Customer Reviews

Cronenberg on Cronenberg (Directors on Directors)

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This must-read is for anyone who has ever wondered about the relationship between venereal diseases and their application to modern Film. Cronenberg's style of writing is extremely poetic, subjective and provocative; his meditations bring forth a Proustian dialogue that is as infectious as it is terrifying. The ideas of a 'biological horror film' are not only discussed, but engage the reader as only the greatest horror writers, past and present, have done; bears comparison to H.P. Lovecraft and Du Maurier.

David Cronenberg--what do we do with him? Is he a horror filmmaker? A Canadian who makes art films? A schlockmeister? Cronenberg bucks all categories and trends because so many of his films cannot be placed in any genre. You'll not find any tough-talking hipsters a la "Pulp Fiction"; you'll find no romantic cliches a la "Chasing Amy"; you'll find no staid, genteel period pieces a la Merchant-Ivory. With Cronenberg what you get is sui generis, an auteur in the true sense of the word, a man whose perverse, atheistic, disturbing visions are realized on-screen in a wholly uncompromising manner. In this book of interviews you get to hear this brilliant, highly articulate man talk about his films, production, story ideas, influences (Burroughs & Nabokov, how about that!), diseases and viruses, social mores, the responsibiblities of the artist, and more. Personally I find Cronenberg a more interesting thinker than other filmmakers, even ones I like a bit better (Woody Allen, Scorsese), because he's primarily an intellectual who is not afraid to look at the non-human aspect of his films--the insect, the parasite, the video image--and postulate its unique existence. Recent films like "Crash" and "Naked Lunch" are difficult, rewarding works, although I know many people who hate these films. Film fans are notoriously divided on where Cronenberg stands--some called "eXistenZ" a wooden bore, others one of the great SF films of recent years. Some say "Videodrome" is a mashmash of half-thought ideas, or that "Crash" is pretentious and ridiculous. Some men can't watch "Dead Ringers," while many film critics consider it Jeremy Irons' greatest performance. I think these films are oddly brilliant and exciting. And I'd rather watch a mediocre Cronenberg film than just about any independent or Hollywood film--Cronenberg always gives you something to think about. Well, make up your own mind by reading "Cronenberg on Cronenberg." Hopefully this will be the first of many books on the man and his work.

This book is quite simply fascinating. When I was first introduced to Cronenberg's films I was immediately struck by how perverse, disgusting, intelligent and touching they are. What interests me about this book is how articulate Cronenberg is, how the thought processes behind many of his disgusting or "out there" images come from a real sense of purity and clarity. He is a fascinating specimen, and more than deserving of the 256 pages devoted to him. I wish critics, feminists and film historians who have dismissed Cronenberg, based on limited theories, should read this book and learn the workings of a true artist. In my opinion it is hard to criticize something you've never embraced in some way.

A semi-autobiographical look into the world of David Cronenberg and how he came to make films of grotsque, yet, captivating life of media, biology and society. You will read about his influences in his early childhood life and then, eventually, virtually being the only Canadian film director with a promise. Cronenberg seems humble in his writing, yet, you get a sense of high intelligence. Definately reccomended! It is a good read, moves along nicely and you will be quite fascinated by his personal accounts of his world and what inspires him.

Or at least I did until I gave away the second edition as a gift but it meant a lot. The current edition is fourth and came out after The Crash. To the people who know only his films it will be surprising Cronenberg came from a literary background and how much his films are intellectual. The man also possesses mean dry wit which shows up when talking about his ex wife and personal enemies like censors or would be do-gooders (fellow Canadian writer Margaret Atwood). To those who do not know about the author as much as they should this is a great book. Those who love Cronenberg's films probably own this already. I am waiting for a new edition to come out, the one to include the making of Existenz and his new film Spider and I'm buying!

"Cronenberg on Cronenberg" is a great start for anyone who wants further insight on David's work, specially his early films. One musn't hesitate, this is the basic fan purchase.

A very rare book where both the artist and the moviemaker, though the same man, give precious details on the making of Cronenberg movies ; highly intelligent, very practical, no blah blah. reading this book becomes a friendly conversation with D Cronenberg, as if we were one member of his crews... very rare.

David Cronenberg is a fascinating individual. He is extremely well spoken and articulate. The interviews collected in this book are top notch and give incite to all of Cronenberg's films but depending on which edition you pick up will indicate what films the book covers. I picked up an early edition that covers up through "Naked Lunch" but I loved the book enough that I have no problem hunting down a more recent edition.

It was cool to learn how involved Cronenberg was with everything in his films; I never knew how large of a role he had in the writing of all his films. You also get to hear first hand the artistic integrity to his work and trials he had to endure and overcome to simply get most of his films made from flaky producers to relentless journalists and censors.

My only complaint about the book is a silly one but I wish he could have gone into more depth on everything! It was too cool to hear about each movie and I became sad every time a chapter would end. It seemed like there could be a book written on every film Cronenberg has made (and I would read everyone one of them). The photos are cool and seeing a young Ivan Reitman (who played a key role in Cronenberg's career) was a real treat. Bottom line is that this is a wonderful book for fans or anyone interested in David Cronenberg. A great investment and I cannot recommend it enough. I'm looking forward to purchasing other volumes of the `Director on Director Series' and more books on Mr. Cronenberg.

The "auteur" moniker that seems to hang ominously like a dead albatross around David Cronenberg's directorial neck is an overly misapplied reputation which requires a bit of deconstruction.

Essentially, when you hear the term auteur, the suggestion that typically applies is that the director in question--in this case, David Cronenberg--is a snotty type who doesn't budge not even the width of an atom for his particular creative vision. Everything on-set by definition must be done to the letter of the man himself, an inflexible character. Auteur, in this highly pejorative sense, is the closest thing to a Mussolini-type dictatorship which one could experience on the film set. Horrors.

But I'd certainly have to disagree.

David Cronenberg, according to many of the players who have worked under him (not toiled, collaborated!), especially in the case of Maria Belo and Viggo Mortensen, lately of A History of Violence, have nothing but rave reviews for the man. Even former porn-star Marilyn Chambers in The Brood had fantastic things to say about the Toronto-based director.

Few so-called auteurs seem to be as democratic as Cronenberg. He places a great emphasis upon his actors' appearance on screen, and much is discussed of how he generally will permit heaps of retakes for various scenes if a given actor feels as though they didn't pull off a scene correctly, or with particular aplomb.

He's one of the smartest directors in Hollywood. He's extremely well read (evidenced by his fluidity of speech during interviews--I've watched them), he's maginificently outspoken, and he knows his material so very well, especially when he writes the scripts himself. What's more is that he's adamant about shooting his films in his native Canada. In a North American industry where most Canadian would-be talent darts south of the border faster than Scotty's teleporter might, Cronenberg has stuck it out in places like the old movie studios at Kleinberg, Ontario and in the provincial captial, Toronto to establish a solid reputation north of the 45th parallel.

If you've never had the chance to hear Cronenberg speak on screen, you're really missing out. See if you can pick up the film called Spider...which starts Rafe Fiennes and Gabriel Byrne, which also contains an excellent segment on the director speaking about his various travails in attempting to land 11th-hour financing for that picture (which nearly capsized because they couldn't land the cash). I'm not raving for nothing--he doesn't miss a beat, this Cronenberg guy. He knows his stuff cold, and so do the people who entitle him to do what he does. They know they're in good hands, and Cronenberg always seems to deliver the goodies.

In terms of the book itself, I've fallen head over heels in love with this "directors speaking about themselves" series. After having first read Cassavetes on Cassavetes in New Zealand, Kieslowski on Kieslowski in the Czech Republic, and now Cronenberg on Cronenberg here in Prague (with Herzog on Herzog waiting anxiously in the wings), you're going to be hardpressed to find better biographical data on these giants of indie cinema other than what you'll read here. Martin Scorsese has even been profiled in this series...from what I've heard, it's one of the thickest of them all. Oh poor bank account...

This book rocks (!!!) because you're getting an uncensored take on the author's views. The book is Cronenberg at his vintage best, cussing, intimately describing various details (especially the final insert on his film CRASH, the "real" CRASH, not the Oscar-winning impostor!) of the sex scenes between his actors Holly Hunter, James Spader, and Elias Koteas, and some keen insider details from the period of cinematic history in Canada back in the old "tax shelter" days, when finance was freely available. When guys like David Cronenberg were only looking for scripts to fit the bill, because they were swimming in Canadian dollars. Those were the days, and Cronenberg pays due homage to the era -- it's what made him who he is today, and without the access to the money back in those days, his destiny might've turned out slightly differently. It's what he describes as his transition from "filmmaker" to "movie maker," a la Hollywood, bigger budgets, bigger stars, and box-office coups.

See if you can also catch a special "director's series" DVD from the American Film Insitute (AFI). It's called "The Directors: David Cronenberg," and he's one of (I believe) several directors profiled, with clips from their various films (I've watched most of 'em). Catch some early clips of Canadian actor Michael Ironside, who is still stupendous, IMHO, even in his later years. That infamous "head exploding scene" from Scanners, still to this day, is something else. It's buried somewhere on that DVD I'm talking about.

So I think I've said enough about completely irrelevant things. If you're looking to be entertained, see if you can pick up a copy. It's not heavy lifting, reading-wise, and it's packed with factoids, anecdotes, and details.

--ADM in Prague

Dude, it's really hard to stop David Cronenberg from yapping about his films. this, though, is a good thing. The man is very well spoken ,even if he doesn't think shivers and videodrome aren't comedies. this book, my friend, make me feel good.