#19 - David Cronenberg

For this week’s episode of The Close-Up, we’re proud to present an archival conversation with master director David Cronenberg, whose latest film, MAPS TO THE STARS, hits theaters this weekend. Back in 2005, the Film Society of Lincoln Center paid tribute to David Cronenberg leading up that year’s release of A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE. That film went on to garner widespread critical acclaim with Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) praising its “explosive power and subversive wit,” and Manohla Dargis (New York Times) calling it a “mindblower.” For our 2005 tribute, The Film Society capped off a retrospective of the director’s work with “An Evening with David Cronenberg,” which featured a conversation with journalist David D’Arcy. The hour-plus discussion touched on many aspects of Cronenberg’s extensive career through the lens of the director’s rare moment of studio favor. “I’ve been getting a lot more offers from studios,” he said, “this will last about 10 minutes but I’m - for an older guy - kind of hot right now.” In addition to his dealings with studios, the director also speaks candidly about his relationship with critics, which he describes as very strange. This podcast is brought to you by The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Film Lives Here. www.filmlinc.com Photo by Godlis