scientific exploration, and he’s basically indicated, and I’m paraphrasing here, that it is not something that can actually be limited… and so, no, he doesn’t see a benefit in attempting to do so.

THIS COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS

Marshall McLuhan says something like “the establishment is using the new media to give an old message”, and he also says that each medium is an extension of human physiology (”electric circuitry [is] an extension of the central nervous system” - The Medium is the Massage, pg. 40.) While he doesn’t use the word, he implies that new media are a form of transhumanisation. Cronenberg basically repeats that. The Videodrome signal (Barry Convex) represents the “old message” (”we’ve gotta be pure to survive the tough times”, or whatever Harlan says when he uncovers himself), while the “new flesh” (O’Blivion) represents the “new message” - a society based on information and nomadic values (pornography is one of them), and the ultimate extension of human physiology: its destruction. I think the film is rather sympathetic to O’Blivion, although of course Cronenberg chooses to distance himself from the possible effects of total transhumanisation.

END OF SPOILERS

Hi a, terrific post! I absolutely agree with the transhumanism linkage.

A great old film, and also a look at an interesting time.. ie- when cable tv was NEW and had to fight to keep itself alive…. not unlike what tv journalism is going thru now …

Cronenberg had a knack for exploring themes open-endedly in his films, and often leaving alot of questions… I don’t think he ever had a full answer. I always felt watching ‘Videodrome’ that the signal was cancer and the visions were hallucinations, that is, not seeing into an extended reality at all… and that O’Blivions message was to transcend the body and become video simulation, not unlike cyberspace.

I like yr ideas about ‘old’ & ‘new’ messages, A, BTW. I agree.

I only wish I could have seen this movie at its prime. I’m enjoying it now, but I can only imagine what experience it would have been back then, especially to see this on the big screen in all of its goodness!

It’s defiantly dated as far as most everything about it, but as I sit here with a headache from hell, watchin this movie, one cant help but to identify.

LONG LIVE THE NEW FLESH!