Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch

Using mostly interview and set footage culled from the production of Lost Highway, this documentary takes a look at Lynch so broad and unfocused that it will provide few revelations for the die-hard fan (like myself) who is obviously the target audience. Sure, it's moderately amusing to see Lynch and company (including the late Jack Nance) revisit the Eraserhead set years later, and neat to watch him work on his paintings (one containing the corpses of a rat and a bird, as well as a large slab of meat being devoured by ants), but the overall feel is of leftover footage cobbled together, which never inspires or disturbs anywhere near the degree achieved by his actual works.

Why this has been released on DVD before Eraserhead and Lost Highway is a mystery to me. The book Lynch on Lynch covers everything this does and in much greater detail.

If you are a fan of Mr Lynch like me this is essential viewing. It includes interviews with Lynch's friends, family and associates like Jack Fisk, Barry Gifford, Mel Brooks among others, and examines his life as an artist in films, paintings and photography. It was mainly filmed during the making of Lost Highway and most of the features are set around that film, but there is also some other scenes like the reunion of Eraserhead, where Lynch along with some of the cast and crew return to the Stables location where it was filmed and reminisce over the trials of the making of the film. Also featured is Lynch's trip to Prague along with the composer on most of his films, Angelo Badalamenti, and his love of the sound and music which is so important in his films. His paintings and photography are shown, too, and his fascination with ants and animals in his art. There is a rare look at his early short films, Six Men Getting Sick, The Alphabet and The Grandmother, and his former wife Peggy's views on them. This is a fascinating and interesting behind the scenes look at this distinctive filmmaker, artist and photographer's work.

Comprised mostly of footage and interviews shot during the making of "Lost Highway," this excellent documentary provides a fascinating peek inside the world of the master filmmaker and his entourage of collaborators. Besides some amusing anecdotes from David himself, there's chats with his ex-wife Peggy, his children (including budding director Jennifer Lynch), his friend Jack Fisk, editor Mary Sweeney, producer Mel Brooks, writer Barry Gifford, actor Dean Stockwell, and "Eraserhead"/"Twin Peaks" almuni Jack Nance and Catherine Coulson. We also hear from the cast members of "Lost Highway," as well as learn the stories behind some of Lynch's characters (Bob, The Log Lady, Frank Booth, Mr. Eddy). Some of the more illuminating moments come when the focus shifts to his non-film projects, including some great footage of him working with composer Angelo Badalamenti and singer/violinist Jocelyn Montgomery (billed as Jocelyn West) on the unreleased track "And Still." His bizarre multimedia paintings are discussed, and there's a visit to a gallery show of his photography. He also created all of the furniture used in "Lost Highway." and we see a showcase of the odd tables and shelves he's made. The DVD edition outshines the shorter VHS version, with additional footage (with some Twin Peaks coverage) plus nice menu screens featuring clips from "Eraserhead,""Lost Highway," and his two early short films "The Grandmother" and "The Alphabet." All in all, any fan of the man's movies will want to check this one out. It's an interesting and inspiring portrait of a real American iconoclast.

Toby Keeler, with his unlimited access to David Lynch- behind the scenes during his films, with friends and family and collaborators, and in his painting process- has a documentary that's essential to get at least a glimpse into a man and his work like this. Lynch's films are abstractions, nightmarish landscapes and what is just around the corner in the seemingly brightest sides of small-town American life, and his art is a reflection not just of his own interpretations of people and places that are usually conventional, but that this interpretation springs out so many ideas that would not be there otherwise without the specific framework he's chosen. One of the most fascinating examples of this method of Lynch's in being a true master of mood is with Eraserhead; he worked five years on the film, and Keeler shows us Lynch and old friends walking around where the original sets were, and with this revealing how after two years of painstakingly filming a movie (a shot a night, nevermind a scene, depending on the lighting), a rhythm developed that was unmistakable. If one of the primary goals of an artist is to transport people to another place that is unconventional, but still grounded in recognizable emotional connections, Lynch is such an artist, as revealed here fully.

Of course, as collaborator Barry Gifford explains at one point, Lynch is very complex. On the outside he's an "all-American" type of guy, affable, well-mannered, coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, into building lots of things aside from his methods of making painting (what could be considered two sides to a coin of enjoying making 'things', we see Lynch using bugs to actually assist in making a painting, and Lynch himself creating many of the furniture pieces used in Lost Highway). But beneath this exterior image is someone who is so in touch with the dark side of human nature that it almost has to come out in the way it does in his films. From looking at clips shown in Pretty as a Picture, be they clips from his early short films like the Grandmother or the Alphabet, or even just little scenes from Lost Highway, one might think that Lynch is loony as a tune (that's how I thought of him early on, just on perceptions from Eraserhead and Blue Velvet). It's something of an assuring, if a little over-stated in adulation, to hear that he's consummate as an artist and professional director, with the one surprisingly the most saying this is the producer of Lost Highway.

For fans, to be sure, there's lots to soak in here, like seeing the little details in the process of scoring the film with Badalamenti (each note carefully considered), or in hearing the Frank DaSilva story regarding his appearance in the Twin Peaks pilot (or, speaking of TP, the soap in the coffee filter story). Seeing him in action filming is fascinating in that, in a way, there's nothing much out of the ordinary how he works, and if anything he almost seems passive, however always in control of every detail (i.e. the death-row set). But Keeler also is wise to make this documentary appealing to people who aren't very aware of Lynch's paintings and the process with them. It might be easy, as spotting someone into surrealism like Lynch, to peg him as such simply for the obsession with the bugs. Yet there's more than just that aspect for Lynch, as there's a sense captured about Lynch of taking everything seriously- especially mistakes- for what it can be worth emotionally not just with the end product but in putting all of it together. And, in a way, looking at a Lynch painting or photo (which one person describes as Lynch trying to get a painting to "move" as it were), one gets a sense of how an artist in general tries to achieve something of merit, if only on a personal level that might not even reach most people.

Pretty as a Picture is at least worthwhile for anyone who's ever been all too long in the world of Lynch- the X family's house, the black lodge, Winkies, the apartment in Blue Velvet- but it's also made to be appealing (as far as Keeler can make it, as he isn't usually a documentary filmmaker) for non-fans as well, to get both a general and a specific sense of what the man can do with the materials he wants to work with. Quite frankly, if he wanted to film a fax machine I'd want to watch it; it's probably not without reason he would film it too, depending on the idea of the moment.

This documentary is one aimed pretty firmly at fans of David Lynch. It isn't probably going to do too much for those who are ambivalent about the director. It was made during the making of Lost Highway and features a fair bit of behind the scenes material from that film. This is a little unusual for Lynch seeing as he is usually loath to elaborate on his movies or describe the making-of process. He once said that he would never tell what it was that was used to create the baby from Eraserhead as that would render it an effect and strip it of some of its potency, which sounds reasonable enough to me. But whatever the case, it is quite interesting to see the great man in action behind the cameras here and to see some of his working practices. We also witness an on-location reunion of the Eraserhead crew, where they reminisce about the shoot.

As the title of the doc indicates, we also look at Lynch's other artistic endeavours, such as his paintings, photographs, models and furniture. It's very interesting to see this kind of stuff, and it really shows the wide range of Lynch's interests and skills. You really get to understand why his movies have a consistent look and feel, as his attention to detail is huge. The furniture he made for Lost Highway being a case in point. Similarly, his work with Angelo Badalamenti on the music is key. He has always had a specific ear for the scores in his movies and also the sound design generally. He really seems to immerse himself in this side of things it seems. Among all of this are interesting interviews with family members as well as people he has worked with on his movies. These provide an interesting view on the man.

In fairness, this is not a faultless documentary in many ways. It often feels more like a DVD extra that a true standalone piece. There isn't really a narrative to it as such and we don't even cover all of Lynch's movies up to that point. It would have been better if it had more focus on this. It's also a bit messily constructed and similar points are covered more than once. For example we have two extended parts at the beginning and near the end where we see Lynch work on the soundtrack to Lost Highway. It would probably have been better to have had just the one, as they cover very similar ground. So don't expect a definitive documentary on the great man, as this isn't it. But it is a very worthwhile one for fans and it does have some interesting bits and pieces that will stick in the mind.