Videodrome is a 1982 Canada Sci-Fi by David Cronenberg.
With James Woods, Deborah Harry and Sonja Smits. See IMDb
The cut R Rated Version was passed 18 without BBFC cuts for:
- UK 2011 Universal R0 Blu-ray for release on 26th December 2011.
- UK 2002 Universal R2 DVD
- UK 1990 CIC VHS
- UK 1983 cinema release
The US cuts for an R Rating were:
- During the screening of Max’s (James Wood) Samurai Dreams video a shot of a dildo is very much shortened
- The first appearance of the Videodrome programme is slighter shorter as it loses a glimpse of pubic hair and a female victim being strangled
- The sequence in Harlan’s (Peter Dvorsky) lab after the Rea King Show uses a toned down take of a woman being whipped.
- Nickie’s (Debbie Harry) ear piercing loses several shots; Max moving the needle across Nicki’s body, Nicki’s cry of ‘God’, the needle being pulled out of the ear, a close up of the other ear being pierced and a pan to reveal Max & Nicki making love afterwards.
- The scene of Max shooting his second partner is slightly shortened.
- The death of Convex (Les Carlson) does not show his innards briefly erupting.
The US release is uncut and MPAA Unrated for:
Summary Review: Surreal
A sleazy cable-TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control in a very unusual fashion when he acquires a new kind of programming for his station.
In Videodrome, James Woods plays a Canadian television entrepreneur, a man who provides material – usually suspect, often porn – for cable TV. In the course of his seedy research he finds a pirate broadcast of a strange, compelling programme. The torture and masochism he glimpses as the programme hisses and breaks up is … well, it looks real. Or is it just incredibly well made, with the interference and fluctuating picture quality just an example of good engineering and clever directing, simulating clandestine status to give the show a bit of edge?
A disturbing, thought-provoking, hugely entertaining film. If you enjoy the unusual, if you appreciate the surreal, if you like to be challenged and explore irony, this may be a movie you’ll love.
