Eraserhead

[Dr Syntax Head]

I always figured Henry was just unlucky; he was the first schmuck that steps in the puddle, then "whoosh", his entire life gets an horrific new makeover.

That's my take. I also see it as parenthood stripping you of your identity and making you just another tool in life's cruel plan.

New page new Lynch in May.

[BlodwynPig]

Questions in a World of Glue

[marquis_de_sad]

On the other hand, it's emphatically not an enjoyable experience. It's easier to admire as art than it is to accept as entertainment, and the fact that it's been endlessly dissected and picked apart in minute detail by pseuds who claim anyone who dislikes the film 'doesn't get it' is another barrier I find it hard to surmount or even circumnavigate. Plus, it's just too bloody long. I can't help thinking someone like Jan Svankmajer would have boiled the central concepts down to a fifteen minute short and made it far more palatable.

Yeah, I agree with this.[nb]Except the "pseuds" part.[/nb]

[Mr Brightside]

the fact that it's been endlessly dissected and picked apart in minute detail by pseuds who claim anyone who dislikes the film 'doesn't get it' is another barrier I find it hard to surmount or even circumnavigate.

This is what I was trying to say about St_Eddie's review. I'm not saying he isn't allowed his views. Of course he is. We've all got free speech. But that's why I was also allowed to say I didn't like his review. If he wants to throw a strop when people say he things he doesn't like by calling them silly little cunts, it doesn't make him look great. He's one of the pseuds you mention.

[St_Eddie]

This is what I was trying to say about St_Eddie's review. I'm not saying he isn't allowed his views. Of course he is. We've all got free speech. But that's why I was also allowed to say I didn't like his review. If he wants to throw a strop when people say he things he doesn't like by calling them silly little cunts, it doesn't make him look great. He's one of the pseuds you mention.

Hold on a fucking minute.  You said this about my post...

...lacing the review with twat words like 'verisimilar' and overusing alliteration makes all Lynch fans seem like pretentious prissy prats.

So in essence you called me a twat and a pretentious prissy pants.  I think I have every right to respond by calling you a silly little cunt.  You take issue with the way I write.  Good for you but maybe you should have kept your nasty little derogatory thoughts to yourself, hmm?  For the record, I'm not pretentious.  I know that I'm not.  What I am is someone whom likes to use the English language to the best of my ability.  I happen to enjoy using alliteration because I find that it allows words to roll off the tongue in a fun way and I use "twat words" like 'verisimilar' because that's what words are there for; to be used as a means to best express what it is that one is trying to communicate.  I agree with Sexton Brackets Drugbust's negative karma comment which was given to you in regards to your uncalled for attack on my style of writing...

Using language ain't a criticism

You're the one that started all of this by attacking my style of writing and when you attack the way I write, you attack me directly because my writing is an extension of myself.  So don't try to play the victim here.

He's one of the pseuds you mention.

How nice of you to categorise people and put them into brackets based off nothing more than the way the write.  All I did was give my interpretation of a film; a film which invites varying interpretations, no less.  I did so in the manner in which I am accustomed to writing because... well, that's how I write.  Did my post warrant a snide and insulting response from yourself?  No it fucking didn't, so stop trying to act like you're above it all.

[Mr Brightside]

Chill out, mate.

[checkoutgirl]

I've watched Eraserhead once on video in the early 2000s and hated it. Couldn't understand it. And it really comes down to whether you believe film should have a relatively easily understandable narrative or not. Say you're watching a film and there's a bit you don't understand, do you immediately think what the fuck is this bullshit, or do you think shit I've missed something.

Well Lynch tends to make entire films that are what the fuck is this or shit I've missed something. The entire thing is either an annoying mystery or a mystery to be solved. He won't tell you what it is. He sometimes gives clues but will never overtly explain what is going on. Like a poet, he will leave the interpretation to the viewer.

That's too much for some people. People who grew up on films and TV making sure people knew what the fuck was going on. People like me.

But I have a certain respect for Lynch. I'm mellowing towards him. I'm mellowing on modern art. Maybe it all isn't shite. Maybe it's valid. Maybe it's all about provoking debate. Maybe that's the point of art. And out of all film directors the most artistic, or certainly one of the most artistic, is Lynch.

It would be extremely difficult to accuse him of having no vision. He seems to be a poet who writes prose on the screen. Enigmatic, confusing, difficult. Most of my favourite music is difficult. It takes more than one listen. I'm rambling....

I honestly don't know if I have the patience or inclination to ever understand what the fuck Lynch is doing. But I do have a certain respect for him.

Also Eraserhead was deemed the last true midnight movie, a phenomenon that started in 1970 with Jodorofsky's El Topo and ended in 1977 with Eraserhead. By dint of support from Ben Barenholtz who ran the Elgin theatre in New York and was an early supporter of Lynch. According to him this film was "tactile". It's addressed in the film Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005) which I've mentioned before and is worth a look.

Props to St Eddie for putting some shape on the thing because that's as good an explanation as I've seen. It's an explanation anyway. And also TC who said this film is not a pleasant experience. It's not. Even people who like it didn't really enjoy it. It's not supposed to be nice. It's a horror film. If you watch it and come out laughing then you're nuts.

[manticore]

Plus, it's just too bloody long. I can't help thinking someone like Jan Svankmajer would have boiled the central concepts down to a fifteen minute short and made it far more palatable.

I find time stops when I'm watching it.

[St_Eddie]

Chill out, mate.

I thought that we had moved on from all of this but then you dragged it back up again today and insulted me yet again.  I'm allowed to respond to your insults and don't tell me to chill out, you passive aggressive, goading little shit.

[checkoutgirl]

I find time stops when I'm watching it.

To quote Richard O'Brien "When you're watching Eraserhead you're in a dream."

Maybe it's supposed to be a dream. Maybe it's supposed to evoke a dream like state in the viewer. I've never seen it in a cinema and maybe that's supposed to be where it's viewed.

Although the first cut of the film was too long according to Lynch and after the premiere at some film festival he cut the composite print. Lynch wasn't even watching at the time because he waits outside, but he said he got a sense that it was too long even just while he was waiting outside.

[Mr Brightside]

I thought that we had moved on from all of this but then you dragged it back up again today and insulted me again.  I'm allowed to respond to your insults and don't tell me to chill out, you passive aggressive, goading little shit/turd/nimrod/shit [insert your own insult].

Come on, mate. I sincerely don't want you spending your Sunday furiously pounding out long posts with tears in your eyes to a stranger on an internet forum. And you've edited your post and changed your insult from shit to turd to nimrod to shit in the last five mins.

To keep this thread on topic, it's a shame the star of this film, Jack Nance, passed away so long ago in such an unpleasant way. Another person who will be missing from the new Twin Peaks.

[St_Eddie]

Come on, mate. I sincerely don't want you spending your Sunday furiously pounding out long posts with tears in your eyes to a stranger on an internet forum.

Yet again with the passive aggressiveness ("I sincerely don't want you spending your Sunday furiously pounding out long posts with tears in your eyes").  I don't have tears in my eyes, you pillock but yes, I am angry at you because you keep insulting me and then you have the nerve to try and tell me to "chill out", when it was you who started this and it was you who dragged it back up again today.  You act as though I'm not permitted to defend myself and respond to your insults.  Either leave it or engage but don't expect me not to respond to insults directed at myself.

...and you've edited your post and changed your insult from shit to turd to nimrod to shit in the last five mins.

Don't let that go to your head.  I do that with all of my online posts (check out my prior posts on this forum and chances are you'll see an 'edited by...' under the vast majority of them).  It's almost an OCD kind of thing but thanks for pointing it out all the same.

[checkoutgirl]

To keep this thread on topic

Don't do us any favours LOL!!

[the science eel]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!


HA HA HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!

[Bhazor]

Will you two fucks just cunt already?

[checkoutgirl]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!


HA HA HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!

What the fuck is your problem in life? Fuck me!!

[St_Eddie]

Props to St Eddie for putting some shape on the thing because that's as good an explanation as I've seen. It's an explanation anyway.

Thanks.  I might be wrong but I seem to recall that Lynch has stated in the past that he didn't want the film to be interpreted literally or that he didn't intend there to be any kind of internal logic but of course, the artist's original intent does not necessarily have to correlate with the audiences interpretation of events and my interpretation only enhances the experience of watching the film for me personally.

[Mr Brightside]

Yet again with the passive aggressiveness ("I sincerely don't want you spending your Sunday furiously pounding out long posts with tears in your eyes").  I don't have tears in my eyes, you pillock but yes, I am angry at you because you keep insulting me and then you have the nerve to try and tell me to "chill out", when it was you who started this and it was you who dragged it back up again today.  You act as though I'm not permitted to defend myself and respond to your insults.  Either leave it or engage but don't expect me not to respond to insults directed at myself.

I've no idea how you make it through your days if you get so easily offended by such minor criticism. I didn't realize people on here would be such softarses.

To drag this thread back on topic because all you guys lack focus, Eraserhead was Stanley Kubrick's favourite film, and he showed it to the cast and crew of The Shining to instill the kind of mood he wanted.

[checkoutgirl]

Thanks.  I might be wrong but I seem to recall that Lynch has stated in the past that he didn't want the film to be interpreted literally or that he didn't intend there to be any kind of internal logic but of course, the artist's original intent does not necessarily have to correlate with the audiences interpretation of events and my interpretation only enhances the experience of watching the film for me personally.

Well yeah. It's a piece of art. But in poetry class in school the 13 year olds staring blankly at Shakespeare still needed varying degrees of direction, you know? The more help you can get with Lynch the better. And it's quite possible you came to your conclusions following discussions with friends and that. If you interpreted all that completely unaided I'd be a bit surprised.

[Steven]

I'm still miffed Lynch didn't go with my alternative poster for the North of England.

[St_Eddie]

...it's quite possible you came to your conclusions following discussions with friends and that. If you interpreted all that completely unaided I'd be a bit surprised.

The latter.  All of my friends are into 'Star Wars', 'Marvel movies' and little else (they certainly wouldn't know who David Lynch is, much less ever watch one of his films).  I haven't even discussed 'Eraserhead' online before to the best of my knowledge and only watched it for the first time a couple of years ago and arrived at my interpretation of the film's events that same evening.

Thanks for the vote of confidence though[nb]Just kidding around.  It's all good.[/nb]...

[checkoutgirl]

The latter.  All of my friends are into 'Star Wars', 'Marvel movies' and little else (they certainly wouldn't know who David Lynch is, much less ever watch one of his films).  I haven't even discussed 'Eraserhead' online before to the best of my knowledge and only watched it for the first time a couple of years ago and arrived at my interpretation of the film's events that same evening.

Bloody hell. You should be an English teacher or summat. That's good going.

[Mr Brightside]

(they certainly wouldn't know who David Lynch is, much less ever watch one of his films)

You probably put them off, mate.

[the science eel]

What the fuck is your problem in life? Fuck me!!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!

[Mango Chimes]

Trying to crush Eraserhead into a coherent narrative seems to be aggressively, joy-killingly missing the point. And I don't even like Eraserhead. (Worth seeing in a cinema, though, just to experience the queasy discomfort as the speakers struggle to cope with the bass-heavy sound design. It's an entertainingly unpleasantly loud film.)

[NoSleep]

It introduced me to the music of Fats Waller, which is something for which I will be eternally grateful. A 1920's pipe organ[nb]Possibly much older than the recording, actually.[/nb] playing jazz is one eerie sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3EnRvumqcA

[St_Eddie]

Bloody hell. You should be an English teacher or summat. That's good going.

Aw, thanks!

You probably put them off, mate.

Quit trying to goad me, it's tedious (for myself and for other people reading this thread).  I'm done communicating with you.  Let's leave it there.

Trying to crush Eraserhead into a coherent narrative seems to be aggressively, joy-killingly missing the point. And I don't even like Eraserhead. (Worth seeing in a cinema, though, just to experience the queasy discomfort as the speakers struggle to cope with the bass-heavy sound design. It's an entertainingly unpleasantly loud film.)

I know where you're coming from and I'm sure that Lynch himself would agree but to each their own; whatever enhances one's own personal viewing experience is valid and pretty much the opposite of 'joy-killing', I'd say.

[Sydward Lartle]

My favourite moment. It's like something from Laurel and Hardy.

OKAY, PAAAAUL!

Incidentally, Stanley Kubrick's real favourite film was Holiday on the Buses. He only said it was Eraserhead to troll people. Now you know.

[Hangthebuggers]

Amazing film. Fond memories of sneaking up and watching very late night TV with my brother - being utterly gobsmacked at the hell that played out on the screen. Both of us laughing nervously at the madness that unfolded. The landscape, the claustrophobia and invasive industrial atmosphere. Even if I can't be bothered giving my own translation of what transpires, I still think the setting and style is fairly unique (or it was).

Even when the film isn't being too strange, there's just something sickly about the whole thing. Ruined buildings, brick walls, strange pipes and prolonged silences interspersed with the hollow whistle of chimneys and steam. The characters and the strange smiles and terrifying glimpses of things just beyond the veil of normality.

[Catalogue Trousers]

To quote Richard O'Brien "When you're watching Eraserhead you're in a dream."

Maybe it's supposed to be a dream. Maybe it's supposed to evoke a dream like state in the viewer. I've never seen it in a cinema and maybe that's supposed to be where it's viewed.

Lynch himself summed it up as 'A dream of dark and troubling things'. Which is as good an explanation as any - it's a film of a nightmare, with no more logic than a dream.