“I want a dream when I go to a film”: The movies David Lynch watched every other day
There was no one doing it quite like David Lynch, with the director merging the waking world with dream-like narratives that had never been seen before. Blending a touch of surrealism into the mundanity of everyday life, Lynch created a whole new genre of cinema that both feels comforting and disturbing, at the same time. Whether it be the image of a white horse standing in the middle of a suburban living room, the hazy opening credits to Twin Peaks or the club silencio scene in Mulholland Drive, the director dripped images into our deep subconscious and appealed to a state we can only visit when sleeping.
Given that his work is completely incomparable to anyone else’s, it is hard to imagine that he drew inspiration from other filmmakers. But perhaps, when breaking it down, there are aspects of other films that have seeped into his own style, even if in a small way. The director once discussed the films that he most regularly returns to, and by looking at these, we can possibly better understand the roots of his own cinematic trademarks.
When discussing his love for cinema, Lynch said, “There are films I would see every other day if I had the time: 8½, Kubrick’s Lolita, Sunset Boulevard [from Billy Wilder], Hour of the Wolf from Bergman, Rear Window from Hitchcock, Mr Hulot’s Holiday or My Uncle from Jacques Tati, or The Godfather.“
It’s an eclectic range of choices, with films that span from the French New Wave to the New Hollywood Movement. However, it seems as though there is a loose thread connecting all of these works. Most of them are definitive projects from each director and a symbol of reorientation and revolution within the film industry, with Federico Fellini, Jacques Tati and Alfred Hitchcock being praised long after for altering the medium. Each one captures a new manner of articulating thoughts and moods through the combined forces of sound and vision, whether it be the dance sequence in 8½, the suspenseful undertone of Rear Window or the satirical comedy of My Uncle.
When expanding on these choices, Lynch said, “I want a dream when I go to a film. I see 8½ and it makes me dream for a month afterwards, or Sunset Boulevard or Lolita. There’s an abstract thing in there that just thrills my soul. Something in-between the lines that film can do in a language of its own—a language that says things that can’t be put into words.”
This has always been a key thread within his own films as well, his work being able to capture a state that cannot be accessed in real life, immersing the audience in a mood that feels evasive and unlike anything we’d experience while awake. We can definitely see similarities between this style and the work of Fellini, with the great Italian director achieving something similar through his blend of fantasy and reality, showing the characters’ darkest regrets and desires through their daydreams, letting their minds wander to the moments that continue to haunt them. When comparing this with Lynch’s work, we can begin to understand his influences and dreams a little better, with the impact of the movies from his past bleeding into his art.
