Stereo (1969)
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60% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
63% want to see it
(281 ratings)
The first film by director David Cronenberg, the black and white, hour-long feature Stereo is more self-consciously avant-garde, and less visceral, than his later work. Nevertheless, many of the usual Cronenberg concerns are present: a futuristic setting, bizarre scientific experimentation, and an… More The first film by director David Cronenberg, the black and white, hour-long feature Stereo is more self-consciously avant-garde, and less visceral, than his later work. Nevertheless, many of the usual Cronenberg concerns are present: a futuristic setting, bizarre scientific experimentation, and an obsessive exploration of perverse forms of sexuality. Stereo borrows the structure of an educational film, masquerading as a documentary record of an experiment performed by The Canadian Academy for Erotic Inquiry, under the guidance of Doctor Luther Stringfellow. (Indeed, the film is almost entirely silent, except for a series of voice-overs by the experimenters.) The project centers around a series of surgical techniques that are designed to create the ability for telepathic communication. The scientists are successful, and proceed to examine the interaction between the experimental subjects, especially the rise to dominance of one of the telepaths. As the study progresses, the researchers introduce the telepaths to various drugs, including aphrodisiacs, to increase the intensity of their bond and induce a state of "omnisexuality." When the telepaths begin to isolate themselves, however, it becomes clear that the experiment has had unforeseen side effects -- effects that ultimately lead to violence. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- Unrated, 1 hr. 3 min.
- Directed By
- David Cronenberg
- Genres
- Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Critic Reviews
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Nora Sayre, New York Times
...doors that won't open, enigmatic card games, long empty corridors and sex on an examination table make it all quite old fashioned, and the images are as formless as scrambled eggs.
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Clinical, sinuous, jagged
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Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
... essential to Cronenberg fans, (a) dispassionate portraitsof fictional experiments in the mutation of mankind in the near future.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Though it gave me a few guarded chuckles it was hardly worth the effort sitting through such a tedious affair.
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Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Difficult viewing, although there are some intriguing nuggets buried within
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