Saddened by the passing of David Lynch we all had many opportunities to connect with Mr Lynch here in the Dallas Film Society due to his connection to Michael Cain who had a deep connection with the prolific filmmaker. Brian had written this article sometime ago but I felt this would provide a touching Memoriam for the filmmaker from the staff here at ReelNewz.
David will be missed for all he brought to humanity and to the screens we share and love.
By Brian Landa
@BrianLandaLawyer
David Lynch. What can be said about this fascinating man that hasn’t been said before? A “Golly Gee!” Eagle Scout with a very very dark side? A riddle wrapped in an enigma? As of late, he hasn’t been quite as unknowable or evasive as all that.
Lynch has been fresh on my mind in recent days, in large part due to the fantastic new Criterion Collection Blu-Ray release of The Elephant Man (1980). His second feature film after Eraserhead (1977), this stunningly lensed black & white drama is about the real-life Joseph Merrick (called John in the film), a disfigured from birth young man made prisoner to the owner of a traveling carnival in Victorian England.
He suffered various ailments and his physical appearance was such that he was often hidden under heavy black cloaks, head concealed in a sack with a single small rectangular hole, topped with a black cap. This image has become iconic in cinema history. As portrayed by a young John Hurt, his humanity shines through under pounds of authentic make-up and prosthetics, while the nature of man as monster is explored. But who really is the monster?
What used to be a surprising fact is now somewhat well-known. None other than comedy genius Mel Brooks (still thankfully very much alive at the time I’m writing this) was a main producer on The Elephant Man. Although the name “Mel” never appears in the visible credits, his production company Brooksfilms does. The presence of his wife Anne Bancroft and his longtime composer John Morris are certainly clues that he was there every step of the way.
Lynch had won a highly competitive scholarship from the American Film Institute (AFI), and was essentially a complete unknown when he stepped forward with a desire to direct The Elephant Man. He had made Eraserhead over a span of years in near complete secrecy on the sprawling Beverly Hills campus of the AFI. Brooks didn’t know Lynch from Adam (himself often a target of Brooks’ Biblical humor), so he insisted on seeing Eraserhead before allowing Lynch to direct a film starring the already on the verge of legendary Anthony Hopkins.
Eraserhead is a whole other creature, impenetrable, repellent and beautiful, shocking and stunning. There really is nothing else quite like it. And it is not for everyone. Lynch was nervous about Brooks seeing it. My favorite story about this period of Lynch’s career, which is possibly apocryphal but I sincerely hope it’s true, is that Brooks emerged from the screening with arms wide, rushing towards Lynch, who was waiting outside the auditorium. Brooks yelled “You’re a madman! I love you! You’re in!” and gave him a giant bear hug.
I’ve been a Lynch fan since the 1980s. I had the premiere date for Twin Peaks on my calendar for months before it aired its first episode on the ABC Television Network in Spring 1990. This was commercial TV, not cable, and no one had ever seen anything quite like it on a flickering screen in their living room before (other than people who may have seen subpar Pan & Scan VHS versions of Lynch’s weirder films). Though I’ve never met Lynch personally, I made a pilgrimage to Snoqualmie Falls, Washington in 2016 to see some of the filming locations.
A recent documentary about Lynch, The Art Life (2016), covers the period from his birth in Missoula, Montana right up to when he started to make Eraserhead. His time in various art school programs in Boston and Philadelphia both scarred him and sparked him. He was terrified of Philadelphia, but at the same time loved how inspiring what he saw as ugly and cruel could be. Lynch lived in a dirty industrial part of town, far from the historic and patriotic tourist areas, and the look of the Eraserhead world is a direct result.
Lynch revisited the Twin Peaks universe in 2017 with an 18 episode limited series made for the Showtime cable channel. Free from the constraints of commercial television, this sprawling and often frustrating “Return” had such an impact that some named it as the best “movie” of the year. Several characters are back, and there are many new ones. Certain viewers were annoyed that much of the series does not take place in Twin Peaks, WA. But to be frustrated, without being open things like to watching a janitor sweep the floor in an uncut shot for several minutes, is to resist what makes Lynch well…Lynch. The stunning Episode 8, set at the dawn of the Nuclear Era, has been declared one of the greatest hours of television ever.
At least ten years ago, Lynch first stated that he would “never make another film” again. Some think this means he will never make another feature film, while some think he meant that he will work in digital rather than celluloid. I hope it is the latter. Inland Empire (2006) was Lynch’s last theatrical release. It continues to be very difficult to find in a format viewable on U.S. region players. This could be by design. Lynch may prefer it that way. Some things do indeed need to remain enigmatic.
No doubt Lynch will be on the forefront of many minds due to one of his much less traumatic, yet highly misunderstood and underappreciated films, Dune. As Dennis Villaneuve’s version hits screens (hopefully big screens, though the future of all that is in question as of late), perhaps Lynch’s Dune will get a second look by naysayers.
Room To Dream (2018) is a meta-autobiography of Lynch. The format is fascinating. Chapters are paired. The first of each pair is written by a third party biographer and contains material from interviews with various people who were there at the time of the events. The chapter that immediately follows is written solely by Lynch himself, supplementing and correcting what has been discussed and described by the biographer. It’s somewhat of a hefty tome, but never ever boring.
Now 74 years old, Lynch isn’t quite done yet. And so much of his fantastic filmography and art endeavors have barely been touched upon here. He’s the biological father of a young girl named Lula, a nod to Laura Dern’s character in Lynch’s insane road trip movie Wild At Heart (1989).
A dedicated longtime practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and highly altruistic, his projects may delve into the darkest recesses of the human (and inhuman) psyche, but he truly wants the world to be a better place. The mission statement of The David Lynch Foundation is “Healing Traumatic Stress and Raising Performance.” And in these troubled times, we can all definitely benefit from that.
