Here I think is a relevant quote from Nabokov's Lectures on Russian Literature p. 162 (incidentally, I retreived this quote using Amazon's generally wonderful "Search this Book" function, but, since this particular page was "Unavailable" I had to do multiple searches to piece it together, and you're welcome):

A dream is a show-a theatrical piece staged within the brain in a subdued light before a somewhat muddleheaded audience. The show is generally a very mediocre one, carelessly performed, with amateur actors and haphazard props and a wobbly backdrop.

Well, what about The Straight Story?! Upon initial viewing I thought it was his least Lynch-like film. Upon repeated viewings, I have seen that it is indeed Lynch, but in comfortably, life-embracing ways. Unlike other great directors of the present generation (Tarantino comes to mind), Lynch HAS attempted to make a film about the human spirit, mining his own beliefs and ideas about emotional truth. It is his most mature effort, and along with The Elephant Man, his most life-affirming film. It is a brilliant work, as perfect in every way as a film could possibly be.

We listen to the Demons within us, we come up with Lost Highway and Wild at Heart. We listen to the Angels - which is far more difficult - and we produce The Straight Story. Lynch dances with both, but at least he has danced with both........

As for Splitred, well, anyone who would make fun of a sad homeless man and antagonize him with fast food a la children at the zoo would no doubt be quoting obscure Russian bullshit and obsessed with Lynch wet dreams......

I love The Elephant Man, which is humane if nothing else, a kind of extended gothic humanity laced with nobility. And I think Blue Velvet is a classic, the apex of his "nothing stranger than real life" ethos. I also found the Twin Peaks series highly compelling for a time until it became too explicit with its supernatural elements.

But interesting thoughts as always - you are an exceptional contributor, thanks!

i'm a lynch fan, even if i don't understand where he's headed most of the time (the 'dream logic' thing makes sense).

we've had conversations about this before...from what i've seen in interviews , i don't think lynch has an ounce of pretentiion in him: he's just weird.

The Straight Story is worthwhile from the git-go and the words: "Walt Disney presents a David Lynch film".

I like David Lynch movies (well, except "Fire Walk With Me" that was a huge pile of crap). But what he is really best at is making teevee programmes. That is how "Mulholland Drive" started. Why won't HBO hire Lynch -- oh, wait, they already got "Carnivale" and probably cheaper.

Wow. The Duke hasn't saw this level of debate since the time he tried to convince everyone that Cannibal Holocaust was a masterpiece. Or the time in the dole queue when i attempted to convince the woman that i hadn't under any circumstacnes been painting a roof on tuesday. I try not to focus on negative stuff very much, which is why i wasn't very keen on putting this on here. The result, of course, is that the negative post is countered by the positive comments underneath, and the equilibriam is restored, just like Lincoln said. Or something. I must investigate The Straight Story on the advice of our Chris Kent and all the other folks here who said it is the best film about Lawnmowers since Braindead (winner of Mondo Irlando Lifetime Achievement Award Regarding Lawnmowers in 2003). The dream stuff is interesting, and it's been banded around for years to convince folks that Lynch is really the messiah. Thing is, though, isn't great art supossed to be about more than the artist? When all you're doing is being purposefully obscure a la lynch, or yacking about other folks films a la Tarantino, then what are you adding to it all? Not much more than the folks who write lengthy essays saying you're shit, i'm guessing. Thanks folks.

We did not torment the homeless guy, we were very nice to him, and we gave him food (not the best food granted, but then that was where he chose to hang out and eat, as did we).

My point if you read the Nabokov quote, was that I think Lynch's stuff is generally B.S. (albeit cinematically well-crafted - and it was among the many types of B.S. that meant a lot to me when I was an adolescent). My point with the Lynch quote was that he's an asshole, albeit an funnyg one. I am amused by horrible things. Sue me.

I read the Nabakov book because it happened to be on the communal bookshelf in the former brothel run by a pair of elderly (and rather Lynchian) twins from Shanghai named Frank and George (presumably they had Chinese names, but nobody seemed to know them), where I rented one of the little fuck-rooms when I was doing the slacker English teacher thing in Taipei (as opposed to America, sigh). I am actually woefully ignorant of Russian literature, but that's one of those things I hope to rectify eventually. But enough about me...

Though I will blushingly admit the lesbian love scene in Mulholland Drive gave me one hell of a boner. Thank you David Lynch...THANK YOU!!!!

p.s. It was a long long time ago, and p.p.s. If you're really concerned about the plight of the tormented schizophrenics who wander the streets of our city (and are averse to Russian bullshit), I might suggest directing your ire toward the Randians who infest this site (however good their taste in music).

Splitred, i am highly inrigued by these tales of brothel-hopping and English teaching. Chris, it was Naomi Watts after all. What's not to get excited about?

Splitred, you sure can dish it out, but when it comes to taking it you have all the power of a drunk Bill Mumy.....;)

Yes, Naomi Watts can solve my "mystery" eights days a week.....

thing about lynch is his movies all have a very smug and nasty undercurrent. i don;t know whether this is intentional or not on his part but this smugness is there is all of his films (even the supposedly humanistic elephant man). i remember seeing dennis hopper commenting on how mr. lynch was uncomfortable with the profane lines he wrote for hopper to say in blue velet and this just adds to my theory that he is simply a pretentious (though talented) pop/surrealist artist. you know, one of those guys who just can't help but create stuff that practicaly begs you to be offended by it. like that insufferable buffalo video for u2's 'one'. or the guy at the bus stop who looks over at you and says, 'elephants' for no apparent reason. in other words an interesting asshole.

"interesting asshole": interesting assessment. I agree other than Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, the first 2/3 of Mulholland, and perhaps best of all, the first season or so of Twin Peaks, all of which rocked. His biggest problem seems to be closing the deal.

Im astounded at people who like the author here dismiss Lynch films by suggesting that they somehow contain all of these kind of stock elements you have seen in a million other movies.

I have never seen the kind of things I have seen in Lynch films in any other movies, ever. If I did, then those people probably were trying to imitate him. If you claim you have I say then list some.

I think this criticism of Lynch post is nothing more then the common trend nowadays for people to be jaded so as to otherwise appear 'cool'. Good luck with that.

Excellent comment, "Goofy." To expand on your comment, it is remarkably easy to dismiss, much harder to critique. This particular comment- section reminds me of 16 year-olds complaining about the "stupid" books they have to read for English class. I won't say Lynch is perfect: Whatever the symbolic import of his depictions of women or "freaks", for instance (which demonstrate, above all, I think, a sympathy for the socially disinherited), he himself plays on these taboos and stereotypes in such a way that they are never entirely discredited. However, to debate the most common point here, while Mulholland Drive might be one of Lynch's most confusing films, it is also among his most mature, a lot like Lost Highway - and incidentally, a lot like Nietzsche (there's some obscure German "bullshit"): Lynch, like Nietzsche, must be experienced more than once, for more than one purpose, and from more than one direction. Instead of calling down one of the world's most brilliant film directors after Fellini, either put more effort into understanding Lynch, or read a peer-reviewed film journal and let the experts do it for you.

well this is a very embaressing glance back at an age-old article. nonetheless, i must holler about that Nietzsche / Lynch comparison, Jeffrey. To compare Lynch to ol' Freid is all well and good in terms of "yes, there's some nasty, wretched nonsense, but a lot of worthwhile stuff too", but it falls apart when one considers that Nietzche had some stuff worth saying in addition to those deplorable misogynist, near-fascist moments. Lynch, on the other hand, has NOTHING to say. what do his films tell us about anything? nothing, is what they tell us. with the exceptions maybe of Eraserhead and The Elephant Man (and possibly Straight Story. i haven't seen it). Blue Velvet i supose has something worth considering about hypocrisy and the like, but the notion that oh holy god, it turns out yonder picket fences aren't so sparkling after all is hardly anything shockingly groundbreaking (Douglas Sirk was poking around the corners of the notion a near half-century earlier.)

And i'm sorry, but the notion that Lynch's leering over "freaks" and the hatred towards women in his films (and not just women, humanity in general) is in any way prrof of a "sympathy for the socially disinherited" is something i can't for a moment buy. it's proof of a man sniggering at deformity and awash with hatred, that's the height of it.

Duke,

I won't argue with your assertion that Lynch could be misogynist and the like. That's not my take on his work, but there's a lot in his work that could justify that interpretation.

To save time and space, I'll give you the reference info for the best article I've read on the film. Check out the review in 'Film Quarterly' for the film: Martha P. Nochimson, Vol. 56, No. 1. (Autumn, 2002), pp. 37-45. You shouldn't have any trouble tracking this down if you're near a good library. Can't wait to see "Inland Empire." Looking forward to your interpretation of it.