Lady Blue Shanghai

Even though 'Lady Blue Shanghai' was made for a Lady Dior campaign it completely works as a standalone short film. David Lynch yet again creates something that is atmospheric, surreal, chilling and bedazzling. With some excellent cinematography, dazzling visuals, haunting score and the absolutely beautiful Marion Cotillard's enigmatic presence, it is easy to forget that 'Lady Blue Shanghai' was originally intended to promote a handbag. The editing is equally superb. It's made with style but none of it feels unnecessarily overdone. The element of mystery had me completely hooked to the screen (this is something Lynch has successfully done in his previous films). Like many of his films, this one also has an air of ambiguity and is left open to interpretation. His current muse, Marion Cotillard possesses the classic beauty, vulnerability and mystery which allows her to own the role of the nameless woman. 'Lady Blue Shanghai' is easily one of David Lynch's best shortfilms but I would like to see him continue making feature films as the short running time does not do justice to his creation.

This 16-minute internet-aired motion picture was created by Dior. It was available until October 2010 on Dior's website and the name Dior appears on-screen outside the picture viewing area. Except for this the viewer would have no idea that the picture was advertising for Dior.

The picture opens with Cotillard, whose character is not given a name in the motion picture, hearing a 1920s tango ("Fate-Tango Valentino" written by Nathaniel Shilkret to commemorate Rudolph Valentino) in the hall as she walks to her hotel suite. She opens the door to see a circa 1940 RCA Victor phonograph playing Shilkret's original 78 rpm recording of the song. An expensive Dior handbag then appears amidst elaborate visual effects involving smoke. The remainder of the film is devoted to her reaction and the events leading to these mysterious happenings.

The film is extremely well done, using sound and visual effects characteristic of David Lynch audio-video productions and with Cotillard giving an excellent performance.

Thanks, Dior, for creating an entertaining film and for not ruining it with intrusive advertising.

Dior was like "hey David, can you do like a little short thing to promote our handbag? you can do whatever you want as long as you show the bag" and David Lynch was like "Whatever I want you say?".

And he did.

It doesn't work as a commercial, but it's a fantastic David Lynch short. It has a blue rose in it, so maybe there's some Twin Peaks connections (or maybe I'm just obssesed with connecting all of his works).

Let's get it straight first off: I am a big fan of Lynch's and I know that this is supposed to be a long ad.

But that does not stop me from thinking that this short film is a ludicrous effort that only serves the purpose of reminding the viewer how great Lynch used to be, at least up to Mulholland Dr., which is now more than ten years ago! Everything, maybe except for the music, is wrong in this short. As usual the plot makes no sense at all, which could be bearable in itself, but no atmosphere is built out of the plot less story either, so the fact that there is no or little story does become a problem. Second, the Chinese actors are terrible, they are so bad that it looks like Lynch cast the first two guys he saw walking down the street. On we go. The bag as mysterious, symptomatic object (see blue box from Mulholland Dr.) is used in a ridiculous way, both when it is seen in the hotel room and on the billboard. Cotillard tries hard but there is little to do with a character that has to deliver useless "I love you" lines to a random Chinese guy waving a blue napkin (or was it a rose).

Finally a word on the digital video cameras. I already disliked Inland Empire because it used them. I think Lynch should abandon this idea and go back to a more traditional technique. The sexiness of movies such as Mulholland and Lost Highway was also due to the fantastic way they were photographed. We do not need the shakiness and the low resolution of Inland Empire and of this short, they just don't add anything while they take away a lot.

Now, Mr Lynch, please go back to make feature films and return to your old standards, we are tired of pointless digital video shorts.

That's what I did, actually. It enhanced the experience. David Lynch is no stranger to making commercials and although "Lady Blue Shanghai" was probably intended as one, it didn't feel like it. It felt more like one of his surreal films with product placement.

We meet a lady, played by Marion Cotillard, in a Shanghai hotel. She goes to her room to mysteriously find music playing on a stereo. She also finds a Dior handbag that seems to suddenly appear out of nowhere. If you've seen a few of Lynch's films, this already feels familiar, but I wouldn't call it hackneyed. The lady thinks someone is in her room, so she calls the front desk, and two men in black suits investigate the room. They find nobody; then, they talk to her, which leads into flashbacks of the woman in Shanghai. The film was dream-like before, but here's where the dreaminess really kicks in.

It almost goes without saying that Lynch knows how to make these types of films, short or feature length. "Lady Blue Shanghai" works. The actors are convincing without overdoing their performances. The cinematography is stunning and although the blurry slow motion camera shots are a bit distracting, they blend right in with the mood and story. The neon lights during the running scene particularly stand out. And what's a surreal film without music? Dean Hurley and David Lynch's heavenly score is really effective. I can't think of anything pretentious about the film.

Like "Eraserhead", "Lost Highway", "Mulholland Dr.", and "Inland Empire", I don't know if there's a purpose to "Lady Blue Shanghai", other than to advertise Dior. There's something about romance. It's linked to the handbag, but I can't go any further. Well, I don't need there to be a purpose to the films I watch, particularly art-house films. They mainly have to be entertaining in some way. If you can take some commercialism, "Lady Blue Shanghai" will hopefully be a beautiful 16-minute experience. I wonder if and when Lynch will make another feature film.