1175 Inland Empire

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Justin Theroux dishes a bit about the movie in an interview for Now Playing Magazine. Here are the bits that relate to Lynch's movie:

Best line from this interview: “Contrary to what anyone might think, when you're making a David Lynch movie you don't feel like you're making a David Lynch movie; you feel like you're making a Farrelly brothers movie or something."

[quote]“I love it!â€

[Lino]

New York Film Festival Synopsis:

"The Inland Empire," directed by David Lynch (France / USA)

A Polish woman looks, intently, into someone or something ... an actress (Laura Dern) is warned that her new movie is cursed ... a rabbit-headed family perform sit-com actions on a stage set as if engaged in a solemn ritual ... Such are just a few of the elements and recurrent motifs of The Inland Empire, a mesmerizing surge through countless looking glasses that lands us on the far side of the land of nightmares. Lynch's first foray into high-definition video is just as visually stunning as his work in 35mm, but the long gestation period of his new film (he shot on and off over two years, and wrote as he went) has allowed him to give his own uniquely epic form to many of his primary concerns: the exploitation of young women, the mutability of identity, the omnivorousness of Hollywood.

Hmm, on a first take this new one looks eerily similar in some of the themes with his previous Mulholland Dr. I wonder if he really is going for a trilogy or simply recycling themes that he wanted to use in the original TV series and never got the chance to.

[John Cope]

I really don't think it's going to be anything like Mulholland Drive.

[rs98762001]

I wouldn't be surprised if this was Lynch's return to the narrative and visual experimentation of ERASERHEAD. Even the production process - shooting on and off over the course of several years - seems similar. Expect many to be bewildered by the final product.

[dadaistnun]

Is that an ascot? How dapper.

[Solaris]

Apparently Dianne Ladd (mother of Laura Dern and star of Lynch's Wild At Heart) will appear in the film as a tv reporter.

[miless]

Apparently Dianne Ladd (mother of Laura Dern and star of Lynch's Wild At Heart) will appear in the film as a tv reporter.

Lynch is really pulling out all the stars for this one

[John Cope]

Evidently, there's also some kind of unpleasant rumor circulating that Studio Canal wants Lynch to re-edit the film as it's been deemed "incomprehensible", whatever that means. According to this rumor, the Venice screening may be the last time we'll see the complete cut. Of course, we've heard this kind of thing before. Still, if it is true than IE must really be out there as Lynch not only has final cut but a position of incredible prominence within the Studio Canal machine.

New pics up at (Blog)VetRiolO

[Oedipax]

Still, if it is true than IE must really be out there as Lynch not only has final cut but a position of incredible prominence within the Studio Canal machine.

I would not be entirely surprised. The clips that were included on that Avid promotional video were extremely bizarre. It wasn't entirely clear whether they were part of IE or something else, but in any case the production methods are the same (shoot on DV, very small crew, same actors, do all the post-production work in-house, etc.) If the whole 3 hours of Inland Empire are like that clip, I can definitely see how Canal Plus could take issue with it.

It seems to me though that Lynch has spent his whole career post-Dune explicitly avoiding situations such as this where he could be asked to make changes, or not be given final cut. Surely this would be in his contract with Canal Plus?

[Antoine Doinel]

Perhaps, but he efforts haven't been necessarily successful. Twin Peaks is tied up in both legal trouble and met an early network demise. Mulholland Drive only came about after a failed TV pilot. There is rumored director's cut of Lost Highway floating around.

The bottom line is, as long as there are other investors involved, and given that Lynch isn't exactly made for box office receipts, I sincerely doubt he is given complete creative control. At the most, I would imagine he's negotiated a deal that the studio can approve the theatrical cut while Lynch gets his vision on the eventual DVD.

[Andre Jurieu]

At the most, I would imagine he's negotiated a deal that the studio can approve the theatrical cut while Lynch gets his vision on the eventual DVD.

Well, Lynch has a spotty record with DVD and he hasn't always figured out the potential for DVD. He may have provided Eraserhead on DVD to his fans, but we're also talking about a guy who needed Eli Roth to tell him why chapters are a valuable feature on DVDs.

[miless]

Perhaps, but he efforts haven't been necessarily successful. Twin Peaks is tied up in both legal trouble and met an early network demise. Mulholland Drive only came about after a failed TV pilot. There is rumored director's cut of Lost Highway floating around.

The bottom line is, as long as there are other investors involved, and given that Lynch isn't exactly made for box office receipts, I sincerely doubt he is given complete creative control. At the most, I would imagine he's negotiated a deal that the studio can approve the theatrical cut while Lynch gets his vision on the eventual DVD.

Ever since Dune, however, he has refused to make a film that he did not have final cut on. (as he said it: "I would rather not make a film than make one where I don't have final cut.")

[rs98762001]

Ever since Dune, however, he has refused to make a film that he did not have final cut on. (as he said it: "I would rather not make a film than make one where I don't have final cut.")

Exactly. Lynch has final cut with Canal+.

As far as I am aware, though, INLAND EMPIRE has no US distribution deal yet. This could prove significant if the film gets a negative reaction at Venice, as it's possible that US distributors would insist he recut the film before giving it a general release.

[miless]

Yeah, Universal might not be keen on releasing it in the states (Universal has first look rights, i believe, as they are part of the gigantic Vivendi complex which includes Canal+)... that said, if Universal decides not to distribute INLAND EMPIRE there will probably be several other smaller companies willing to put out a David Lynch project (i.e. subversive cinema).
it also has tons of moderate to big names in the cast.

[Lino]

Evidently, there's also some kind of unpleasant rumor circulating that Studio Canal wants Lynch to re-edit the film as it's been deemed "incomprehensible", whatever that means. According to this rumor, the Venice screening may be the last time we'll see the complete cut.

I was dreading this. Wild at Heart all over again? Please, no!

Oh, and Hare: if you like MD without the chapter stops, you should try the french edition. It's crazy! It has chapter stops but imagine you click on a scene that leads you to a moment on a film with a lamp on it. Well, you won't believe how many different lamps it'll lead you if you keep on clicking on that same scene all over again! It's by far the best use of scene selection I've yet to see on a DVD! Very cheeky from both Studio Canal/David Lynch too!

[rs98762001]

It's worth remembering that nobody has seen IE yet. And if it's indeed true that suits are finding a David Lynch film "incomprehensible" it will hardly be the first time, nor in the past has it proven to be accurate (cf. FIRE WALK WITH ME, MULHOLLAND DR.)

[John Cope]

It's worth remembering that nobody has seen IE yet.

Well, Richard Pena supposedly loved it.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

There is rumored director's cut of Lost Highway floating around.

Where did you hear this? Any interview I've ever read with Lynch he's said that the cut that exists is his preferred version.

[Antoine Doinel]

From IMDB:

An unconfirmed report has that a Director's Cut of the film exists which has a number of scenes deleted from the original 135 minute print. Some of the missing scenes include:

* A dinner scene with Fred and Renee where Fred asks her where she was when he phoned her from the jazz club the night before, and when she says that she never left the house all evening, his suspicions of her cheating on him intensifies.
* Another scene of a third videotape arriving at Fred and Renee's house where they watch it and catch a glimpse of a cold-faced Fred on one frame. They phone the detectives Al and Lou again who pay them another visit.
* A scene set in the morgue where the attendent, George, prepares an autopsy on Renee's mutilated body where he is joined by a tuxedo-clad medical examiner and the examiner's girlfriend, Joyce, which is followed by a courtroom scene where Fred faints after hearing the jury forewoman read the guilty verdect and the judge's sentence of death, which is only heard in the original version.
* A scene in a lingerie shop where two young women, Marian and Raquel, glimpsed only in the porno film at the end, talk about the Renee Madison murder and about the method of execution the state would use when they are interupted by Andy to gesters for them to hurry up with their selections.
* Another scene follows where Andy, Marian and Raquel are involved in a drugged-out threesome orgy at his house.
* A prison scene where one inmate is shown being led out of his cell to the gas chamber with other prisoners taunting him and the guards preparing for the execution as if it was a formal gathering, plus another scene of Fred talking to the prison guards in the courtyard the next day.
* A full scene of dialogue between the prison warden and Pete Dayton's parents, Candace and Bill, where they are told of their son's whereabouts and his physical condition where he has a hematoma on his forehead and blepharitis, redness around the eyes. Pete is then brought into the office where he doesn't respond to questions asked, and Bill and Candace are told that they can take him home. The warden then makes a statement to reporters about the dissapearance of Fred Madison from the prison.
* Extended scenes of dialogue between Pete and his friends Steve V, Teddy, Carl and Lanie on their arrival at his house where Lanie shows them a scar on her abdomen from an operation she just had. Plus more dialogue as the four ride in Steve V's car, where the first arrive at a drive-in restaurant called Johnny's where they pick up Sheila and her two girlfriends and then drive to the bowling alley.
* An extra scene of Pete riding up Van Nuys Boulevard at night on his motorcycle where he arrives at Johnny's Drive-In where he meets with Steve V, Carl and Sheila where Pete responds awkward towards them as he is having a mysterous headache. Pete then savagely beats up two guys who try to pick up Sheila much to her shock.
* A brief scene of Fred Madison checking into the Lost Highway Motel and walking towards Room 25 which he knows is right next to Room 26 where Renee and Mr. Eddy are.

[Andre Jurieu]

But is that a "Director's Cut" or just a longer rough-cut that someone saw and said to themselves "this is longer and has more scenes than the regular version... therefore it must be a director's cut"? If Lynch prefers the regular version (as Fletch mentions), then I'm not seeing how this other version should be considered a Director's Cut.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

An unconfirmed report has that a Director's Cut of the film exists which has a number of scenes deleted from the original 135 minute print. Some of the missing scenes include:

Thanks for that. I ran across this factoid I believe either from Lynch on Lynch or Cinefantastique that the first cut ran just over two-and-a-half hours. After a screening with fifty people, Lynch cut out 25 minutes of footage. So, I would say that the final version we have is his preferred cut and that 2 and half hour version was probably a work print type deal

[dadaistnun]

VENICE –– Enigmatic US director David Lynch presented his first movie in five years Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival, where the 60-year-old will become the youngest recipient of a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement later this week.

Five years after his 2001 movie, "Mulholland Drive", Lynch returns to taunting his audience with a diabolical three-hour puzzle entitled "INLAND EMPIRE".

Lynch's dark tale is a movie within a movie in which he takes us through the nightmarish labyrinth of the inner life of a Hollywood actress, played by Laura Dern, who co-produced the film. "It's supposed to make perfect sense," Lynch said with a mischievous smile during a news conference in Venice to present his movie.

Shot in Los Angeles and Poland, the film switches back and forth between reality and fantasy, between the real-life actress and her character, and is stuffed with nightmarish images, jarring noise and dark predictions.

Lynch is aware the film's viewers will have to work, and doled out advice to fans when pressed by journalists on how to interpret this jigsaw puzzle without instructions.

"Every film is like going into a new world, going into the unknown. But you should be not afraid of using your intuition, and feel and think your way through," said the director.

"Cinema is such a beautiful language. Cinema is the thing that deals with things beyond words, and it's so beautiful. So to go with cinema is like going with music, your intellect travels along with it, it's so fantastic. Go in and have an experience in a different world."

Lynch, a breaker of cinematic rules, makes demands on the viewer with constant switchbacks and jarring imagery, and admits he often did not know where to go next in the shaping of the film, shot out of sequence.

"The cut to next can be so surprising and that's just the miracle of cinema -- how we go from one place to another and the possibilities of those places to go to are kinda infinite. How we can see ourselves and find ourselves in there is kinda what gets me going."

Justin Theroux, who plays the lover of the Dern character in the movie, said he always thought of a David Lynch movie "as buying a new jazz record. The best way is to let the film wash over you. Sit back and go on that ride."

Dern, who previously worked with Lynch in "Wild at Heart", puts in a powerful performance. "My experience on this film was very moving to say the least.

Working on and off over two and a half years, the actors had to work without an overall script. "Each day a different direction, each day a new idea," said Dern.

"All of us, like you, were experiencing David's vision for the first time because there wasn't a laid-out linear script or plan from the outset. The film rolled over us and our experience of it was very like yours."

Jeremy Irons, Justin Theroux and Harry Dean Stanton also star in the movie, which features the voice of Naomi Watts. Dern herself will see the movie for the first time at the world premiere Wednesday night. –– AFP

[dadaistnun]

More photos here.

[John Cope]

There is a rumored director's cut of Lost Highway floating around.

To touch on this again, we have to remember that Lynch has not exactly been co-operative when it comes to getting the deleted scenes from Fire Walk With Me released. I realize there are probably a slew of legal complications involved as well but from what I can gather Lynch has also simply been reluctant to return to this past work, preferring to focus on his present projects. And do I need to mention Dune?

Anyway, the point is that he could return to these things if he really wanted to. He doesn't.

[John Cope]

The Screen Daily review is up and it ain't good.

Nonetheless, it also contains this telling statement:

Lynch's latest, which he spent two-and-a-half years filming on and off – and with no script – begins intriguingly enough, apparently promising a dark mystery along the lines of Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway. But in those tastily bizarre earlier films, you always felt that you could puzzle out the whole thing if only you watched them enough times. With INLAND EMPIRE – and yes, that's how it's spelt - we soon begin to suspect that there's nothing to solve.

Personally, that's exactly why I don't like those films as much as, say, FWWM, which is explicitly about this same idea: that all signifiers contain only the meanings we graft onto them, and can only be limited by our lack of insight and imagination.