David Cronenberg
Birthdate: 15 Mar 1943 Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Dave 'Deprave' Cronenberg, 'King of venereal horror', 'Baron of blood', as he has often been called, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1943, the son of a journalist (father) and a piano player (mother). After showing an inclination for literature at an early age (he wrote and published eerie short stories, thus following his father's path) and for music (playing classical guitar until he was 12), Cronenberg graduated from Toronto University in Literature, after quitting the Scientific Department. He reached the cult status of 'horror meister' with the gore-filled, modern vampire variations of Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977) following an experimental apprenticeship in independent filmmaking and in Canadian television programs. Gained popularity with the 'head-exploding', telepathy-based Scanners (1981) after the release of the much underrated, controversial and autobiographical Brood, The (1979). Cronenberg become a sort of a mass-medial 'guru' with Videodrome (1983), a shocking investigation of the hazards of reality-morphing television and critical extravaganza on contemporary esthetics. The issues of tech-induced mutation of human body and topics of the prominent dichotomy between body and mind are back again in Dead Zone, The (1983) and Fly, The (1986); bright examples of a personal filmmaking identity, even if both films are based on mass-entertainment materials: the first being a rendition of a Stephen King best-seller, the latter a remake of famous genre horror movie. With Dead Ringers (1988) and Naked Lunch (1991), the Canadian director, no more a mere genre moviemaker but a fully realized author, gets the unconditioned acclaim of international critics. Such profound statements on modern manhood and ever-changing society survive in the provocative Crash (1996) and in the virtual reality essay of eXistenZ (1999), both well fared at Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals. |
||
|
---|
2002 | Spider | |
2000 | Camera | |
1999 | eXistenZ | |
1996 | Crash | |
1993 | M. Butterfly | |
1991 | Naked Lunch | |
1988 | Dead Ringers | |
1988 | Friday The 13th: Faith Healer | |
1986 | The Fly | |
1983 | The Dead Zone | |
1983 | Videodrome | |
1980 | Scanners | |
1979 | The Brood | |
1979 | Fast Company | |
1977 | Rabid | |
1975 | Shivers | |
1971 | Jim Ritchie Sculptor | |
1970 | Crimes Of The Future | |
1969 | Stereo | |
1967 | From The Drain | |
1966 | Transfer |
Ratings Key | |
---|---|
GENERAL AUDIENCES: All ages admitted. | |
PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED: Some material may not be suitable for children. | |
PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. | |
RESTRICTED: Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. | |
NO ONE 17 YEARS OR YOUNGER ADMITTED. | |
NOT RATED: The film has not been rated by the MPAA. | |
TO BE ANNOUNCED: The film is currently in production or planning. | |
TV SERIES or MOVIE: Project made for TV. Individual episode titles (if known) will be given in blue. | |
STUDENT FILM: The film was a project in college/film school and is not available to the public. | |