The Short Films of David Lynch

It's really nice having this collection around. Lynch's short films are important because they are a more potent and unabridged form of his style and work--he has a lot more freedom with the form, and thus can do basically whatever comes to mind, versus making things feature length which also means making them feature-like.

Some are better than others. Some are wildly out there. Overall they're great fun to show to friends for that whole, "What the--?" value when they're unfamiliar with who you're presenting, and anybody who is familiar with the material will enjoy it anyway.

I don't know where I stand on Lynch's introductions, though. On one hand, it's nice to have a back story so that the viewer knows not only what he's watching, but how it came to be and thus, to a degree, what it means. However, some of it gets pretty tedious. I relate to a lot of Lynch's emotions when he describes the processes and events that got him into film, but still, I'd rather just get to the film. The DVD this comes with has the nice ability to go right to the films from the menues, but there's no "play all without introduction" so that can be tedious too.

But overall, definitely worth the time and effort to find and watch this.

--PolarisDiB

I love David Lynch, so of course I was so excited when I got this. As much as I thought it was decently OK, I really just think that maybe my expectation of the short films were too high. The worst of the bunch by far is the one about the cowboy and the frenchman. The frenchman is quite attractive though, I must say. Overall, it's pretty dull, but still watchable. My favorite of the group is probably "The Alphabet." It's a total nightmare and very original, creative, and spooky, I do declare. I think probably the only people that would benefit from this DVD are real Lynch fans, like myself. Oh, and "The Grandmother" is really great too.

The movie is a collection of short movies, cut with nice black and white slides that say the name of the short film, David Lynch, and the name of the actors.

Six Men Getting Sick I can't talk about this one, because when I walked in the theater late

The Alphabet Very cute and charming stop motion animation film. Felt cut outs on a black screen..

The Grandmother There is too much stress in this silent film. The actors wear white makeup, and the father acts like a Nazi, abusing his son. In fear, the son lays on his bed, and he plants a bed tree that amazes viewers. Only grandmother shows love to the boy, when she is only shown smiling and giving the boy kisses. The stop motion felt illustrations of the boy screaming blood were good. The movie was inspiring.

The Amputee, Version 1 and Version 2 This Tape of a woman griping who doesn't have a leg to stand on p, after saying all the negative things she has on her mind, is really a great work of art. However, it is bad that Version one and Version two are both included, because it makes the movie seem redundant. Lots of people walked out after that, and I was among them.

Premonitions Following An Evil Deed

I Touch A Red Man Button

I was so excited when I discovered this was available! I couldn't wait to see it. What a waste of energy! It's kind of like that rarities CD by your favorite band you found in the back of the rack at your local music store. Being a hard core fan you were certain that it was a valuable discovery. But once you heard it it became obvious why these dogs never made it onto a real album. This DVD is only recommended for 'completionists' who must have everything Lynch has done. "Six Men Getting Sick" is somewhat visually interesting but short and repetitive. It lacks the power of Lynch's later work "The Grandmother" is quite simply an immature work. It's tedious and looks like a student film. But it was the 70's...It's interesting only if you hope to psychoanalyze the director. But you can see, briefly, the seeds of some of his trademark images and sounds. "The Alpahabet" is forgettable (No really! I can't remember this one at all!) "The Amputee" is pointless. "The Cowboy and the Frenchman" is just plain silly. "Lumiere" is the only worthwhile one in the bunch. Without dialog Lynch tells a disturbing tale comparable with his best work. I had to watch this one several times. But it runs less than 2 minutes. Hardly worth the trouble of renting or buying the DVD.

For Lynch fans in particular, I'm sure this would be an amazing treat. Essentially a collection of Lynch's early student films, it also features newly-recorded (2002) introductions from Lynch himself as he explains his feelings for each piece of his work. He also provides some trivia tidbits and anecdotes.

These are all very bizarre, some better than others. The strangest is probably "The Amputee," which was filmed to test the difference between two different kinds of stock footage supposedly. Lynch plays a nurse who walks into a room and replaces an amputee woman's leg wrap. Blood begins to spurt everywhere almost comically and as the nurse begins to panic she remains totally unaware of his presence. Very weird.

They're not all very good but they're interesting merely for the sake of being an insightful look at a great director's early work.

Recommended - and highly recommended to Lynch fans.