Our odyssey through the works of David Cronenberg continues, with his 1986 horror masterpiece, The Fly…
The years between 1983 and 1985 saw David Cronenberg in something of a paradox.
WithTotal Recallby the wayside, Cronenberg suddenly found himself in Los Angeles without a film to make.
I was in dire straits financially, the director recalled in the bookCronenberg On Cronenberg.
The result was an almost perfect marriage of drama and extreme gore, and the directors greatest box-office success.
The Flyis a dream that becomes a nightmare.
Gradually, however, the flys DNA begins to manifest itself as a disease.
But now the dream is over, and the insect is awake.
Im telling you Ill hurt you if you stay.
Their characters are tender, flawed and quirky, and provide the film with a rock-solid dramatic core.
Incredibly,The Flywas even gorier in an earlier, pre-release cut.
Its a romance, a tragedy, and an engrossing analysis of gender politics.
In fact, Ronnie is the only character in The Fly who comes away with their dignity intact.
Brundle is brought low not by messing with forbidden science, so much as his own insecurity and recklessness.
The Flyrepresented a turning point in Cronenbergs career.
With this final gout of goo and degradation, he began to explore his ideas with ever more restraint.
