David Lynch

Contemporary Film Directors

by Justus Nieland

 
Discussing the major films of this iconic director, Justus Nieland explores the range of modern design idioms that inform David Lynch's famously cinematic interiors, his work's acute attention to the shaping of affect in particular media environments, and its insistence on the strangeness of biology lived through media.
 
Nieland resituates Lynch's experimentalism in three ways: first, by taking seriously Lynch's status as a surrealist, and by extension, exploring the status of surrealism in contemporary media culture; second, by placing Lynch's cultural production in a broader tradition of modern Romanticism; and third, by offering a sustained treatment of Lynch's aesthetics in the context of a specifically modernist and avant-garde tradition. By examining such major works as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, and Inland Empire, Nieland provocatively argues that the romantic transcendental impulse in Lynch is an historical function of modernity, which, in its efforts to erect a divide between nature and culture, produces a longing for a host of transcendental "outsides" and yields all the monstrous hybrids of nature and culture that populate the Lynchian universe.

Genres: Film, Biography

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Uroš Đurković · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ovo nije dobro uvodno štivo. Reč je o studiji koja može ponuditi obilje informacija i perspektiva tvrdokornim fanovima, ali, pre svega, teoretičarima naklonjenim proučavanju ideja moderniteta i predstavljanja prostora u delu. Ima tu, razume se, dosta inspirativnih, ali i ne sasvim utemeljenih pogleda, ali to da je Lora Palmer prizor plastičnog eko-kempa, ne može da ne izmami smešak, ako ne i grčenje moždane kore. Najzanimljivije mi je ovde bilo kako je razmatrano predstavljanje okruženja u Linčovom delu uz izvanredan značaj likovnosti, jer, treba to ponavljati, Linč je počeo kao slikar i za njega su filmovi doslovce pokretne slike. Ko to ne razume, filmovi će mu delovati kao harizmatične, ali samosvrovite enigme. Što se mene tiče i ta perspektiva može naći opravdanje, ali ne i besomučne psihoanalitičke hiperinterpretacije koje zagušuju delo i koje su ovde, srećom, uglavnom izbegnute.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a review a long time in the making considering I was first approved for this galley back in 2012, but I'm glad I read it when I did (better late than never, and I figure it's a good time for me to reach back and peruse my book collection, particularly those I have digitally on my Kindle space). Admittedly, if you're going to pick up this book - or any in this respective series, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with some of the director's work and have seen at least some of the movies that are mentioned in the filmography. The book does a decent enough job describing details of scenes for those who aren't familiar with the films and to use the scenes to support their arguments, I think it brings the point home much more if you are aware of the mentions and can make the link between the element Lynch incorporates and how he uses it in the films mentioned.

I've been familiar with David Lynch's work for years - from "Twin Peaks" to "Blue Velvet" (which was filmed in part in the city I grew up in, but interestingly enough caused a bit of controversy to boot because...well, if you've seen the movie, you kind of know), from "Muholland Dr." to "Inland Empire." This book feels like a thesis on how Lynch uses common artistic elements in each of his films to create a specific effect and elaborate on certain themes, ideas, and moods to communicate with his audience. I had always taken notice of Lynch's use of interior space in his works, but not quite to the degree this book expounds upon that and manages to link the details through a number of different films. It was a fascinating argument and definitely something I appreciated more upon reading this book.

The book is divided into specific sections: first "Wrapped in Plastic" - which is a reference to Laura Palmer's role in "Twin Peaks", but actually has far more reach in influencing Lynch's work throughout his filmography. Then three different sections: "Interior Design", which talks about the use of space through three of Lynch's films; "The Art of Being Moved", which talks about emotion in three of Lynch's films as examples; and finally "Organism", which discusses seemingly inanimate elements coming to life in four of Lynch's films (i.e. moving pictures in "Six Men Getting Sick"). The book rounds out with interviews from Lynch himself, a filmography and brief biography to round out the essay. I think this is definitely an academic resource and very thought-provoking for the examination of Lynch's films and use of mixed artistic presentations. I liked it, and I certainly appreciated the time reading through it.

Overall score: 4/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher.

[Guelan · Rating 2 out of 5]

If one should choose to be hopelessly reductive, one would understand Lynch as obfuscation, therefore one must needs call Nieland’s magisterial disquisition as quintessentially Lynchian, par excellence. But experiencing Lynch’s cinema is an aggregate of postmodernity and flatness and body horror and cliche (as Nieland and countless others tirelessly explain) — but also of sensations which are diametrically opposed to all these postmodern flatnesses. Regarding the former, Nieland sashays with all his theoretical feathers, navel-gazing like no other and parsing ad absurdum through the minutest furniture-related detail in Lynch’s mis-en-scene, crossing the lines of theory and critical slapstick; but when it gets to the latter, more vital points, he astoundingly misses a critical opportunity and becomes just as stupefied as us, reduced to meaningless generalizations, defeated by Lynch’s sublime (and I daresay legible) enigma — in that state, he could have just dropped the professorial act and enjoyed it, like we do.

[Pate Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fastest I’ve read a book in a long time! It’s a lovely look at Lynch’s filmography with two great framing images: plastic and interiors. It provides a great map for reading Lynch’s film style, especially noting affect cues divorced from more psychologically motivated emotion. Occasionally gets pretentious with its language, aiming above the reader’s head while engaging in conversation with a specific arena of scholarship. It falls into the Žižekian, twitchy, Grand Theory mode of film analysis of which I’m a bit apprehensive, but it grounds those moments with some extremely specific analysis of the text itself. The best look I’ve seen at Lynch’s mise-en-scène! Excited to read the other books in this series; I have Kiarostami, Haneke, von Trier, and Polanski’s books on my shelf already, but I’m especially interested in Richard Neupert’s book in the series after having him as a professor.

[Matt Lohr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nieland's ambitious take on Lynch from an architectural / organic perspective is film criticism of the heaviest and most metaphorically abstract kind. Though some of the sections collapse amidst Nieland's dense thickets of theoretical twists (his passage on INLAND EMPIRE, perhaps appropriately for the film it addresses, is especially impenetrable), the book somehow manages to overcome its verbose intellectual leanings to make a reasonably entertaining read. Plus, the juvenile in me loves the choice of "Rabbits" for the cover. I love those weirdo critters. "I'm going to find out one day..."

[Walker White · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nieland's book see-saws between lightning flashes of lovely erudition and tortured obfuscation. Still, overall this study has deepened my appreciation and understanding of Lynch and will be worthwhile to fans of his work seeking out further resources.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective, especially considering Lynch's ongoing explorations of other artforms outside and indeed inside of his deliciously weird film world.