This would look good on your wall.

-Noah- 

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

I'm just listening to Penderecki's De Natura Sonoris right now. Two great films with one music, wow. Now I definitely know why I like Lynch and Kubrick so much at the same time!

And I'm getting willing to see IE again at the movies.

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

INLAND EMPIRE
Current mood: ecstatic
Hi,

last thursday I was in Liège in Belgium in the cinema, to see the new movie from David Lynch INLAND EMPIRE, which started there on 8.2.2007 (in Germany the date will be the 24.4.2007 - that was too far for me).

For those thinking of Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway being complicated ... in Relation to INLAND EMPIRE they are simple ;-)
The story (no details): a woman in mysterious trouble (like always in his films); the main character (Laura Dern) gets a main role in a movie (a love story), which - as we get told later - was a remake of an unfinished movie decades ago; the movie was not finished at that time, because the main actors were murdered; in this nearly 3 (!) hours lasting piece there is a mix-up of reality, actual movie-scenes, real or fictional reflections / stories from the past, perceptions of the female main character, who restores herself in reality, her actual role, then in the female actor from the unfinished movie or that person itself (I hope, I could enlighted it a bit ...; it wasn't easy, because the movie was in original with french subtitles - and my french is barely sufficient for getting something to eat / drink and that common sentence beginning with 'voulez vous ... ', additional: the scenes, which were filmed in Poland, were played by polish actors in polish language)
[a question: were these scenes subtitled in the states or synchronized?]

The pictures / movie landscapes were "genius madness"; my (anyway high) expectations were excelled; now I know, why David Lynch says that he won't do filming in the conventional matter but doing it with Digital Video: he has and use the greater opportunities, to realize his ideas and visions. The result is phenomenal, you get directly in touch with this surreal world, drawn by the typical camera work of David Lynch, very close to the faces of the actors, showing every mimic / mood in an extraordinary way. And in fact a marvellous acting of Laura Dern, who more than deserved to get the Oscar for it.

I will watch the movie some more times as soon as there will be the possibility (and I hope, the german synchronisation won't spoil the movie - perhaps there will be the opportunity to see the original with english or german subtitles) a masterpiece, for me the movie of the year / decade, if not the century ...

Greetings MFAP

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

The Polish scenes are indeed subtitled in the English-language cut.

I think there's some significance to this also - David is not known for liking subtitles, and most of his own DVDs don't even have a subs feature - so to deliberately create sections of the movie which require a different language seemed to have an extra meaning. I think a lot of it may be tied in to the fact that this is his first DV feature -so making INLAND EMPIRE must have been like learning a new language for him, in some ways....

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

This would look good on your wall.

-Noah- 

I'm just referring back to Silencio's post where he asks if Lynch is paying an homage to Kubrick at a point in IE.

Without seeing the film mind you, I am convinved Lynch was indeed paying Kubrick a salute . In Lynch on Lynch edited by Rodley on page 77 : Kubrick had mentioned to a group of film heavyweights " Kubrick said " Do you guys want to come to my house and see my favorite film? " The group accepted Kubrick's invitatation and the film was Eraserhead ! Lynch said in Lynch on Lynch  " That was a hair of euphoria. Because I think Kubrick's one of the all time greats, Almost everyone of his films is in my top ten. "  

So, if there was a candidate for David to salute it would indeed be Kubrick.   

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

 Well, how many DVDs of Lynch movies do you own that have a subtitles feature? They don't tend to carry subs, and I think one reason for this is that plenty of DL's movies have scenes wherein the dialogue is deliberately unclear - you aren't supposed to be able to make out exactly what is said. Being able to turn the subtitles on would completely remove this deliberate ambiguity. It's no secret that he has had an unusual relationship with language all his life. Personally, I think he's mildly aphasic, although I've never read that specifically stated anywhere - but I'd say that elements of INLAND EMPIRE support this view. And on the subject of FWWM, do you have it the right way round, because I saw FWWM on its original release in the UK, and it definitely, definitely had subs in the pink room scene. I have no idea if the print I saw was unusual in that respect.

And as Mrs Tremond points out, the subtitles in IE are used because the speakers are not speaking English - that's my point! If he just wanted certain characters to speak English, but in an oblique way, he would have done (indeed, he DOES do that in the scene with the Japanese girl on Hollywood boulevard) - but he chose to show characters speaking a different language for a reason, possibly many reasons; I would argue that one of those many reasons is that Lynch himself was learning a new cinematic "language" during the making of INLAND EMPIRE... What I'm trying to say is that the presence of a different language in INLAND EMPIRE isn't an accident - it didn't happen just because he likes visiting Lodz!

Im trying not to come up with too many detailed theories and study this film because it goes against my way of viewing Lynch films!! I stubbornly will not partake in any Theory discussions about Mulholland Drive either. I like them for how they are on first viewing..I dont like to think about them, I like to go with them and dream and be happily oblivious and confused. (Although occasionally I crack and do discuss a little!!)

However, I just wanted to add my two cents about the 3 Polish actors. The first time I saw IE I was very confused as to who was who and also thought that they were played by the same person for a while. After a second viewing it definitely becomes clearer and the phantom is more recognisable. I think maybe this similarity is intentional?? I dont know if anyone has those dreams where one character starts off as one person, but halfway through the dream theyre kind of someone else...except not quite...Theyre half of two people...

If anyone followed that (!) and can relate, then this is what I felt about these 3 characters 

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

Argh!!!!!

ALRIGHT.

SO.

The PHANTOM.

Who the *(^*(% is he? I simply cant remember going back to my October screening... : ( 

This would look good on your wall.

-Noah- 

Hey, I was thinking about the Hollywood Blvd. scene where Laura Dern snaps her fingers at the hookers and nothing happens (actually, I think they start laughing in her face). That was pretty sad!

I think it's a sort of attempt by Nikki to lighten things up like they did in the Loco-motion scene. Just before the dance sequence starts, one of the girls quotes a line from the song 'you gotta swing your hips now' and then snaps her finger! That was a pretty cool connection between different polarities in the movie. Don't you think?

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

IAR - I totally agree about theories: I think that DL's films are about emotions rather than specific plotlines. Still, it's hard to resist the temptation, especially when there seem to be so many references in IE. Been reading some of the theories linking the film to Sunset Boulevard on the IE boards - fascinating stuff!

Silencio - yes, I'm talking about English subs for the deaf and hard of hearing. Sorry, I probably wasn't clear about that. My point still stands: the fact that he chose to include non-english speakers in IE - thus forcing him to subtitle the movie (which means that there will be writing on the screen - detracting attention away from the images)- should not be overlooked when trying to interpret the movie. Although as iar said, there is a lot to be said for just watching, enjoying, and not asking too many questions (difficult though that is). Re - the clicking scene, my memory is that all the hookers started to click along with Dern, rather than laugh at her. Am I remembering this wrong? I also thought that after they had clicked a few times, somebody handed the screwdriver to Ormond.

Mrs. Tremond...check my first two posts on page one for clarification on the role of The Phantom...and how I arrived at my conclusions...I think there might be more in one of my later posts as well...

Mr. Silencio. Another great thing about seeing IE a third time (other than the Hollywood and Vine sequence) was seeing The Locomotion again...I love that sequence...it's so out of place and has no relevance to the story, but it's so much fun!! I loved seeing Luis' friend sitting next to me's reaction to the scene and I could tell he loved it too. I like the connection between the two scenes, especially since they are two of my favorites, but also it draws a parallell between Lost Girl's and Nikki's perceptions of themselves...in the first one, it is right after Nikki first "moves into" the house where a lot that part of the story takes place, so it's our first look at Lost Girl's mentality...and as with the Hollywood part, I love the segueway into that...how it starts with Nikki sitting in the chair in her robe and the way the picture gets all freaky and then she screams and then it fades into all the hookers in Hollywood and they all greet her...fantastic stuff...one could even say since Nikki is attacked right after she busts a move, that we are seeing her greatest fears...living and dying on the streets and Lost Girl's being losing her family and having to prostitute herself to survive on her own...

When Luis and I were driving back to my apartment, he had some good ideas after just seeing it once. I tried not to go into my interpretations too much, because I wanted him to have his second viewing so his opinions would have time to gel a little. The only thing I really said was about Nikki being "cast in the role" of saving Lost Girl. Anyway, he summed it up by saying Lost Girl is at a crossroads and she has two paths she can take...one where she ends up a whore and loses her family or a more righteous path where she can live happily ever after with her family...I thought that was pretty cool especially since Lost Girl seems to be witnessing Nikki's travels through the Inland Empire and in turn seeing what her life could be like if she makes the wrong choices. Just thought I'd share that, being that he is a Lynch fan too.           

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

This would look good on your wall.

-Noah- 

I'll probably watch it again tomorrow, but the happy ending for the Polish plot looked a little goofy to me. Has it had the same effect on somebody else of you?

And, with goofy I don't mean it was a mistake or anything, I'm sure Lynch had that scene in mind exactly like that. But for me it just doesn't work that way. The credit sequence could have been alone an enough happy ending.

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

Yeah I totally agree with you. Surprisingly enough you're the only one I read to feel that way. After the phantom is killed, something doesn't works. Don't know exactly what.

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

I've just checked my DVDs and here are the results: Fire Walk With Me R2, Lost Highway R2 and Eraserhead R1 have no subtitles. Blue Velvet R1, Wild At Heart R1, Mulholland Drive R2 and The Straight Story R1 have subtitles. The Short Films DVD seems to have a subtitle option but it doesn't work on my copy. I'd be very surprised if Lynch has a consistent policy against subtitles. Surely he doesn't mind deaf people enjoying his films!

The print of FWWM that I saw on its UK release did not have subtitles in the Pink Room scene and nor did the first video release of it. According to issue 5 of the Twin Peaks fanzine February 24 "FWWM premiered at Cannes with French and English subtitles. All the subtitles were removed in advance of its American theatre release. Two weeks before this date they were then re-instated, most notably during the Red Room and nightclub scenes. In the UK Guild Distribution had already produced all their prints (without subtitles) and it was too late and financially impossible to recall the prints."

I found the happy ending for Lost Girl to be an absolute triumph - one of the most powerful redemptive moments in a Lynch film since FWWM, in my opinion - and the credits only enhanced that. I felt that the credit sequence was a celebration of Lynch's whole career to date. Although the ending was not 100% happy - the shot of Laura sitting alone in her house felt tinged with sadness - like she is the one who has come out of this story for the worse; she's lost something in the process. I also felt the ending was a kind of twist - because I'd been led to believe that Lost Girl's son was dead, but in fact he wasn't - so maybe it was Nikki who lost her child, possibly through an abortion (there seemed to be loads of abortion imagery in the movie). I also think that, just as in Mulholland Drive, there was at least one scene which was partly to do with David's experiences making Dune.

Robin: What can I tell you? I saw a print with subtitles in Birmingham, England. I believe it was in the first half of 1993 at the Midlands Arts Centre. I'm pretty sure I never saw it outside of the cinema until its DVD release, but I suppose there's a possibility I saw a subbed version on video at some point - does it really matter?

As for your amusingly precise list of DVDs - I don't know what you're hoping to prove. If you don't believe that DL's choice to have a lot of non-English speakers in INLAND EMIPIRE was entirely deliberate, that's really up to you - but I think otherwise. I also happen to believe that he would not have dialogue SPELT OUT on the bottom of the screen for no reason. Guess that's a matter of personal opinion, eh? I don't know what version of MD you have, but mine is R2 and it sure as shit doesn't have subs. To be honest, the fact that you can name ANY Lynch DVDs that don't have subs kind of supports my point - since practically all DVDs carry them nowadays. Maybe that's a money-related issue though. As I said, my original point (which I made several aeons ago) was that I think the use of language is very important in INLAND EMPIRE. I'm still convinced of this!

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love."