Don’t know what to watch? Are you overwhelmed by how many movies there are nowadays? Gordon Briggs’ Reel Talk is here for you. Every month, this column will highlight three films from movie history that are worth your time.
Shortly before cult director David Lynch’s death in January, the Athena Cinema reprised its weekly Let’s Do Lynch series, a retrospective featuring eight Lynch films. At the end of each screening, the crowd of college students and locals exited the theater, each exclaiming how weird, confusing, or entertaining the film they just saw was.
It got me thinking that two of David Lynch’s most memorable films aren’t even his weirdest. If you’re looking for a good Lynch starting spot, I have two suggestions:
“The Elephant Man” (1980)
Here’s what I admire about many of David Lynch’s films: They bring us to a dark place and show us the ugliest and most repulsive sides of humanity — yet in that darkness, he asks us to find beauty and hope.
That’s one of the reasons I still admire “The Elephant Man.” Inspired by the true story of Joseph Merrick, the film follows the story of a severely deformed man who starts life as a sideshow attraction at a local carnival but slowly tries to adapt to life in late 19th century London.
Shooting in black-and-white, cinematographer Freddie Francis created a striking look that is simultaneously abrasive and gentle. The opening scenes set in a back alley carnival are surreal and atmospheric. However, what gives the film’s heart is the sincere teacher/student relationship between Anthony Hopkins and John Hurts’ Elephant Man. I like how the Elephant Man’s presence either inspires great kindness or great cruelty in those around him. ★★★★
“The Straight Story” (1999)
In 1994, an elderly man named Alvin Straight journeyed 240 miles across Iowa to Wisconsin on a lawnmower to visit his terminally ill brother. That journey became the basis for “The Straight Story,” a tender and heartfelt movie about regrets, travel and fate that’s also a stand out in the filmography of Lynch.
The older I get, the more I appreciate patient and pensive films like this one. We follow our stubborn and fiercely independent character on his odyssey through the heartland as he meets strangers, relies on their kindness, and commiserates with them about life. Forgoing his trademark surrealism — but still maintaining his signature blend of the mundane and the extraordinary — Lynch keeps things lean and straightforward by relying on beautiful shots of the American heartland.
Watching this movie, you realize not only how hurried most other movies are, but how hurried most of our lives are. There is even a memorable scene in which a motorist has an emotional breakdown over how many deer she has killed with her car.
Of course, I can’t leave out Richard Farnsworth. I don’t know if it’s his eyes, or just his natural abilities as an actor, but I never caught him “acting.” His Alvin Straight not only feels like a real person, but feels like someone I would genuinely want to be friends with. ★★★½
