David Cronenberg. From “Stereo” to “The Fly” to “Crash” (no, not that one, the one from 1996), to “A Dangerous Method” and beyond, it’s hard to argue that the (sometimes) writer, (more often) director has had an eclectic career. And with his first credited short nearly fifty years ago, perhaps that isn’t surprising.
Vimeo user Shaun Higgins (d.b.a. Hello Wizard) has paid homage to the uniquely varied director via a new seven-minute tribute supercut. The short splices shots from 21 of Cronenberg’s films together, lending some semblance to what defines a Cronenberg picture. In chronological order, going all the way back to 1969 and up through the present, Higgins includes: “Stereo,” “Crimes of the Future,” “Shivers” (a.k.a. “They Came From Within”), “Rabid,” “Fast Company,” “The Brood,” “Scanners,” “Videodrome,” “The Dead Zone,” “The Fly,” “Dead Ringers,” “Naked Lunch,” “M Butterfly,” “Crash,” “eXistenZ,” “Spider,” “A History of Violence,” “Eastern Promises,” “A Dangerous Method,” “Cosmopolis,” and “Maps to the Stars.”
Damn, remember “The Fly”? A few years ago, there were rumors that Cronenberg himself was in talks to do a new “Fly” feature, but those never amounted to anything legit. The project was KO’ed by Fox before it ever sprouted wings.
Watching the montage, which films can you call out most easily? “A History of Violence” and “Eastern Promises” are both in there a whole heck of a lot, easily recognizable due to Viggo Mortensen. (That naked shower fight from “Eastern Promises” remains something unseen again on screen.) Jeremy Irons appears frequently too, which makes sense, given that he was in both “Dead Ringers” and “M Butterfly.” One forgets how many amazing talents Cronenberg worked with over his illustrious career, but Higgins reminds us with this great sequence.
“Maps to the Stars” — Cronenberg’s latest, for which Julianne Moore won a Best Actress award at Cannes this past year — is due for a wider release in the States at the tail end of this month.
Check out the full tribute vid below. [via Live For Films]