David Lynch, His Favorite Films and Directors
The acclaimed director speaks of the creators whom he admires and the films he has seen over and over again.
Lover of Surrealism, Dadaism, artifice of unrepeatable atmospheres and creator of a unique and unmistakable style, David Lynch talks about his favorite directors in this film.
First off, Lynch mentions Stanley Kubrick. It’s easy to find the echo of old Kubrick in the first’s cinematic oeuvre; both are dexterous creators of disquieting surroundings —it suffices to think of the physical and psychological spaces created in the The Shining (1980) and in Wild at Heart (1990).
Then the mandatory mention of Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. (1950) —the story of a Hollywood star fallen into oblivion— reminds us of the dark urban spaces of Los Angeles portrayed in Mulholland Drive (2001) and Lost Highway (1997); two films that, incidentally, could be catalogued as contemporary Film Noir, one of Lynch’s preferred genres. Mentioning Federico Fellini (the direct reference of his masterpiece 8 ½, is inevitable) is sensible, since the oneiric world portrayed by the Italian director resembles the universe that exists in Mulholland Drive’s main character’s dreams and in those of many of Lynch’s other characters, such as Lula Fortune in Wild at Heart. In this case, Fellini’s influence on Lynch is particularly clear.
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953) and It’s a Gift (1943), starring W.C. Fields, are two comedies that, behind their humor, present a strong criticism of the social reality in which they develop a characteristic of most of David Lynch’s films.
Lastly, the director mentions Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954), perhaps due to his impeccable narrative technique, a characteristic which is equally important in the films by the eccentric American director.
Other influences accepted by Lynch are Akira Kurosawa, John Ford and Werner Herzog. They say that behind every great artist there are always teachers and objects of inspiration. David Lynch is no exception, and his selection of directors, all different to one another, is definitively impeccable.
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