Don’t count David Cronenberg among the auteurs carrying the torch for theatrical exhibition. Speaking to Jim Jarmusch for Interview Magazine, the body horror legend explained that he doesn’t see communal movie-going as an inherently superior way to watch his films.
“I only see movies in real theaters every once in a while, mostly at film festivals, and I’ve found that the projection isn’t always so great,” Cronenberg said. “I remember being in Venice onstage with Spike Lee and some others. He was talking about the Cathedral of Cinema, the whole religious aspect of it. And I said, ‘Spike, I’m watching “Lawrence of Arabia” on my watch, and there are a thousand camels there. I can see every one of them.’ I was joking, but what I meant was, I don’t find the cinema experience all that great. Maybe it’s because I’m older. I don’t feel that communal thing.”
Cronenberg’s thoughts on technological evolutions in filmmaking and viewing are consistent with much of his filmography, which often deals with the need to embrace change or risk being left behind by nature. He expressed similar thoughts about celluloid film, saying that the convenience of working with digital cameras outweighs any visual benefits that might come from shooting on film
“I do find that people talking about streaming can be very passionate in the way that we were passionate in the movie theater after we saw a film. So it’s different, but I don’t think it’s worse,” he said. “I also don’t miss working with film. The cutting and editing was a nightmare for me. It was very restrictive. You have so much more control now. And of course, we are control freaks to a certain extent, if you’re making a film.”
Cronenberg’s latest film, “The Shrouds,” is now playing in theaters. The film, which follows a widower who processes his grief by placing his wife’s body in a live-streaming coffin, was labeled a Critic’s Pick by IndieWire’s David Ehrlich following its premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
“Inspired by the loss of the director’s wife, ‘The Shrouds’ is a grief story as only David Cronenberg would ever think to shoot one,” IndieWire’s review read. “Sardonic, unsentimental, and often so cadaverously stiff that the film itself appears to be suffering from rigor mortis, as if its images died at some point along their brief journey from the projector to the screen. And really, what else would you expect?”
