Inland Empire (film)

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This article is about the film. For other uses, see Inland Empire (disambiguation).
INLAND EMPIRE
Directed by David Lynch
Produced by David Lynch
Mary Sweeney
Jeremy Alter
Laura Dern
Marek Zydowicz
Written by David Lynch
Starring Laura Dern
Jeremy Irons
Justin Theroux
Harry Dean Stanton
Scott Coffey
Music by David Lynch
Cinematography Odd Geir Sæther
Editing by David Lynch
Distributed by StudioCanal
518 Media
ABSURDA
Release date(s) December, 2006 (Premiere in General)
September 6, 2006 (first performance in Venice Film Festival)
Summer 2007 (DVD Version by Rhino Entertainment)
Running time 179 min
Country USA / Poland
Language English / Polish
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Inland Empire is a film directed by David Lynch, which was premiered in Italy at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2006. [1] The film took two and a half years to complete, and was shot entirely in digital video. [1] The cast includes Lynch regulars such as Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton, Laura Harring, and Grace Zabriskie, as well as Jeremy Irons, Diane Ladd, and special appearances by Nastassja Kinski, William H. Macy and Ben Harper.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

When asked about Inland Empire, Lynch responded that it is "about a woman in trouble, and it's a mystery, and that's all I want to say about it." [2]

When presenting screenings of the film, Lynch sometimes offers a clue, in the form of a quote: "We are like the spider. We weave our life and then move along in it. We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives in the dream. This is true for the entire universe."[3]

According to Richard Peña, an official at the New York Film Festival and one of the first people to see Inland Empire, the film is "a plotless collection of snippets that explore themes Lynch has been working on for years," including "a Hollywood story about a young actress who gets a part in a film that might be cursed; a story about the smuggling of women from Eastern Europe; and an abstract story about a family of people with rabbit heads sitting around in a living room," [2] which is taken straight from Lynch's web-only film series, Rabbits.

The film supposedly includes several hallucinatory scenes, and Naomi Watts' character in the film is as one of the aforementioned "talking rabbits", in a cameo role. [1]

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Filming and details

In a 2005 interview, Lynch spoke about the filming process of Inland Empire, saying that, "I’ve never worked on a project in this way before. I don’t know exactly how this thing will finally unfold... This film is very different because I don’t have a script. I write the thing scene by scene and much of it is shot and I don’t have much of a clue where it will end. It’s a risk, but I have this feeling that because all things are unified, this idea over here in that room will somehow relate to that idea over there in the pink room." [4] .

Much of the film was shot in Łódź, Poland, with local actors, such as Karolina Gruszka, Krzysztof Majchrzak, Leon Niemczyk, Piotr Andrzejewski and artists of the local circus 'Cyrk Zalewski'. Some filming was also done in Los Angeles, and in 2006 Lynch returned from Poland to complete filming. It is unknown how much of the film was actually shot in Inland Empire cities, as Lynch never obtained filming permits required for indoor and outdoor filming in the area. [2]

Every morning, Lynch handed each actor several pages of freshly-written dialogue.[1]

It is the first (feature length) Lynch film to be completely shot in digital video, shot with a Sony DSR-PD150. He has stated that he will no longer use film to make motion pictures. [5]

In an NPR "Weekend Edition" interview, Laura Dern recounted a conversation she had with one of the movie's new producers. He asked if Lynch was joking when he requested a one-legged woman, a monkey and a lumberjack by 3:15. "Yeah, you're on a David Lynch movie, dude," Dern replied. "Sit back and enjoy the ride." Dern reported that by 4 p.m. they were filming with the requested individuals.

Inland Empire also continues Lynch's tradition of naming the project after the location where it is set. [2]

[edit] Reviews and reactions

Interviewed at the Venice Film Festival, Laura Dern admitted that she didn't know what INLAND EMPIRE was about or the role she was playing, but hoped that seeing the film's premiere at the festival would help her "learn more." [1] Critics have been divided on the merits of the film, but Laura Dern has received almost-universal acclaim for her performance, with many reviews describing it as her finest to date. Lynch attempted to promote Dern's chances of an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination at the 2007 Academy Awards by campaigning with a live cow. [5] Ultimately, she was not nominated for the award.

Justin Theroux also stated that he "couldn't possibly tell you what the film's about, and at this point I don't know that David Lynch could. It's become sort of a pastime - Laura [Dern] and I sit around on set trying to figure out what's going on." [2]

The New York Times classified INLAND EMPIRE as being "fitfully brilliant" after the film festival.

The Belgian webzine CuttingEdge.be [6] calls the film "damaging for your sense of time and personality".

UK website Mansized declared Inland Empire "a brave movie that plays on in your mind long after you leave the cinema."

When reviewing the film on the BBC series Film 2007, presenter Jonathan Ross described it as "a work of genius... I think." Lynch was also interviewed by Ross about the film in the same show. [7]

[edit] Financing and release

Lynch financed much of the production from his own resources, with longtime artistic collaborator Mary Sweeney producing. The film was also partially financed by the French production company Canal Plus, which had provided funding for three previous Lynch films. StudioCanal wanted to enter it in the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, but it was not ready in time. In Poland, the film will probably come out in the autumn,[citation needed] and Kino S´wiat will be the distributor.[citation needed]

There was a limited release in America on December 15 of 2006 via 518 Media. [2]

The film was first premiered at Italy's Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2006, where David Lynch also received the Golden Lion lifetime achievement for his "contributions to the art of cinema." It premiered in The United States on October 8, 2006 at the New York Film Festival, selling out both showings.

Lynch spoke of distributing the film independently, saying that with the entire industry changing, he thought he would attempt a new form of distribution as well[3]. More recently, Lynch has worked out a deal with Studio Canal in an arrangement that will allow him to distribute the film himself, through digital and traditional means. [4]

Rhino Entertainment has scheduled a DVD of Inland Empire for release on June 8th, 2007. "The DVD will be really cool," Lynch states. "It will have so much great stuff on there. I am going to load it up and make it exactly the way I want it." [5] According to Rhino video VP Sig Sigworth, "David was looking for a distribution model where he would have total creative control, and we were fortunate enough to develop a model that afforded him that control. He’s taking his hands-on approach to filmmaking and carrying it all the way through theatrical and physical distribution." [6] In accordance with other director-approved DVD releases of Lynch's films, it is likely that the disc will not have chapter selection.

[edit] Release Dates Information

[edit] Festival Releases

[edit] Theatrical Releases

[edit] DVD Releases

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d BBC News: David Lynch given lifetime award
  2. ^ a b c d e WFAA.com article: "David Lynch turns his eye to Inland Empire"
  3. ^ http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/008819.html
  4. ^ Healthy Weathly N' Wise article on David Lynch
  5. ^ a b Variety.com article on Inland Empire
  6. ^ CuttingEdge.be review of INLAND EMPIRE
  7. ^ Film 2007, 5 March 2007

[edit] External links


The work of David Lynch
Feature films: Eraserhead • The Elephant Man • Dune • Blue Velvet • Wild at Heart • Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me • Lost Highway • The Straight Story • Mulholland Dr. • Inland Empire
TV series: Twin Peaks • American Chronicles • On the Air • Hotel Room
Other work: Short films • Industrial Symphony No. 1 • Rabbits • Darkened Room • Dumb Land • The Angriest Dog in the World
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