The Short Films of David Lynch (2002) (V)

Director:

David Lynch

Writer:

David Lynch (writer)

Release Date:

1 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Documentary | Horror

Plot Keywords:

Surrealism | Dada | Experimental Film | Nudity | Abusive Parent

Cast

Jeffe Alperi	...	Policeman ("Lumiere and Company") (archive footage)
Robert Chadwick	...	Father ("The Grandmother") (archive footage)
Catherine E. Coulson	...	Amputee ("The Amputee") (archive footage)
Eddy Dixon	...	Rock-a-billy Guy ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Frederic Golchan	...	Pierre the Frenchman ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Rick Guillory	...	Howdy ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Michael Horse	...	Broken Feather ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Patrick Houser	...	Gun Twirler ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Stan Lothridge	...	Policeman ("Lumiere and Company") (archive footage)
David Lynch	...	Himself - Narrator
Peggy Lynch	...	Girl ("The Alphabet") (archive footage)
Virginia Maitland	...	Mother ("The Grandmother") (archive footage)
Dorothy McGinnis	...	Grandmother ("The Grandmother") (archive footage)
Jack Nance	...	Pete ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Russ Pearlman	...	Dead Son ("Lumiere and Company") (archive footage)
Pam Pierrocish	...	Mother ("Lumiere and Company") (archive footage)
Clyde Small	...	Father ("Lumiere and Company") (archive footage)
Talisa Soto	...	French Girl ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Slim ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Tracey Walter	...	Dusty ("The Cowboy and the Frenchman") (archive footage)
Richard White	...	Mike ("The Grandmother") (archive footage)
Mark Wood	...	Policeman ("Lumiere and Company") (archive footage)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

UK:15

Movie Connections:

Edited from The Grandmother (1970)

Untie!

It's really nice having this collection around. Lynch's short films are important because they are a more potent and unabridged form of his style and work--he has a lot more freedom with the form, and thus can do basically whatever comes to mind, versus making things feature length which also means making them feature-like.

Some are better than others. Some are wildly out there. Overall they're great fun to show to friends for that whole, "What the--?" value when they're unfamiliar with who you're presenting, and anybody who is familiar with the material will enjoy it anyway.

I don't know where I stand on Lynch's introductions, though. On one hand, it's nice to have a back story so that the viewer knows not only what he's watching, but how it came to be and thus, to a degree, what it means. However, some of it gets pretty tedious. I relate to a lot of Lynch's emotions when he describes the processes and events that got him into film, but still, I'd rather just get to the film. The DVD this comes with has the nice ability to go right to the films from the menues, but there's no "play all without introduction" so that can be tedious too.

But overall, definitely worth the time and effort to find and watch this.

--PolarisDiB