ptonguette@a... wrote:
I think this level of compassion is in no
> small part achieved by Cronenberg's formal adherence to Spider's
point-of-view
> throughout the film. On the DVD, he talks about how a potentially
more
> naturalistic film gradually became increasingly expressionistic -
expressive, that
> is, of Spider's mind. The way Cronenberg utilizes space to isolate
Spider in
> the world is stunning, particularly that very first shot of the
train pulling
> in.

I think Cronenberg's Crash has its moments of beauty and the whole
film in general is visually interesting. I liked how he used cold and
metallic reds, blues and grays to create a texture that is both
intriguing and distancing at same time.

Unfortunately, I cannot say I found anything that was visually
interesting in his Spider. To me it seemed like the film was not
expressionistic at all and his only achievement was creating the
right atmosphere for the story to unfold.

It is possible that I missed something so, Peter, it would be great
if you can elaborate on what you mean by "the way Cronenberg
utilizes
space to isolate Spider in the world" because to me it seemed
like
Cronenberg didn't even know what "use of space" was. I
agree that the
first shot was interesting but the next shot he cut to
(unfortunately, i don't remember what it was) made me think he
had no
idea about what he was doing. And that happened a lot throughout the
film.

I should add that I liked the story a lot and was even moved by it. I
really identified with the character, so much so that I really wanted
to smoke cigarettes the way he does after the film (and I don't
even
smoke cigarettes). The whole "psychological game" the film
plays with
its audience is also interesting. However, these are all narrative
achievements, they have nothing expressive about them and they are
not enough to make me think it is a good film.

Yoel