Post by agentknight on Nov 30, 2006 21:52:07 GMT -5
"Well now, I'm not gonna talk about Judy. In fact, we're not gonna talk about Judy at all, we're gonna keep her out of it."
Like all of Lynch’s work, the experience of watching this film cannot be summarized in mere words. Then why bother? Personally, I like to analyze David Lynch’s work because his thought patterns seem so out of synch with the rest of us. How can he have such an apparently likable (albeit unusual) exterior, and yet produce images of such intensity and such horror? His films are so rich and complex, yet so thoroughly disconnected from the real world - so engaging and so beautiful, yet often disturbing and frightening.
I believe that the director’s highest accomplishment is not one of his films (as brilliant as they are), but the TV series Twin Peaks. It took Lynch’s style and put it in the context of an episodic, gripping, supernatural murder-mystery, with a cast of characters far more interesting than anyone Lynch has created. Sometimes a few border on being little more than stereotypes, and a few (*cough* James *cough*) are just plain annoying, but considering how many characters there are, and how curious each of them are, the cast of the show is quite impressive. Twin Peaks was experimental enough to be interesting to the fans of Lynch’s work, and it was addictive and commercial enough to appeal to a wider, unconverted audience. It was a show that was, at once, highly gripping and enjoyable, while also managing to break down walls and push boundaries. Above all, it managed to be a bold artistic statement, regardless of the restrictions placed on television. While Twin Peaks was a huge success on TV, the film, “Fire Walk With Me,” did not fare so well, even if it is among Lynch’s best work.
It is a grossly underrated masterpiece from the master director, a film that is the very definition of the word “head-trip.” It is divided cleanly in two: the first half deals with the murder of Theresa Banks (which occurred a year before the events of the show) and two FBI agents that solve it. Later, it seems that one of the detectives assigned to the investigation, Agent Desmond, has either become a member of the Black Lodge, or, has simply gone insane. The second half shows in graphic and often shocking detail the last 7 days of Laura Palma’s life, viewed almost entirely from within her mind.
I simply can't decide whether “Fire Walk With Me” or “Lost Highway” is more terrifying. Both contain images that are nothing less that unnerving. Without spoiling too much, there are scenes of rape and domestic violence in the film which make for some very, very uncomfortable viewing, and which are made even more disturbing by the Lynchian twist placed on them. Some images, like the brief yet harrowing scene in wich David Bowie plays a large part, and one particular scene with Bob are guaranteed to result in instant defecation.
When watching the film for the first time (yes, I actually watched it twice in a row in the same day) I thought to myself that it would have been interesting to see what Lynch would have done with the concept of a young, popular girl caught in a mysterious, confusing and disturbing world from which the only escape is death without the whole Twin Peaks mythology behind it, but when I later reconsidered this, I was unsure of whether this would benefit or hinder the film. I suppose, in part, Fire Walk With Me is important to me because of it’s connection with the show, which left a massive impact on me. But also, as a self-sustaining artistic statement, it is also brilliant, if incomprehensible. It completely detaches itself from the quirkiness of the show and brings the psychological aspects to the forefront, thus giving us an experience that is at once familiar and strange – the best of both worlds, if you will.
Lynch also completely drained the film of any “commercial” appeal that the TV show had in spades. While this ultimately made the film more interesting, it also meant that the film had absolutely minimal commercial success, killing any chance of the second film that was apparently originally planned (a huge disappointment). I read on Wikipedia that all of the unused footage from the film is going to be released in a sort of “director’s cut” package which would certainly make for some interesting viewing.
As brilliant as this film is, I’m afraid I can’t recommend it to anyone who has not seen the TV series, as it reveals too much of the plot that was so masterfully revealed over the course of the 30 or so episodes (including Laura Palma’s killer) of the show. Also, I think someone who had not had previous experience with the show would not be able to comprehend the narrative (which is actually sort of confusing even with previous knowledge of the events of the show). If you have seen the TV series, though, this is one of the most gripping and most beautifully constructed films I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, and you must do yourself a favor and track it down.
A
