Lynch

Does Lynch's distinct, "controversial", surrealist narrative and style deem him an auteur?

Select and Reject:

Item 1: (1)

Inland Empire

Upon textually analysing this film it was hard to depict its true meaning. Was it the permanence of memory. His own body of work. Telepathy. The nature of men and animals. These theories that I came up with to justify the lack of narrative in this film stemmed from the film posters that came alongside it on the Inland Empire website, these theories were more apparent in the posters rather than the film, I believe this was because the actual film was made to gratify the senses of the audience as although the narrative is somewhat apparent, it is difficult to follow; this “appealing the senses” of his audience is apparent across most of his films so with this It would help me to be able to conclude and label Lynch as an auteur. With the surreal "taking over" reality, meaning Nikki's persona in her next film is becoming a reality, shows that this is based upon a form of dream. This shows the surrealist nature driving Lynch and as my question is based upon his "distinct, controversial, surrealist narrative and style", this film will be of use to me greatly when it comes to answering this.

Item 2: (2)

Wild at Heart

Besides the typical "lovers on the lam" story, Wild at Heart is about nothing, perhaps, except the power of pictures to shock the nervous system – so much so that the film may be rated X in the U.S. With shots that show a black males head getting smashed to a pulp, explicit sex scenes which at the time were somewhat controversial. It goes to show that Lynch is always either trying to confuse or shock. The surreal creative imagery and cinematography within this film just shows the control that Lynch had over this film and I believe this would be a good film to refer to when answering my question; with the constant references to the Wizard of Oz, this is Lynch's homage to Oz and with the creative control he had over this film he could do so. With frequent acts of overacting, it proves that Lynch is not aiming to appeal to the masses and wants to be surreal as stated in Item 11. I would say that this film is vital to my argument.

Item 3: (3)

Mullholland Drive:

Mullholland Drive is a confusing film that fans and critic argue over to what the actual meaning behind it is. I believe this film would be useful for my question as it will help me decide whether Lynch is this creative, surreal film genius or is he just making it up as he goes along (like Twin Peaks). This is very much key to choosing if this is intentional or just some drug induced plot, is he a director or is he an auteur? It is evident that he has purposely made this film this confusing as within the DVD case itself he has even put a "10 clues to figuring this thriller", this could be seen as being so confident about his surreal work that even with the help of the director himself people will still not be able to decipher this or is it just teasing people, is there even a meaning? Is it just a front to cover up the lack of narrative in his films? Even before the credits even start at the beginning of the film viewers are "thrown into the deep end" and left confused by the long dance sequence with duplicates of couples to upbeat jazz music, followed on by the POV shot of a, what we assume is, a tired person staggering to their bed; that is only the first 3 minutes of the film and the audience have already got so many questions about what just happened. This is then continued with the very little talking within the start of the film as we are just following an amnesic Rita into Hollywood, which in itself is a statement of the typical "hollywood hopeful" not knowing what they are getting into, which is what the viewers are experiencing when watching Mullholland Drive. With the regular occurrence of keys, this can suggest "unlocking" parts of the psyche and that the film itself is the ramblings of a subconscious David Lynch. Surreal shots and happenings such as the box appearing to "swallow" the room just shows how surreal Lynch is and essentially the control he has over the film as he is making these for himself, not for the masses; this is also backed up in item 11. I would say that this film is crucial for my argument.

Item 4: (4)
What is David Lynch's Inland Empire about?http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/mar/09/whatisdavidlynchsinlandem

This article proved itself useful to my research in that it addresses statements such as "a jolt of pure cinema full of revelations about the power of film, but only because of what it is rather than what it says" I believe this statement is commenting on Lynch's surrealist style as it says "...what it is rather than what it says", this seems to be a recurring them across his films, visually interesting however no/lack/hard to follow narrative. This article will also aid me as it will help me to understand 'Inland Empire' beyond my experience and thoughts of the film and therefore allow me to provide a better answer when I answer my question.

Item 5: (5)
A Conversation with David Lynch -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x4avDYixy4:
This one on one interview with Lynch goes into detail about his relationship with his films, actors within them and his thoughts on matters and this is all being said by him which means it is a valid source of primary research which means I can trust it. I will be able to use aspects from this interview especially when he talks about aspects of his relationship with the camera, for example, the way in which he films some parts of his films himself, which is somewhat unheard of in the director world and this alone will show how much control he had over his films, so much so he even took over the role of the cameraman.

Item 6: (6)

Pretty as a Picture - The art of David Lynch - 1997:

This feature length documentary goes into depth across Lynch's entire career - his films, music and paintings. The interview with the surrealist film director reveals some dark aspects of his ideas and will help me with answering the Auteur (author) based question. This documentary will allow me to understand his life story and how that may have influenced his style, much like Walter Disney who grew up without a father, this is apparent as there is a lack of father figures in Disney films such as in Toy Story, Andy is raised by what we assume is a single mum. This documentary will present me his creative side and will allow me to attempt to connect why he makes films in this unique way. This item is crucial to help me with my argument.

Item 7: (7)

Shooting in digital - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej9JZsVmrGo:

This short video interview on Youtube does go into interesting detail about thoughts and experiences held by Lynch, for example thoughts on Hollywood and dreams influencing thoughts. I have chosen to use certain aspects of this interview as it will give me more knowledge about how and why Lynch chooses to film what he films which will therefore help me answer my question.

Item 8: (8)

His Dark Materials - http://www.newstatesman.com/film/2010/01/lynch-prosthetic-god-world:

This article goes into gruesome detail about his films and as to why he did this, such as how his stories are based around the obscure, non mainstream, in depth characters, such as the "failures of LA in Mullholland Drive, the people who cope with what they have, to get where they want in The Straight Story and the shunted by society in the Elephant Man, rather than the typical hollywood mainstream characters. This shows the sheer creativity and thought behind it, much like an author. I believe I could use aspects of this article to show how auteur like Lynch is. This Item is beneficial for my argument.

Item 9: (9) 
Director of Dreams - http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/feb/17/david-lynch-film-director-dreams:

This article describes excellent scenes in Lynch's films and compares him to such revolutionary directors such as Kubrick. It also discusses about his preference to use the camera instead of dialogue, for example the beginning of 'Mullholland Drive' has little to no dialogue and leaves the viewer to think about what is going on; this shows his detail he puts into his films and the control he has over them; much like an auteur.

Item 10: (10)

'The cinema of David Lynch' written by Erica Sheen and Annette Davison:

This book goes into depth about almost every film in Lynch's career, it discusses about the creativity within Mullholland Drive, the poetic stylings and facework across films. This book will be very beneficial when I begin to answer my argument as it has every film of his within it. They are also a "groundbreaking collection of new essays" on Lynch which will also help me when trying to put together my answer in an academic manner.

Item 11: (11)

Interview with David Lynch by Damon Wise - http://www.davidlynch.de/99total.html:

Reading this email shows how "non organised" Lynch is, with answers such as "who knows" or "I wish I knew" revealing a lack of planning and supports the whole spontaneity nature of his work, especially twin peaks. However he also discusses about not having the power of surprise anymore when it comes to his films and as Lynch has made a name based on shock won't this effect him? He even states about how he is less close to his film 'Dune' which is about as "normal" as Lynch has gone with films and this shows that Lynch is happy when he can do what he wants and can shows things in excess such as violence. This item will help me within my argument however it is not vital. This also supports the fact that Lynch is "doing it for himself" and therefore will have the control over the film as when he answers the question "will you ever make another film?" answering this with "Oh no no no, I could easily keep going without. But I love it if I fall in love with the subject. I'm hoping that will continue to happen".

Item 12: (12)

Auteur Theory - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44609/auteur-theory
This web page discusses what the 'Auteur Theory' actually is, "...Theory of filmmaking in which the Director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture". This will help me answering my question as I am discussing whether or not David Lynch is an 'Auteur and therefore me knowing the correct definition of the actual theory behind this title will be beneficial for my argument.

Item 13: (13)
Inland Empire DVD cover - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460829/
I will be using this as it would be something I refer to within my presentation to ensure everyone knows the film I am discussing.

Item 14: (14)
Wild at Heart DVD cover - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100935/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
I will be using this as it would be something I refer to within my presentation to ensure everyone knows the film I am discussing.

Item 15: (15)
Mulholland Drive DVD cover - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166924/?ref_=nm_knf_i1
I will be using this as it would be something I refer to within my presentation to ensure everyone knows the film I am discussing.

Item 16: (16)
Inland Empire reviews and critics - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460829/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_8
I believe this item will support when making a statement or summarisation about Lynch as it shows other people share the same views as me in this matter; this is why I will be using this item in my presentation.

Rejected Items:

Pocket Guide to David Lynch:

This book merely tells the plot of his films and as I have already seen the films, that is not what I require to help me answer the question so It will not help me whatsoever. I do not believe this item will be beneficial to my argument and this is the reason why I am rejecting it.

Question and answer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPJoZ4w6w70

I watched the entirety of this 40 minute question and answer session with David Lynch, Russell Brand and Bob Roth; I only heard the exaggerated "advertising" of Transcendental Meditation. I heard no usable pieces of information about his films etc so I do not believe I could use this to help me answer my question. However, I could refer to Transcendental Meditation when talking about his surrealist style and how it may have effected him when it comes to his style.