Tag Archives: David Lynch

Saturday Matinee: Industrial Symphony No. 1

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“Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted” is a short theater production written and directed by David Lynch. It was originally performed at New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of the New Music America Festival on November 10, 1989 and was released for home video in 1990. Created between his film “Wild at Heart” and TV series “Twin Peaks”, the piece combines elements of those and other David Lynch projects. The introduction features the two protagonists from Wild at Heart, the set design evokes the dark post-apocalyptic imagery of his early paintings (and the more nightmarish aspects of his filmography) and the soundtrack features a cross-section of collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise, most of which were from Cruise’s album “Floating Into the Night” (a couple songs were also featured on the Wild at Heart and Twin Peaks soundtracks).

Saturday Matinee: The Straight Story

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“The Straight Story” (1999) is a road film directed by David Lynch depicting elderly disabled veteran Alvin Straight’s multi-state journey by lawnmower to make amends with his estranged brother who suffered a stroke. Based on an actual journey which made headlines in 1994, the film is one of Lynch’s most overlooked films because as his only G-rated feature and having been distributed by Disney, many Lynch fans never gave it a chance. Though not as intense or unsettling as other David Lynch films, there’s nevertheless periodic dark and surreal undercurrents throughout the narrative. What elevates the film (in addition to Lynch’s idiosyncratic touches and fine soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti) are great performances by Richard Farnsworth as Alvin, Sissy Spacek as his daughter and Harry Dean Stanton as his brother. The Straight Story is also notable for its beautiful cinematography from Freddie Francis, which ended up being his final project before his death in 2007 due to complications resulting from a stroke.

Saturday Matinee: I Don’t Know Jack

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Because tomorrow marks the birthday of Jack Nance, I’d like to bring attention to “I Don’t Know Jack” (2002), a documentary on cult actor Jack Nance exploring the uniqueness of his character, his unconventional career, and the strange circumstances surrounding the death of his wife in 1991 and himself five years later. The film features interviews with family and friends including Catherine Coulson, Brad Dourif, Dennis Hopper, David Lynch and Charlotte Stewart.