‘Classic Lynch: The Highs and Lows of an Uncompromising Artist’

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David Lynch, renowned for creating films and TV shows like “Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive,” and “Twin Peaks,” which depicted a tranquil America but ultimately exposed its hidden depths of mystery and the grotesque, has passed away at the age of 78.

Lynch’s death was announced on his Facebook page:

With profound sadness, we, his family, share the news of the demise of David Lynch – a man and an artist. At this moment, we kindly ask for privacy. The world feels emptier now that he’s gone, but as he often said, “Focus on the donut, not the hole.

It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”

In August, it came to light that he had been battling emphysema due to long-term smoking, and he was confined at home due to the concern of contracting COVID-19.

No one could confuse Lynch’s works with those of another artist. Unlike many prominent directors, he wasn’t associated with a movement or categorized neatly within a genre. His visuals might remind you of Luis Buñuel or Salvador Dalí, and his films showed traces of classic film noir like Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Blvd.”, but they were unique – one-of-a-kind creations. In fact, they seemed to transcend time, appearing disconnected from any specific era or location, which only added to their shocking and unsettling impact.

These tales were a blend of the terrifying and ordinary, born from a realm that could be either dreamlike or nightmarish. Despite their optimistic conclusions, they continued to stir unease. They were as puzzling as an M.C. Escher drawing, as chilling as a Grimm fairy tale, but much more challenging to understand – leading some to ponder if even David Lynch himself held the solution to unraveling them. While many acknowledged the strength of his vision and creativity, critics often questioned the coherence of the narrative.

Although the filmmaker occasionally veered towards self-mockery, his key works were frequently recognized as cinematic masterpieces by critics’ associations. In a 2012 survey of around 900 experts, the magazine Sight & Sound ranked Mulholland Drive (2001) at number 28 and Blue Velvet (1986) at number 69 among the most significant films of the past century.

Yet, there was a significant difference observed between David Lynch’s global acclaim and his domestic recognition: none of his works made it into the American Film Institute’s latest list of top 100 films, released in 2007.

Or,

David Lynch has earned international praise but has not achieved the same level of domestic admiration; his films are absent from the American Film Institute’s most recent ranking of the 100 greatest movies, which was published in 2007.

Or,

Despite David Lynch’s global fame, his movies have yet to gain similar recognition domestically: none of them appear on the American Film Institute’s latest list of top 100 films, as published in 2007.

Not every time did the Academy show their full backing: Lynch was nominated for four Oscars, first as a director for the films “Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive,” and the 1980’s adaptation of “The Elephant Man.” The latter also earned him a nomination for adapted screenplay. Eventually, in 2019, Lynch received an honorary Academy Award.

Similarly to the other contemporary American filmmaker who surpasses him in the Sight & Sound ranking (with Apocalypse Now at 14th place and The Godfather at 21st, this title belongs to Francis Ford Coppola), Lynch was one of those rare individuals in Hollywood – an artist who eventually chose to distance himself from the craft he had excelled in.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he revisited his popular television series “Twin Peaks”, first aired in 1990-91, with a disappointing reboot for Showtime in 2017. However, his cinematic work slowed significantly in the subsequent years and appeared to come to a standstill following his last film, “Inland Empire”, released in 2006.

In the later stages of his career, Lynch garnered more notice for a 17-minute short film titled “What Did Jack Do?” from 2017, where he portrayed a detective questioning a monkey, than for any other recent work in cinema. This project appeared to be as much a humorous wink as it was an artistic declaration.

Instead, following the unsuccessful film Inland Empire, he focused on his longstanding passion for painting (an interest that predated his career in film) and two other main pursuits: a coffee-making venture and transcendental meditation, a Buddhist practice he had adopted in his late twenties.

He noticed a significant transformation within himself when he began meditating, as he shared in his unconventional 2018 memoir, Room to Dream, which featured both third-person and first-person sections. Just two weeks into the practice, Peggy [his first wife, Peggy Lentz] remarked, ‘I see a change in you. Whatever was making you angry seems to have vanished.’

David Lynch, the renowned filmmaker, was born on January 20, 1946, in Missoula, Montana. His father, Donald, was a research scientist, and his mother, Edwina, taught English. Due to their careers, the family moved around quite a bit, relocating from Montana to Idaho, then Washington state, and eventually to Virginia.

Lynch, who wasn’t an outstanding scholar, found a significant influence in the Boy Scouts. Later on, many people who knew him were taken aback by the disparity between his polite demeanor and the outbursts of aggression and vulgarity seen in his work.

If you’re trying to understand Lynch’s work based on his upbringing, you might find it challenging. According to his memoir, he described his parents as “extremely loving and good.” His parents had loving parents themselves, and they were well-respected in their community. He stated that they were fair. Furthermore, Lynch believes that a significant part of who we are is predetermined at birth. This concept is often referred to as the cycle of life and death, and he thinks that he has reincarnated multiple times.

Following his departure from multiple educational institutions such as Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts and New York’s Cooper Union, Lynch was employed as an artist and printmaker in 1966. During this time, he produced his initial film, a four-minute short titled Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times). These early works eventually earned him a position at the AFI, which had recently established a Los Angeles conservatory that would later be recognized as one of America’s top film schools.

Attending classes alongside future film legends Terrence Malick and Paul Schrader, David Lynch spent the subsequent years crafting his debut feature, “Eraserhead” (1977), a bleak, black-and-white dystopian tale. The movie was both celebrated and criticized fiercely, eventually earning a cult following that led to screenings at midnight in art house cinemas nationwide. Notably, none other than Stanley Kubrick hailed it as one of his personal favorites.

The film “Eraserhead” unexpectedly led director David Lynch to his first significant project, “The Elephant Man,” when producer Mel Brooks was captivated by Lynch’s unique style. This movie is based on the true tale of Joseph Merrick, who is portrayed as John Merrick in the film. In the story, a 19th-century circus act with physical abnormalities (performed by John Hurt) is discovered and nurtured by a compassionate doctor (Anthony Hopkins).

At the initial stages of his director career, Lynch found himself in a challenging dynamic with the enigmatic Hopkins, who reportedly attempted to get him dismissed at one point. As producer Jonathan Sanger recounted, Hopkins wasn’t overtly hostile but maintained a distant demeanor. One day, Hopkins summoned Sanger to his dressing room and voiced his confusion, saying, “Why is this man allowed to direct a movie? What has he achieved? He only made one small film. I don’t understand this.

When Hopkins confronted Lynch with the demand, “Simply tell me your desire!”, Lynch remembered an uncommon surge of anger that had only occurred a few times in his life. It erupted so intensely, it was almost unbelievable – so intense that he couldn’t mimic the way he was shouting, for fear of damaging his voice. He shouted some words at him, then ordered what he wanted done. At this moment, actress Wendy Hiller quietly turned to Tony and whispered, “I would comply with his instructions.” And indeed, he did.

Initially faced with challenges, these were quickly overshadowed as the film turned out to be an exceptional critical success, garnering no less than eight Oscar nominations, alas, none of which it managed to secure.

As a gamer, I’ve got to say that adapting Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel “Dune” was as close as David Lynch ever came to mainstream Hollywood approval, but it ended up being a costly lesson for him. After spending a year and a half filming in Mexico, the post-production phase started in Los Angeles.

He described it as truly awful. It felt like a terrifying dream, having to alter the film to reach the necessary two hours and seventeen minutes. Scenes were shortened, and soft, hushed narrations were inserted since everyone assumed viewers wouldn’t comprehend the plot without them.

Lynch didn’t exactly point fingers at producer Dino De Laurentiis, but rather acknowledged his own actions. In a note, he expressed, “I had always been aware that Dino held the final cut on Dune, and because of this, I found myself making compromises even before we began filming… It was pitiful, truly, but it seemed like the only way I could keep going.

The film received harsh criticism upon its release in 1984, which appeared to halt David Lynch’s swift ascent. However, his fourth film, “Blue Velvet,” managed to save his career from fading away.

Titled after the Bobby Vinton ballad, the film “Blue Velvet” employs one of David Lynch’s preferred narrative devices – the detective genre. It tells the story of an inexperienced young man portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, who embarks on a journey of revelation sparked by a severed ear. This investigation leads him to a troubled nightclub vocalist (Isabella Rossellini, who replaced Helen Mirren) and the dangerous, twisted, and intimidating criminal mastermind who holds her captive (Dennis Hopper).

Frank Booth, a character from Hopper’s movie, is a man whose sexual anger triggers intense outbursts. His terrorizing nature is amplified by the oxygen mask he wears over his face, intensifying his desires while restricting his air supply. This enigmatic villain, who strikes fear into audiences like no other American film antagonist, holds a similar iconic status as Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter in the widely recognized horror-thriller The Silence of the Lambs.

In Hopper’s movie, Frank Booth is a man whose sexual rage explodes into violent outbursts. The terror he instills is heightened by his use of an oxygen mask that covers his face, enhancing his desires while cutting off his air supply. This chilling villain, who has no equal in terms of fear-inducing American film antagonists, shares a legendary status with Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter in the popular horror-thriller The Silence of the Lambs.

When Hopper initially talked about the role, he informed Lynch by saying, “I must portray Frank Booth as I am Frank Booth.” In response, Lynch said, “This brings both positive and negative aspects.

Apart from Hopper’s performance, the director’s exceptional storytelling abilities played a significant role in making the movie unforgettable. One instance of this was when the lead character, with an excessive curiosity, intruded into the singer’s home and concealed himself in her wardrobe. This scene mirrored the director’s own knack for voyeurism, but it was turned on its head when the singer, who he had spied upon naked, pointed a knife at him and forced him to strip as well.

This filmmaking style displayed by Lynch was unlike anything he had shown before, and possibly may never show again, with the possible exception of Mulholland Drive. It catapulted MacLachlan, Rossellini, and Laura Dern (as MacLachlan’s innocent love interest) to stardom, and it was the film that everyone was buzzing about in 1986.

Janet Maslin from The New York Times described “Blue Velvet” as an “immediate cult favorite.” With previous works such as “Eraserhead,” “The Elephant Man,” and “Dune,” David Lynch had already made a name for himself in the oddball realm, but this new project pushes him even further. A prominent feature of the film is its strange kinkiness, yet it also contains dry humor and a straightforward side that makes its quirkiness even more bewildering. It’s undeniable that it’s truly unique and exceptional.

Unique kindness might have earned praise, but it also sparked a puritanical backlash, particularly for Rossellini. She faced harsh criticism for playing roles that would have embarrassed her mother, Ingrid Bergman – an ironic commentary, considering that Bergman herself had been just as criticized when she left her husband to be with Roberto Rossellini.

Rossellini’s unique kindness drew admiration but also provoked a puritan backlash. She was heavily criticized for taking on roles that would have embarrassed her mother, Ingrid Bergman – an ironic criticism, since Bergman had faced similar condemnation when she left her husband to be with Rossellini.

Further adding to the complex web of irony, Lynch himself ended up leaving his spouse, Mary Fisk, for Rossellini, with whom he carried on a relationship spanning several years. (Having been married four times, he is now preceded in death by his most recent wife, Emily Stofle, and leaves behind four children, among them filmmaker Jennifer Lynch.)

Lynch’s debut on television with Twin Peaks created an extraordinary buzz. The horror-mystery revolved around a detective, portrayed by MacLachlan, who partnered with another FBI agent (Michael Ontkean) to solve the murder of the high school queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). The eerie depiction of the fictional town named Twin Peaks in Washington was made even more chilling by Angelo Badalamenti’s music, and the numerous enigmas within the plot sparked endless debates among viewers, both intriguing and frustrating them.

Despite being frequently hailed as one of the best TV series ever made, Twin Peaks seemed to lose momentum when David Lynch departed during the series to direct Wild at Heart, a 1990 Cannes Palme d’Or winner featuring Dern and Rossellini alongside Nicolas Cage. Later, he attributed the shortcomings of season two to his reduced involvement compared to co-creator Mark Frost.

Tony Krantz, once an agent and now an executive, commented on Mark’s achievement in the second season: ‘Mark finally received the recognition he sought because he was essentially steering the ship.’ However, David wasn’t satisfied with the scripts, as there were plotlines that hadn’t been cleared beforehand. In essence, Tony cautioned, ‘It seems you’re misunderstanding the magic that made the first season of Twin Peaks so captivating. You’re imitating and producing inferior copies instead.’

The show was discontinued during its second season, yet David Lynch frequently revisited this concept. This wasn’t just through a film (1992’s “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me”), but also in the 2017 series. However, both the critical and commercial reception for these later iterations were relatively modest.

Twin Peaks stood as the pinnacle of David Lynch’s impact on popular culture and a significant shift in his ability to resonate with societal zeitgeist. Subsequent works, such as Lost Highway (1997) and The Straight Story (1999), lacked the same widespread influence they had on society, even Lynch’s immediate follow-ups. While the public found Lost Highway‘s narrative confusing, The Straight Story, a road trip film starring Richard Farnsworth, was more positively received critically but still struggled financially despite earning its lead an Oscar nomination.

Initially dismissing Lynch’s work as gimmicky, some were astounded when he returned with a film often considered his masterpiece, or at least on par with Blue Velvet: Mulholland Drive. This 146-minute drama focuses on Naomi Watts’ character, a fresh actress in Los Angeles, who develops a friendship with another young woman (Laura Elena Harring), who has lost her memory after a devastating car accident.

The project was initially considered dead, having been canceled by ABC as a TV series. However, it was brought back to life approximately a year and a half later thanks to the determined efforts of David Lynch’s friend, Pierre Edelman who served as executive producer. This unexpected revival took place after the pilot episode was filmed in spring 1999. The prolonged gap between filming and resumption might have given Lynch time to contemplate his ideas: he succeeded in reuniting his original cast and shooting an extra 18 pages, thereby filling out the storyline and providing a logical conclusion that had been missing from the original Twin Peaks.

Once more, the director opted for his preferred narrative framework – an intriguing exploration – whereby two female characters endeavor to unravel the enigmatic history of the amnesiac. This quest propels them deeper into a progressively bizarre realm inhabited by tough guys, killers, vocalists, and moviemakers, with Justin Theroux delivering a remarkable performance as a self-absorbed director.

The film occasionally ventured towards the absurd, with certain performances that seemed excessively dramatic. However, Lynch left no question about its intentionality; this was evident in an astonishing sequence within a sequence, where Watts auditioned for a part in a poorly made movie – one that Lynch intentionally crafted to be both captivating and strikingly authentic.

Delving into reality, fiction, imagination, and authenticity has always been a captivating puzzle for me, similar to the intricate masterpieces crafted by David Lynch. His seminal work has sparked endless debates since its inception, leaving viewers pondering over what’s genuine versus what’s acted, what’s true versus what’s imagined.

Upon initially watching Mulholland Drive, Harring commented that it appeared to be about the dreams, illusions, and obsessions of Hollywood, suggesting that appearances can often be deceptive, particularly within the realm of being a movie star. On subsequent viewings, he felt the film delved into questions of identity, questioning whether we truly know ourselves. Over time, he discovered new aspects in it…

Everyone’s interpretation of the film may vary, and there’s no absolute truth about what it means. The movie provokes thought and raises questions that leave you pondering long after watching it. Many people have expressed a desire to watch it again, suggesting its enduring appeal. It intrigues us, yet I don’t think it can be fully understood. Instead, the film succeeds when it prompts us to ask questions.

Long after Lynch finished his last film, the questions still linger.

Stephen Galloway is dean of the film school at Chapman University.

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2025-01-16 21:26