MovieChat Forums > Videodrome (1983) Discussion > Brian O'blivion

Brian O'blivion

posted 11 years ago by benbo-3
3 replies | jump to latest

= Brain Oblivion. U could also argue his daughter's name is also a wordplay - Bianca means 'white' in Spanish - White Oblivion, like a whiteout - the brain has been wiped clean, or even better, the brain has been washed.

Obviously this movie is heavy on allegory. I guess I see how the chest slits that open and close are vaginas, giving 'birth' to the new reality, and the tumors represent sickness of some1 who spends all their time watching tv. The people becoming part of the show I guess could be some viewers who become so addicted, they feel themselves part of a tv show, giving it > importance than it merits (just look at the boards for Lost & Breaking Bad ). And I'm sure every1 gets the ridiculousness of the Cathode Ray church opening its doors just to allow people to watch tv, they've become so addle-brained. But what was the overall allegory? This movie came out in 1983 - regular tv sucked, I had only 7 channels (3 network, 2 indy, 1 local, and PBS), and cable tv was still in its infancy. Ain't society better with more choice? Besides, Max Renn makes a valid point abut giving his audience what they want, and a safe outlet for their proclivities. So what exactly was Cronenburg bitching about? We shouldn't have all the choice & options that cable tv offers? Should we go back to the old way, with only 7 channels? We should only get our entertainment by going to the movies, specifically his? I'm sure there's some brilliant philosophical point, but if u don't like what's on tv - change the channel. Or turn it off. Or read. I get that Videodrome is a warning allegory - but a warning allegory for what?

[–] velvetkevorkian610 11 years ago

"the tumors represent sickness of some1 who spends all their time watching tv"

With this statement you pretty much had the allegory nailed down. The message was that as this new kind of television developed, people would begin to lose their humanity to the technology. It's not so much against technology and television directly as it is human dependence and obsession on it, leading to a loss of humanity. You touched on a lot of the main points related to this. This is a message very popular now with social media and technology being so dominant, where everyone says that people don't actually communicate personally anymore. This specific part of the message is even featured in the movie even though it predates the current issues by 30 years; did you notice the way that so many characters only spoke through television monologue?

On related note, I had a different interpretation of the vaginal symbolism which you mentioned. While birth is definitely a sensible relation, I think a lot more emphasis was placed in the film on things going into to the cavities rather than coming out, which has to do more with sex than birth. And what exactly is it that is being associated with sex in this way? Videotapes. Taking into account the full allegory of obsession with and dehumanization through technology, the metaphor that inserting a videotape is sex makes a lot of sense.

It's not over, everybody betrayed me! I'm fed up with this world!

[–] DaveBowman2001 9 years ago

Your name analysis is excellent. Great catch!

On a related note:

Anyone else find it interesting and unusual when TV airwaves switched to HD only signal that the government felt they had to step in and subsidize the receivers so people could still watch TV on their old sets? It's not as though people couldn't survive without network/public TV....yet Big Brother gave everyone who wanted it a $40 rebate to get their HD receiver free.

[–] PreachCaleb 8 years ago

The government gives rebates for many things it takes over.

Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead.