Authorship and the films of David Lynch : aesthetic receptions in contemporary Hollywood

191 Pages·2012·5.843 MB·English

by  Lynch, David, Todd, Antony

Antony Todd is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the London College of
Communication, University of the Arts, London.
For Rachael and Eleanor
With all my love

Published in 2012 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
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Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
Copyright © 2012 Antony Todd
The right of Antony Todd to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part
thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978 1 84885 579 3 (HB)
978 1 84885 580 9 (PB)
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
Printed and bound in Great Britain by T.J. International, Padstow, Cornwall
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1. Towards a Textual Historicity 7
2. David Lynch: The Making of a
Post-classical Auteur 14
3. Meanings and Authorships in Dune 38
4. Critical Theory and ‘Cruel Jokes’:
Principles of Ethics and Pleasure, and
the Reception of Blue Velvet 64
5. Twin Peaks: The Rise and Fall of a
Public Auteur 86
6. Brand Lynch 108
7. Receiving Mulholland Dr.: ‘A
Contemporary Film Noir Directed
by David Lynch’ 133
Conclusion 154
Notes 157
Bibliography 163
Index 173

List of Illustrations
Eraserhead: ‘A dream of dark and troubling things’ 17
The Elephant Man promotional poster 27
Blue Velvet promotional poster 30
Lynch publicity portrait for Blue Velvet 36
Dune promotional poster 55
Lynch and MacLachlan on the set of Blue Velvet 59
Lynch and partner Isabella Rossellini, photographed
by Helmut Newton 84
Time, October 1990 91
Dern and Cage in Wild at Heart 102
Technics and American Express: auteur as product endorsement 114–15
Agent Cooper, Georgia Coffee commercial 116
Nissan Micra commercial 119
INLAND EMPIRE promotional poster 130
Mulholland Dr. promotional poster 142
vii

Acknowledgements
This book is the outcome of many years work and I would like to thank a
number of people for supporting me in my endeavours. My gratitude
extends first and foremost to Pam Cook, who showed enthusiasm for this
research from the beginning. Pam’s support and kindness have left a lasting
impression on me and this book is indebted to her wisdom. In the same
breath, I would like to thank Tim Bergfelder whose attention to the fine
detail of draft chapters opened up areas of important critical expansion for
me. I give warm thanks to Murray Smith and Alex Neil, who provided
constructive comments on draft materials and pointed me in the direction
of valuable additional sources. Thanks to Colin Davies, Michael Clarke,
Joel Karamath, Searle Kochberg, Valerie Swayles and Jenny Walden, who
have all supported me in voice and in practical ways over the last few years.
Also to Frances Clarke, Pat Fitzgerald and Philippa Brewster, who I have to
thank for helping bring the manuscript up to scratch. It is inconceivable to
think that this enterprise would have come together without the professional
dedication of the library staff at the National Film and Television Archive,
The British Library and university libraries at Southampton and Portsmouth.
This project was initially funded by the Arts and Humanities Research
Council and I would like to acknowledge its important role in supporting
this research. Finally to my family, who have shared with me the ups and
downs of completing this book. Eleanor, thanks to your fervour for all
things fashion related I have remained up to speed on Lynch’s excursions
into this industry, and Rachael, you have lived with the texts more than
anyone else. For Cecile and my Dad, both of whom have supported my
endeavours and will take pride in the publication of this book. And thanks
lastly, of course, to David Lynch, who prompted me to ask some questions
of films to begin with.
ix
The artist may shout from all the rooftops that he is
a genius; he will have to wait the verdict of the
spectators in order that this declaration take on a
social value, and that, finally, posterity includes him
in the primers of Art History.
Marcel Duchamp (1975: 138)