The Fly, David Cronenberg, 1986. Photo: NFSA.
R18+ | 95 Mins | 1986 | R18+ | 95 mins | DCP |US | D: David Cronenberg
Arc Cinema presents a series of irreverent Friday night filmic feasts, curated and hosted by drag artist and culture warrior Venus Mantrap. Cult Classics with Venus Mantrap plumbs the archives to showcase cinema with bite: films that unnerve, push buttons, ask questions and just look good on the big screen! Gather your tribe of misfits and rowdy rebels and join Venus for edgy movies, fan favourites and hidden gems.
Starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, this science-fiction reimagining pushes David Cronenberg’s preoccupation with body horror to the limits, as a mono-focused scientist (Goldblum) experiments with the transportation of living beings through his invention, the telepod.
A stylish and slick production, The Fly is Cronenberg at his best. This film simultaneously seduces and repulses thanks to the chemistry and carefully drawn characters played by Goldblum and Davis.
Released in 1986, The Fly was Cronenberg’s first major commercial success, grossing over US$60 million at the Box Office at the time (equivalent to US$160 million today) and earning an Oscar for Best Makeup.
‘A gross-your-eyes-out horror movie that is also the year’s most poignant romance’ – Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine
‘What makes The Fly such a stunning piece of obsessive filmmaking is the way Cronenberg deftly allows us to identify with his monstrous creation’ – Patrick Goldstein, LA Times
Includes a pre-screening introduction and live performance by Venus Mantrap.
VENUS MANTRAP
Venus Mantrap is an androgynous construct whose roots are firmly planted in the world of drag. Exploring aspects of cabaret, performance-art and comedy during live shows, Mantrap has produced The Bowie Ball and starred in the one-person-shows Life, Love and Lip Syncing and Valley of the Molls. Venus is regularly found at Smith’s Alternative as the MC of Cabaret Voltaire and has been a featured artist at Glitterbox, LGBTIQ+ Elders Dance Club, Drag Cabaret and Finucane and Smith’s touring show Dancehall. Follow them on Instagram at @the_venus_mantrap.
The details
What: The Fly screening + introduction and live performance by Venus Mantrap
When: 8 pm, Friday 27 September 2024
Where: Arc Cinema, NFSA Acton
Cost: $14–16 via the NFSA website
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