Cronenberg Doesn’t Feel Communal Cinema

For some, going to the cinema can be akin to a religious experience – theaters are a holy place where one can get caught up in the rapturous communal enjoyment of a cinematic work.

For others, it’s just a room with a lot of people being obnoxious, muddy projection, and a costly hassle to get to and from – why bother when the technology for viewing movies at home has gotten so much better. Most people are somewhere in between these two extremes.

When it comes to filmmakers, quite a few are all about that ‘magic of cinema’ experience from Chris Nolan to Martin Scorsese to Ryan Coogler, but others simply don’t get what the fuss is about.

One such person is body horror legend and Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg. Speaking with fellow director Jim Jarmusch for Interview Magazine (via The Playlist), he says the ‘cinema experience’ isn’t all that great:

“I only see movies in real theaters every once in a while, mostly at film festivals, and I’ve found that the projection isn’t always so great. I remember being in Venice onstage with Spike Lee and some others.

He was talking about the Cathedral of Cinema, the whole religious aspect of it. And I said, ‘Spike, I’m watching “Lawrence of Arabia” on my watch, and there are a thousand camels there. I can see every one of them.’ I was joking, but what I meant was, I don’t find the cinema experience all that great. Maybe it’s because I’m older. I don’t feel that communal thing.

I do find that people talking about streaming can be very passionate in the way that we were passionate in the movie theater after we saw a film. So it’s different, but I don’t think it’s worse.”

The same goes for filming, Cronenberg saying he much prefers working with digital over film when it comes to editing:

“I also don’t miss working with film. The cutting and editing was a nightmare for me. It was very restrictive. You have so much more control now. And of course, we are control freaks to a certain extent, if you’re making a film.”

Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds” is set to hit cinemas on April 25th with the famed “The Fly,” “Naked Lunch” and “Dead Ringers” director previously suggesting it may be his last film.

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