UNITED KINDGDOM/ FRANCE: DIRECTOR DAVID CRONENBERG AND CAST MEMBERS SPEAK ABOUT 'CRASH'

Record ID: 386815

  • Title: UNITED KINDGDOM/ FRANCE: DIRECTOR DAVID CRONENBERG AND CAST MEMBERS SPEAK ABOUT 'CRASH'
  • Date: 1st May 1996
  • Summary: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 10, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) DIRECTOR DAVID CRONENBERG TALKING ABOUT BRITISH CENSORSHIP AGAINST CRASH SAYING: THE FILM IS VERY SEXUAL: THAT MIGHT BE LEGITIMATELY CONSIDERED ITS CONTROVERSIAL ASPECT BUT IT'S NOT VIOLENT. THE SO-CALLED CRITICS, NOT BEING ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE SEXUALITY OF THE FILM, HAVE CHANGED IT INTO V
  • Embargoed: 16th May 1996 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/ CANNES, FRANCE
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom France
  • Reuters ID: LVA9DTYVB7NB2EL6RL8S97V7AEOG
  • Story Text: Award-winning Canadian director David Cronenberg slammed British critics who have branded his new garter-and-car-crash film "depraved" and "obscene".

    "Crash" first premiered at Cannes film festival in May, where it left critics trembling with indignation. It was both cheered and booed by audiences and won a special prize for "audacity, daring and originality".

    Now politicians and public figures are furious at itsshowing at the 40th London film festival and as yet it has not been granted a certificate for general release in Britain.

    "The so-called critics, not being able to deal with the sexuality of the film, have changed it into violence so they can call for all kinds of action to be taken against violence," Cronenberg told Reuters.

    He added that politicians had jumped on a bandwagon of moral concern ahead of general elections here.

    The film centres on characters who achieve sexual gratification from their shared enjoyment of car crashes.

    In their fantasies they re-enacting the fatal crashes of James Dean and Jayne Mansfield, getting excitement from taking photographs of bruised and bloodied victims.

    The film stars James Spader, Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette.

    Speaking at the Cannes film festival, Hunter paid tribute to Cronenberg's unique style of directing. Actress Deborah Unger, who also stars in the film, described the experience of making the film as "delightful".

    Spader, who first struck fame in the voyeuristic "Sex Lies and Videotape", said fear was his first emotion on reading the script.

    "I found that fear fed the film...and made it curious and intriguing and provocative...eventually the fear became the blood of film," he told a Cannes news conference in May.

    In one scene, Hunter makes love to another man in the back of the car, as Spader watches from the front seat while the car goes through a car wash.

    "Crash" is based on a J.G. Ballard novel which caused a minor outrage when published in 1973, but according to one critic it is less scary than Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians.

    UK distributor, Columbia Tristar, emboldened by the film's success in France and Canada, and its later release in Portugal, Norway, Germany and South Africa, plans to release it in more than 100 UK cinemas if British authorities permit.

    Local government members will view the film to decide if it should be banned from most of London's West End cinemas.

    Cronenberg has directed critically acclaimed films such as "The Fly", "Dead Ringers" and "Naked Lunch".
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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