The Short Films of David Lynch
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The Short Films of David Lynch (2002) is a DVD collection of the early student and commissioned film work of American filmmaker David Lynch. As such, the collection does not include Lynch's later short work, which are listed in the filmography.
The films are listed in chronological order, with brief descriptions of each film. The DVD contains introductions by Lynch to each film, which can be viewed individually or in sequence.
Contents |
[edit] Six Figures Getting Sick (Six Times)
1966 Six Figures Getting Sick (Six Times) Originally untitled, "Six Men Getting Sick" is a one-minute color animated film that consists of a continuous loop shown on a sculptured screen of three human shaped figures (based on casts of Lynch's own head as done by Jack Fisk) that intentionally distorted the film. Lynch's animation depicted six people getting sick: their stomachs grew and their heads would catch fire.
Lynch made this artwork during his second year at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. The school held an experimental painting and sculpture exhibit every year and Lynch entered his work in the spring of 1966. The animated film was shown on "an Erector-set rig on top of the projector so that it would take the finished film through the projector, way up to the ceiling and then back down, so the film would keep going continuously in a loop. And then I hung the sculptured screen and moved the projector back till just what I wanted was on the screen and the rest fell back far enough to disappear" (Chris Rodley, editor, Lynch on Lynch). Lynch showed the whole thing with the sound of a siren as accompaniment. The film cost $200 and was not intended to have any successors. It was merely an experiment on Lynch's part because he wanted to see his paintings move. (1 minute animation loop repeated 6 times)
[edit] The Alphabet
1968 The Alphabet Combines animation and live action; A simple narrative structure relating a symbolically rendered expression of childhood and aging. (4 minutes)
The idea for "The Alphabet" came from Lynch's wife, Peggy Reavey, [1], a painter whose niece, according to Lynch in Chris Rodley's Lynch on Lynch book, "was having a bad dream one night and was saying the alphabet in her sleep in a tormented way. So that's sort of what started 'The Alphabet' going." Based on the merits of this short film, Lynch was awarded an American Film Institute production grant and became a minor celebrity.
[edit] The Grandmother
1970 The Grandmother After the success of "The Alphabet", one of Lynch's friends, Bushnell Keeler recommended that he check out the American Film Institute. Keeler's brother-in-law had been involved in setting up the AFI. Lynch submitted "The Alphabet" and wrote a script for a short film entitled, "The Grandmother." He sent the script and a print of "The Alphabet" to the AFI in Washington. Lynch got a call from George Stevens, Jr. and Tony Vellani at the AFI who wanted to know if Lynch could make "The Grandmother" for $5,000 (it eventually cost $7,200). Lynch agreed.
The short film combines live action and animation. The story revolves around a boy who grows a Grandmother to escape neglect and abuse from his parents. Silent (no dialog) with soundtrack cues used to convey story.
The music in the film was provided by a local group known as Tractor and marked the first time Lynch would work with Alan R. Splet who was recommended to the filmmaker by the soundman on "The Alphabet". Initially, Lynch and Splet intended to use a collection of sound effects records for the film but after going through them all they found that none of them were useful. So, Lynch and Splet took 63 days to make and record their own sound effects.
After finishing "The Grandmother", Lynch took the film to be shown at the AFI in Washington, D.C. The head of the AFI at the time, George Stevens, Jr. found that after all the films had been categorized, only Lynch's defied easy categorization. Stevens and Vellani recommended that Lynch apply to the AFI's Center for Advanced Film Studies. This was a filmmaking conservatory that Vellani had recently started in Beverly Hills. Lynch and Splet both applied for scholarships and on the strength of "The Grandmother" (which won awards at film festivals in Atlanta, Belleview, and San Francisco) they were accepted into the program. (34 minutes)
[edit] The Amputee
1974 The Amputee Made for the American Film Institute while Eraserhead was in financial limbo. The AFI was testing two different stocks of black and white video and enlisted Frederick Elmes to test each one. Lynch asked Elmes if he could shoot something with this stock and so he and Catherine Coulson stayed up all night writing script. The result was a one shot scene with Catherine Coulson about a woman attempting to write a letter while a female nurse (played by Lynch) tends to her leg stumps. (two versions 5 minutes/4 minutes)
[edit] The Cowboy and the Frenchman
1988 The Cowboy and the Frenchman Slapstick made for French Television as part of the series The French as seen by... by French magazine Figaro. With Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Golchan, and Jack Nance. (26 minutes)
[edit] Premonitions Following an Evil Deed
1996 Lumière:Premonitions Following an Evil Deed Originally included in the 1995 film Lumière et compagnie. Forty acclaimed directors created works using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière brothers (52 seconds)
[edit] External links
- DVD Verdict review
- David Lynch Homepage
- The Cowboy and the Frenchman on lynchnet
- The Cowboy and the Frenchman at the Internet Movie Database
- The Cowboy and the Frenchman at All Movie Guide
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