Tags
2000's, David Cronenberg, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave, Miranda Richardson, Psychological Drama, Ralph Fiennes, Spider
Film Title
Spider
Director
David Cronenberg
Cast
- Ralph Fiennes as Dennis ‘Spider’ Cleg
- Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Cleg/Yvonne
- Gabriel Byrne as Bill Cleg
- Bradley Hall as Young Spider
- John Neville as Terrence
- Lynn Redgrave as Mrs. Wilkinson
With Spider, David Cronenberg takes the viewer on an intense and psychological journey through the mind of a paranoid schizophrenic as he begins to remember important events from his childhood. Deftly told and powerfully acted, Spider is a film that gets you tangled up in its web and just when you think you’ve figured it out, you see something unexpected and you’re left flawed.
The film begins with an excellent tracking shot through a London station as passengers disembark a train. When the camera finishes gliding through the crowd, we finally get our first glimpses of the title character. He is unkempt, often stoops, mutters to himself and has a haunted expression. In these opening moments, we get a distinct picture of Spider and how his behaviour that will influence the events of the film. He has just been released from an asylum after treatment for schizophrenia and now is to live in a dilapidated halfway way house in the East End. He arrives and is greeted with the cold, unfeeling Mrs. Wilkinson, but is helped by an old man called Terrence. It is here that Spider’s memory begins to unravel and he begins to literally relive his key ‘moments’ from his traumatic childhood whilst revisiting his childhood haunts. The most prominent events revolve around his caring mother and his drunken father, who seems to be having an affair with a local hooker. But as Spider descends deeper into these memories, his mental state begins to deteriorate, even as he begins to put the missing pieces together. Throughout the film, the audience is left with an interesting question, Are the memories that he is reliving real or the result of his paranoia? That is for the audience to decide as the film takes on numerous ambiguous meanings and connotations.
As the title character, Ralph Fiennes delivers a powerful and committed portrayal that lets the audience experience the living nightmare he endures. He lets his body do most of the talking, capturing the nervousness, jittery movements and awkward gestures that say so much more than speech can. It is through Spider’s eyes that we see the ‘events’ that befell him as a child and how the repercussions have deeply and emotionally scarred him. He is excellently portrayed as a child by Bradley Hall, who boasts an eerily resemblance to Fiennes. Miranda Richardson delivers knockout performances as two women who although they were at different ends of the moral spectrum, each had a huge impact on the boy’s psyche. She embodies both characters, Spider’s saintly mother and Yvonne, a vulgar, loose living prostitute, with a deft skill tha
t is amazing to watch and remarkable in clearly showing the differences in the women. Gabriel Byrne exudes menace as Spider’s abusive father, whose dalliance with Yvonne led to terrifying consequences. And Lynn Redgrave is suitably chilly as the unfriendly and beady-eyed Mrs.Wilkinson.
Credit must go to the screenplay that blends the lines between past and present with a haunting skill. This use of narrative further challenges the audience to decide what is in fact real and imaginary. The set design impeccably displays the dark and dingy area in which Spider grew up and the various incidents that shaped his existence. As with most of Cronenberg’s films, Spider isn’t the most pleasant thing to watch but regardless of this, is an exceptionally evocative and chilling account of the repercussions of memory and the tenuous link between past and present as it overlaps. The film boasts many interpretations that rise from small events that you may have to view again to get a better understanding. If its psychological drama that you want, watch this underrated film that will leave you flawed by the time it ends and thinking about it for days after.
Nice review, I really should see this one!
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Thanks mate.
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Just added this to my rental list!
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Thanks, glad you’ve added it to that list.
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Great review! I didn’t like the movie this much, it was much too slow for me but I thought it was a fascinating depiction of mental illness and Fiennes and especially Richardson were great.
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Thanks for the comment, yeah the film isn’t for everyone but the performances are what keeps you interested.
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Glad you enjoyed it, Vinnie. The pace is too glacial for some, but the pay-off is worth it. ML
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Thanks for the comment, the pay off is most certainly woth it.
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Great review, thanks for the heads up.
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Thanks for the comment.
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I guess I had not read this. Great post! Great film!
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Cheers Eric, after this discussion, I think I’ve got to watch more Cronenberg movies.
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I’ve only seen a few of his movies and this is the only one I actually liked.
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What others have you seen?
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Ummmmmmm The Brood, Maps and the one with the kids which names escapes me. Didn’t he do The Fly remake? I saw that when I was a kid.
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Yeah he did The Fly remake. I’ll note down those suggestions and give them a watch.
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Pingback: Another Look Back at Older Reviews – vinnieh
Great film, with a sensational cast. It is often overlooked, and could do with more TV showings.
Good review, V.
Cheers, Pete.
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I am surprised at how underrated this movie is. Considering the pedigree it has and the imagination of it, you’d think it would be more well known.
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Ooh! I hadn’t heard of this. Another one for my list!😊
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It is a pleasure of mine to introduce people to movies that might have eluded them. This is a very underrated one.
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