David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials - by Violet Lucca (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An illustrated monograph on the work of legendary writer/ director David Cronenberg, master of body horror and cinematic provocateur behind films such as The Fly, Scanners, Naked Lunch, Eastern Promises, and Crimes of the Future David Cronenberg's films have long enjoyed a cult following, pushing the boundaries of taste, blending high art with horror, and straddling the commercial and the cutting-edge. Here, the reader will be presented with the familiar and unfamiliar aspects of iconic films such as Videodrome, The Fly, Naked Lunch, and Crash. Though dividing the book into two halves (Freudian and Jungian) suggests a binary, the sections within each will emphasize that this work-and the world itself-is perpetually shifting. The reader will progress through these different stages-and films-and see how the recurrent narrative, cultural, and visual themes loop back and intersect with one another. Rather than a straightforward narrative about a filmmaker, this book will be a dreamlike exploration of all that is Cronenbergian"--

Book Synopsis

An illustrated monograph on the work of legendary writer/director David Cronenberg, master of body horror and cinematic provocateur behind films such as The Fly, Scanners, Naked Lunch, Eastern Promises, and Crimes of the Future

David Cronenberg's films have long enjoyed a cult following, pushing the boundaries of taste, blending high art with horror, and straddling the commercial and the cutting-edge. With this handsome book, the familiar and unfamiliar aspects of iconic films such as Videodrome, The Fly, Naked Lunch, and Crash is explored.

Though dividing the book into two halves suggests a binary, the Jungian-inspired chapters within each emphasize that this work--and the world itself--is perpetually shifting. The reader progresses through these different stages (of Jungian individuation and therapy) and sees how the recurrent narrative, cultural, and visual themes loop back and intersect with one another.

Rather than a straightforward narrative about a filmmaker, this book is a dreamlike exploration of all that is Cronenbergian.

Featuring a foreword by Oscar-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen, it also includes interviews with composer Howard Shore, production designer Carol Spier, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, and producer and playwright/screenwriter Jeremy Thomas.

About the Author

Violet Lucca's writing has appeared in the New York Times, Art in America, Criterion Current, Sight and Sound, the Village Voice, Bust, Reverse Shot, and elsewhere. She served as Vice President of Digital at Harper's Magazine and Digital Producer at Film Comment, where she hosted each of their podcasts. She lives in Brooklyn, but not in an annoying way, and has a non-negligible psychic connection with her two cats.