Most active commenters
  • JKCalhoun(5)
  • adamc(3)

←back to thread

David Lynch has died

(variety.com)
1190 points wut42 | 80 comments | 16 Jan 25 18:20 UTC | HN request time: 0.007s | source | bottom
Show context
handfuloflight ◴[16 Jan 25 19:04 UTC] No.42729452[source]▶
"My childhood was elegant homes, tree-lined streets, the milkman, building backyard forts, droning airplanes, blue skies, picket fences, green grass, cherry trees. Middle America as it's supposed to be. But on the cherry tree there's this pitch oozing out – some black, some yellow, and millions of red ants crawling all over it. I discovered that if one looks a little closer at this beautiful world, there are always red ants underneath. Because I grew up in a perfect world, other things were a contrast."

David Lynch

replies(8): >>42729514 #>>42729571 #>>42729726 #>>42729809 #>>42730339 #>>42733368 #>>42734436 #>>42734793 #
nathcd ◴[16 Jan 25 19:26 UTC] No.42729726[source]▶
"What a heavy load Einstein must've had. Fuckin' morons, everywhere."

David Lynch

replies(3): >>42729774 #>>42729798 #>>42730322 #
1. sk11001 ◴[16 Jan 25 19:32 UTC] No.42729798[source]▶
I have never seen a single one of his movies but I love watching interviews with him, he had an amazing presence and so much energy.
replies(11): >>42729934 #>>42730285 #>>42730372 #>>42730723 #>>42730837 #>>42731083 #>>42731342 #>>42732741 #>>42733882 #>>42734573 #>>42734824 #
2. gordon_freeman ◴[16 Jan 25 19:43 UTC] No.42729934[source]▶
Start with "Eraserhead" and then go from there. Surreal is the word I associate with his movies and tv show (Twin Peaks) and I absolutely love watching such movies!
replies(5): >>42730168 #>>42730224 #>>42730609 #>>42730949 #>>42731015 #
3. jimbob45 ◴[16 Jan 25 20:03 UTC] No.42730168[source]▶
Dune or Twin Peaks are probably going to be more accessible than anything else.

For Eraserhead, I understand the metaphor of how parenting can be larger-than-life and terrifying and I see how Eraserhead was trying to embody that but I very much didn't appreciate the highly pessimistic ending. It's an early movie that would have benefited immensely from an alternate ending on its DVD.

replies(4): >>42730256 #>>42730310 #>>42730628 #>>42731668 #
4. Trasmatta ◴[16 Jan 25 20:07 UTC] No.42730224[source]▶
> Surreal is the word I associate with his movies and tv show

And his style of surrealism has been so influential that it has its own term: Lynchian!

replies(1): >>42732867 #
5. gordon_freeman ◴[16 Jan 25 20:10 UTC] No.42730256{3}[source]▶
The beauty of Lynch films is that everyone can interpret it in their own way!
replies(1): >>42730293 #
6. mtalantikite ◴[16 Jan 25 20:13 UTC] No.42730285[source]▶
I'd personally say try Mulholland Drive first.
replies(3): >>42730479 #>>42730935 #>>42742164 #
7. DrillShopper ◴[16 Jan 25 20:13 UTC] No.42730293{4}[source]▶
I know what you're trying to say, but that's also true of every other movie.
replies(2): >>42732800 #>>42734479 #
8. Trasmatta ◴[16 Jan 25 20:15 UTC] No.42730310{3}[source]▶
I think there's a lot more to Eraserhead than that! I also don't really see the ending as pessimistic personally.

Lynch: "Believe it or not, Eraserhead is my most spiritual film."

Lean: "Elaborate on that?"

Lynch: "No, I wont. No one sees it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjoMEw2RYlA

9. Triphibian ◴[16 Jan 25 20:19 UTC] No.42730372[source]▶
I'm gonna say start with Blue Velvet. It still has the backbone of a classical noir, but it is completely run through with the character of his work. Mulholland Drive reflects the apex of his vision and talents, but there's a learning curve to appreciating it.
replies(7): >>42730676 #>>42730838 #>>42730932 #>>42732853 #>>42732941 #>>42733320 #>>42733614 #
10. Keyframe ◴[16 Jan 25 20:29 UTC] No.42730479[source]▶
oh boy. I'd understand if you said to try Mullholland Drive first, second, and third and then go from there.
replies(1): >>42731822 #
11. epolanski ◴[16 Jan 25 20:41 UTC] No.42730609[source]▶
Season 3 Twin Peaks is peak "I don't know what am I looking at".
replies(2): >>42730820 #>>42731772 #
12. msabalau ◴[16 Jan 25 20:42 UTC] No.42730628{3}[source]▶
The Straight Story is almost certainly his most accessible film, while also very focused on themes that he cares about.

It isn't the elusive puzzle that many cinephiles value in his work, but it is clearly a Lynch film, even if it's not a stereotypical one.

replies(2): >>42731086 #>>42733751 #
13. signalToNose ◴[16 Jan 25 20:46 UTC] No.42730676[source]▶
Wild at heart. Very approachable, but gory and brutal. The angst seep trough
14. Vetch ◴[16 Jan 25 20:49 UTC] No.42730723[source]▶
I'm also ashamed to say I've also never seen any of his movies and TV series but this still hits hard because of his influence on some my most cherished fictional properties. These are Alan Wake/Control, Silent Hill 1&2, Returnal and Disco Elysium.

Actually, his influence on how surrealist fiction is presented throughout all media cannot be understated. I was surprised to read even the original Zelda has him as an influence. Majora's Mask does feel particularly Lynchian.

It would not surprise me if the Souls games and at least the later Berserks (late 90s/early 2000s forward) were either directly or 1-step indirectly influenced by Lynch.

replies(2): >>42731395 #>>42731506 #
15. Lio ◴[16 Jan 25 20:58 UTC] No.42730820{3}[source]▶
When it first came out I was so desperate to see it I watched the first episode twice without realising.

I spent the whole time trying to work out what was different between the "two".

I mean, it’s exactly the sort of thing he would do and I still loved it.

Magic!

16. mortenjorck ◴[16 Jan 25 20:59 UTC] No.42730838[source]▶
On the other end, save Inland Empire for after you've seen a lot of his filmography and are in the mood for a challenge.

I wouldn't call it his best work, but it is Lynch at his most singular and uncompromising.

replies(3): >>42732167 #>>42732769 #>>42733688 #
17. adamc ◴[16 Jan 25 21:08 UTC] No.42730932[source]▶
Nooooo, not Blue Velvet. That's on my "never watch again" list, because the people in it are so creepy I wanted to just go buy a million guns afterwards.
replies(3): >>42732253 #>>42732366 #>>42733102 #
18. adamc ◴[16 Jan 25 21:09 UTC] No.42730935[source]▶
Yes. Definitely his best.
19. kingstoned ◴[16 Jan 25 21:10 UTC] No.42730949[source]▶

    When people say "surreal" they mean "real", it's just most of your life is not very real, just repetition and routine. - Norm Macdonald
20. scoofy ◴[16 Jan 25 21:17 UTC] No.42731015[source]▶
Eraserhead is borderline unwatchable. I love David Lynch, sort of, but without telling people that they're about to sit down and watch an hour-and-a-half of what is effectively an unwatchable piece of avant-garde cinema, then they're not going to be able to appreciate it.

There is nothing worse than getting excited to see a famous director's debut film, thinking you're going to have a good time, and then getting Eraserhead.

replies(3): >>42731343 #>>42731552 #>>42731950 #
21. geophile ◴[16 Jan 25 21:24 UTC] No.42731083[source]▶
Gentle intro: Rabbits, on youtube.
replies(1): >>42731744 #
22. retinaros ◴[16 Jan 25 21:24 UTC] No.42731086{4}[source]▶
actually it is an elusive puzzle :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa16cd5zAuc&ab_channel=KyleL...
23. intellectronica ◴[16 Jan 25 21:47 UTC] No.42731342[source]▶
If you only watch one, I think Fire Walk With Me is the most representative. If you like it, there's a lot more to explore. If not, then maybe Lynch isn't your thing.
replies(4): >>42731837 #>>42731846 #>>42733775 #>>42768981 #
24. tjakab ◴[16 Jan 25 21:47 UTC] No.42731343{3}[source]▶
Eraserhead is highly watchable, but the first time you see it, it's best to just experience it without trying to process it too much. The nuance comes through on repeat viewings.
replies(1): >>42731476 #
25. wdbbdw ◴[16 Jan 25 21:53 UTC] No.42731395[source]▶
I think it was less the original Zelda than it was Link's Awakening that had the Lynch influence, specifically influence by Twin Peaks

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/12/feature_how_david_...

replies(1): >>42740835 #
26. scoofy ◴[16 Jan 25 22:01 UTC] No.42731476{4}[source]▶
>Eraserhead is highly watchable

It is a film explicitly designed to be unpleasant. This may be artistically interesting, but it's certainly no going to appeal to most people.

27. _hzw ◴[16 Jan 25 22:05 UTC] No.42731506[source]▶
An (un)obvious connection between Eraserhead and Bloodborne (spoiler!):

https://www.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/xgu21c/eraserhe...

28. labster ◴[16 Jan 25 22:10 UTC] No.42731552{3}[source]▶
I rented Eraserhead and watched with some friends in college. I loved it, and so did the other Lynch fan. The other two, well, the first words spoken over the credits were “What the actual fuck was that?” Let’s just say it’s a divisive film.
29. saijanai ◴[16 Jan 25 22:22 UTC] No.42731668{3}[source]▶
His most mainstream work is The Elephant Man, commissioned by Mel Brooks.
replies(1): >>42732570 #
30. WorldMaker ◴[16 Jan 25 22:31 UTC] No.42731744[source]▶
Also on YouTube: "David Lynch Cooks Quinoa". It's a short film that is both nothing like his films/TV and everything like his films/TV. It's that "cooking podcast" or "recipe blog" that's a meandering journey through life and maybe has some bon mots about living, but also includes a recipe because it does. Like watching a beloved elderly relative do something normal in the kitchen, but also moody and in black and white.
replies(2): >>42734764 #>>42741492 #
31. ruthmarx ◴[16 Jan 25 22:34 UTC] No.42731772{3}[source]▶
It's at least a third watching one of Kyle MacLachlan's characters walking around with brain damage.

I liked the season after a rewatch but the Dougie stuff is still tedious.

replies(1): >>42731857 #
32. ddellacosta ◴[16 Jan 25 22:40 UTC] No.42731822{3}[source]▶
Yes this may be my favorite of his films, and I love pretty much everything he's done
33. pesus ◴[16 Jan 25 22:43 UTC] No.42731837[source]▶
Great movie, but I'm not sure I would've enjoyed it as much if I hadn't already watched Twin Peaks.
34. astrange ◴[16 Jan 25 22:44 UTC] No.42731846[source]▶
I think that "fire walk with me" poem is so clunky I've refused to watch anything he's ever made.
35. MisterTea ◴[16 Jan 25 22:45 UTC] No.42731857{4}[source]▶
The Dougie stuff was silly fun. Cherry pie
replies(1): >>42740427 #
36. monophonica ◴[16 Jan 25 22:54 UTC] No.42731950{3}[source]▶
If someone is not into art films, to not start with Twin Peaks is absolutely insane to me.

First two seasons of Twin Peaks are his masterpiece IMO and his most watchable.

Those are some of the best characters of any film/tv show ever.

From there I would go to Lost Highway next for a stronger dose of the more out there stuff.

replies(4): >>42732022 #>>42735736 #>>42740200 #>>42746529 #
37. tpm ◴[16 Jan 25 23:02 UTC] No.42732022{4}[source]▶
But he didn't direct all of Twin Peaks episodes and it shows.
38. ljm ◴[16 Jan 25 23:15 UTC] No.42732167{3}[source]▶
I would put Twin Peaks: The Return up there too. Beneath the trademark surrealism and whimsy there’s an intense, bittersweet profoundness.

It was the last thing he made for TV/cinema and for me feels like the culmination of everything he did before it.

39. noisem4ker ◴[16 Jan 25 23:26 UTC] No.42732253{3}[source]▶
I feel the same. If Blue Velvet was the first Lynch movie I saw, I surely wouldn't have bothered with the rest, and I would have missed out on what I now consider one of my absolute favorites (Mulholland Drive). Same goes for Eraserhead and Wild at Heart.
replies(2): >>42732775 #>>42733921 #
40. emmelaich ◴[16 Jan 25 23:39 UTC] No.42732366{3}[source]▶
But it's also so beautiful; Laura Dern's character is so touching and Kyle McLachlan playing the naif in a world of evil is so moving.

And when they dance together at the end with "Mysteries of Love" playing - wow.

41. colmmacc ◴[17 Jan 25 00:06 UTC] No.42732570{4}[source]▶
The Elephant Man is great, but does have a surreal sequence, and is entirely in black and white. I'd vote for the The Straight Story, which is literally a Disney movie, being more mainstream.
42. JKCalhoun ◴[17 Jan 25 00:33 UTC] No.42732741[source]▶
Can recommend the documentary "David Lynch, The Art Life". For now appears to be here:

https://youtu.be/a6slh83RhfA

(Sorry — it appears to be 360p, not very hi-res. Other higher res versions can be found but with subtitles or dubbed in... maybe Farsi?)

43. JKCalhoun ◴[17 Jan 25 00:40 UTC] No.42732769{3}[source]▶
> Lynch at his most singular and uncompromising

More so than "Eraserhead"?

44. JKCalhoun ◴[17 Jan 25 00:41 UTC] No.42732775{4}[source]▶
Agree about "Blue Velvet" — too much Dennis Hopper, ha ha. Also agree the "Mulholland Drive" is a masterpiece.
45. JKCalhoun ◴[17 Jan 25 00:44 UTC] No.42732800{5}[source]▶
Well Lynch famously said this over and over about his films — that they mean whatever people think they mean.

Watch a few interviews where he is asked what a film of his means. A smirk comes on his face and he repeats his mantra.

He never let on.

replies(1): >>42733856 #
46. werdnapk ◴[17 Jan 25 00:54 UTC] No.42732853[source]▶
Mulholland Drive was my first Lynch movie and led me to watch pretty much everything else he released. I'd still start with Mulholland Drive if I started over again I think.
47. werdnapk ◴[17 Jan 25 00:56 UTC] No.42732867{3}[source]▶
The "sausages" skit [1] by kids in the hall I'm pretty sure is massively inspired by eraserhead.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ChvxsVgT8c

48. butterisgood ◴[17 Jan 25 01:07 UTC] No.42732941[source]▶
Other than the 1980's Dune movie he directed, I think it was either Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive that made me want to know more about David Lynch.

I had to watch Mulholland Drive at least 5 times to get a sense of what it's even about, and I think I must have been the audience for which he made that film, if it wasn't indeed just art to make himself happy (which is the BEST kind).

Anyway, it kind of endears another person to you when you connect with their work. So this one hit kind of hard.

I lost a fellow weirdo, and he'll be missed!

49. zug_zug ◴[17 Jan 25 01:35 UTC] No.42733102{3}[source]▶
Literally just watched it today and it's definitely in my 10 least favorite movies I've ever watched. Wish I had seen your comment.
50. crispyambulance ◴[17 Jan 25 02:10 UTC] No.42733320[source]▶
Elephant Man is perhaps the most approachable. Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt are at the apex of their acting careers in this film.

After that Mullholland Drive is absolutely brilliant and has that unforgettable masterpiece diner scene: https://youtu.be/UozhOo0Dt4o?si=GedzAdMh0KIXoHz4

replies(2): >>42734843 #>>42750216 #
51. xivusr ◴[17 Jan 25 02:55 UTC] No.42733614[source]▶
The lipstick scene. There should be an emoji for that.
52. imbnwa ◴[17 Jan 25 03:09 UTC] No.42733688{3}[source]▶
The Sekiro of Lynch movies. I was defeated by the first dance routine.
53. turbojet1321 ◴[17 Jan 25 03:22 UTC] No.42733751{4}[source]▶
It also happens to be just a beautiful film.
54. turbojet1321 ◴[17 Jan 25 03:25 UTC] No.42733775[source]▶
Look, I love FWWM, but that's a brutal way to start. Firstly, it works a lot better if you know TP. Secondly... it's a brutal film. I've seen it a bunch of times and still find some of it hard to watch.
55. k_roy ◴[17 Jan 25 03:42 UTC] No.42733856{6}[source]▶
I'd argue many creators are this way. Nobody is ever going to approach a piece of art the same way.

Unless you are a narcissist (probable billionare) who feels the need to go back and explain every detail about the wizarding world you created a few decades later and reveal what kind of piece of crap you are.

replies(2): >>42734217 #>>42737465 #
56. ratrocket ◴[17 Jan 25 03:50 UTC] No.42733882[source]▶
Whether you've seen his movies or not, this 35 second video clip is David Lynch gold ("David Lynch on product placement"):

https://youtu.be/F4wh_mc8hRE?si=SJwtz31ZEWuW9rk7

(Has swearing off that matters for your use!) Rest in peace.

57. dalmo3 ◴[17 Jan 25 03:58 UTC] No.42733921{4}[source]▶
It was my first, and I didn't bother with the rest.

There's just something in it that made me viscerally hate it, and I'm usually fond of surreal movies.

replies(1): >>42737970 #
58. deadfoxygrandpa ◴[17 Jan 25 04:52 UTC] No.42734217{7}[source]▶
sure but david lynch obviously lent into that way more than most others. his work is famously obtuse and the experience of each person watching and having that experience and interpreting it on their own was a huge part of the point of his work in a way that just isnt true for many other people
59. HKH2 ◴[17 Jan 25 05:50 UTC] No.42734479{5}[source]▶
No, there's far more room for interpretation than in a typical movie.
60. kamranjon ◴[17 Jan 25 06:11 UTC] No.42734573[source]▶
Surprised nobody has mentioned Lost Highway - to me it is the perfect film.
replies(1): >>42768929 #
61. aidenn0 ◴[17 Jan 25 06:43 UTC] No.42734764{3}[source]▶
I loved that short film. I showed it to my wife and she said "That's 20 minutes of my life I'm never getting back."
62. ErigmolCt ◴[17 Jan 25 06:55 UTC] No.42734824[source]▶
Definitely worth checking out his movies at some point, but his interviews alone leave a lasting impression indeed. He could captivate audiences just by being himself (in a way)
63. itsmemattchung ◴[17 Jan 25 07:00 UTC] No.42734843{3}[source]▶
Okay. not knowing anything about this film, not ever hearing or seeing it, I just clicked on that diner scene and holy f*ck, that was terrifying. and thank you :)
replies(1): >>42740078 #
64. 4ggr0 ◴[17 Jan 25 09:36 UTC] No.42735736{4}[source]▶
i tried watching Twin Peaks but my GenZ attention-hungy brain got really bored during the first episode. maybe i should give it another shot...

it's not like i'm not used to watching long movies and i would call myself some form of cinephile, but for some reason Twin Peaks felt unbelievably slow.

replies(1): >>42738182 #
65. JKCalhoun ◴[17 Jan 25 13:48 UTC] No.42737465{7}[source]▶
> you are a narcissist (probable billionare)

These days you'll have to be more specific.

66. adamc ◴[17 Jan 25 14:41 UTC] No.42737970{5}[source]▶
It's worth giving Mulholland Drive a look. And the Elephant Man and The Straight Story are nothing like Blue Velvet.
67. wellthisisgreat ◴[17 Jan 25 15:00 UTC] No.42738182{5}[source]▶
Twin peaks is incredible and Agent Cooper is a kind of a role model haha, never seen any other character like him
replies(1): >>42741586 #
68. ascagnel_ ◴[17 Jan 25 16:48 UTC] No.42740078{4}[source]▶
It's a jump scare that works incredibly well, yet it's shot in slow-motion and lit to full daylight, two things anathema to jump scares.
69. ascagnel_ ◴[17 Jan 25 16:54 UTC] No.42740200{4}[source]▶
Just start with the pilot first -- as it is, the US pilot is basically a feature-length film (it runs 1h25m), and features enough of Lynch's trademark juxtaposition of horrible and mundane, and piles on the warmth and love for his characters that set his works apart. The European cut of the pilot adds a few minutes to the end and originally aired as a TV movie, and may be worth it if you're not otherwise hooked by the show, since it features a definitive ending as well as the first appearance of the show's trademark "red room" (footage from the sequence was included in a later episode in the US).

For me, the second step would either be The Elephant Man or Mulholland Dr. -- many of his works tackle very dark subject matter and include sexualized violence that can be downright disturbing to watch, but those two omit those elements. The Straight Story is much lighter, but largely lacks the surrealism Lynch is known for.

70. ruthmarx ◴[17 Jan 25 17:06 UTC] No.42740427{5}[source]▶
It wasn't particularly entertaining and was well overdone.
71. staticman2 ◴[17 Jan 25 17:30 UTC] No.42740835{3}[source]▶
There's no possibility Lynch inspired the original Zelda.

The original Zelda was released way before Lynch's Twin Peaks, which was a hit in Japan, was even in production. The look of the protagonist of Zelda was inspired by Disney's Peter Pan. The pig villain was inspired by a pig man in Journey to the West.

replies(1): >>42746228 #
72. geophile ◴[17 Jan 25 18:16 UTC] No.42741492{3}[source]▶
How does it compare to the salad preparation scene in Eraserhead?
73. 4ggr0 ◴[17 Jan 25 18:23 UTC] No.42741586{6}[source]▶
maybe i should give it another shot...i'll at least finish the first episode :)
replies(1): >>42744640 #
74. Sateeshm ◴[17 Jan 25 19:18 UTC] No.42742164[source]▶
I'd say twin peaks season 1 and first half of season 2 are Lynch's most accessible work
75. wellthisisgreat ◴[18 Jan 25 00:19 UTC] No.42744640{7}[source]▶
Yeah, it’s certainly one of those shows that take a couple episodes to settle in but then it’s one big, sweeping impression
76. chalupaman ◴[18 Jan 25 06:00 UTC] No.42746228{4}[source]▶
It was the fourth Zelda, Link’s Awakening (1993), that was inspired by Lynch and Twin Peaks. If you’ve played it, the influence in that one is apparent — it’s about Link discovering an isolated community of eccentrics hiding a secret, and dreams play a major role. The game’s director, Takashi Tezuka, specifically wanted to emulate the mood of Dale Cooper discovering the town of Twin Peaks, meeting its oddball inhabitants, and trying to figure out what they’re hiding.
77. darthrupert ◴[18 Jan 25 07:12 UTC] No.42746529{4}[source]▶
Most of second season of TP wasn't really Lynch.
78. jrace ◴[18 Jan 25 18:21 UTC] No.42750216{3}[source]▶
I would say that A Straight Story is even more approachable.

If you didn't know it was by Lynch you would never suspect it.

79. spopejoy ◴[20 Jan 25 14:14 UTC] No.42768929[source]▶
Lost Highway doesn't get the love for some reason. It's got all the DL hits and some of the best cinematography in his oeuvre. The coffee table is peak DL head wound
80. spopejoy ◴[20 Jan 25 14:19 UTC] No.42768981[source]▶
It was panned when it came out (and still inspires downvoting?? not exactly an objective convo here folks) but since then FWWM has gained tons more appreciation.

Family sexual abuse survivors in particular have lauded the movie. It's really DL's most serious treatment of an issue (but makes it harder to watch too).