David Cronenberg's THE FLY (1986)

[nicky]

I saw it again recently on TV and had to talk about it here as there were no posts at all.

 

I think one of the most interesting and emotional horror films is Cronenberg's The Fly (1986). It is an ingeniously and skillfullly mixed, fascinating and emotionally charged look at mutation, deformity, transformation, and isolation wrapped up in a tragic love (triangle) story. It has even been widely believed that The Fly is in fact an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. The make-up FX Oscar was well deserved that year for Chris Walas' work (he later directed the sequel) and Jeff Goldblum's performance as the lead however, although astonishingly good, was cruelly snubbed of even a nomination of the Academy Award as many critics had predicted.

 

Cronenberg's direction is top notch blending in so many emotions such as love and isolation, he really does it well in bringing out depth in particular his use of Howard Shore's score. A good horror film makes you feel so scared or emotionally damaged that you would find it hard to watch the film repeatedly and Cronenberg certainly acheives this effect on his audience with some disturbing after-thoughts especially with that fade-to-black final shot of the film which is not too disimilar to the ending of An American Werewold In London (1981) and thus leaving a feeling of emptiness.

 

The gore is terrific, not over-the-top or exploitive but necessary. The arm wrestle scene and the vomitting are stand-outs and the pupeteering of the "Space Bug" itself is astonishing. This is a great story of the rise and fall of a mad scientist in love with both a woman and his work and his hunger for scienctific discovery which eventually becomes his downfall. And only when he fails to excell himself does he come to realise the error in his ways having gone through the transition of human to insect and then back to human(anity) again, at least in theory.

 

There are a couple of real funny lines in there too, which though are great, still do not take any of the darkness or uncomfortablness away from the story. "I'm working on something really big here!" "What, his c*ck?!"

 

I havent seen much Cronenberg but this is my second favourite after The Dead Zone...another film which follows Cronenberg's themes of bodily mutation or deformity. Wish he was in Jason X more though and am interesting in seeing The Fly re-remake in 2008(?)

Edited April 13, 2007 by nicky

[Nameless]

it rules

but still abit creepy