The experience David Lynch described as a “baptism of fire”
One of the most influential proponents of cinematic surrealism, David Lynch changed the landscape of American filmmaking forever by bringing his unique artistic vision to the table. Through innovative gems such as Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway, he didn’t just revolutionise surrealistic frameworks in American movies. Lynch also elevated the television medium by working on Twin Peaks, one of the greatest shows ever made.
Initially harbouring dreams of becoming a painter, Lynch eventually ventured into cinema with his brilliant 1977 debut feature Eraserhead. Inspired by his horrifying experiences of living in Philadelphia, the American auteur crafted an unforgettably nightmarish exploration of the anxiety of parenthood in an industrial wasteland. It announced his arrival to the world, but it wasn’t until his next project that Lynch received global recognition.
Titled The Elephant Man, Lynch’s heartbreakingly beautiful 1980 biopic starred John Hurt as an on-screen version of Joseph Merrick, a misunderstood man whose deformity was commodified by the society around him. While it is still regarded as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of his illustrious filmography, Lynch found the experience to be daunting at first because it was a major shift of scale from Eraserhead.
During a conversation with David Stratton, Lynch said: “It was a baptism of fire…. Dame Wendy Hiller, great actress. When I first met her, and she’s kind of a small woman, she grabbed me by the neck and marched me around the room and said, ‘I don’t know you. I’ll be watching you.’ She became a great supporter, fortunately for me. You know, a lot of people thought I had no right to be in there, and I really didn’t have any right being in there, but I was in a derelict hospital in East London, and I was standing in the hallway.”
The filmmaker continued: “There were still beds in the wards, there was, excuse my French, pigeonshit, deep everywhere… broken windows, but it was this hospital, and I stood in the hall, and suddenly, I got transported back in time and felt what it was to be in that time. It felt like I knew it. From that moment on, I felt I owned it, and it changed everything… the people were great to work with, there were things that went wrong, but in the end, it worked out so beautifully, and we got eight Academy Award nominations.”
In addition to those eight major nominations, The Elephant Man is also responsible for creating a new category in the Oscars. Fans of the film were so disappointed by the Academy’s lack of recognition for the movie’s stunning make-up effects that they made their annoyance heard, and the Academy were forced to take note. The following year, the ‘Best Makeup’ category was introduced.
Check out the whole interview below.
