Lynch (one)

DVD Rating: ****

Reviewed by: Anton Bitel

Read Anton Bitel's film review of Lynch (one)
Lynch (one)
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Normally, the prospect of sitting through a bunch of photo galleries, outtakes and trailers brings little thrill to either viewer or reviewer, but the extras on this DVD display an unusual degree of craft. The seven-minute Lodz is essentially a 'photomontage' of digital stills taken by Lynch of factories and streets while he was collaborating in the Polish town with the Camerimage Gang – but, leaving aside the haunting beauty of the images themselves, the slideshow plays out to an unnerving Lynchian soundscape of wind, processed bells, industrial drones and static, while Lynch himself can be heard telling a story about a one-eyed man. It is the most unnerving photo gallery you will ever see.

Though billed merely as a trailer for LYNCH (one), Pilot is in fact an 11-minute surreal cut-up of early scenes shot for the documentary, mixed in with some previously unseen moments (including Lynch proposing to blackANDwhite that they all rent a tractor and spend the summer together "ploughing and harvesting"). This is even more 'Lynchian' in style than the final cut. Blue Green (three minutes) comprises mood-establishing footage shot in Lodz for the documentary of a brightly dressed young boy (Phillip Patela) skipping through disused factory spaces that are also haunted by a shock-haired woman (Weronika Rosati). It is a little like a gothic music video, but there is no denying its uncanny creepiness, greatly aided by the soundtrack.

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The 14-minute Work and the much briefer What's MySpace? show the irrepressible Lynch working in a variety of artistic media (he even contemplates customising and improving a Mercedes by sawing off its rear). At the end of Work, he reflects somewhat ruefully: "I wish I knew the secret of what triggers these things, because they just come out of the blue." Floor Sander is a disposable three-minute anecdote about a near fatal accident that Lynch had in Philadelphia while transporting a rented floor sander to his home.

Finally, the brief teaser trailers for LYNCH2 and LYNCHthree include more material shot by blackANDwhite behind the scenes of INLAND EMPIRE, while also suggesting the reason why LYNCH (one) is so-called.

Reviewed on: 03 Jul 2009
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Lynch (one) packshot
An insight into the working life of cult film director David Lynch.
Amazon link

Product Code: SCBX 9922

Region: 2

Ratio: 16x9 anamorphic

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0

Extras: Lodz photomontage, pilot, teaser, various outtakes, teasers for LYNCH2 and LYNCHthree.


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