The Philosophy of David Lynch

The Philosophy of Popular Culture

by William J. Devlin (Contributor), Shai Biderman (Editor), Robert Arp (Contributor)

From his cult classic television series Twin Peaks to his most recent film Inland Empire (2006), David Lynch is best known for his unorthodox narrative style. An award-winning director, producer, and writer, Lynch distorts and disrupts traditional storylines and offers viewers a surreal, often nightmarish perspective. His unique approach to filmmaking has made his work familiar to critics and audiences worldwide, and he earned Academy Award nominations for Best Director for The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), and Mulholland Drive (2001). Lynch creates a new reality for both characters and audience by focusing on the individual and embracing existentialism. In The Philosophy of David Lynch, editors William J. Devlin and Shai Biderman have compiled an impressive list of contributors to explore the philosophy at the core of the filmmaker's work. Lynch is examined as a postmodern artist, and the themes of darkness, logic, and time are discussed in depth. Other prominent issues in Lynch's films, such as Bad faith and freedom, ethics, politics, and religion, are also considered. Investigating myriad aspects of Lynch's influential and innovative work, The Philosophy of David Lynch provides a fascinating look at the philosophical underpinnings of the famous cult director.

Genres: Philosophy, Art, Nonfiction, Film

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ethanhkelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew something was up when there was a mistake on the first page (saying that the character The Mystery Man was from Mulholland Drive instead of Lost Highway) and was more disappointed the further I read. It is riddled with grammar mistakes and incorrect facts, and the entire first essay was the most baseline practically not even psychology "psychological" writing I've ever read. It sounded like if you asked a 4 year old to break down social interactions.

[Jacco.. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynche's films have always confounded me. That's a good thing, at least they leave a mark. And even better, I believe that a movie that marks you, or resonates if you will, touches something important.
So this collection of essays were an easy way to get to philosophy that I was interested in.

Now Lynchean films are easiest characterised as plain weird, without losing appeal. This book offers good reasons why these films feel so weird and unsettling. (to simplify to the point of distortion, they play on our regular notions of time, identity and space)

Best of all, it doesn't 'explain away' the wonder of a film, but adds to it.
Just in case you were wondering!