The great David Lynch is 78 today!
David Lynch was born on the 20th of January 1946 in Missoula, Montana, US.
Lynch has a reputation for making surreal challenging cinema that blends dream logic with neo-noir and to a certain extent that is true. He has also made films which garnered massive critical acclaim and box office success as well as co-created a TV series which became a cultural phenomenon.
David Lynch the man and his entire filmography have been incredibly influential within the landscape of American and European cinema for over 30 years.
His debut feature “Eraserhead” was completed in 1977 but was slow to find its audience until it became a hit amongst students and film buffs with midnight screenings in independent cinemas from 1980/81 and then cemented its status as a cult film with its release on VHS.
He had mainstream success with “The Elephant Man” (1980), He went on to direct “Dune” (1984) based on the epic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. This film is “divisive” to say the least and has since been disowned by Lynch himself but it still enjoys a large fanbase and true cult film status.
In 1986 Lynch released “Blue Velvet” which in my opinion is where David found his unique form. This film is nothing short of an absolute masterpiece. It is as absorbing as it is unnerving and features one of the scariest movie villains ever “Frank Booth” portrayed by the incomparable Dennis Hopper.
In the late 80s he started to develop the TV show “Twin Peaks” which was truly a pop culture sensation on its release in 1990. It ran for two seasons and had a spin-off film. “Twin Peaks” continued appeal and presence within the cultural zeitgeist allowed Lynch to create and release a 1014-minute film that was shown episodically on HBO in 2017 to expand upon the world of “Twin Peaks”.
Throughout the 1990s Lynch directed “Wild at Heart” (1990) starring Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern. “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) which is the Twin Peaks spin-off. “Lost Highway” (1997) with Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette.
It was around this time that “Lynchian” was coined as a term to describe David's work. My understanding of “Lynchian” is a neo-noir mystery story set in a mundane Americana-type setting but layered into the story are surreal and sinister elements and the use of dream logic in the narrative to create a palpable sense of unease and dread. Whereas “Eraserhead” is surreal, complex and nightmarish it can only be described as “Kafkaesque” not “Lynchian” but I don't want to get stuck in the weeds here…
BUT! Then in 1999, he released “The Straight Story” which is as the name would suggest a straight story it is purely a story about a 74-year-old guy called Alvin Straight who finds out his estranged brother is terminally ill. Alvin is unable to drive so he embarks on the 500-mile round trip on his ride-on-lawnmower. It is a lovely heartwarming offering which I imagine would have disappointed Lynch fans and caused general movie fans to give it a wide birth due to Lynch’s name being attached. But it is well worth a watch.
Lynch’s next project would end up being in my opinion his finest film to date.
Mulholland Drive (2001) which is probably his best-known work and is a pure distilled “Lynchian” thriller. I will not attempt a synopsys because you just need to experience it. In the 2022 Sight & Sound “250 Greatest Films Of All Time” list it was ranked 8th.
David has also made over 40 short films throught his career as well being a prolific painter, photographer, sculpture, poet, writer and musician. He is a real renaissance man.
David credits being a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation as the source of his profound creativity. He has meditated for 20 minuts twice a day every day since he discovered TM in 1973. His meditation is also what gives him unlimited reserves of energy and provides him inner peace and happiness. In 2005 he founded a charitable foundation that spreads the word of the benefits that TM gives and educates people on how to practice it.
I would suggest checking out,
“The Elephant Man” (1980)
Streaming on ITVX with a subscription, you can rent it on Prime or Apple TV for £3.49
Buy and keep it on Blu-ray for £8.99 or 4K UHD for £19.99 from HMV.
“Blue Velvet” (1986)
Streaming on Freevee for free or you can buy and keep it on Blu-ray for £7.99 from HMV
“Mulholland Drive” (2001)
Streaming on ITVX with a subscription, you can rent it on Prime or Apple TV for £3.49
Buy and keep it on Blu-ray £7.99 or 4K UHD for £19.99 from HMV
“WHAT DID JACK DO” (2017)
A short film thats available to stream on Netflix
“David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)
Streaming on MUBI or you can rent it on the BFI player for £3.50
You can thank me later !
