a Cronenberg's Movie: Scanners

'Scanners (1981) ', written and directed by Canadian film director; David Conenberg, can be called as a low-budget science fiction-horror film. The movie's music is composed by Howard shore like Conenberg's other ones.

Cameron Vale who is an undiscovered homeless scanner and has an extraordinary power , is found by a professor , Dr. Ruth for Doctor's purposes. Dr. Ruth works for ConSec, as a Head of ConSec's Scanner Research Section where weaponary are manufactured. Dr. Ruth is profession on Scanners and use them for ''ConSec's Security Systems''. Scanners are people who have telepatic and telekinetic powers. They hear people' thoughts reluctantly and can control people' behaviours. Biocarbon Amalgamate is an institute, established by Dr. Ruth in the past, is controlled by David Revok and Dr. Ruth is totally unaware of that. David Ravok who is the oldest and most powerful scanner, produces a drug called Ephemerol in order to empire his own world. Ephemerol helps to scanners to control their ability and artifically creates new scanners. So, Basically a battle has begun between Dr. Ruth and David Revok; Humanity & Scanners.

Cameron Vale who is taken charge to destroy Revok's distopia, is like a new born baby. He deals with problems which have been already overcomed by Revok.He struggles with the pressure of his powerful scanning ability. In addition to that, He has trouble with huge amount of people thoughts that he can not even hear his own thought. As if power converts goodness to evil, Sometimes Cameron behaves like a bad guy. On the other hand, David has already reached to maximum evil level. He hasn't got any trace of humanity.

In past, David drilled a hole on his forehead in order to decrease the pressure of his thoughts which are in his mind. In times, he overcomes with these kind of problems with ephemerol and gaining experiences and power.

There is a division between scanners and humanity and this creates a dichotomy, according to David. David wants to defeat the humanity. He is the oldest and the strongest scanner. He controls all the other scanners as if there is just one nervous system controlled by David. When David kills a scanner, he suck the knowledge and power of the scanner. If it is consedered, it can be concluded that he desires to create his own distopia. There is no choice to make a differentiation by not choosing the side of David if you are a scanner and being the other like Benjamin Pierce. Benjamin is an artist who uses his art in order to escape from his thoughts. He makes rehabilitation by art and his art saves his mind. As much as it is seen, his art belongs to expressionism stream. He makes sculputures like skulls that express the chaoses in his mind. Benjamin is taken a drubbing because of his choice.

Dr. Ruth who is a psycho pharmacist, is obsessed with his profession. He believes in Cameron from the beginning, However, it is explicit from the external eye that winner of the battle will be David.

It is get used to see the realationship between science and body on Conenberg's movies and based on that Body objects are seen. In Scannners, However, We see the connection between science and mind and head objects related to that. When scanners read the minds of people, the voice is used for that scene is like computer voice. The voice forces the brain nerves and creates an annoying mood. Mind and Technology are integrated.

The other difference of Scanners is that There is no focus on woman's body and sex. This movie is more masculine acoording to others.

One of the most important reason of being renowned of the movie is the blowing of head. This money shot of the movie is unbelievable realistic and cause you to stop watching movie, taking a breath deeply than continue to watch the movie. This famous scene was created by Chris Walas who worked on the other movies of Conenberg, as well.

  

Finally, I would like to share a part from the book named 'Conenberg on Conenberg', related to movie.

' ...Both Stereo and Crimes of the Future take place in and around strange-sounding committiees and renegade groups. This can be seen in Rabid, The Brood, Videodrome and Scanners.

 I often wonder what it's like to be a cell in a body. Just one cell in skin or in a brain or an eye. What is the experience of that cell? It has an independent existence, and yet it seems to be part of something that doesn't depend on it, and that has an existence quite separate from it. When you think of colonies of ants or bees, they aren't physically joined the way an organism made up of cells is, but its the same thing. They have an independent existence, an independent history. But they are part of a whole that is composed of them.

An institution is really like an organism, a multi-celled animal in which the people are the cells. The very word 'corporation' means body. An incorporation of people into one body. That's how the Romans thoght of it. Five people would incorporate and become a sixth body, subject to the same laws as they would as individuals. I connect this with the concept of a human body, in which the cells change regularly. They live and die their own lives, and yet the overall flow of the existance of the body as an individual seems to be consistent.

People are fascinatined by little sections of the CIA, which might be said to develop independent of the body of the CIA. It's like a tumour or a live or a spleen that decides it will have its own independent existence. It still needs to share the common blood that flows through all the organs, but the spleen wants to go off and do a few things. It'll come back. It has to. But it wants to have its own adventures. I dont think of it as a threat. Its only a real threat if all your organs decide to go off in different directions.  At a certain point the chaos equals destruction. But at the same the potential for adventure and creative difference is exciting.'

Citation & Reference;

Cronenberg on Cronenberg