David Lynch: The Collection

The Elephant Man

THE ELEPHANT MAN: SPECIAL EDITION

Introduction

In 1979, David Lynch was largely unknown, with only the bizarre Eraserhead to his name. He wrote a script for Ronnie Rocket but no one was interested in it, so he called his friend and asked if there were any screenplays he could direct. The first one that was mentioned was The Elephant Man and the title so affected Lynch that he wasn't interested in anything else and was determined to make the film.

Based on the real life 'elephant man', John Merrick (John Hurt), the film takes place in Victorian London, where Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), a doctor at the London Hospital hears of a sideshow attraction. He visits the freak show for a private viewing and is struck by the deformities on Merrick's body and wants to study him further, but Merrick's boss refuses. Merrick takes ill and Treves admits him to the hospital, where he discovers to his surprise that the freak is actually a highly articulate and well educated man.

Some staff are shocked and horrified, but the night porter (Michael Elphick) organises clandestine viewings for the proles, while Treves introduces Merrick to society figures through the day.

Video

The Elephant Man is beautifully filmed by Freddie Francis, using all his knowledge of filters, lenses, lighting and locations to create a convincing portrayal of Victorian London. The special make up effects on John Hurt are incredible and extremely faithful to the real Merrick's appearance.

The film does not look nearly 30 years old and has aged very well, with a good transfer showing what a great looking film it is.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack is perfectly fine, though it's a shame no subtitling has been made. The score is wonderful and the use of Barber's 'Adagio for Strings' at the end was an inspired choice.

Inexplicably, there are no subtitles - practically a given feature of a DVD - especially when you consider the Momentum release from 2001 had several subtitle options.

Extra Features

Jonathan Evans, the archivist at the Royal London Hospital Museum, tells you everything you need to know in the featurette 'Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man', which runs for 20 minutes.

The 20 minute interview with John Hurt is interesting and informative, covering filming through to Oscar night.

The 24 minute David Lynch interview is similarly revealing about his involvement in the project.

Conclusion

Even if you've never seen The Elephant Man, you've probably heard of it and the phrase " I am not an animal! I am a human being! I...am...a man!". John Hurt is immense, portraying a character full of such sadness, determination and joy that you really feel for John Merrick's plight. Anthony Hopkins delivers one of his finest performances, his first encounter with Merrick shown as a reaction shot is a brilliant piece of screen acting.

With great cinematography, direction and story, The Elephant Man is a tremendous piece of work.

Mulholland Drive

MULHOLLAND DRIVE

Introduction

David Lynch has made some films (The Elephant Man, Dune, The Straight Story) which are easy to summarise and follow. Other titles in his canon such as Eraserhead, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and Inland Empire have narratives and imagery so bizarre that to provide a preci of the film is nigh on impossible. Mulholland Drive is one of the latter.

It begins when a woman (Laura Harring) is being driven in a limo along Mulholland Drive when the car stops and one of the drivers turns around, points a gun at her and orders her out of the car. One of two cars being driven at high speed by hyped up teenagers slams into the limo, killing both drivers and leaving the woman with complete amnesia. She makes her way down to Los Angeles and sleeps outside a house, before sneaking inside when the owners leave.

Having arrived from a sleepy town in Idaho, wide-eyed actress Betty (Naomi Watts) gets a taxi to her aunt's house and finds the mysterious brunette in the shower. Seeing a poster for Gilda, the woman tells Betty her name is Rita and Betty wants to help her discover her identity.

Meanwhile film director Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) is having problems casting his latest project due to interference by some people who appear to have complete control over the picture.

So far, so straightforward, but as with anything described as 'Lynchian', nothing is what it seems.

Video

Very well presented in anamorphic 1.85:1, this shows why David Lynch is such a master of mise-en-scène as his visual flair and control of the shot is breathtaking. There is a tremendous use of colour, lighting, costumes, make-up and every visual element adds to the texture of the story.

Audio

There is Dolby Digital 5.1 surround or 2.0 stereo and, unsurprisingly, the 5.1 is the better option with clear dialogue, good use of the surrounds and magnificent score by frequent Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti which emphasised the mysterious and erotic nature of the film.

Shockingly, unlike the 2002 release, there are no subtitles. They can't be difficult or expensive to create, don't take up a lot of space on the disc and are vital for some people, important for others and a welcome addition for the rest.

Extra Features

The individual release of Mulholland Drive is a 2-disc affair but this box set only contains the first disc with no supplementary material.

Conclusion

Mulholland Drive is a film that demands your attention from first minute to last and even then you'll probably be left wondering what the hell it was all about as the credits finish rolling. If you look at the message boards for it at the IMDb you'll find numerous well written and well argued posts saying what really happens and what everyone and everything represents, with many of them offering different and contradictory opinions. This is the beauty of the film and like the most obscure of Lynch's work, not everyone will interpret it in the same way. I have my theory but I'm keeping it to myself rather than spoil it for someone or invite a load of comments telling me how wrong I am.

This was the first David Lynch film I ever saw and couldn't wait to re-watch it and see the other movies he made. I love it and would recommend it to anyone who likes their films intelligent, thought provoking and challenging - you need to concentrate, formulate an opinion and then watch it again to see whether your theory stands up. Whether you like the film or not, there is no escaping the fact that it is beautifully constructed, shot and acted, especially by Naomi Watts and Laura Harring who provide a tangible sexual tension.

Inland Empire

INLAND EMPIRE

Introduction

Although David Lynch hadn't made a feature film since 2001's Mulholland Drive, he'd been busy with internet projects (such as Dumbland and Rabbits), teaching in film school and spending 2 ½ years (including one in Poland) making Inland Empire, a film he'll only describe as being about "a woman in trouble".

With Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway, it takes a while before you know you're in for a Lynchian experience. The auteur wastes no time here with the first scene taking place between a man and a prostitute with Polish dialogue. From there it moves to the home of an actress, Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) who is visited by a lady who begins asking her about her next project, tells her she will be cast and then informs her what the role will involve and what will happen, despite the details being unknown to Nikki. The film is called 'On High in Blue Tomorrows' and is, unknown to Nikki and her co-star Devon Berk (Justin Theroux), a remake of a Polish film that was based on a gypsy folk tale and abandoned when the leads were murdered during filming.

This information comes as quite a shock to Nikki and Devon and is only divulged by the director Kingsley Stewart (Jeremy Irons) after they have begun read-throughs. During the first scene Stewart's assistant Freddy (Harry Dean Stanton) thinks he sees someone on the set and Devon gives chase but can't see anyone.

About now things start getting a little odd: a 'lost woman' sits transfixed in front of a television in a room, watching three people dressed as rabbits (voiced by Laura Harring, Naomi Watts and Scott Coffey) exchanging deep non sequiturs accompanied by canned laughter; Nikki confuses reality with fiction, more and more becoming her character Sue and the location shifts to Poland, the 'rabbit room' and a room where prostitutes dance to 'The Locomotion'

Video

This is David Lynch's first film shot entirely in digital and, for the most part, it looks brilliant but, just as Miami Vice did, some scenes in the dark suffer with ghosting and a lack of clarity. Far from detracting from the experience, the digital look only adds to the weirdness and it's hard to say whether the visual distortion was there by accident or design.

Audio

With the choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 surround or 2.0 stereo, I went for the 5.1 which is excellent and any problems with the sound quality are probably there because Lynch meant for them to be indistinct. The only subtitles are those which translate the Polish dialogue and these are optional - this is the same set up as on my R1 copy.

Extra Features

The individual release of Inland Empire is a 2-disc affair but this box set only contains the first disc with no supplementary material other than a trailer.

Conclusion

At one point Sue says:

"I don't know what was before or after, I don't know what came first, and it's kind of laying a mind-f*** on me."

This is probably a fine way to sum up Inland Empire on first viewing. When I saw it I followed it, got lost, though I knew where I was again and then got lost again finding myself exactly as confused as Sue/Nikki was. This is what I love about David Lynch's more abstract films - you marvel at the aesthetics whilst trying to keep up with the fractured narrative and generally fail. It's only on repeated viewings that you get a handle on what's going on and then, as the end credits finish rolling, that you sit back and say "Wow".

I think David Lynch is a genius but I'm glad that every filmmaker is like him or it would make watching movies an even more time consuming and expensive activity than it already is!

Lynch campaigned in vain for Laura Dern to receive an Oscar nomination and it's unbelievable to watch her put in such a bravura performance - without a doubt the best of her career - and not receive more industry recognition than she did. As with films like Eraserhead, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive, Lynch's intangible films improve the more you watch them and Inland Empire probably improves the most as it is so bizarre and hard to follow on first viewing that this, my fifth viewing, was the most rewarding yet.

At over 170 minutes, it's a long film, reportedly trimmed down from 192, but time and money well spent especially as you are likely to watch it numerous times.

Overall Opinion

OVERALL OPINION

If you've read this far, you've probably guessed that I'm a massive David Lynch fan. I bought a box set containing Eraserhead, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive in 2003 and have since made my way through the rest of his oeuvre.

Optimum have given this boxset a very reasonable RRP and, if you are not too fussed about the lack of special features or subtitles, this is a set well worth buying - especially considering that the special edition of The Elephant Man (released only three weeks earlier) retails at £2 less than this set!

This acts as both a great introduction to the films of David Lynch and something that his fans will find a worthy package. Each film is eminently re-watchable, giving something new each time; David Lynch: The Collection would be a welcome addition to any DVD collection.