Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Directed and sound designed by David Lynch and screenplay by Lynch and Robert Engels that is based on the TV series by Lynch and Mark Frost, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me revolves around the final days of Laura Palmer before her murder as well as the events before and after the events of the TV series. The film is a prequel/sequel of sorts to the series as it relates to the mysterious murders of a young woman and another young woman who would be connected to the murder as aspects of her life are unveiled. Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly, Chris Isaak, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Wise, and Keifer Sutherland. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a gripping yet mesmerizing film from David Lynch.

The film explores not just the final days of the life of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) who was a major subject in the TV series but also in the events that preceded her murder as it relates to the death of a young woman named Teresa Banks (Pamela Gidley). It’s a film that isn’t just about a young woman falling apart in her final days but also dealing with the revelations about the mysterious figure that had been stalking her as he would eventually become her killer. The film’s screenplay by David Lynch and Robert Engels does have an odd structure in terms of its narrative. Notably in its first act as it relates to Banks’ murder where Special Agent Chester Desmond (Chris Isaak) investigates with Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) as they find some things that relate to the murder and then something happens that stops the case that includes the sudden re-appearance and disappearance of the FBI agent Phillip Jeffries (David Bowie).

The film’s second and third act plays into Laura Palmer’s final days as she copes with being in a multitude of relationships with other men, a drug problem, and the mysterious appearance of a man named Bob (Frank Silva) who had been stalking her. Then there’s her father Leland (Ray Wise) whom she believes might actually be Bob as well where there are some revelations about his own past and such. Still, it raises questions about not just his relationship with Laura but also other things about him that definitely becomes puzzling. Even as there’s moments in Laura’s own world where she sees things as it relates to characters whom she had never met nor were part of the series in the beginning start to appear for some strange reasons. Those are among some of the flaws in the script as well as these surreal moments about this mysterious world that is the Black Lodge where Bob supposedly lives in.

Lynch’s direction is quite simple at times for the way he shoots the many locations in the Pacific Northwest while he would add things that are surreal such as Desmond and Stanley given a message from a mute woman in a red dress. It plays into this strange mix of Americana and European surrealism where Lynch does create some simple compositions and such in his close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots yet will find a way to play with these elements. The film’s first act which revolves around the Banks case where Special Agent Desmond is leading the investigation play into a world that is corrupt as Desmond and Stanley were forced to do things by themselves. 

 By the time the story moves to the second act at the small town of Twin Peaks, it plays into the town and what it was like during Laura Palmer’s final days. Still, there are odd moments as it relates to not just some of the characters from the TV show but also the ones who either were on the show but don’t appear in the film or those who come into the show very late into the series. The direction would feature these point-of-view shots as well as moments that add to the surrealism that includes key moments in the third act that plays into Laura’s final day including her death. Even as it relates to those involved and what could’ve been done to save her. Overall, Lynch creates an eerie yet intoxicating film about a young woman’s final days in a small town.

Cinematographer Ron Garcia does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of lights including blue lights as well as some naturalistic images for some of the scenes set in the day. Editor Mary Sweeney does excellent work with the editing as it play into the drama and suspense while creating some cutting styles and montages that are bizarre which delve into the moments that are unexplained. Production/costume designer Patricia Norris and set decorator Leslie Morales do fantastic work with the set design including the Palmer home, the Roadhouse bar, and the mysterious red room where the Man from Another World is from while the costumes are quite stylish to play to what Laura wore in her bawdy moments as well as the suits of the FBI agents.

Sound editor Douglas Murray and sound designer David Lynch do amazing work with the sound to play into some of the sound effects that occur in the film as well as in the atmosphere in some of the events that go on including the scenes where Bob would be around lurking towards Laura. The film’s music by Angelo Badalamenti is incredible as it’s the highlight of the film with its mixture of orchestral, blues, dream-pop, and ambient music that features variations of themes from the TV show as well as some somber themes that play into the drama and tragedy of the film as the music includes contributions by Julee Cruise who appears as the singer at the Roadhouse bar.

The casting by Johanna Ray is wonderful as it features small appearances from TV cast recurring/regular characters like Catherine Coulson as the Log Lady, Al Strobel as the one-armed man Philip Gerard, Lenny von Dohlen as the agoraphobic Harold Smith who would hide Laura’s diary, Peggy Lipton as the diner owner Norma Jennings, Madchen Amick as the diner waitress Shelly Johnson, Heather Graham as Annie Blackburn, Grace Zabriskie as Laura’s mother Sarah, Miguel Ferrer as Agent Rosenfeld, David Lynch as FBI regional superior Gordon Cole, Gary Hershberger as Mike Nelson, Frances Bay as the mysterious Mrs. Tremond, Walter Olkewicz as the Roadhouse bartender Jacques Renault, Michael J. Anderson as the Man from Another Place, Jonathan J. Leppell as Mrs. Tremond’s grandson, Eric Da Rae as Leo Johnson, and Phoebe Augustine as Ronette Pulaski as the young woman who would walk out of the event traumatized and lost.

Other notable small roles include Kimberly Ann Cole as the mute woman in red, Rick Aiello as deputy Howard who tries to antagonize Special Agent Desmond, Gary Bullock as Sheriff Cable, Jurgen Prochnow as a mysterious woodsman at the Black Lodge, Pamela Gidley as Teresa Banks, and Harry Dean Stanton in a terrific performance as a trailer park landlord who is trying to make sense about what happened. David Bowie is superb in a small role as the FBI agent Phillip Jeffries who had disappeared two years earlier as he suddenly appears talking about the Black Lodge. Kiefer Sutherland is excellent as Agent Sam Stanley as a man who has quirks that allow him to see things where would make a chilling discovery as it relates to Teresa Banks’ body. Frank Silva is fantastic as Bob as the evil killer who may or may not be real as he stalks Laura as he might also be involved in Banks’ death. James Marshall and Dana Ashbrook are brilliant in their respective roles as James Hurley and Bobby Briggs as Laura’s two lovers with Marshall as the sensitive Hurley and Ashbrook as the more troublesome Briggs who both cope with Laura’s offbeat behavior.

Kyle MacLachlan is amazing as Special Agent Dale Cooper who deals with the chaos over the Banks case as he waits for what will happen next as he would later become a key figure in the Palmer case. Moira Kelly is pretty good as Donna Hayward as Laura’s best friend who tries to deal with Laura’s behavior as Kelly brings a more low-key approach to the character that is played by Lara Flynn Boyle in the TV show. Ray Wise is remarkable as Leland Palmer as Laura’s father who hides a dark secret as it relates to a lot in what is happening as it’s an ambiguous but underwritten role that loses some of its intrigue. Finally, there’s Sheryl Lee in an incredible performance as Laura Palmer as this troubled young woman who deals with a severe drug problem as well as juggling relationships and a stalker as Lee brings a lot of weight and anguish to the performance of a young woman who is living on the edge.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is an excellent though flawed film from David Lynch. While it does sort of deviate from elements of the TV series while focusing more on the events that related to Laura Palmer’s final days. As a standalone film, it is quite exhilarating and strange that manages to be out there but also riveting. For those who are fan of the TV series, the film serves as a fitting companion piece despite some of its flaws. In the end, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a brilliant film from David Lynch.

David Lynch Films: Eraserhead - The Elephant Man - Dune - Blue Velvet - Wild at Heart - Lost Highway - The Straight Story - Mulholland Dr. - INLAND EMPIRE - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 1 - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 2 - The Music Videos of David Lynch

Twin Peaks: Season 1: Pilot - Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3 - Episode 4 - Episode 5 - Episode 6 - Episode 7

Season 2: Episode 8 - Episode 9 - Episode 10 - Episode 11 - Episode 12 - Episode 13 - Episode 14 - Episode 15 - (Episode 16) - (Episode 17) - (Episode 18) - (Episode 19) - (Episode 20) - (Episode 21) - (Episode 22) - (Episode 23) - (Episode 24) - (Episode 25) - (Episode 26) - (Episode 27) - (Episode 28) - (Episode 29)

Season 3: (Coming Soon)

(The Missing Pieces)

The Auteurs #50: David Lynch: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2015

Little Buddha

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and screenplay by Rudy Wurlitzer and Mark Peploe from a story by Bertolucci, Little Buddha is the story of a young American boy who is believed to be the reincarnated version of a legendary Buddhist mystic as the boy goes on a journey to learn about the Buddhist whom he might have been in a previous life. The film is a mixture of spirituality with elements of fantasy all from the perspective of a child who learns about the man he is believed to be in another life. Starring Keanu Reeves, Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda, Alex Wiesendanger, and Ruocheng Ying. Little Buddha is a visually-striking but uneven film from Bernardo Bertolucci.

The film revolves around a young American boy who is believed to be the reincarnation of a mystical Buddhist legend as he asked to go to Tibet with a monk as the boy’s father joins them. While the boy learns about the story of this mystic who was called Siddhartha (Keanu Reeves), he is intrigued by the idea of being connected to the world of Buddhism though his father isn’t so sure until the death of colleague forces him to accompany the boy to Nepal. It’s a film that has a unique premise with a narrative that parallel the journey of this boy named Jesse (Alex Wiesendanger) and Siddhartha. While it is an interesting idea, the result through the film’s script is unfortunately underwhelming as well as very uneven.

Notably as many of the supporting characters aren’t as fleshed out as aspects in the development of Jesse’s father Dean (Chris Isaak) feels abrupt when he goes from being dismissive and then goes on the journey due to a friend’s death. Things in the third act do become clunky when it is learned that two other children are considered candidates for the reincarnation of Siddhartha as one of the kids comes out as very smug. While there are elements in this story that are compelling in the way it plays into Siddhartha’s legend and his search for enlightenment. It tends to overshadow the story that involves Jesse as his story is too lightweight to really keep things engaging despite these themes on spirituality.

Bernardo Bertolucci’s direction definitely has a lot of entrancing moments in the way he films various locations in Nepal as well as Seattle as he creates something that has an air of beauty and mysticism. Bertolucci’s usage of wide shots definitely capture the wondrous world of Bhutan and some of the locations in Nepal as it has this very otherworldly feel. Even in the sequence involving Siddhartha as it has this air of mysticism where Bertolucci does inject a lot of strange images that play into Siddhartha’s development as a mythical figure and how he would become influential. Bertolucci’s approach to the scenes in Seattle and in Jesse’s story are intimate where there are some lively and fun moments. Yet, they don’t hold up to the story involving Siddhartha as the attempt for the two stories to collide in a strange sequence comes off as very silly. Though the story does end on a somewhat somber note, it does have a nice payoff though it isn’t able to live up to the messiness of the film. Overall, Bertolucci creates an interesting but very flat and underwhelming film about a boy discovering the world of Buddhism.

Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and stylish cinematography with its use of very sunny and exotic red-orange color schemes for the scenes set in Nepal while going for blue filters in the scenes set in Seattle with some unique lighting set-ups as it‘s a major highlight of the film. Editor Pierto Scalia does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts including a few montages to play into the Siddhartha story. Production/costume designer James Acheson, with supervising art director Andrew Sanders and set decorators Bruno Cesari and Manohar Shrestha, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Jesse lives in as well as the Buddhist temple in Seattle and temple in Bhutan while the costumes are casual with the exception of the robes the monks wear.

Computer effects supervisor Val Wardlaw does some decent work with the visual effects to play into some of the things that involve Siddhartha in his development as well as things in his search for enlightenment. Sound editor Eddy Joseph does nice work with the sound as it plays into some of the air of mysticism in Siddhartha‘s surroundings as well as the layers of sound for the scenes in Seattle. The film’s music by Ryuichi Sakamoto is amazing for its mixture of broad and lush orchestral arrangements that is mixed in with Eastern music from strings and Indian music to play into the sense of mysticism.

The casting by Howard Feuer, Priscilla John, and Fabrizio Sergenti Castellani is terrific as it features a well-rounded ensemble as it includes some notable small roles from Jo Champa as Jesse‘s nanny Maria, Sogyal Rinpoche as the young monk Kenpo, and Geshe Tsultim Gyelsen as the teacher of the old monk. Raju Lal is terrific as the Nepalese boy Raju who displays a sense of innocence and exuberance that appeals to Jesse while Greishma Makar Singh is OK but very un-likeable as the third candidate Gita as she is a character that is very arrogant as there aren’t many qualities about her that takes her character seriously. Alex Wiesendanger is fantastic as Jesse as this young boy who is believed to be a reincarnated Buddhist figure as he is a very lively child that is excited but also intrigued by the story of Siddhartha.

Ruocheng Ying is excellent as the monk Lama Norbu as a man who has been searching for the reincarnated figure of his mentor as he thinks it’s Jesse as he is this wise and calm individual that had seen a lot about the world. Chris Isaak is decent as Jesse’s father Dean as a man who is unsure about the news on Jesse until the death of a friend forces him to go into a journey where Isaak has some moments but the way his character is written is very messy. Bridget Fonda is wonderful as Jesse’s mother Lisa who is intrigued about the idea of Jesse being a reincarnated figure as she displays a warmth and charm to her performance yet ends up being underused as she is sorely missed in the film’s second half. Finally, there’s Keanu Reeves in a superb performance as Siddhartha as this figure that comes to term with his identity and his powers as Reeves manages to make his character quite engaging despite his issues with his accent and the ridiculous amount of makeup he had to wear.

Little Buddha is a captivating but very lackluster film from Bernardo Bertolucci. Despite some interesting ideas on the concept of Buddhism and reincarnation, it’s a film that has a lot to say but ends up being underwhelming as well as very uneven due to two different storylines that isn’t able to mesh as one. In the end, Little Buddha is a very disappointing and messy film from Bernardo Bertolucci.

Bernardo Bertolucci Films: (La Commare Secca) - (Before the Revolution) - (Partners) - (The Spider’s Stratagem) - The Conformist - Last Tango in Paris - 1900 - (La Luna) - (Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man) - (The Last Emperor) - The Sheltering Sky - Stealing Beauty - (Besieged) - The Dreamers - (Me & You)

© thevoid99 2014