CONCLUDING REMARKS

One of David Lynch's artistic influences is acclaimed Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman, who once remarked: "No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of our soul." Lynch was an apt pupil of Bergman's school of thought, leading him to develop a similar style utilizing many elements of drama, comedy, and horror in concert. This leads to some confusion when categorizing their films, since "thought provoking" and "soul stirring" are phrases typically not associated with the horror genre. But as you look over the work of Bergman and Lynch, you are hard-pressed to find a better way of describing their bodies of work.

SHORT FILMS, WEB PROJECTS, AND COMMERCIALS

David Lynch Painted by Alessandro Fantini (2003)

Most filmmakers use the short-film format to train themselves in filmmaking basics and to open doors for professional employment to direct feature films. Once these new directors make the transition into features, they rarely return to this format. David Lynch is an interesting exception to this pattern, who took his first steps toward film production with an experimental animated painting in the late 1960's and who continues to direct a sizable number of experimental shorts to this day.

INLAND EMPIRE (2006)

The Score: 9.5 out of 10

We hear many complain about the mountains of exposition-driven dialogue in Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010), but can you imagine what the film would have been like without it? You do not have to, thanks to David Lynch's Inland Empire (2006). Where Inception takes place on five different levels of reality with continual clues orienting the viewer over its 148 minute running time, Inland Empire takes place on no less than eight levels of reality—perhaps more—with only sporadic clues peppering David Lynch's 180 minute movie.

MULHOLLAND DR. (2001)

The Score: 10 out of 10

A young starlet moves to Hollywood to pursue her acting dreams and a hot-shot young director sets out to cast an exciting new 50's-60's period piece. But both get caught in a dark undercurrent swirling just below the town's surface, and try to find their way through it alive. David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. (2001) perfectly captures the awe and wonder of first moving to Hollywood and the disillusionment that follows soon after. As Naomi Watts's Betty declares early in the film: "I mean I just came here from Deep River, Ontario, and now I'm in this dream place." Unfortunately, Betty's dream soon turns into an all-too-real nightmare.

THE STRAIGHT STORY (1999)

The Score: 10 out of 10

David Lynch made a Disney movie. We will give you a few moments to let that sentence sink in.

"This highway leads to the shadowy tip of reality. You're on a through route to the land of the different, the bizarre, the unexplainable. Go as far as you like on this road. Its limits are only those of mind itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, you're entering the wondrous dimension of imagination. Next stop, the twilight zone."–Rod Serling clearly anticipating the production of The Straight Story (1999) forty years before the film's release.

LOST HIGHWAY (1997)

The Score: 8 out of 10

Lost Highway (1997) is an important milestone in David Lynch's career and launches his unofficial identity confusion trilogy, which he would continue with Mulholland Dr. (2001) and later complete with Inland Empire (2006). Clearly drawing on his experience depicting inner conflict in Twin Peaks, (1990-91) Lynch takes the concept of inner struggle to a whole new level in a visceral film experience centering on a husband's disturbing jealousy and denial.

ON THE AIR (1992) HOTEL ROOM (1993)

The Score: 8 out 10

David Lynch and Mark Frost gained considerable credibility during the early runaway success of Twin Peaks (1990-91), leading the network to explore ideas for another program. Lynch and Frost co-wrote a pilot for an experimental sitcom focusing on the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of a 50's TV variety show that broadcasts episodes live, a common practice in that era of television. Enchanted by the humor and possibilities for the show, ABC green lit the project and ordered 7 half-hour episodes to test the viability of On the Air (1992).

TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992)

The Score: 10 out of 10

In the process of making the TV series Twin Peaks (1990-91), David Lynch collaborated with many writers and directors to produce all 30 episodes. But whenever Lynch periodically returned to direct an episode, he always grounded the series back in what he felt was most important: Laura Palmer. So when directing the prequel film Fire Walk with Me (1992), Lynch recentered our focus back to Laura Palmer and her struggle to free herself from a secret life of abuse.

TWIN PEAKS - #29 DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD (1991)

The Score: 10 out of 10

The network's decision to resolve Laura Palmer's murder early in the second season dissolved the glue that held Twin Peaks together. David Lynch explained: "The murder of Laura Palmer was the center of the story, the thing around which all the show's other elements revolved – like a sun in a little solar system. It was not supposed to get solved. The idea was for it to recede a bit into the background, and the foreground would be that week's show. But the mystery of the death of Laura Palmer would stay alive.

"And it's true: As soon as that was over, it was basically the end. There were a couple of moments later when a wind of that mystery – a wind from that other world – would come blowing back in, but it just wasn't the same, and it couldn't be the same. I loved Twin Peaks, but after that, it kind of drifted for me."

TWIN PEAKS - #14 HE IS BOB, EAGER FOR FUN (1990)

The Score: 10 out of 10

Twin Peaks' success was a two-edged sword. Ratings were through the roof and David Lynch received unprecedented levels of critical acclaim at this stage of his career. But the magnitude of Peaks' success also drew the network's attention. Witnessing the clamor of millions of viewers wanting the answer to who killed Laura Palmer, the network sought to appease them and pressured Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost into revealing the killer's identity. In the network's attempt to keep frustrated viewers from dropping the show, it ironically turned them away in droves at the zenith of Peaks' popularity.

TWIN PEAKS - #9 MEALS ON WHEELS (1990)

The Score: 10 out of 10

Twin Peaks' story could have easily spiraled out of control after its runaway freight train of a first season hit such a powerful stride, but David Lynch and Mark Frost do remarkable work at keeping the show on track. The two-part premiere episode and this follow-up episode help rein in the various story threads while keeping the show on course for the climactic revelation of Laura's killer in just five more episodes. But Lynch ensures we stay on our toes as we organically delve deeper into Twin Peaks' fascinating mysteries.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID LYNCH!!!

Happy Birthday David Lynch!!! This day needs celebrating as we continue our analysis and discussion of your singular body of work. Thank you for your entertaining and engaging art. We wish you the best success this year and we look forward to your upcoming feature film projects!