“Videodrome” Is your “reality” really “reality”? Genius Cronenberg's provocation from 40 years ago is revived here!

Beyond pornography, to a contemplative video experience

``Videodrome'' is an ambitious work not only visually, but also in that it directly incorporates Cronenberg's thoughts and philosophy. ``The television screen is the retina of the mind's eye,'' says Professor Oblivian, one of the developers of Videodrome. People accept what they see as reality. In that sense, television is also the ``reality'' of people who watch it. It is up to the viewer to decide whether what they see is performance or non-fiction. That is, it is highly uncertain. The professor goes on to say, ``In the end, reality is just a matter of perception.''

The same can be said of the "reality" that Max sees. Kissing the TV screen and being swallowed up by it, or thrusting his arm into the crack in his stomach, are all his fantasies. However, even if he goes crazy, what Max sees is his "reality." And when you see it through someone else's eyes, it becomes the ``reality'' of a man who has gone crazy. That's what Professor Oblivian is talking about as a problem of perception.

“Videodrome” ©1982 Guradian Trust Company.All Rights Reserved.

Visually and thematically, Videodrome was meant to be an ambitious work that directly reflected Cronenberg's artistic vision. However, the problem of censorship stands in the way. I mentioned in the same article that there were scenes in the previous film The Brood that were cut due to censorship. At that time, Canada's Toronto Censorship Board took a stab at the work, but in the case of ``Videodrome,'' the situation is different. As I mentioned earlier, this movie was financed by Universal, a major Hollywood studio, and distributed nationwide.

A 4K version with less violence to settle long-standing grudges.