can someone give me their interpretation of the movie
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shareYeah, it's about a military operation creating a hierarchy of mind-controlled slaves within an illicit cable network, with the goal of taking over the cable network for the military to broadcast the "Videodrome" signal over the air, creating a means to control and eventually wipe out the intended audience of the cable network, which is scum, porn-watchers, degenerates.
This was the military's plan, under the guise of "Spectacular Optics", and as we see in the movie, it didn't work out for them. They manage to brainwash Max Renn initially, into killing his partners, co-owners of the station, so that the military can have total control over the network, but then the plan backfires when Max Renn is re-programmed by Bianca O'Blivion, and sets about in his last hours trying to take down "Videodrome", with the mantra "death to 'Videodrome', long live the new flesh", the "new flesh" being the flesh that has evolved past the threat of the "Videodrome" signal. Where the military was intending to subjugate Max Renn, it unintentionally created a super-human, forced to evolve past the manipulative effect of "Videodrome".
And then, all the while, there is the "Total Recall"-style ambiguity as to whether or not all the events we are seeing are merely the mind-controlled hallucination of Max Renn, living out his fantasy as controlled opposition to the military, which has total control over his functions through the "Videodrome" signal.
So, play by play:
1. Max Renn is the owner of a porn station.
2. The military hires a mole to infiltrate the porn station, and introduce Max Renn to the "Videodrome" signal. The "Videodrome" signal is a subliminal frequency that is played underneath violent imagery, the violent imagery opening the sensory receptors of the mind to the "Videodrome" signal, like a trojan horse.
3. Once Max Renn has ingested the "Videodrome" signal, he is under the control of the military, under it's sub-division "Spectacular Optics". The "Videodrome" signal creates a tumor in your brain, giving you only a short time to live, but in the remaining time the military can broadcast hallucinations and messages and commands to you through the tumor, turning you into an agent.
4. The military programs Max to kill off the remaining owners of the company who are not under control of the military, so that the military can have total control over the cable channel. They are going to broadcast the "Videodrome" signal over the air, either for the purposes of creating an army of mind-controlled slaves, or for pure genocide. One in the same in the long run.
5. The military programs Max to kill Bianca O'Blivion, who they feel knows too much about the "Videodrome" program and is therefore a threat to the mission.
6. Bianca O'Blivion manages to break Max's programming, re-programming him to kill off the leaders of the "Videodrome" project so that it can't succeed.
7. He does this, then he kills himself, the last remaining link to "Videodrome".
If you're looking for a thematic explanation of the film, it's about how people in this age of spoon-fed meta-information are forced to evolve, think for themselves in a way that they have never done in human history, constantly defending themselves against ever-evolving, actively intelligent mental and spiritual attackers being beamed through the air into their homes, their workplaces, their government offices. The movie pretty much illustrates a constant evolutionary war for survival between propaganda technology and the people. As the people become stronger, so too must the propaganda technology become stronger, and vice versa.
7. He does this, then he kills himself, the last remaining link to "Videodrome".
I think it's more like the other leaders used Videodrome to get to him, lure him into killing himself.
As for the figurative meaning of this movie, imo it's about how people are controlled by the media and whatnot. The ups have the power to use it, Brian O'Blivion represents those who want to use it for good, Convex represents those who want to use it for bad (for example, war propaganda) but as you see they are also controlled by the media itself. It's a circle. Max represents those who were once controlled, but also broke free of it, though unsuccessfully in the end.
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When I watched this movie for the first time, I interpretted it that way. It's more plausible than the New Flesh using Max to wipe out Videodrome. Max managed to kill Videodrome's puppets, but Videodrome got Max, and IT LIVES ON ...
If you look at that final TV, in the upper right-hand corner, where the brand name would be, you see the name VIDEODROME.
Great analysis.
Did you notice the Moon poster in two different rooms of his Apt? One above a can of
"Poppycock". The Hitler in a tutu picture, like the man in the suit is using him as a MKUltra puppet as well. Lots and lots of all seeing Eye's everywhere.
This Military thesis seems to be more what you bring to it than what the movie presents. I don't know where you get it from. I must have missed that. Pictures of military weapons don't mean the military is running it. It's an image of violence, like videodrome. Second, where in the world does everybody get that Bianca and Dad represent good. They run the mission that sticks homeless/poor in front of mindless TV. Look at what they are watching. Game shows etc. I don't think you'll find anyone who will call that good, some call it evil, but it really is neither, it's just mindless dribble. I think the end scene pretty much shows that Bianca used the same mind control to get control over Videodrome. New Flesh- Videodrome neither can be called good, both mind control. Videodrome uses tumors, New Flesh uses suicide. No one's good in this. Plus claiming it's military lessens/restricts the point.
Other things worth considering is how much "happened" and how much is fantasy. For example, after attacking the pirate video guy, the wall blows up, yet the mother and kid really don't react to a wall just blowing up in their face, mom catching up to the kid and then calmly walks by the explosion (bad acting or is there a point). Second, just a first impression but how much of Convex's acts in this movie real. He looked confused and clueless when he was shot doesn't seem to recognize him reacts more to the gun. Would be interesting if he was just an eyeglass designer. (probably just my impression)