Friday, May 6, 2011

David Lynch - In Heaven

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t fully understand David Lynch’s Eraserhead. But who does? Isn’t that the point of such a film? No two viewers can give exactly the same interpretation. Even Lynch himself has been known to say that no interpretation of Eraserhead has precisely matched his own, and I’m sure that’s just the way he wanted it. Like the rest of his films, there is a backdrop of industry as well as mystery; of fire, metal, smoke and mirrors. Lynch gives a more dystopic view of the term progress, where not everything is squeaky, clean, and “keeping up with the Joneses”.

The depression and uncertainty felt by many of Lynch’s characters is reflected in the audio/visual nature of his work, maintained through the music, ostensibly a break from the overt symbolism of Eraserhead’s whirring machines and industrial noice. The Lady in the Radiator (a seemingly irradiated caricature of Betty Boop) sings the unforgettable “In Heaven”. Intoning “in Heaven… everything is fine”, she makes you unsure if she’s being facetious or just naïve, before descending back into the literal chaos of Lynch’s otherworldly industrial complex. Eraserhead set the tone and distinct visual style of what was to come from Mr. Lynch, a style that reached its zenith upon his musical collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti starting with the score for Blue Velvet. Expect future posts on Badalamenti’s film and television work, and enjoy “In Heaven” (and The Lady herself) embedded below.

No comments:

Post a Comment