Street car maims. Desire?

David Cronenberg has defended his film Crash by stressing its psychopathological content; Sean Spence examines this claim now that the film is finally allowed onto British screens.

After months of speculation about its contents, Crash finally opened in British cinemas on 6 June. The so called “sex'n'wrecks” film is still banned by Westminster City Council, and, in an unprecedented action, the British Board of Film Classification issued a 500 word justification of its decision to grant the film a certificate. Such controversy has apparently been restricted to Britain. Elsewhere the film has received nominations for awards, provoked discussion, or quietly failed at the box office.

If sex is the issue then it is perhaps rather unfair that David Cronenberg's film has been so treated. Other “art house” films have contained sex and nudity but have managed to avoid controversy. Last year, the ailing Michelangelo Antonioni's Beyond …