Actor(s): Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Julian Sands, Roy Scheider
Director(s): David Cronenberg
Publisher: Criterion
Binding: DVD
Brand: Image Entertainment
Language(s): English
EAN: 9781559409476
ISBN: 1559409479
Studio: Criterion
Movie Description
You are now entering Interzone, William S. Burroughs's phantasmagorical land of junk, paranoia, and crawly things. Best travel advice: "Exterminate all rational thought." In David Cronenberg's superbly shot, unnerving warp on the Burroughs novel, the novelist himself becomes a main character (played in an implacable monotone by Peter Weller), with elements from Burroughs' life--including the shooting of his wife during a "William Tell" game, and bohemian friends Kerouac and Ginsberg--added to frame the book's wild visions. This is, ironically, a somewhat rational approach to an unfilmable book (and it makes a hair-curling double bill with Barton Fink, another look at writerly madness, with both films sharing Judy Davis). Cronenberg is a natural for oozing mugwumps and typewriters that turn into giant bugs, of course. But in the end, this is really his own vision of the artistic process, rather than Burroughs's hallucinatory descent into hell. --Robert Horton
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 11/11/2003 Run time: 115 minutes
Peter Weller, of robocop and Buckaroo Bonzai fame, co-starred with Roy Scheider in this most bizarre, disturbingly homo erotic tale of bugs and drugs.
I had forgotten much of the movie, and almost wish I left it at that. It was painful to watch, it was such a creep-fest, and I like David Lynch movies!
So for david cronenberg to make my skin crawl, that says a lot.
If you really want to see this again, it's worth it for those with a strong stomach
"fantastic movie"
Written By: Benjamin A. Nelson
like the tagline says, "exterminate all rational thought". this movie is awesome, the book is even better.
"Lunching naked with Cronenberg"
Written By: Juan Jose Espinoza Aguilar
Naked Lunch - Criterion Collection
This is probably the best presentation this movie has on any medium. Criterion is at the top of it's own standards with this one. I wont say anything about the movie because i think only fans of the work of Cronenberg can get a kick out of it. I did.
"Non-rational thought"
Written By: C. McGhee
This show was made from a book by a one of a kind author who lived a unique life & combined his life & his talent to create this story. William S. Burroughs' "Naked Lunch" was a novel many wanted to turn into a movie but it had to wait for F/X & a Director capable of filming its unreal expression of the Author's inner turmoil. David Cronenberg & modern film making combined to make it a unique & shining reality.
The cast is dynamite & do a tremendous job of portraying Mr. Burroughs characters. Peter Weller from Robocop as Bill Lee, Judy Davis as Joan Lee/Frost their wife, Ian Holm of Bilbo fame as Tom Frost, Julian Sands as Yves Cloquet & Roy Scheider as a Doctor of deception & others you'll know.
WARNING this show takes flight earlier & does not return. Get drinks first. A married exterminator & drug addict hooked on using his "bug powder" for intoxication as well as work begins his journey into psychosis on the train of hallucinations. His wife, then perceived as a problem, is easily removed at the direction of Bill's controller. It then becomes time to go undercover in a truly foreign country. Once there he will send out reports on enemy agents hiding in the same culture he is in. There are new customs, new friends, new enemy's but still the same old Bill to try & deal with it all. Thats this story line in a nutshell.
It gives you No Idea about what is visually contained in this movie. All of these scenes play out in an exquisitely detailed & totally outlandish manner thanks to the direction of David Cronenberg. He was truly the one director to handle the job of book story to finished film here. What he accomplished before doing this film was only training for the making of "Naked Lunch".
This movie is not etheral & otherworldly the images are recognizable by anyone (I'm assuming you know what a typewriter is). Bill Lee our lead character is truly a stranger in his own strange land (pardon me Mr. Heinlein). To watch this show is to be in the middle of a psychotic mind visually. If you are a fan of the weird, the unusual, the bizarre & the unique you will love this. If you are a David Cronenberg fan this show is a non-stop Cronenberg fantasy you shouldn't miss.
This was worth the wait & a BIG thanks to all the people that backed off trying this because they knew it wasn't time to try yet. 5 BIG STARS!
"One of David Cronenberg's finest movies!"
Written By: John Lindsey
In the early 50's, big city bug-exterminator/writer Bill Lee (Peter Weller) has been addicted to bug powder that causes him to hallucinate bizarre stuff such as giant bugs with talking retcums, alien-like creatures and many weird stuff. His wife Joan (Judy Davis) was accidently shot by him as he panics, he gets a one way ticket out of town to an Islamnic place called The Interzone where he can keep his mind at ease away from home for a bit until things clear off. He runs into a British couple named Tom and Joan Frost (Ian Homl and Judy Davis) as he befriends them and writes reports on what is going on thanks to the wonders of talking critters.
Bizarre and stylish horror fantasy drama thriller from David Cronenberg is one of his best movies. Based on the book by William Burroughs and his alter ego character Bill Lee, this is a film definitely not for everyone. The film is about what it is being a junkie and loosing your sense of reality, it's also part fiction and part semi-biography of Burroughs including his druggie life that he had before he wrote the book "Naked Lunch". The book has been considered unfilmable by many but David Cronenberg knew how to successfully bring the novel to the big screen in an acclaimed way, the special effects and creature effects by Chris Walas ("Gremlins", "Fly 1 & 2", "Scanners", "Raiders of the Lost Ark") are very well done and realistic. The acting is quite superb even by Riy Scheider as Dr. Benway, the film is a required taste and one of David Cronenberg's greatest movies.
This 2-Disc DVD from the Criterion Collection has a superb transfer and terrific sound. The extras are just great such as audio commentary, a documentary on making the film, illustrated essay about the film's special effects, still galleries, marketing materials, William S. Burroughs's audio recording of excerpts from his novel, and a 32 page booklet of great infomation.
"Freakshow as much now as it ever was."
