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focus on david cronenberg

A History of Violence

Thursday 13 April - Sunday 23 April 2006

To celebrate the release of his extraordinary new film A History of Violence, ACMI salutes David Cronenberg with this comprehensive retrospective that spans a thirty-five year career.

"Man-machine interfacer, new-flesh apostle, techno-porn merchant, director David Cronenberg has devoted his career to experiments in transfiguration" Village Voice

Utterly unique and ferociously coherent, Cronenberg's visceral body of cinematic work consistently explores repressed sexuality and its manifestations; fantasy and deception; self-identify and body horror; auto-fetishism and morbid hedonism.

videodrome + camera Brilliantly satirical, Videodrome is an unsettling tale that picks away at the scab of contemporary society. Screens with the short Camera.

the brood In this visionary horror, controversial psychotherapist Dr Raglan teaches mental patients to manifest their subconscious anger physically.

scanners Featuring two of the most spectacular shock scenes ever filmed, Scanners is visually stylish, full of visceral special effects and gory set-pieces.

shivers + blue David Cronenberg set new standards of 'yuck' in Shivers. Screens with Blue, starring David Cronenberg as Tom, the carpet man.

a history of violence A History of Violence is a dense and troubling psychological thriller that crackles with dramatic tension and visual flair.

m. butterfly The handsome and intriguing M. Butterfly explores themes around cultural stereotyping, repressed sexuality, fantasy and deception.

fast company Considered by many as the most atypical of his films, Cronenberg's 1970s B-racing drama is an early departure from his canon of visceral horror.

dead ringers The unnerving yet enthralling Dead Ringers tells the story of identical twin gynaecologists, played by Jeremy Irons in a tour-de-force performance.

eXistenZ Virtual reality game eXistenZ is the brainchild of the celebrated Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the world's No. 1 game programmer.

naked lunch Adaptating William Burroughs' notoriously unfilmable cult novel for the screen, this masterpiece of interpretive surrealism features a superb cast.

spider Adapted from Patrick McGrath's novel, Spider features Ralph Fiennes as a schizophrenic released from a mental institution after 20 years.

crash In this masterful adaptation of J.G. Ballard's seminal novel, Cronenberg examines the frightening and complex extremes of human sexual compulsion.

the fly The Fly was an enormous box office success and, arguably Cronenberg's most polished horror film. Features Jeff Goldblum as the crazed scientist.

david cronenberg: i have to make the word be flesh Cronenberg reflects on themes including transformation, rebirth and the creation of monsters, to his Canadian identity and its impact on his work.

stereo Cronenberg is reputed to have secured funding from the Canadian government for this first film by pretending he was writing a novel.

crimes of the future Cronenberg's early low-budget thriller Crimes of the Future is set in a near-future where most females have died due to a cosmetics-related condition.

rabid Often considered one of the director's most underrated films, the fabulously creepy Rabid is permeated by stark and sterile images.

the dead zone Widely considered the best ever film adaptation of a Stephen King novel, the result is a chilling and skillfully realised psychological thriller.

cronenberg public forum ACMI invites you to join Philippa Hawker, Phillip Brophy, and Ian Haig for a spirited discussion on Cronenberg and his oeuvre.

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