Recensioni degli utenti

David Lynch at around 70 years old talking, smoking, and doing his art. That's about it. But as he says about his childhood, when the whole world was only 2 blocks, but you can have everything you need in the world in 2 blocks, David Lynch - The Art Life - a film about 2 blocks long compared to a Hollywood blockbuster - still can give you everything you need for a really fascinating film experience.

If you are hoping for an exploration of the films of David Lynch, and of the filmmaker David Lynch, stay at home. Only David Lynch the neophyte filmmaker is explored because this is a natural development of the real star of the show - David Lynch the painter. One day he sees one of his paintings moving, and that's when the seed is planted for him to make movies - he wants to make moving paintings.

We see a lot of the finished artwork of David Lynch, and most of it is stunning and quite dark, the latter being somewhat of an incongruity considering that David Lynch seems to be a happy and contented person. In one scene, Mr. Lynch talks about showing his father some of his art as a young man, and his father's reaction is grave concern that Mr. Lynch is seriously mentally ill. "Don't have children," his father tells him. David Lynch once described his art as "violent comedy". Indeed, if you get the violence but not as much the comedy, you might think something is deranged about the man. During the whole 90 minutes I spent at the TIFF Lightbox Cinema in Toronto with David Lynch, I never got the sense that he was a nut job. His toddler of a daughter made several appearances in the film, and David Lynch was warm, playful, and attentive with her, and never acted bothered by her as she played while he was painting. He told story after story the way that regular guy that everybody likes in your life would. It finally occurred to me that Mr. Lynch had found the perfect catharsis in his art for anger and violence - which are within all of us - and the result was a cleansing of sorts, the mentally wholesome fellow I spent some time with yesterday at the cinema.

Every art student, budding artist, artist wannabe, art appreciator, and artist appreciator should see David Lynch - The Art Life. And every David Lynch fan, of which I am one...a BIG one. The rest of you might be bored.

Putting aside archival footage and his young daughter making cameos in parts of the film, David Lynch is the only person in the cast. His monologues do have an overarching story and chronology, but lots of it could come off stitched together. Not a bad thing, but The Art Life doesn't give you some deep understanding of his motivations behind every single one of his movies, rather why he does what he does. Beware: This is only logging his life from childhood to Eraserhead. Not his story of fame and success.

Some found it too shallow, but in my opinion David has a lot of interesting stories to tell and he's a charismatic storyteller. It's almost a very organized podcast. Pretty decent all in all, if not some life-changing perspective on what we already figured about everyone's favorite Hollywood surrealist.

Much like a David Lynch film, the documentary on said subject "The Art Life", mixes surreal tales, uncomfortable silences, and gorgeous photography.

Sure to befuddle many, this moody documentary concentrates on Lynch's visual art, barely touching on his filmmaking claim to fame. Revealed solely through his smoking words, "The Art Life" presents absorbing childhood recollections as Lynch creates his stark art pieces. It's beautifully shot, methodically paced, with a rather unsettling quality.

There is no external opinion to be had, as the film exists entirely in Lynch's world. We see him making art, talking art, pondering art, and then making more art. He is obsessed, focused, but friendly and charming, whether in the midst of molding a creepy canvas, groping his shock of white hair, planning his next canvas move in a cloud of smoke, or interacting with his tiny daughter. The mystery of Hollywood's extreme outsider remains deliciously intact.

Unforgettable.

As far as documentaries go, there have been more substantial and significant, affecting ones that have come out about artists' work. However, considering that David Lynch is one of the most enigmatic directors who fully represent and defy what art means, of course any film revolved around him would get the job done. This film takes a pretty simplistic approach in examining him and it's a collection of stories he gives about his childhood, but they're all worth it. This would be a fascinating documentary for any die-hard fan as well as any other film buff in general. Definitely recommended.

OMG! I fell asleep!!! Having David Lynch tell his own story in his soft MONOTONE voice makes a fascinating story, a yawner. NOT the stories themselves, but the way the tone in which they are told.

I am a David Lynch film fan and his art, while fascinating, isn't my "taste". I appreciate the visuals along with his stories.

He is a fan of home movies - which helped. And he is honest about his family.

But this movie is by far mostly about his art and his life, not his films. That was a bit of a disappointment. 95% of this is about the first 22 years of his life.

Not wasted time at all. But just not what I had hoped for.

I'm predisposed to love this. I love David Lynch. Who doesn't. People with no imagination. No sense of wonder. That's who. Lynch is someone who sees art everywhere. Sees possibility. Draws on his experiences. Here he talks candidly about childhood memories as he works in his home studio, painting, drawing, playing. He talks fondly of his mother, her role in encouraging young David to experiment. It sounds like an idyllic start in life. Visualised by happy photos and home cine footage. Until he recalls an early traumatising memory, that sparks wonder and mystery. From here the stories get dreamier, darker. House moves, new friends. More introspection. Disapproving parents, perhaps not understanding where he might be headed. We don't see anyone but David. He works. He smokes. He narrates. The only punctuation are shots of the art he's produced and bits of archive. It's heady stuff. Inspirational stuff. He talks of his own inspiration. Exposure to "The Art Life", "You drink coffee, you smoke cigarettes and you paint and that's it. Maybe girls come into it a little bit". I can certainly see the appeal. If his mother disapproved of early choices. His fathers hands on look at the world, building, fixing, promotes that work ethic. Both parents though are clearly hugely influential and the way he speaks about them is with pure love. That slow methodical delivery. Every word from him feels careful, special. Wise and yet completely humble and honest. The shots of him sat smoking in his studio, contemplating as he looks at something he's working on are a picture of pure zen tranquility. He's such an interesting character to watch, that hair, those eyes. He's like a canvas himself. The stories build a world. His world. An insulated place where he called the shots. Made the rules. No rules. He returns to the same things time and again. Work ethic. Being challenged. A young artist being forced. Forced to find his way. It's a brilliant documentary. You feel totally immersed. It's not, but it sometimes feels as engulfing as one of his films. It's fascinating to hear him talk and make sense of his origins. Through art, through painting. Losing himself in the work, ideas mixing in his head, until... "That idea stuck in my head. A moving painting".

I watched the second movie of Lynch and then I watched Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway. I liked very much his other movies without Lost Highway. I used to think always he is a mysterious man but after watching this film I think he is very friendly. I liked his workshop. I think he had hard youth times but that is why he is a successful director and artist. I really liked Lynch's story. It's a very successful documentary. Be always yourself and don't give up your dreams.

As "David Lynch The Art Life" (2016 release; 89 min) opens, we are introduced to some of David Lynch's paintings. We see Lynch at work in his art studio. Then Lynch starts talking about his roots and upbringing. At this point we are 5 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: I sought out this movie after the recent passing of David Lynch. I really didn't know much about this documentary. As it turns out, this is not a conversation with Lynch about his various movies, so if that is what you are looking/hoping for, you may wish to reconsider. Instead, "David Lynch The Art Life" is an almost abstract documentary about Lynch's upbringing and his view on the arts in general. In essence, this documentary shows the road that led David Lynch to Eraserhead, his 1977 brilliant debut feature length. The way that Lynch talks about Eraserhead makes very clear this movie is dear to him, perhaps more than any other of his films? (That is speculation on my part, as this documentary makes no mention of any Lynch movie after Eraserhead.) In the end, while this was not exactly what I had expected, I quite liked this documentary.

"David Lynch The Art Life" is currently streaming on Max, where I caught it the other day. Since his recent passing, I want to rewatch some of his films, perhaps none more so than Eraserhead. If you are a fan of David Lynch's art works, be it movies or paintings or whatever else, I'd readily recommend you check this out, and draw your own conclusion. RIP David Lynch.

If you don't know anything about the life of David Lynch, some things in this film might be interesting for you. But they still seem pretty random and only scratch the surface. It's just chronologically arranged stations of his life, retold by Lynch himself. If you really want to know something about David Lynch, you'd better read "Lynch on Lynch" by Chris Rodley. Basically the movie just uses passages from the book but without the context or the depth the book delivers. If you read that book, don't bother watching this movie. It will bore you.

Cinematography is mediocre. Archive footage is just tons of pictures from Lynch as a child, e.g. family pictures. At few points the camera captures interesting images of Lynch, just being in his studio. Watching at his painting or interacting with his child. Unfortunately these moments are instantly destroyed by the constant voice-overs. I would have loved to just watch sequences of David Lynch painting. At so many points in his life he emphasized that he just wanted to paint and nothing else. And now this movie shows once again, how he went from painting to film making. Why not portrait the moments when he went back to painting because he did not want to film ever again?

If I didn't know better, I now would think of Lynch as a mediocre artsy-fartsy guy who likes to talk about himself.

David LYNCH: THE ART LIFE: INSPIRING

I know David Lynch mainly from the Twin Peaks series I love. The fact that Lynch is not only a great film director but also an artist - and an inspiring one – comes as a pleasant surprise.

ARTISTIC

During the film Lynch is busy with extraordinary figures, shapes and materials. I did not understand what he was doing and at the same time it was very inspiring to watch. His artistic talent becomes clear from purely looking at him. I also saw many impressive paintings from him.

CINEMORE

The documentary about Lynch was shown during a monthly evening in Cinecenter, Amsterdam: Cinemore, an in-depth program for special films. Prior to the film a lecture was held, which was brought with humor. A nice introduction to this documentary.

TWIN PEAKS

One of the reasons I wanted to see David Lynch: The Art Life was to learn more about Twin Peaks and how he developed it. Unfortunately, this is not discussed in the film. Only a small part is about how he entered the film world.

PERSONAL LIFE

For the most part, and of course the name says it all, this documentary is about his artist's existence. In addition, his family ties and his personal life are discussed. Funnily enough, he himself is often the narrator of the story. That sometimes makes the film chaotic and difficult to follow.

CONCLUSION

The biggest conclusion I can draw after watching is that David Lynch is an intriguing man. David Lynch: The Art Life is an inspiring documentary, with the only two drawbacks that Twin Peaks gets no attention and that the voice-over by himself is not always the most informative choice. Nonetheless: recommended.

www.ongevraagdfilmadvies.com

This self documentary meanders along and focuses on Lynch's art life / history. That would be great if it it came with insights into some of his films which it generally doesn't. If you are interested in painting and art generally then this could be for you.

These are the wordswhich iconoclast filmmaker David Lynch says about what it means to live the'Art Life' of the title. Though Lynch ismostly known for his films and television work (Twin Peaks, conveniently enoughto the timing of this doc's release, returns for the first time in 25 yearsnext month), he's spent his entire adult life submerged as that of the artist,starting as a painter in his teens and making other experimental crafts andworks that led, through an organic process, to find film as an experimentaldirector in the late 60's.

Usually theterm 'Art Filmmaker' may be thrown about at auteurs or the like, but for Lynchthe moniker can be a completely true assessment. It's here too, and the fact that this is a look specifically at Lynch's lifefrom his childhood up to the making of his first feature, Eraserhead, that the filmmakers distinguish this production fromthe other documentaries on Lynch's life.

This is significant because if TheArt Life works it's because it needs to appeal to two groups that will cometogether in a theater or on VoD to watch this film: there will be the ones likemyself who have seen his features and television work as well as the first docfrom 1997 Pretty as a Picture (whichwas about his filmwork with collaborators as the talking heads) and/or the onefrom 2007 Lynch (sort-of about themaking of his experimental epic InlandEmpire and which had the distinction of being the kind of film that thedirector seemed to make a "statement" by calling him/herself blackANDwhite asthe name of their credit).

There arealso those who may come in much colder, having not only not seen those films,but perhaps are only vaguely familiar with the director and his many films(although, thankfully, the IFC Center in NYC is doing a retrospective of hisfilms to coincide with the doc). But thestrength of this particular movie goes deeper than that - it's effective as aportrait of an artist and how he came to be. Indeed, the strength of this is that this could be a good portal into the worldof David Lynch via his life and art and seeing the process first hand (it couldbe shown in an art class in a college just as well, if not more appropriately,than a film class).

We see about hisearly family life, the warm memories of his mother and fair memories of hisfather, and how these early, mostly happy memories left an impact on him. This isn't to say if one knows Lynch's workthere's nothing at all to connect the dots to; one of the anecdotes that makesan impact is about one night when out of nowhere he and his brother saw astrange, naked woman walking down the street in a daze (it made his brothercry, David simply didn't know what to do), and it's easy to see how this couldhave left an imprint that later showed up in memorable scenes in Blue Velvet and the pilot of Twin Peaks.

But, mostly, these stories are about getting to know what Lynch was like thenin those early years of the 50's and 60's, and how different environments could, often, leave an impact - he says living in Boise, Idaho, he associatedwith 'day, sunshine', and in Virginia it was 'night, darkness' - not least ofwhich being his many years in Philadelphia as a painter and making his firstabstract films (look up The Alphabetor The Grandmother when youcan).

The filmmaking method that the three directors behind this go for is wonderful: only once or twice do we seeLynch on screen talking, but his voice is there throughout telling us thesestories while at the same time we see Lynch in present day working in hisstudio (sometimes with his young daughter playing), witnessing the laboriousand sometiems bizarre methods he uses to make his paintings and sculptures andso on, and with full images of his illustrations mixed in with photos andarchive footage.

He's the only one wehear from so it's more personal and intimate, closer in a way to how De Palma or By Sidney Lumet were presented, only the artistic process isemphasized as much (or in sync) visually with the stories he's telling, so forexample Lynch may be telling us about how much he hated briefly attending theBostom Museum School, and the painting in front of us is called 'Things ILearned in School Painting'.

The paintings and art are garish, crude, and, if one didn't know Lynch anybetter, seeming like it could come from some deranged mental patient. That's what's so great about getting to hearLynch's stories and see what his life was like; while he has often been guardedabout where he gets his ideas from in interviews, he has no problem at all intelling stories about his parents or friends or moments that stood out to himin his life (a particular incident involving a Bob Dyland concert and beingstoned stands out as showing how outside the pack he was at the time, or how hefirst met Jack Fisk, future production designer for Mulholland Drive and The Straight Story among other films).

On the contrary, Lynch is an assured, calm racounteur, and seeing hisartistic development in these stories as well as on screen is inspiring. One may never quite know how such gorgeouslygrotesque paintings and unsettling movies come from this man, but the manhimself is a delight to behold as a consumate artist - preferably with thecigarettes and coffee, of course.

Some revealing insights into Lynch as an artist, his childhood and his films which open the lid on his creative process.

David Lynch: The Art Life explores the mind of a filmmaker whose mind truly begs for it. A filmmaker whose movies are so distinctly strange, otherworldly, and similar to dreams that his name is synonymous with a style all its own. That filmmaker, of course, is David Lynch, a man of mysteries and non-sequiturs who has possibly never been as open as he is in this documentary and perhaps never will be again. Luckily, he is still a fascination to watch and listen to.

Having created the singularly influential Twin Peaks alongside Mark Frost, directed iconic films of varying comprehensibility (including two of my ultimate favorites, Mulholland Dr. And Eraserhead), released several web shows, designed furniture, made cartoons, drawn a comic strip, and even produced music, Lynch undoubtedly has a body of work to admire and a legacy that warrants this in-depth look at his very being. He has also made commercials, including one for the PlayStation where a man sits on a couch in a clouded dreamscape with his head transformed into that of a duck. So that's nice.

Some of us already know how Lynch became interested in moving pictures accompanied by sound. He was painting one day - "very dark paintings" - and thought he saw one of his little figures moving as a windy noise was heard, which led to him creating Six Figures Getting Sick (watchable here in its minimalistic yet surreal glory), which in turn led to him creating more advanced short films. The documentary travels further back, retelling his childhood and the ghostlike beings he may or may not have spotted back then. Lynch's monologues are intercut with grainy home video footage, photographs, and some artwork of his that may not always resemble much at first glance, but looks clearer the more we know.

Eventually we move into his troubled teenhood (where he was more concerned with human beings and "dark, fantastic dreams" than studying) and soon reach the start of his career; his art life, and the things he did and saw there. I will not reveal too much more of the film's content.

Still, as you're aware, Lynch went on to invite the rest of the world into his unique hallucinations, whether we got to see a nightmare about the anxieties of fatherhood, a family of rabbit people that may just be captured souls awaiting their ascension, a decaying humanoid that somehow seems even scarier because it emerges in broad daylight, or a jolly old man on a tractor. Anything can happen.

The local arthouse theater screened the film but once, and it took me a while to find any other place to see it. Worth my time it certainly was. As much as I admire this man and his art, though, there was one moment where he is visited by a babbling toddler and a caption explains "David Lynch's daughter". At this point I couldn't neglect thinking "You mean granddaughter, of course?"

But all the same, The Art Life celebrates the work of Lynch fairly and even mimics it to an extent - the music; the movements of the camera and the way it looks into the world; the oft-present ambiance that could be sounds of either nature or the unnatural; the animated images that are transfixing yet odd and terrifying. Even when we're watching this intriguing man do the most mundane things, such as painting on his porch or building something, it's almost as if we're doing so in the presence of incomprehensible forces.

There are still movies in this man's catalog that I need to see. I plan on watching Dune back-to-back with the Jodorowsky's Dune documentary and I have no recollection of getting through Wild at Heart but I'll get to that as well. Did I ever see Blue Velvet? Probably when I was too young not to repress it afterward. The point, I suppose, is that this movie along with the triumphant return of Twin Peaks to Showtime has re-ignited my obsession (I also found a new appreciation for the Fire Walk with Me film during my marathon). I think it's safe to declare he still got it.

There may be filmmakers who are "better" - or at least more celebrated - than Lynch, but none will ever be quite so fascinating, neither in their work nor in their thoughts, nor even how their thoughts affect the work. If any other director accidentally caught the reflection of a set decorator in one of his shots, he would probably have redone the take. He likely wouldn't have been so intrigued by how unsettling it looked that he'd turn said set decorator into one of the most well-known and frightening TV villains of all time.

In memory of David Lynch, 1946-2025.

WARNING: This 90 Min Documentary Deliberately Excludes Anything About "The Films of David Lynch", with the Exception of a Love-Note from the Artist/Film-Maker about Creating the 1977 Debut-Movie "Eraserhead" that took the Cinema-as-Art World Aback.

He Gives a Testament to the Background that He Says Saved Him from "I don't know what" when He was at a Low-Point Discovering that "Art School" was Completely Frustrating, Unrewarding, Stifling, and Not One Positive Expletives about the Experience.

He was a Newly Married (Peggy) Father who was Struggling Financially and Had to Give-Up Smoking Cigarettes, Drinking Coffee, and Creating Art, just so He and His Family could Survive.

The "Eraserhead" Story is One of those Times when Something Bordering on the "Spiritual/Supernatural" Intervened as He was "Granted" by the American Film Institute for a "Full-Ride" to "Make a Movie". He Spent 4 Years at the Institute Crafting His Surrealistic Nightmare that "Put Him on the Map" and the Grateful Artist/Man Never Looked Back. After He Finished Training and Studying and Released His "Mini-Primitive-Art-Masterpiece" in '77 that Launched His Career the Documentary Ends.

The Title...David Lynch: The Art Life (2016) ins Declarative, Distinct, and Literal. This is Not About the Many Movies, and the Gradual Acceptance in the "Main-Stream" of Cinema Devotees, both Professional and Fans. This is About the Passionate Artist, the Early Family Years, and the Beginnings to "Find His Way" with His Art that Yields a Dichotomy.

Although His Talent was Noticed (by his Mother) Early On, when He Started His Journey and was Well "On the Road", He had 2 Experiences, 1 Concerning His Father, and 1 Concerning the City of Philadelphia...Both Could be Described as Severely Negative...No Spoiler Here...

But the Life-Force that was Driving David Could Not be Detoured by the Emotional Experiences and Instead Transformed Them into Juices and Energy that Unleashed More Desire, More Creativity, and More Commitment to His Art.

This Short One-on-One with Lynch Himself is Very Personal, Very Informative about His Beginnings and Relationships with the "Real-World" (a World that David avoids both personally and Artisticly), and Could Simply Called David Lynch: The Art Life...Act One.

Highly Recommended for Art Lovers, Inspiring Artists, and Pop-Culture Historians and Fans.

The Art Life of David Lynch is a Foundation of that is a Fairly Ordinary Life-Story about an Extremely Unordinary Creator.

Let's face it, David Lynch is fascinating for his movies, not his art. I came into this movie blind, not knowing what it was about. I suppose I should have been tipped off by the title. It's shots of Lynch working in his art studio, a few shots of his actual artwork (very few), and a voice over of some of his childhood. It bored me to death.