The return of Twin Peaks to our TV screens after a gap of 25 years has David Lynch’s name on everyone’s lips. Especially as the new series is perhaps even better than the original – not something that can be said of many, if any, of the current wave of revivals or reboots.
The 40th anniversary of Lynch’s debut film Eraserhead is this year, the iconic Blue Velvet was released 30 years ago… With this in mind and looking to introduce a new generation to Lynch’s worlds, and the fact that many of Lynch’s film have been digitally remastered, Broadway Cinematheque has organised a David Lynch retrospective entitled The Nightmare Maker which runs from 21 July to 31 August.
Who is David Lynch?
Lynch is much more than just a director. He is also a painter, artist, musician and coffee expert. It’s been over ten years since the release of Inland Empire, the last film he directed. Yet now Lynch is back in the director’s chair, ready to change the landscape of TV again with the new series of Twin Peaks, which became the first TV drama ever to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Subconsciousness, nightmare, anxiety, memory, surrealism, darkness, absurdity, the gaze… are all keywords for Lynch’s cinema. As strange as the weirdest of your dreams, his cinematic world blurs the line between reality and fantasy. His manipulation of the uncanny and unconventional narrative structures create the most unsettling yet absorbing viewing experiences.
Lynch’s films and tv shows are not easy viewing, but he creates such unique multi-layered worlds full of interesting characters that the reward is worth the effort. Whether you ultimately like the film or not.
The The Nightmare Maker retrospective features: Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Lost Highway (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001), Inland Empire (2006), Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014), Blue Velvet Revisit (2016) and assorted short films.
David Lynch: The Nightmare Maker
Date: 21 July – 31 August, 2017
Venue: Broadway Cinematheque, Palace IFC, My Cinema Yoho
Tickets: $95, $85
