In a celebrated career most recognized for film and television productions, David Lynch nevertheless explored other mediums over time, including music, art, and even comics. With his propensity for oddball surrealism and offbeat humor there was hardly any telling in general what we'd get from one project to another - so what about an endeavor which combined visual art, film, live stage performance, dance, and music in front of a live audience? Even as this, recorded for posterity, features contributions from Nicolas Cage ('Wild at heart'), and notable ongoing collaborators including Angelo Badalamenti, Laura Dern, Julee Cruise, and Michael J. Anderson, 'Industrial symphony No. 1' has in subsequent years gone rather unremarked among Lynch's more famous productions. I can understand why insofar as the amalgamation is primed for a more niche audience even on paper. And once one begins watching, well, it definitely fits in quite well alongside the man's other pieces, which depending on one's perspective either makes it a treasure or a pestilence.
For my part, I plainly think it's a treasure, and an underappreciated one. Given Lynch's vision, the familiar names and faces involved, and the ardor and imagination of the production, this absolutely feels kith and kin with the most far-out, head-scratching portions of 'Twin Peaks' (pick your iteration), 'Mulholland Drive,' 'Lost highway,' or 'Inland Empire'; especially given Cruise's role, maybe reference to 'Eraserhead' and the Lady in the Radiator is just as appropriate. The opening sequence, seemingly inspired by Lula and Sailor from 'Wild at heart,' is the most ordinary that this performance gets as the presentation subsequently melts into an enigmatic, nightmarish dreamscape of music, sounds, and imagery. Clamorous sound effects, flicking atmospheric lighting, industrial set dressing (metal girders; a burned-out car), actors on ropes, and dancers among it all mix together with a slurry of music ranging from ethereal pop, and jazz-like musings to haunting synth-driven soundscapes, harsh industrial noise, and various other instrumentation both conventional and atypical.
Oh yes, it's very strange. This is Art of the variety that, more than anything else, invites the audience to feel what they will, and read into and take away from it what they will, and perhaps above all to simply relish in the wonder of it all. There IS a very broad sense of cohesion and an even looser sense of "story" as the odyssey is conceived as the dreams of a woman whose lover just left her - hence the alternate name, 'Dream of the broken hearted' - and to some extent also in the familiar comfort of those songs for which Cruise sings. That smattering of unity is handily outpaced, however, by the sheer whimsy of what greets us. Exactly how much one appreciates 'Industrial symphony No. 1' will depend on how well one can get on board performance art of such an avant-garde, experimental nature. And still, be all that as it may, even as I personally love it, I don't think there's any arguing that it's very well done in and of itself. The stage direction is terrific as all the many disparate parts are woven together very well, including the acting, dance choreography, stunts, effects, choice lighting, and more. I certainly admire John Schwartzman's cinematography that adeptly, tastefully captures everything on film for us, and to the same point, Mary Sweeney and Bob Jenkis' editing is as bright and flavorful as everything else. And that's to say nothing of the sound effects, or the music, which even at their most cacophonous are a rich, integral component of the viewing experience.
Existing as this does on the outer fringes of creativity and its respective art forms, it's difficult to entirely grasp the whole, let alone to try to compare it to anything else. Those who are receptive to the weirder side of theater are most likely to find this to their appeal, right alongside those who are already enamored of Lynch and his one of a kind brilliance. For as curious as it is, though, the sum total is deeply entrancing, to the point that it really does feel like we've stumbled into a dream - and maybe that is the surest sign of success. One should know that this is well removed from any easy frame of reference, but for those open to all that film, television, theater, music, and art have to offer, 'Industrial symphony No. 1' is a delight that pleases from beginning to end, and I'm happy to give it my hearty recommendation.
