And What About Naomi?
I was stunned by Eraserhead. I still don't think David Lynch has topped it. The closest he ever came was Mulholland Drive, which I recently rewatched. (I originally saw it at the Vista Theatre. While waiting outside, someone across the street shouted "don't go in, that is the worst movie I've ever seen!")
The amazing thing about MD is, though a unifed work of art, it's a retrofit. Most of it was shot as a pilot for ABC. They turned it down, Lynch thought a bit, figured he could turn it into a feature, got some more money, brought the cast back, and voila! Lynch likes stories that double back on themselves, and you couldn't get a better example than that.
The story is about Betty, a naive young actress trying to make it in Hollywood, and Rita, a myterious woman who's lost her memory. But then, later in the film, these characters (or the actresses playing them) change into Diane and Camilla. Diane is a bitter, frustrated, less talented version of Betty, and Camilla is a beautiful, successful actress. I subscribe to the theory (as many do) that Diane and Camilla are the real world, and Betty and Rita are Diane's dream, much of which involves wish fulfillment.
The story has plenty of Lynchian touches. The most overt is the bizarre Club Silencio, but much better is the scene where The Cowboy meets up with director Adam Kesher. The dialogue is great in a spooky way, but what really makes it are the odd, unaffected line readings of The Cowboy. I don't believe he's a professional actor, which is usually a bad thing, but works perfectly here.
What holds the whole thing together, beyond Lynch's concept, is Naomi Watts' tremendous performance. Every now and then an unknown (which she was to me at the time) knocks it out of the park. You completely buy her as perky, innocent Betty, then you discover Betty has unexpected depths, then you see what's underneath when she turns into Diane. (On top of which, Australian Watts is playing the whole thing with an accent). I think it's one of the greatest performances ever captured on film.
The amazing thing about MD is, though a unifed work of art, it's a retrofit. Most of it was shot as a pilot for ABC. They turned it down, Lynch thought a bit, figured he could turn it into a feature, got some more money, brought the cast back, and voila! Lynch likes stories that double back on themselves, and you couldn't get a better example than that.
The story is about Betty, a naive young actress trying to make it in Hollywood, and Rita, a myterious woman who's lost her memory. But then, later in the film, these characters (or the actresses playing them) change into Diane and Camilla. Diane is a bitter, frustrated, less talented version of Betty, and Camilla is a beautiful, successful actress. I subscribe to the theory (as many do) that Diane and Camilla are the real world, and Betty and Rita are Diane's dream, much of which involves wish fulfillment.
The story has plenty of Lynchian touches. The most overt is the bizarre Club Silencio, but much better is the scene where The Cowboy meets up with director Adam Kesher. The dialogue is great in a spooky way, but what really makes it are the odd, unaffected line readings of The Cowboy. I don't believe he's a professional actor, which is usually a bad thing, but works perfectly here.
What holds the whole thing together, beyond Lynch's concept, is Naomi Watts' tremendous performance. Every now and then an unknown (which she was to me at the time) knocks it out of the park. You completely buy her as perky, innocent Betty, then you discover Betty has unexpected depths, then you see what's underneath when she turns into Diane. (On top of which, Australian Watts is playing the whole thing with an accent). I think it's one of the greatest performances ever captured on film.
PS I didn't realize Patrick Fischler has a small part in the film. Now that I know him from Mad Men, he seems to be popping up everywhere.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:02 AM
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