Videodrome Movie Analysis

Videodrome Videodrome, directed by David Cronenberg, is a movie setting in Toronto during the early 1980s depicting a television station attempting to broadcast a show of violence and torture named Videodrome. Max Renn, owner of a small-sized television station, learned about a Videodrome, which was broadcasted in Malaysia, just when he wanted a change to the program the station was showing. Max immediately gained interest to the new show and order to start pirating it as he believes that the show would gain popularity quickly.
The late 1970s and early 1980s was the time when television gain popularity. It became a social norm to have a television in every room in the house. Television developed into a big part in everyday living, people could not fall asleep without the company of the television. The anxiety slowly rises as with the amount of television people were watching. This anxiety continued to grow as media technology advances. The society then begins to affiliate with videotape, videocassette, VCR, and etc. It almost got to the point when people would never seem to leave the house again.
This movie well reflects the social anxiety of the time. After Max watches the footage of actual torture and murder, he began to see illusions of televisions coming to life. As part of the Videodrome project, he also sees himself as a videocassette recorder with hole in his body as a slot to insert video tape. His brain was controlled. The movie came to a conclusion and emphasis on the anxiety with the murder of Max by a television. With the assist of Videodrome, O’Blivion’s prophesy of television coming to life and takeover would come true.

Videodrome is a lethal weapon designed by the government that would broadcast signals to give brain tumor in the viewer. The main purpose is to correct the fixation on softcore pornography and violence in the society, by eliminating those who are drawn in the world of videography. The intention was to let Max see Videodrome and broadcast to the public. However, the Videodrome project made no exception to Max as he, too, was brainwashed. Max would then go on to kill his colleagues. The death of Max could David Cronenberg reflected the social anxiety in form of a movie.
The director is implying the disturbing effect of social disorder brought by the television and other media technology. The director exaggerated the negative contribution brought by the television and media technology for how it has impacted the social norms. It can be said that the director believed intense television viewer should be doomed for their ignorance of the society. The role of the government and its Videodrome project can be interpreted as a representation of what Cronenberg is doing by filming the movie in real life to make a statement of the false effect brought by the increasing popularity of television culture.