Within the realms of horror and science fiction, David Cronenberg has pushed the boundaries of bodily transformation and identity. Cronenberg's films depict its protagonists in abject horror; both physically and psychologically. Ghastly mutilations are only part of the graphic transformation Cronenberg's protagonists undergo. The uncertainty of the human flesh and its possibilities are played out in all its uncensored glory to shocking effect. It is then no wonder that critics and fans alike refer to the Canadian director as the Baron of Gore.
Videodrome (1983) and Crash (1996): Technological Possibilities of the New Flesh
Both Crash and Videodrome revolutionise the human body by way of technology. It is not simply a melding between technology and the body that is apparent in both films; it is how sexuality is used as a gateway to another formation of human evolution and subjectivity. Sexual desires and curiosities set the protagonists in their paths to a world dominated by abjection, mutation, a new type of subjectivity and body hybridity. In Videodrome, it is Max's sexual curiosity that leads him to the incriminating Videodrome signal; the tape showing incriminating acts of sexual violence and torture.
The Videodrome signal begins to take shape in the form of a brain tumour and then horrific mutations plague Max's body. Indeed, one of the most memorable scenes in the film is where a virgina-like gash opens up Max's stomach. Feminists have had a field day over such a scene, claiming that this represents the protagonist to be literally re-gendered. However this scene, along with many others, represents the gruesome transformation into The New Flesh: a body that has been radically transformed via the interlocking of sexuality and technology.
Crash is another perfect example of a new technological identity. Crash depicts the wounded, battered body entwined in the equally decrepit car as a sight of heightened sexuality. The ultimate desired state is that of the corpse, the most abject state of being. The car crash is where sexuality, death and desire communicate within the same space and thus equates the crashes and consequential deaths of its victims as the ultimate sexual experience.
The protagonists are dominated by desire - the desire to experience penetration in the form of a car crash to achieve the ultimate desired identity. The car crash symbolises the crash culture in one brutal accident, its victims are physically confronted with their own damaged, wounded bodies that become amalgamated with the metallic exterior and the leather interior of their equally battered vehicle.
The Fly (1986): Monstrosity and Masculinity
Cronenberg's interpretation of the 1950's film is horrific, tragic and gruesome in equal measure. Seth Brundle (played by Jeff Goldblum) transformation into the monstrous hybrid that is Brundle-Fly is painstaking to watch. Soon after Brundle teleports himself, the contours of his flesh starts to unleash a new independence. Seth's subjectivity is compromised; he has no identity because it is constantly changing and submerging with his new monstrous ego. Cronenberg presents Brundle's rapid decline as a form of illness, penetrating his being from the inside out. His transformation is gruesome; in becoming Brundle-Fly, Seth's body sheds its humanity. His flesh starts to mutate, body parts start falling off, hair starts falling out. Seth's bodily transformation is a result of resisting the devouring jaws of the Other - Brundle-Fly. He is trapped by the constraints of his body, always in confrontation with the other that threatens him.
A common theme in all Cronenberg's films is that of bodily transgression, exposing the fragility of the human flesh and presenting new possibilities of the body. Cronenberg's films are fascinating in exploring bodily hybridity, subjectivity and sexuality.
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