Attention London: Clear Your Calendars Tomorrow Night
“As soon as they asked me to do this, I suggested Videodrome,” says set designer and illustrator Gary Card of his choice for the next Test Presents event this week in London. The monthly fashion film night, hosted by online visual arts platform Test Magazine, has seen guest presenters like Peter Jensen, Richard Nicoll, and Roksanda Illincic all select and introduce the film that has influenced them most—now it’s Card’s turn. “I chose Videodrome because it’s the best example of why I love David Cronenberg as a director,” he says. “It’s got this weird idea of technology creeping up and becoming part of us. Also,” he adds, “I love the ’80s—I love how archaic the technology is and how sleazy the period is.”
Since its release in ’83, Videodrome has remained a cult classic with its body horror, sci-fi, and philosophical themes, something that the creepy prosthetics on protagonist Max Renn [played by James Woods] have only helped with. “The deeper and deeper that [Renn] gets into the idea of Videodrome, it begins to take him over and becomes this insane killing machine,” says Card, “I’ve had to re-watch it and remind myself of why I like it.”
–WENDY DOUGLAS
Videodrome will be screened Thursday, May 3rd at 7:30pm in the Council Chambers space at the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green, London. Check out www.testmag.co.uk/test-presents for tickets and more information.