The Philosophy of David Cronenberg

The Philosophy of Popular Culture

by Simon Riches (Contributor), Colin McGinn (Contributor), Cynthia A. Freeland (Contributor)

Initially regarded as a cult figure with a strong following amongst sci-fi and horror film fans, Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg emerged as a major and commercially viable film director with mainstream hits such as A History of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007). With his unique ability to present imagery that is both disturbing and provocative, Cronenberg creates striking films, noteworthy not just for their cinematic beauty but also for the philosophical questions they raise. The Philosophy of David Cronenberg examines Cronenberg's body of work, from his breakthrough Scanners (1981) through his most recognizable films such as The Fly (1986) and more recent works. Editor Simon Riches and a collaboration of scholars introduce the filmmaker's horrific storylines and psychologically salient themes that reveal his pioneering use of the concept of "body horror," as well as his continued aim to satirize the modern misuse of science and technology. The Philosophy of David Cronenberg also explores the mutation of self, authenticity and the human mind, as well as language and worldviews. While Cronenberg's films have moved from small-market cult classics to mainstream successes, his intriguing visions of humanity and the self endure.

Genres: Film, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Art, Media Tie In

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid collection of academic essays on Cronenberg. Don't let the "academic" part put you off, though; these are in the main eminently readable pieces. Non-academic readers should have no trouble with most of them. They cover the range of Cronenberg's career, delving back to the early experimental films, with stops most of the places along the way (with Fast Company unsurprisingly excepted, and Rabid perhaps surprisingly largely ignored). The later films tend to get more attention, notably A History of Violence and Eastern promses--perhhaps because they lack the SF/horror elements of most of the earlier films so have more "cred" to non-genre readers. The emphasis seems to be on psychological approaches more than any other. I'd have liked to see a straight existentialist reading of Cronenberg. The authors are primarily philosophy scholars, rather than Cronenberg experts as such, but this rarely leads to problems. There are a few moments where deeper familiarity with Cronenberg might have helped--or anyway led to less basic summarizing--but the authors generally offer valuable insights. One weakness: several papers are more interested in the philosophical issues they raise than in Cronenberg per se, making Cronenberg's work seem more like the hook on which to hang a discussion than like the focus; I would have liked to see these engage more directly and extensively with the actual films.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very mixed bag of essays. A couple of great ones, a lot of meh.