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A Dangerous Method

United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, France

2011

99 Min
Color
1.85:1
English, German
  • Currently 3.0/5 Stars.
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DIR David Cronenberg

EXEC Stephan Mallmann, Thomas Sterchi, Peter Watson, Matthias Zimmermann, Karl Spoerri

PROD Jeremy Thomas

SCR Christopher Hampton, John Kerr

DP Peter Suschitzky

CAST Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Vincent Cassel, Sarah Gadon, André Hennicke, Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey, Mignon Remé

ED Roland Sanders

PROD DES James McAteer

MUSIC Howard Shore

Venice (Competition), Toronto (Gala), New York (Gala), Telluride (Galas & Special Screenings), Chicago (Special Presentations), Abu Dhabi (Narrative Feature Competition), Stockholm (Open Zone), Rotterdam (Spectrum)

Synopsis

David Cronenberg, a filmmaker with a peerless grasp on the mysteries of the mind and the body, turns his attention to a seminal chapter in the founding of psychoanalysis. Adapted from Christopher Hampton’s play A Talking Cure, A Dangerous Method charts the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his protégé turned dissenter Carl Jung, as it was shaped by the case of Sabine Spielrein, a young Russian Jewish patient of Jung’s. Cronenberg brilliantly dramatizes not just the rivalry and rupture between two pioneers who defined a field but also the birth of their groundbreaking theories of the unconscious and the forces of Eros and Thanatos. Featuring an electrifying trio of lead actors, who turn near-mythic figures into flesh and blood, this is a film of tremendous vigor and ambition, a historical drama that brings ideas to life. —NYFF

Director

Original

David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father was a journalist, and his mother was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early age (he wrote and published eerie short stories, thus following his father’s path) and for music (playing classical guitar until he was 12), Cronenberg graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Literature after switching from the science department. He reached the cult status of horror-meister with the gore-filled, modern-vampire variations of Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977), following an experimental apprenticeship in independent filmmaking and in Canadian television programs.

Cronenberg gained popularity with the head-exploding, telepathy-based Scanners (1981) after the release of the much underrated, controversial, and autobiographical The Brood (1979). Cronenberg become a sort… read more

Wall

Displaying 4 of 150 wall posts.

Daniel Humphrey

28May12

Not a "big film" but perfectly made and very haunting.

Picture of James Kang

James Kang

24May12

Fantastic. The psychoanalytical conversations between Jung and Freud and Jung and Spielrein work as a metaphor for the way we engage with art, from cinephiles practicing film theory to our close readings of auteurist television like Mad Men or The Sopranos. Jung doesn't believe in coincidences and neither do we. Everything has significance, or at least that's the ideal.

Picture of Vaida Kazlauskaitė

Vaida Kazlauskaitė

24May12

"The History of Violence" is the last film by Cronenberg that i truly admire. Everything that came out afterwards seems fake to me. There is no "raw" material in his films anymore...This one was alright but if you compare it to his earlier works, it's a zero. I miss that creepy, disturbing feeling which once was so common in his films...

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afuchs

22May12

The characters are a caricature.

Related Films

Fans

Displaying 5 of 390 fans.

Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

The Golden Donkey Venice 2011

By The Ferroni Brigade on February 7, 2012

Venice! The Biennale! Retrospectives, new films, festival turmoil, art that’s not cinema—all this and more!

read article
W184

Daily Viewing. Telaroli on Cronenberg

By David Hudson on January 21, 2012

A stunning new look at Dead Ringers (1998).

read article
W184

Notebook's 4th Writers Poll: Fantasy Double Features of 2011

By Notebook on January 3, 2012

In our annual poll, we pair our favorite new films of 2011 with older films seen in the same year to create fantastic double features.

read article
W184

Notebook Reviews: David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method"

By Daniel Kasman on November 22, 2011

David Cronenberg’s film tackles Jung, Freud and psychosexual frontiers with a supreme, stately restraint.

read article
W184

David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method"

By David Hudson on November 22, 2011

“A meticulous, electric costume drama of adultery and rivalry.”

read article
W184

NYFF 2011. David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method"

By David Hudson on October 5, 2011

Turns out, the focus this time around is on the performances by Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen.

read article
W184

Movie Poster of the Week: The Posters of the 49th New York Film Festival

By Adrian Curry on September 30, 2011

A look at the posters for the films in the main slate of this year’s New York Film Festival.

read article
W184

Venice 2011. Subconscious Battles

By Daniel Kasman on September 4, 2011

David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method tackles Jung, Freud and psychosexual frontiers with a supreme, stately restraint.

read article
W184

Venice, Telluride, Toronto 2011. David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method"

By David Hudson on September 2, 2011

Strong first reviews for Cronenberg’s retelling of the Sabina Spielrein case.

read article
W184

Anticipating Venice 2011 — and Cannes 2012

By David Hudson on May 25, 2011

Last week, right in the middle of the Cannes Film Festival, when half the world's film journalists were taking in the new Terrence Malick and

read article

Blu-ray Review: A DANGEROUS METHOD

By Twitchfilm.com on March 21, 2012
There was a time when the name “David Cronenberg” conjured a singular style. He built his name on a specific type of body horror no one else could approach. Back to his very earliest films, he examined
read on Twitchfilm.com

Watch The Trailer For Cronenberg's A DANGEROUS METHOD

By Twitchfilm.com on December 17, 2011
With director David Cronenberg now deep into production on Cosmopolis the obvious question – for a while now – has been “When will we get to see some of A Dangerous Method?” And the answer to that is today
read on Twitchfilm.com

Cronenberg's A DANGEROUS METHOD Finds a Home with Sony Pictures Classics

By Twitchfilm.com on December 17, 2011
It’s pretty hard not to be excited about David Cronenberg’s upcoming period drama starring Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud, Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung and Keira Knightley as the girl in the middle
read on Twitchfilm.com

TIFF 2011: A DANGEROUS METHOD Review

By Twitchfilm.com on December 16, 2011
Perhaps the film I most anticipated at this year’s TIFF, it stands to follow that David Cronenberg’s fictionalized treatment of the interaction between Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung and Sabina Spielrein
read on Twitchfilm.com

NYFF 2011: A DANGEROUS METHOD Review

By Twitchfilm.com on October 6, 2011
During yesterday’s press conference at Lincoln Center, director David Cronenberg insisted he doesn’t think about his past pictures while engaged in the making of a new one. That doesn’t mean that audiences
read on Twitchfilm.com

First Look At Mortensen And Fassbender As Freud And Jung In Cronenberg's A DANGEROUS METHOD

By Twitchfilm.com on April 29, 2011
Well, now. Any film smart enough to cast Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender as its leads is a film with fantastic taste regardless of any other factors but take a look at the photo above to get a glimpse
read on Twitchfilm.com

A Trio Of Stills From Cronenberg's A DANGEROUS METHOD

By Twitchfilm.com on April 29, 2011
After a handful of on-set spy shots the first trio of actual stills from David Cronenberg’s upcoming A Dangerous Method have turned up recently and while they don’t provide much in terms of action they
read on Twitchfilm.com

Lists

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Reviews

Displaying 4 of 4

Challenging intellectual triangle

By Michael Harbour on January 15, 2012

An intellectual, rather than romantic, triangle. A battle of ideas waged by passionate people who’s influence is still strong more than 100 years later. In many ways, I think the movie would be more…  read review

Actioni contrariam semper et æqualem esse reactionem

By Artemis on December 21, 2011

http://embryons.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/a-dangerous-method-cronenberg-2011/

When one thinks of psychology, very few would think to associate it with physics. Yet, the origins of Sigmund Freud’s…  read review

Brain exercise.

By LifeofF​iction on December 7, 2011

This is admirably a good chunk of Oscar bait with it being a period piece about a famous and controversial figure, but even so, this has an immense level of merits. It looks absolutely beautiful…  read review

A Dangerous Method: terribly executed

By Joshua Robert Hathawa​y on November 22, 2011

Cronenberg’s worst film to date. A poorly acted period piece cobbled together like a soap opera. The script did not provide any interest to the relationship between Freud and Jung and was often stilted…  read review

Forum

Displaying 2 discussion topics.

Christopher Hampton on A DANGEROUS METHOD

13 posts by 7 people 26 days ago

A Dangerous Method - scene analysis

1 post by 1 person 5 months ago