Videodrome

Edition no. 248

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Licensor Information
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Directed by: David Cronenberg
When Max Renn goes looking for edgy new shows for his sleazy cable TV station, he stumbles across the pirate broadcast of a hyperviolent torture show called Videodrome. As he struggles to unearth the origins of the program, he embarks on a hallucinatory journey into a shadow world of right-wing conspiracies, sadomasochistic sex games, and bodily transformation. Starring James Woods and Deborah Harry in one of her first film roles, Videodrome is one of writer/director David Cronenberg’s most original and provocative works, fusing social commentary with shocking elements of sex and violence. With groundbreaking special effects makeup by Academy Award®-winner Rick Baker, Videodrome has come to be regarded as one of the most influential and mind-bending science fiction films of the 1980s.
Streaming Options

Release Information:


Technical Specifications

Format:
Blu-ray
Disc:
BD-50 (1 Disc)
Total: 1 Disc
Regions:
A (Blu-ray)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1
Audio Options:
English PCM Mono 1.0
Resolution:
1080p/24
Subtitles:
English

Supplements

Types of Supplements Included: Audio Commentary, Short Film, Documentary, Audio Interview, Video Presentation, Interview, Theatrical Trailer, Featurette, Gallery, Booklet
  • Audio commentary by David Cronenberg and director of photography Mark Irwin
  • Audio commentary by actors James Woods and Deborah Harry
  • Camera (2000), a short film starring Videodrome’s Les Carlson, written and directed by Cronenberg
  • Forging the New Flesh, a new half-hour documentary featurette by filmmaker Michael Lennick about the creation of Videodrome’s video and prosthetic makeup effects
  • Effects Men, a new audio interview with special makeup effects creator Rick Baker and video effects supervisor Michael Lennick
  • Bootleg Video: the complete footage of Samurai Dreams and seven minutes of transmissions from “Videodrome,” presented in their original, unedited form with filmmaker commentary
  • Fear on Film, a 26-minute roundtable discussion from 1982 between filmmakers David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis, and Mick Garris
  • Original theatrical trailers
  • Promotional featurette
  • Stills galleries featuring hundreds of rare behind-the-scenes production photos, special effects makeup tests, and publicity photos
  • A booklet featuring essays by writers Carrie Rickey, Tim Lucas, and Gary Indiana

Forum Member Statistics

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Film
8.0750/10
Picture
9.3333/10
Audio
9.0000/10
Supplements
8.6667/10
Artwork
10.0000/10

Release Credits

Producer: Karen Stetler
Artwork: Eva Wah

Restoration Information

Videodrome
Restoration by:
The Criterion Collection
Year: 2004
Scanned at: High-Definition Digital
Restored at: High-Definition Digital
Sources:

Release Notes on Restoration

Videodrome
Videodrome is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. Supervised by cinematographer Mark Irwin and approved by director David Cronenberg, this high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using the MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

The Monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm magnetic tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation.