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Eraserhead (1977) 7.3
Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child. Director:David LynchWriter:David Lynch |
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Title: Eraserhead (1977)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jack Nance | ... |
Henry Spencer
(as John Nance)
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| Charlotte Stewart | ... | ||
 |
Allen Joseph | ... | |
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Jeanne Bates | ... | |
| Judith Roberts | ... |
Beautiful Girl Across the Hall
(as Judith Anna Roberts)
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Laurel Near | ... | |
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V. Phipps-Wilson | ... |
Landlady (long version)
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| Jack Fisk | ... | ||
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Jean Lange | ... | |
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Thomas Coulson | ... | |
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John Monez | ... | |
| Darwin Joston | ... | ||
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T. Max Graham | ... |
The Boss
(as Neil Moran)
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| Hal Landon Jr. | ... | ||
| Jennifer Chambers Lynch | ... |
Little Girl
(as Jennifer Lynch)
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Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Is it a nightmare or an actual view of a post-apocalyptic world? Set in an industrial town in which giant machines are constantly working, spewing smoke, and making noise that is inescapable, Henry Spencer lives in a building that, like all the others, appears to be abandoned. The lights flicker on and off, he has bowls of water in his dresser drawers, and for his only diversion he watches and listens to the Lady in the Radiator sing about finding happiness in heaven. Henry has a girlfriend, Mary X, who has frequent spastic fits. Mary gives birth to Henry's child, a frightening looking mutant, which leads to the injection of all sorts of sexual imagery into the depressive and chaotic mix. Written by Rick Gregory <rag.apa@email.apa.org>
Taglines:
A dream of dark and troubling things See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
31 December 1978 (Poland) See more »Also Known As:
Eraserhead 2000 See more »Filming Locations:
Center for Advanced Film Studies, American Film Institute - 2021 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$20,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Beautiful Girl Across the Hall: Are you Henry?
Henry Spencer: Yes?
Beautiful Girl Across the Hall: A girl named "Mary" called on the payphone in the hallway about an hour ago. She said that she's at her parents and that you're invited to dinner.
Henry Spencer: Oh, yeah?
[after a long pause]
Henry Spencer: Well... thank you very much.
[Henry enters his apartment, while the girl slowly closes the door to hers]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
David Lynch had a lot of trouble getting financial assistance from the AFI, because the script was only 20 pages long. He received a grant from AFI but after about 3 years of production, ran out of money. At one point Terrence Malick screened the film for a potential financial backer, who walked out, calling the movie "bullshit". See more »Goofs
The man's hands on the door at the beginning. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Beautiful Girl Across the Hall: Are you Henry?
Henry Spencer: Yes?
Beautiful Girl Across the Hall: A girl named "Mary" called on the payphone in the hallway about an hour ago. She said that she's at her parents and that you're invited to dinner.
Henry Spencer: Oh, yeah?
[after a long pause]
Henry Spencer: Well... thank you very much.
[Henry enters his apartment, while the girl slowly closes the door to hers]
See more »
I've watched Eraserhead countless times. In theaters. Off of the infamous Japanese-subtitled VCR copy. Off of the recent Lynch re-release. From around the late 70s onward. Yes, that long.
I have friends who won't let me recommend movies to them any more.
Anyway, the capsule summary, "Can't be summarized," is pretty close.
First, it is not a movie. It is not a film.
It is a piece of art.
All of the comments I read that attempt to describe it as a movie fail for precisely that reason. If you read the ones that can handle it, they handle it as an art review.
So don't even think of it as a movie. Don't recommend it as a movie. It doesn't work.
I'll also admit that I sat in a haze for decades, absorbed in the imagery. In awe of the impressions. And finally, an image crystallized, an image of what this was a portrait of. (And, of course, I expect this image may change with repeated viewings...) And as I watch it, with this in mind, a continuity appears.
We are living in hell, we just don't realize it.