The movie that taught David Cronenberg “the power of cinema”
When considering the work of David Cronenberg, his vividly disturbing and visually arresting films often spring to mind. The Canadian director, hailed as the ‘King of Venereal Horror’ and the ‘Baron of Blood’, gifted cinema with provocative and deeply psychological narratives. From his body horror classics like The Fly to the more cerebral A Dangerous Method, Cronenberg’s works have consistently pushed boundaries, ensuring his place in the annals of cinematic history. But one film experience shaped this visionary director’s understanding of the medium’s profound emotional potential.
During a candid chat on Konbini’s Vidéo Club, Cronenberg shared a poignant childhood memory. Growing up in Toronto, he recalled the ritual of Saturday cinema outings at The Pylon theatre, where streams of children, including a young Cronenberg, flocked to watch cowboy films and Disney cartoons.
However, one day, an unusual sight caught his attention. Across the road from The Pylon stood another cinema, The Studio. It exclusively screened Italian films, and as Cronenberg exited his habitual haunt, he saw a sight that perplexed him: adults openly weeping on the street.
Until this point, Cronenberg had only thought of movies as “for children”, listing the likes of “Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, and The Durango Kid” as examples of what he thought the medium solely consisted of. Eager to uncover the cause, he approached The Studio’s marquee to find out which film had elicited such raw emotion.
The revelation? Federico Fellini’s La Strada. “That was my first understanding of the power of cinema,” Cronenberg reminisced, “That it wasn’t just a fun movie for children, a little adventure story – but that it could be emotionally very powerful.” In Fellini’s masterwork, he recognised cinema’s unparalleled ability to resonate and connect with human emotions deeply.
La Strada, released in 1954, tells the heart-wrenching tale of a young woman sold by her mother to a travelling performer. The narrative, laden with allegory and symbolism, depicts a journey rife with suffering, love, and the eternal quest for purpose. This rich tapestry of emotion, painted by Fellini, introduced Cronenberg to the medium’s profound capabilities.
Widely considered one of the most influential films of all time, this Italian classic marked the first movie that introduced mainstream, global audiences to the power of its director. Speaking on his film, Fellini said that it was “a complete catalogue of my entire mythological world, a dangerous representation of my identity that was undertaken with no precedent whatsoever”. For Cronenberg, it was a life-changing moment.
From that screening onwards, it’s evident that the depth and gravity of films like La Strada influenced Cronenberg’s cinematic journey. Over the years, he has woven tales that not only shock and intrigue but also deeply move his audience, reflecting that early lesson learnt on a Toronto street. As he succinctly put it, thinking of La Strada and Fellini marked “the beginning of my entrancement with moviemaking”.
