David Lynch is a well-known director for his films Blue Velvet,Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, and his show Twin Peaks. He has directed and written other films, but these are his most well-known. His films are works of art in surrealism and are visually stunning and provokes thought into the viewer. Lynch’s style of filmmaking is one to talk about.
David Lynch was born January 20, 1946 in Missoula, Montana. He moved around a lot because his father’s work as a scientist. He studied art in Boston, Philadelphia, and Europe. He studied art before his went into filmmaking through short films first (Biography).
In the late 60’s, Lynch made short films, even animated such as Six Men Getting Sick and The Alphabet (Live-action and animated). His first completely live-action short film was The Grandmother in 1970. Next, he moved on from short films to work on a feature length film: Eraserhead in 1977 (Biography).
Eraserhead is written and directed by Lynch. It’s a film that is not conventional in any way. It makes the viewer really think about what they just watched. I always love a film like that. Films that are straightforward can get boring. Filled with “dark nightmarish atmosphere and compellingly disturbing visuals. Henry Spencer is a hapless factory worker on his vacation when he finds out he’s the father of a hideously deformed baby. Now living with his unhappy, malcontent girlfriend, the child cries day and night, driving Henry and his girlfriend to near insanity (Samuelson). The film had eight Academy Award nominations, two on his directing and screenplay. So, it was very well received, even though people had no idea what they were really watching.
Blue Velvet came out in 1986 and was filled with dark moments and a chilling story on a small town. It won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, which is one of the highest film awards one can get (Biography). There is a lot to see in this film. The symbolism of colors, the characters, the chilling storytelling, and the soundtrack leaves a lot to the viewers mind.
Then there was one of my favorite shows, Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks is a show about a small town that has something horrible happen. The event scares the whole town and among the list of characters that we see throughout. The show explores hidden realms of life and of the universe along with characters that you care for along the way. I will say, after watching the two seasons recently, I love this show, minus some ‘cheesy’ dialogue. It’s fantastic. The third season that is currently airing, is beyond amazing. Lynch has been working on this for years and it shows. Mulholland Drive came out in 2001 and his filled with ambiguousness. I won’t say anymore, because it’s a film one should watch without any knowledge. Just know that it is a fan favorite starring Naomi Watts and Laura Harring (Mulholland Drive).
All of Lynch’s work is surrealism. “The movement used shocking, irrational, or absurd imagery and Freudian dream symbolism to challenge the traditional function of art to represent reality” (Divadaniela). The movement came about in 1924 around small groups of artists and filmmakers. “To refer to Surrealism as a genre is to imply that there is a repetition of elements and a recognizable, generic formula which describes their makeup” (Divadaniela).
How does this go along with David Lynch? All his films and the show Twin Peaks share surrealism. “He explores this dichotomy through the subjectivity of his character’s mind, examining the dissolve between reality and nightmare” and draws on the subconscious of the characters (Smith). “…the movement’s ultimate goal is not about making a complete break from reality, rather breaking the boundary between conscious and subconscious in order to achieve a new reality” (Smith). Through symbolism and different realities of time and dimensions, there is a lot to go from in his films. You just have to know what to look for.
David Lynch’s style of filmmaking goes beyond reality and makes you wonder what it is your watching. Filled with symbolism and surrealism, his films exhibit his artwork. Give Lynch’s films a watch for they are not only his work, but they are really interesting. Get out of the normal day to day films and watch something that will provoke your mind. With Lynch’s films, you can do this.
References
Biography. (2015, April 08). David Lynch. Retrieved June 30, 2017, from https://www.biography.com/people/david-lynch-9389739
D. (n.d.). Surrealist Cinema? Retrieved June 30, 2017, from http://cinecollage.net/surrealism.html
Mulholland Drive (2001). (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2017, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166924/
Samuelson, J. (n.d.). Eraserhead (1977). Retrieved June 30, 2017, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074486/
Smith, J. (2013, April 16). David Lynch and Surrealism in Twin Peaks, Mulholland Dr. and Lost Highway. Retrieved June 30, 2017, from https://www.popoptiq.com/david-lynch-and-surrealism-in-twin-peaks-mulholland-dr-and-lost-highway/
