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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.
by sk11001 2y ago
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.
- gordon_freeman 2y agoStart 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!
- jimbob45 2y agoDune 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.
- gordon_freeman 2y agoThe beauty of Lynch films is that everyone can interpret it in their own way!
- DrillShopper 2y agoI know what you're trying to say, but that's also true of every other movie.
- JKCalhoun 2y agoWell 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.
- k_roy 2y agoI'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.
- deadfoxygrandpa 2y agosure 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
- JKCalhoun 2y ago> you are a narcissist (probable billionare) These days you'll have to be more specific.
- HKH2 2y agoNo, there's far more room for interpretation than in a typical movie.
- Trasmatta 2y agoI 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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjoMEw2RYlA
- msabalau 2y agoThe 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.
- retinaros 2y agoactually it is an elusive puzzle :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa16cd5zAuc&ab_channel=KyleLiegel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa16cd5zAuc&ab_channel=KyleL...
- turbojet1321 2y agoIt also happens to be just a beautiful film.
- saijanai 2y agoHis most mainstream work is The Elephant Man, commissioned by Mel Brooks.
- colmmacc 2y agoThe 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.
- Trasmatta 2y ago> 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!
- werdnapk 2y agoThe "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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ChvxsVgT8c
- epolanski 2y agoSeason 3 Twin Peaks is peak "I don't know what am I looking at".
- Lio 2y agoWhen 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!
- ruthmarx 2y agoIt'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.
- kingstoned 2y agoWhen people say "surreal" they mean "real", it's just most of your life is not very real, just repetition and routine. - Norm Macdonald
- scoofy 2y agoEraserhead 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.
- tjakab 2y agoEraserhead 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.
- scoofy 2y ago>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.
- labster 2y agoI 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.
- monophonica 2y agoIf 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.
- tpm 2y agoBut he didn't direct all of Twin Peaks episodes and it shows.
- mtalantikite 2y agoI'd personally say try Mulholland Drive first.
- Keyframe 2y agooh boy. I'd understand if you said to try Mullholland Drive first, second, and third and then go from there.
- ddellacosta 2y agoYes this may be my favorite of his films, and I love pretty much everything he's done
- adamc 2y agoYes. Definitely his best.
- Sateeshm 2y agoI'd say twin peaks season 1 and first half of season 2 are Lynch's most accessible work
- Triphibian 2y agoI'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.
- signalToNose 2y agoWild at heart. Very approachable, but gory and brutal. The angst seep trough
- mortenjorck 2y agoOn 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.
- imbnwa 2y agoThe Sekiro of Lynch movies. I was defeated by the first dance routine.
- ljm 2y agoI 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.
- JKCalhoun 2y ago> Lynch at his most singular and uncompromising More so than "Eraserhead"?
- adamc 2y agoNooooo, 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.
- Vetch 2y agoI'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.
- wdbbdw 2y agoI 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_lynchrs_twin_peaks_influenced_the_legend_of_zelda_series https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/12/feature_how_david_...
- staticman2 2y agoThere'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.
- chalupaman 2y agoIt 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.
- _hzw 2y ago
- anothertroll123 2y ago[dead]
- geophile 2y agoGentle intro: Rabbits, on youtube.
- WorldMaker 2y agoAlso 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.
- intellectronica 2y agoIf 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.
- pesus 2y agoGreat movie, but I'm not sure I would've enjoyed it as much if I hadn't already watched Twin Peaks.
- astrange 2y agoI think that "fire walk with me" poem is so clunky I've refused to watch anything he's ever made.
- turbojet1321 2y agoLook, 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.
- spopejoy 2y agoIt 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).
- JKCalhoun 2y agoCan recommend the documentary "David Lynch, The Art Life". For now appears to be here: https://youtu.be/a6slh83RhfA 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?)
- ratrocket 2y agoWhether 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 https://youtu.be/F4wh_mc8hRE?si=SJwtz31ZEWuW9rk7 (Has swearing off that matters for your use!) Rest in peace.
- kamranjon 2y agoSurprised nobody has mentioned Lost Highway - to me it is the perfect film.
- spopejoy 2y agoLost 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
- ErigmolCt 2y agoDefinitely 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)