The Lynch-Pin of Cinema.
So I was on the Twin Peaks forum the other day and it made me think what would modern cinema be like without the enigma that is David Lynch?
No one else out there seems to have quite the same amount of imagination, style and strangeness. The only person I can think of who is anything like him is Lars von Trier, but even his work is not on par with Mr. Lynch’s.
Since he made his directional debut with ‘Eraserhead’ in 1977, his films have always given the critics plenty to talk about. Sometimes he has been praised and other times he has been slated. But David Lynch has always made the movies that he wanted to make and has been little affected by the views of those around him.
I have seen a good many unsettling movies over the years, but I would still say that ‘Blue Velvet’ is one of the most downright disturbing ones. Right from the start when Kyle MacLachlan finds a human ear in a field (a typical Lynchian moment) I was riveted. The story is dark and brooding with several bizarre twists and turns. Only David Lynch can manage to make the sunny suburbia of America so bloody scary.
Dennis Hopper put in the performance of a lifetime as Frank and scared the living poo out of audiences everywhere. The film is a study of voyeurism, obsession and control. Some critics thought the movie was overly long; little did they know that David Lynch’s original version had been four hours. At the time of its release, ‘Blue Velvet’ received some very mixed reviews. Although, it is now firmly recognised as a classic piece of modern cinema and it has a huge cult following.
‘Blue Velvet’ has been mimicked by many other films and even David Lynch has returned to it several times to re-use ideas; fans of his Twin Peaks series will be able to give you several good comparisons.