Over the years, "Aquarius" director David Lynch has walked between multiple identities – director, screenwriter, painter, musician, photographer, and meditation enthusiast. As one of the most important directors in the history of American cinema in the 21st century, Lynch's style, despite his grotesque and weirdness, has many works among the top 100 in film history. Even if you haven't seen "Eraserhead" and "Dune", you must have heard of "Mulholland Drive" and "Twin Peaks".
A still from the American drama "Twin Peaks" (season 3).
"Can't understand" is the most frequent word in Lynch's movie review area. Whether it is a film lover, a critic, or an academic, everyone has always loved and hated this director known for his "mystery", the most popular of which is that Lynch has been nominated for Oscars many times, but he has been wrong, until 2020, at the age of 73, he was awarded the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Phantom Night: David Lynch on Film" is a collection of twenty-three interviews with Lynch over more than three decades. Unlike the popular impression that Lynch is reluctant to talk too much about his work, life and creation, in these interviews, Lynch likes to talk to people, enjoy telling stories, jokes, and of course, the rhythm of his language, like his films, is elusive.
"Everyone has probably gone through this stage – I think movies should have power, the power of goodness and the power of darkness, so that people can be emotional and dare to break stereotypes. Once you give in, you are shooting garbage that doesn't hurt. If the audience feels unwell, they can leave the theater. It's okay if you don't like it. I don't want to see a single frame, and I can completely understand. But people must have the freedom to create. Lynch says in the book.
The following is an excerpt with permission from the chapter "Tender Love in a Wild World" in The Night Walk: David Lynch on Film. Due to space limitations, there are deletions from the original text, and the sub-headings are drafted by the editors.
"Phantom Nights: An Interview with David Lynch", [US] Richard M. A. Barney, ed., translated by Shao Yi, Nanjing University Press, Watchmen, October 2022.
My Heart is Wild: What started as a joke later became a reality
Interviewer: How did "My Heart Wild" begin?
David Lynch: It started with the novel. My friend Monty Montgomery, one of the producers of the film, was reading Barry Gifford's novel Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula, which had not yet been published. Monty was looking for unpublished stories, and "My Heart is Wild" stands out among the works he came into contact with because he met Barry Gifford, who worked at Black Lizard in California. Monty wanted me to help him write the script and then direct the film himself, so he asked me to read the original first.
I asked him half-jokingly, "Well, what if I like it so much that I want to guide it myself?" "He said then let me. What started as a joke later became a reality. I was deeply impressed by the title of the novel, "My Heart is Wild" (wild, crazy world) and the love story in the middle (unexpected tenderness, love and peace in the characters). I also like the relatively twisty technique of flashbacks.
Interviewer: You wrote the script for the film, how did you adapt the story?
Lynch: I made a lot of changes because the novel is more characterized and the plot is relatively monotonous. Some of the quests and plots were just cursory, but these secondary elements appealed to me, so I added them to the main story. I've also made some changes to flashbacks. Then I found myself with a depressing ending: Thaler and Lula broke up. I wanted my script to be wild, but the ending of the first draft was too violent. I submitted this draft to several major studios, and they all rejected the project, believing that the story was too violent and had no commercial potential. Then I met Samuel Goldwin Jr., and only he told me he didn't like the ending and asked me why. I tried to defend it, but failed, and eventually I told him that whether he invested in the film or not, I would change the ending. He hoped that the ending might have been modified for commercial reasons, but I really didn't think the original ending was appropriate. Later, I combed through the ending again and made a lot of changes, so that the tone of the film changed, especially after adding elements from "The Wizard of Oz". The story goes in the direction of fantasy, and I believe that if this version of the script is submitted, the studio may have reacted differently. I ended up shooting the film with this script as well.
A still from the movie "My Heart is Wild".
Interviewer: In American movies, flashbacks are usually used to show the psychology of characters or create drama, but the flashbacks in "My Wild Heart" are very poetic, cleverly using elements such as fire, and the song "Up in Flames" also mentions fire. In addition, although judging by the title, "Blue Velvet" should be blue, the film is actually red.
Lynch: Red and yellow. There is no element of flame in the original, it is the flame of matches. This element binds Cylor and Lula together, but also ruins their relationship. I wanted it to run through their relationship, so I added close-ups of cigarettes and matches. Most fire-related elements are found in scripts. I think the story is very important as the basic structure of the film. But during filming, some elements can become more important than in the script. In the same scene, every time the actors perform it, the script will be changed at the end. Some parts don't work well, and we'll add new conversations as well. During the filming process, the script was constantly changing, and the same was true during the editing process. The first edition of My Heart is long. Duwayne Dunham, who worked on the editing, had to build a completely new structure. We had to find a way to tell multiple stories at the same time. Many of the stories in the original book do not advance the main plot. It's easy to delete them, but I don't want to do that. So we worked very hard to solve the problem, find ways to include more content without affecting the development of the main plot and ensure that the transition was natural, and finally we finished the final version after trial and error, and many of the elements came from secondary processing and creation during the shooting process.
Interviewer: When writing a script, did you focus on finding specific elements that give the film character, or did you focus only on the narrative for the time being? Did you also plan the visual style of the film?
Lynch: Yes, it's just a more abstract plan, which will form a more concrete and clear idea on set. The lamp that the art director has just brought out will inspire you. For example, though not often, the Iguana Motel has a pony radio — a beautiful leather radio with a pony on it. It came from the west, Texas, and was therefore favored by Patricia Norris, who served as art director. Later it became a symbol of the motel, a small role in its own right. As soon as Lula touched it, it began to speak to her. As long as they see that horse, the audience will know where the character is.
Interviewer: You used two different kinds of music: romantic and lyrical music by Angelo Badalamanti, like Italian music, and rock music.
Lynch: Angelo Badaramanti wrote more music for Blue Velvet, and My Heart is Wild uses more existing music. We wrote two songs, but only one "To the Ashes" appeared in the final version. Koko Taylor, a blues singer from Chicago, was the perfect choice to sing the song. As soon as her singing sounded, the whole story came to life. That's great.
Interviewer: What role did music play in the conception of this film?
Lynch: It's still close to the title of the film, "My Heart is Wild." Music is very important. The core soundtrack that embodies this temperament is a fast-paced song by Powermad, "Slaughterhouse," and I love the extraordinary power it contains. And the first I heard in Germany, a clip from Richard Strau's Four Last Songs, which created another atmosphere in the film and made the plot more impactful. However, the music also has to be carefully matched, and there is a lot of experimentation during the filmmaking process. Mixing often involves too much music, resulting in a less-than-ideal final result. Later, you also need to delete a distribution music. Sometimes the film is very quiet, with no sound, and sometimes the sound effects are very rich, and many sounds overlap each other. However, as we all know, contrast is an important method of expression.
A still from the movie "My Heart is Wild".
Interviewer: The heavy use of close-ups, more than in Blue Velvet, is one of the important features of "My Heart is Wild".
Lynch: There's also a lot of close-ups in Blue Velvet, but that story is more traditional and involves fewer characters before the ending. Several plot lines of "My Heart is Wild" are relatively independent, with more characters and more parallel secondary story lines. I'm not a veteran fan, but I love B-movies; Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern are characters in B-movies in a sense.
Interviewer: "My Heart is Wild" is a fusion of two genres. On the one hand, it's a gangster movie that tells the escape story of a young couple with no future — like "The Right to Live," "They Live by Night" and "Bonnie and Clyde." On the other hand, the presence of characters such as Marietta, uncle and father gives this film the characteristics of family melodrama. Are you interested in interpreting traditional themes? The slightly sarcastic kind.
Lynch: I haven't thought about it, but sarcasm and humor will make the film "more wonderful than real life." This is my opinion on B-grade films: "exaggeration of reality", not very realistic. It may seem close to reality, but it is actually far from the world we know.
Interviewer: Is it the world of film noir?
Lynch: Yes. Because the title is "My Heart is Wild", but that's not the only reason. I know that as long as the contrast and tension are grasped, it is feasible that the film is relatively bright from beginning to end. But if you use terrifying dark elements, the film will be both dark and intense.
A still from the movie "My Heart is Wild".
Interviewer: Several of the "villains" in "My Heart is Wild" are in some ways extensions of Dennis Hopper's character in "Blue Velvet": Harry Dean Stanton, Willem Dafoe, J.E. Freeman. Freeman) and so on.
Lynch: Harry Dean Stanton is not a "villain", he is a detective, the most tragic victim of Marietta, he is actually a good person, so he is also one of the most moving characters in the film. We decided the day first that J.E. Freeman played Santos, who finished his first scene the next day, and he was perfect for the world in the film. I really appreciate his performance. Willem Dafoe: We've already talked. and Mr. Raindyll. Morgan Shepherd of Reindeer, whom I worked with when I was filming The Elephant Man, played a small role in a scene at a bar. He's crazy and I hope to work with him again. A project he had wanted to work on had died. He looks strange, his English accent is strong, and bad and cute coexist in him.
Each of my works is explored
The surface and the inside of things are closely connected
Interviewer: In Blue Velvet, you focus on the close connection between the surface and the inside.
Lynch: Yes, that's right. But every one of my films explores this question. This is probably because I am obsessed with what lurks beneath the surface, and I have always been very persistent and single-minded on this subject. Scientists and private investigators observe the world every day and make new discoveries, but at the same time they know that they only scratch the surface.
Interviewer: But you're not in favor of realism in film.
Lynch: That's right. Even filmmakers who believe in realism don't just focus on the surface, they can't help but start imagining. For example, when shooting a certain plot, a shadow suddenly slides across a girl's face, and the background of the film, the previous plot, and the sound may give this detail a rich meaning beyond the surface. Your brain will start associating. It is impossible to focus only on appearances. Recently, I saw two young Chinese girls sitting side by side — instead of facing each other — eating together in a restaurant. It was a very expensive restaurant and they were elegant. I imagined as I watched them chew and swallow. It was like a poem, and I began to imagine their stories. Their faces also moved particularly slowly, making the two look even more strange in that environment. Sometimes, you can't help but ask questions and imagine. I think the same is the experience of watching a movie. When you get close to your inner feelings, something magical happens.
A still from the movie "Blue Velvet".
Interviewer: That's the case with Blue Velvet. At the beginning, the film tells a traditional investigation story, and as the plot develops, the protagonist discovers one secret after another and finally re-recognizes himself.
Lynch: Stories with multiple layers tend to be more engaging and exciting. A lot of films, in my opinion (but I don't know if I'm qualified to comment on them, I haven't seen any for a long time because of my work) seem to have a single theme. But even if we just play a note on the keyboard, we will hear harmonies. The same is true for films—they can elicit multiple reactions at once.
Interviewer: Don't you think that the current American film industry is extremely lacking in suspense? Few films show the other side of the mirror like your work.
Lynch: That's how it came about. For example, there are ten people in an office, and one person walks in from the outside and wants to tell them a very abstract, creative story. He narrated, and the audience began to ask him questions. He found that he had to describe what he wanted to express in concrete and precise language in order for the audience to understand. After speaking, everyone understood, but the story also became flat. The harmony is gone. Usually only then can the film get investment. But suspense has been killed. I think it's good not to plan so specifically.
Interviewer: Are there any other filmmakers who make you feel close? Like Buñuel?
Lynch: Judging by other people's descriptions, I would probably like his work, but I haven't seen it. I only know his "An Andalu Dog". I love Fellini, Bergman, Kubrick, Hitchcock, Tati and The Wizard of Oz!
Interviewer: From Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore to Zardoz, The Wizard of Oz has appeared in many modern films. What do you think of this phenomenon?
Lynch: For me, that's an important book. Blue Velvet also pays homage to it, such as the name Dorothy and the red shoes. The Wizard of Oz is a very influential film, and I think Martin Scorsey and John Bull and I saw this film in their childhood and were impressed. This film had a profound impact on us, so the films we made years later still have elements related to it. "The Wizard of Oz" is like a dream, very infectious.
A still from the movie "Blue Velvet".
Interviewer: You have a background in painting. How has this affected your directing style?
Lynch: I've been painting. There are two aspects to consider: first, what is in front of the camera; Second, how to shoot. I discussed this topic with art director Patricia Norris and director of photography Fred Elmes. At first we made an ideal plan to use certain colors, but quickly gave up. When you're looking for a location, if you find a scene where a shot was taken, it's impossible to repaint that place all over again. Sometimes you'll find that new scenarios are better than planned. In short, get moving. As Fred and I read the script together, we explored feelings, emotions, and fundamental questions such as hot and cold, what is visible and what is not, and discussed fluorescent flashes, direct lighting, and incandescent lamps. Our goal is to highlight the atmosphere of each shot.
Interviewer: For example, the white pointed fence and red roses that appear at the beginning of "Blue Velvet" create an unnatural relaxed atmosphere.
Lynch: Inspired by a book called "Good Times on Our Street," one for every American student. The book covers happiness, everyday surroundings, and neighborhood affection. For a young American from a wealthy family, heaven is what the streets he lives look like. That's what I grew up in: wooden fences and old houses. Even in places like this, terrible things happen, but when I was a child, everything felt so peaceful and beautiful. Planes slowly cut across the sky, plastic toys float in the water, a meal seems to last for five years, and dreams go on forever. Everything is beautiful, and "Good Times on Our Streets" recreates that scene. You learn to read while reading the adventures of Dick, Jane, and their dog, Spot. Of course, that world seems distant now, and I'm sure the current school won't give out this book anymore, because the environment depicted in it probably won't feel intimate to anyone.
A still from the movie "Blue Velvet".
Movies with depth will wrap you up
Enter another world with no escape
Interviewer: The world of Twin Peaks looks like this on the surface.
Lynch: That's right. It's a world you want to enter that, as disturbing as it gets, gives a good first impression. This topic was first raised by my agent, Tony Krantz, who is also Mark Frost's agent. He always wanted me to work with Mark on a TV series, and Mark had previously written many episodes of Mountain Street Blues. We've worked on a comedy together, but neither of us has much interest in making TV movies. I didn't have much inspiration at the time, and I was a little hesitant because of that alone. Mark is not enthusiastic because he knows what a nightmare it is to make a TV series. Even if all goes well, time is very tight and you have to race against the clock.
Then we thought of a story that combined a police investigation and soap opera. The idea of shooting a TV series with a longer single episode sparked my interest. We began to conceive the characters and insert them into the story one by one, building the universe in the play little by little. We took on the Twin Peaks project, and Tony was very happy to arrange for us to meet with ABC. ABC asked to see the script, and it took us eight or nine days to finish a draft, the first episode, the script for the pilot episode. Before I could react, I realized that I was already filming the show in Seattle. We braved the cold to shoot for twenty-one days, and then the film was finished! Despite the long hours of work, I couldn't believe that I had completed 93 minutes of footage in such a short time. ABC liked my work, but they were also worried. As a creator, I have a hard time seeing how Twin Peaks is different from other TV series from an onlooker's perspective, and I rarely watch TV. The success or failure of "different" episodes is difficult to predict, and there are many losers. So the TV companies were very cautious about what they broadcast, but fortunately, "Twin Peaks" was very successful.
Interviewer: What kind of role did you play in the filming of the remaining episodes of "Twin Peaks"?
Lynch: Not as deeply involved as writing and directing a film. Mark and I monitor the course of the story. We read the script, give advice, and make sure the story doesn't go too far from it. But our control is also limited, and in the end we have to give the film to the director. In post-production, I had some suggestions for mixing and soundtrack.
A still from the TV series "Twin Peaks" (season 1).
Interviewer: "Twin Peaks" started like a traditional soap opera. There was a homicide in the town, a body appeared on the beach and the sheriff was notified. Then the film gradually began to get rid of the routines of "Dallas" and "Dynasty", the suspense became stronger, some strange characters began to appear, and the overall atmosphere became darker and darker. At the end of the pilot episode, we enter another universe twenty-one years later.
Lynch: This ending was shot for a video that was sold in the European market and ended the story. When I signed the contract, the contract was thick and I had no idea I was going to shoot this part. I signed the contract without looking closely, it's my problem! The Americans also foolishly believe that Europe is as far away as Mars, and the ABC thinks that no one will find this "closed" ending. Halfway through the film, I was reminded that I still had this section to shoot. My schedule was already tight and I didn't feel like I had time to shoot the ending, let alone conceive it. Then I suddenly had an inexplicable inspiration, and the production company desperately wanted me to shoot the ending so that the whole story could start and end, but they allowed me to play freely. The final shoot didn't take much time, and back in Los Angeles, we spent an extra day shooting shots of Gnomes, Laura Palmer, dreams and dance. I personally love those four minutes. It reappears in another form in the seventh episode, along with the thirteenth episode.
Interviewer: How did you come up with a language that you don't understand, but it's a bit like English?
Lynch: We shot that part backwards. The actors walk and chant lines backwards until they return to where the shot started, and then play it upside down.
Interviewer: For a director like you who works soundtracks and visuals, TV's "flat" sound and limited picture quality are bound to create some kind of limitation.
Lynch: I think the sound of Twin Peaks is the best TV can achieve. We recorded according to the standards of film dubbing. When mixing, they thought the TV work would be simpler. But in fact, the task we gave them was more complicated than mixing for a movie! "Twin Peaks" will be more infectious if it can be shown on the big screen in a good theater. The sound and picture of the TV are very rudimentary, and it really loses a lot of color. There is a big gap between the video or TV movie and the original, which we do not easily detect when watching. Movies with depth will carry you into another world, leaving you with no escape. But if you're sitting in front of the TV, you can get out just by turning your head.
A still from the TV series "Twin Peaks" (season 1).
Interviewer: Compared with "Eraserhead", "Blue Velvet" and "My Heart is Wild", the scene tone of "Twin Peaks" is more restrained. In your opinion, are film and television works expressed differently? For example, in My Wild Heart, you cut directly into the core action scene and present your imagination to the audience.
Lynch: Exactly. When filming a TV series, you will have different considerations and will not include certain sex or violent scenes. You know that some things are untouchable, and some bottom lines are not to be challenged. But – and this is strange – this kind of work can also bring happiness and satisfaction. When filming Twin Peaks, I barely reminded myself that there were some things I couldn't shoot. This is because I set boundaries for myself at the beginning, but I can also express myself in a limited space. Traditionally, television has focused on narrative over picture, but I think "Twin Peaks" is completely comparable to movies.
On the other hand, film tapes prove that it is not necessary to shoot close-ups of small-screen productions. Of course, once a movie is shown on TV, the quality will definitely be greatly reduced, but if it is done well, it will still have a good effect. But I made one or two mistakes while filming Twin Peaks, putting the camera too far away, and the characters in the frame were only the size of a ping-pong ball.
Interviewer: What are you busy with in the three years between "Blue Velvet" and "My Wild Heart"?
Lynch: I'm trying to implement Ronnie Rocket and A Bubble of Mouth, the latter of which is already the second attempt. After finishing Eraserhead, I wrote the script for Ronnie Rocket. I love that abstract idea. It was an absurd comedy. The strangely melancholy world in it is a bit like Eraserhead. I tried to make the film several times without success, and I tried to work with Francis Coppola's company, Zoetrope, before he went bankrupt. And Dino de Laurentiis, whose company also went bankrupt! However, this time the breakdown of the cooperation is not entirely due to funding, but mainly because Dino does not understand the project very well, so he does not pay much attention to it.
Stills from the movie "Eraserhead".
I think it will be troublesome if the film is shot differently than I expected. I still wanted to make Ronnie Rocket, but I wanted to find collaborators who weren't looking forward to making huge profits. Although it does not take place in a specific era, the story of the film is closely related to the origin of rock music. It's like making a movie about the 50s, I'm talking about the 50s of the 21st century... The story takes place in another world, where, as before, there are a lot of large factories. Today's factories are smaller, cleaner and more computerized than in the past. This scares me. The actors have already been chosen: Isabella Rossellini and Mike Jr. (Mike), who plays the character of Ronnie Rocket, the dwarf in "Twin Peaks".
"A Bubble in Mouth" is a crazy movie, a family comedy without a scary plot. There are a lot of identity swaps, sort of like Trading Places, where white and black identities are swapped. I came up with this story when I was on a plane, but I didn't know there were many similar movies at the time, which is one of the reasons I didn't make this film. If identity swapping comedy is a genre, why can't another one be made? Steve Martin was interested in one of the characters. In fact, he has two roles to play. Another actor also has to play two roles, and then they swap each other to achieve the ultimate identity exchange!
Interviewer: Isn't Kyle McLachlan, who participated in many of your early films and "Blue Velvet", a copy of you?
Lynch: A lot of people say that. But I never thought of it that way. That Nicolas Cage may also be a copy of mine.
Interviewer: "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet" seem to be a subversion of Frank Capra's work. The American dream turned into a nightmare. What does this have to do with your childhood?
Lynch: I think I used to — and everyone probably went through this stage — to believe that humans can build the ideal perfect world. But such ideas slowly lost their persuasiveness, and I witnessed the world descend into the abyss of evil. My father, now retired, used to do research for the Ministry of Agriculture, conducting experiments on forest diseases, insects, and freely using large areas of forest. He knew the woods very well. My mother is a housewife, but she also teaches some languages.
A still from the movie "Blue Velvet".
When I was younger, I rarely thought about movies,
I didn't want to be a painter
Interviewer: Where were you born?
Lynch: I was born and lived there for a while, and my father grew up on a farm in Montana in the middle of a wheat field. Many of my father's relatives lived in Montana. Later I lived in Idaho and Washington. My mother is from Brooklyn. My parents, both Duke students, met together in environmental science classes. I attended high school in Virginia, very close to Washington, D.C.
Interviewer: You graduated in the heyday of rock and roll.
Lynch: Yes, so to speak, because 1955 to 1965 was the heyday of rock and roll. I am indeed from that era.
Interviewer: In art, the first thing that interested you was painting.
Lynch: When I was younger, I rarely thought about film, and I didn't think about becoming a painter, because I think painting is an activity that belongs to the past, and I can't imagine how to become a painter in modern society. I moved from Virginia to Washington State and met a friend whose father was a painter. I thought at first that he was a painter who painted houses. But this is not the case, he is a painter, a veritable artist. I visited his studio and believed I could be like him in the future. I went to art colleges in Boston and Philadelphia. The year of study at the Academy of Art Museums was not very pleasant. But I met a lot of wonderful teachers and students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, James Haverd. Everyone works hard.
Interviewer: Do you still draw? What genre is the main painting?
Lynch: Draw. I think my work is mainly a bit of grotesque expression. After Blue Velvet, a journalist—Kristen McKenna, who turned film critic turned art critic—saw some of my paintings and encouraged me to approach galleries and pursue exhibitions. I never thought about doing that because I wasn't so invested in painting that I wanted to do an exhibition. But my mind gradually changed, and Christine introduced me to several art dealers in Los Angeles. James Corcoran organized two exhibitions for me because he and Leo Castelli were friends, so I had an exhibition in New York as well. Some of my recent paintings have been exhibited in Dallas. So in the past three years, I have held four exhibitions.
A still from the documentary "David Lynch: An Art Life".
Interviewer: Your first two short films, Grandmother and Alphabet, used animation techniques such as pixilation. What kind of foundation did your experience in graphic art lay for you to become a filmmaker?
Lynch: I think it affected me a lot, but I didn't realize it at first. In the beginning, I wanted to make the painting come to life, which can be achieved with animation. I don't know anything about movies. I thought the 16mm camera was a type of camera, and all cameras are similar. When I went to rent, I was surprised to find that the price difference was very large. After discussing with the staff at a small shop in downtown Philadelphia—who knew no more than I did—I decided to rent the cheapest one. I learned a little bit from them, experimented with it myself, and ended up shooting a one-minute short film with loops about six people getting sick. The name of the film is "Six People Sick"! There is a carved baffle in the piece. This work is half sculpture, half film, and overall a moving work of art. That's when I was drawn to the charm of cinema and have been on this path ever since.
Interviewer: In addition to film and painting, you are also engaged in artistic creation in the field of music.
Lynch: It was Angelo Badaramanti who introduced me to the world of music. He composes music, I write lyrics. Together we discuss the atmosphere of the song, the lyrics and the song affect each other. It was one of the happiest experiences of my life, like time had stopped. We wrote forty songs and worked with Julee Cruise on an album. These activities – writing screenplays, composing pictures, composing music – are all connected to me, and creating in one area inspires me in other areas. Therefore, making music gives me visual inspiration.
Interviewer: You made a short film for the series "La France vue par les étrangers", produced by French television.
Lynch: Yes. It's called "The Cowboy and the Frenchman". That's when I met Harry Dean Stanton, Tracy Walter and Michael Holser, an Indian who later played a role in Twin Peaks. The film was shot in Los Angeles.
Interviewer: What was it like to study at an American film school?
Lynch: They provided me with the necessary tools and a place to work. My mentor Frank Daniel's analysis of cinema inspired me a lot. He introduced us to the role of sound, background sound and repeating some noise. To help us remember, he also asked us to make small cards corresponding to each scene, and then write code names on them. When seventy cards are made, the film is complete. This method works well for me. I studied at the American Film Institute for five years, but I didn't take classes for three of those years, in a free state. I was working alone away from everyone, but the school didn't expel me. I filmed Eraser Head during that time, and it took so long because of the lack of funds. The American Film Institute has always supported me and helped me a lot. Sid Solo (director of the American Film Institute's Los Angeles Print Factory) washed my negatives for free. Many students have received similar help.
Stills from the movie "Eraserhead".
Interviewer: Did you watch movies when you were a child?
Lynch: Not much. When I lived in Idaho, I sometimes went to the movies on Saturday afternoons because there was a movie theater at the end of the street. I like to retell stories from movies. Those stories seem very true to me, and probably to most people. But I wasn't destined to get into this industry. I love Henry Mansey's music, and I remember Sandra Dee and Troy Donohue's A Summer Place. This soap opera is perfect to watch with a girlfriend and planted the seeds of dreams in our hearts!
Interviewer: Did you prefer books to paintings at that time?
Lynch: No. I used to not read books or read paintings. At the time, life was a particularly close close-up shot—like saliva mixed with blood—or a long shot of a peaceful environment. I don't remember what I was thinking. It's not creative thinking by any means. I don't watch TV and listen to music occasionally. My only real activities were drawing, swimming, and baseball, but none of those things were particularly important to me. I like the overall atmosphere of the place where I live, with all kinds of fantasies in my head because the world seems to me very magical. I remember the first time I got inspired was after returning to Philadelphia.
A still from the TV series "Twin Peaks" (season 2).
Interviewer: You switched from drawing and animating to directing, and getting along with actors must have been a new experience for you. Has anything changed in this regard over the years?
Lynch: In a sense, yes, but I've always been able to get along with people. Making a movie involves being in contact with a variety of people, and if the personality is particularly difficult to communicate, it will cause additional problems. I didn't have this problem from the beginning. If I feel cramped with others, I think from the other person's point of view, which is very effective. I love working with actors. Sometimes, I can't explain my ideas clearly to them at first, but we gradually get to know each other better. Problems are always solved satisfactorily in the end.
Interviewer: Among screenwriters, directors, and editors, do you particularly prefer a certain job?
Lynch: In my opinion, every stage is enjoyable and equally important to the final film. Every step must be fully committed, otherwise it will stagnate.
Original book editor/[US] Richard S. A. Barney
Original author/[fr] Michel Simão [fr] Hubert Neogre
Excerpt / Aoko
Editor/Aoko
Introductory part proofreading / Lucie