David Lynch's Eraserhead -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 110)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2021
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When Lynch was asked what Eraserhead was about he replied ,"about 80 minutes"
Stanley Kubrick once stated that Eraserhead is one of his favorite films.
I wish someone had asked him why.
It wasn't "one" of his favourites but his absolute Favourite Film. Lynch said that Kubrick took his friends to the cinema telling them he's gonna show them his favourite film. The Shining's sound design was heavily inspired by Eraserhead.
@@LearningaboutMovies He probably found it hilarious that a film like that was even made.
But being serious, Kubrick appreciated the inspiration the works of others could bring and he praised that. He actually admired things like "white men can't jump" but nobody mentions that often. It means nothing much but the fact that he probably saw a particular shot that he liked a lot and wanted to try a similar thing, or he found something well crafted. In the case of "eraserhead" probably has to do with certain images and with the way it affects through the "background" sources, the subliminal aspect in which translates old sitcoms into that current time. I have no doubt Kubrick could appreciate that since his films have a key element in subliminal messages and crafting that which the subconscious mind will receive without being noticed by the awareness of the audience.
The only reason that strikes as "meaningful" beyond that, it's because Lynch is bloated beyond his merits and in combination, if people consider him a genius and someone like Kubrick admired one of his films, then he must be it without question.
Yet nobody cares if Kubrick liked "modern romance" or "white men can't jump", because it doesn't attach to a bloated figure they need to justify.
I mean... after all, Kubrick was brilliant and somehow he had to look down on something to find inspiration about how to describe a swamp. You go look into a swamp to achieve that.
What a flim
Because there was no high caliber movie than that pushover movie to be scary. This movie hurt my brain a little and I almost got sleepy when about to end realising the movie doenst even tell a story.
The entire world of this movie haunts you like a nightmare you can never forget
I love this film for its absurdity and creativity. It’s one of the most unique films I’ve ever seen and it truly fascinates me.
yes!
True
Eraserhead is one of the oddest movies I have ever watched. It is almost a silent movie with little dialogue and mostly driven by the amazing sound effects.
for sure!
I'm a huge David Lynch fan watched everything from him and loved all of it but to me nothing tops Eraserhead, it's perfection, Kubrick loved it as well. Babies are generally portrayed as cute/wholesome in films and in this a grotesque alien further alienating the connection between our protagonist and his child. When he finally manages to seduce the neighbor but fails to "close the deal" the child mocks him and is seen as the reason he can't enjoy the full freedom of bachlerhood. I had an explanation to the weird fantasy elements when i first watched Eraserhead but now they are lost to me, time for a rewatch!
thank you, good comment.
When my wife and i were about to become parents we watched 3 movies focused on children…Monster’s Inc, Good Morning (Ozu), and Eraserhead. It was both of our first time seeing Eraserhead and we loved it. When we were in the hospital with our newborn every time he made noise in the middle of the night we just laughed because it sounded like the baby
that's is a fascinating collection of movies to watch. When my wife was in the hospital with our last one, I remember watching Kind Heart and Coronets, and Knute Rockne: American Hero (or whatever the one is with Ronald Reagan). Yes, I was watching TCM.
@@LearningaboutMovies love it!
Oy veh.
Eraserhead, to me, has alsways looked like the literalization of the fear that the protagonists of a silent film must deal with, when, out of the blue, sound arrives, as if Eraserhead were a corrupted silent film, corrupted by sounds ( the 'baby''s cry, characters that aren'used to talk and are afraid to do it, so they make long pauses between lines of dialogue and, consequently, the dialogue is sparse and fragmentary) and turned into a hellish suburban, industrial (Modern Times) nightmare.
Not to mention that 'the baby', i.e. the 'soundtrack', comes out of Henry's mouth.
that's very good. thanks!
It’s crazy how you mention that. I just watched this movie for the first time and my first thought was he reminds me of Charlie Chaplin in the beginning when he is just walking around. My second thought was this movie would have been a comeback type movie for the actor Charlie Chaplin if he was in it. Kinda like how when comedy actors do “serious” roles later in their career . I know he died the year it came out ( and too old) but that would have been cool . Especially since it would totally confirm your take on the movie.
@@cullmnt what's also funny (in a way for a Gen X-er like myself), that now 1977 is about half-way between 2023 and 1927, or around the time 'talkies' began ... history flies by fast, trust me
Eraserhead felt like a visceral experience of being human in a world out of control.
Well said. I was amazed how he stayed civil with all that crazy world he lives in.
Did he really stay civil tho by the end? Or perhaps you mean for as long as he did.
- Yet of course I think no one could put up with that existence forever, even if/as a dream it represents what it felt like to him.
He did end up killing the “baby” and embracing death (where everything’s “fine”)
I like the comment you made regarding the man with the levers and the anti-existentialist message of the film, that the protagonist is not really free, is trapped and is not really living his own life because of forces beyond his control.
Also, I would be really curious to hear your take on The Holy Mountain.
have not seen that but intended to after watching (a few years ago) Jodorowsky's Dune. Probably will push up watching it to this next month on this rec. Looks ... interesting.
Holy Mountain is fantastic. Also very surreal. Some amazing sets and concepts.
Eraserhead was my first movie of not understanding anything at all and the same time enjoying every bit of it. With many reviews, it makes more sense but Lynch stated no one has reached the exact meaning but only partially. Truly a fascinating audiovisual experience!!!
thank you.
The continuous buzzing sounds remind me of Japanese summer - you live here long enough, you get used to the cicadas screaming non-stop, sounds EXACTLY like the sound in the movie.
Also when Harry's head is lopped off and taken away by the kid to the factory, where his brain/head is then made into pencil erasers, THIS exact moment makes him 'Eraserhead'...
the cicadas are like that here, too. I recall them giving me tinnitus temporarily many times.
eraserhead is not a movie, it's an experience
arguable that all great movies are.
my favorite channel talking about my favorite movie! This must be heaven and David Lynch told me "In heaven, everything is fine"
Thank you very much.
I watched "Beau is Afraid" a couple of weeks ago, and then yesterday I watched "Eraserhead". Not that they can be compared toe to toe, but it's notable that Ari Aster took some sips from that fountain, specially the "nerdy disturbed dude in a crazy surreal world" choice of protagonist.
It's one of those movies that were on my "to watch list" for a long time. Still haven't watched it.
expect odd, very odd.
It is not great. I too had it on the watch list and was very disappointed.
Did you watch it yet?
@@Thelastspartankiller no XD
Lynch adding that dust mist behind his head is so inspired...watching the film now I see a connection to season 3 of Twin Peaks. Radiation, twin peaks, and that steamer.
very interesting observation! thank you.
Hi Dr. Josh Matthews, long time watcher first time commenter and so glad you decided to cover this film. It is one of my all time favorites, I feel that the level of abstraction that it goes into allows for plenty of different interpretations to be drawn from viewing. I had never even considered your theory about this movie's relationship with the formulaic TV sitcom. I fully agree with your point that this movie is all about insecurity, and for me specifically I find it to be about existential dread. It is the outside looking in and reminds me of a bad psychedelic trip, a nightmare, dysphoria. A profoundly deep level of discomfort that is innately part of the human experience and David Lynch manages to capture it in a way like no other. Great video, keep it up man!
thank you very much. great comment.
The second time I watched the movie it didn't seem so confusing, it just wasn't very obvious whether it was showing a dream or the "reality" (if it can be called that). I noticed that in the beginning there was a floor design of the black lodge.
very good.
Didn’t understand anything in the movie but I LOVE THE LIL BABY he’s so funnee
I've heard that this is a metaphor for parenthood (especially fatherhood) and how overwhelming it can be. Well, yes, if your baby looks like a bald calf's head!
David Lynch is a visionary
better than most.
It's just a creepfest. I've lived in a fairly desolate, industrial part of Houston and the whole movie gives you that sense of emptiness and desperation you get walking around Isolated oil refineries and industrial parks.
I hated this film the first time I saw it when I was 14. I saw it again just before I turned 16 and it suddenly became my all time favourite film. It still is, and I’m 55!
This is my favorite movie. David lynch is my favorite Director
I use white noise for sleeping so this movie is basically my film for having a nice sleep haha
As a father of two young boys this film resonated with me very much.
It's a perfect surreal diamond.
And Mr. Lynch gives me a weather
hmmm
I love me some Lynch..
I remember as a child my father introducing me to adult horror and science fiction books, all the classics and as I got older I became a lover of film and returned the favour introducing him to films he would never see on tv, I can honestly say this was the only film that he literally said wtf was that?
I like the b&w and the creepy industrial sound mix, it's very much a fever dream to me, not for everyone but a classic nevertheless.
excellent!
do you have any recommendations for the horror and science fiction books and movies ?
I would love to hear you talk about more David Lynch works!! Have you seen Mulholland Drive or Twin Peaks?
my writeup on Mulholland is not favorable. I saw it in a Philip K Dick vein -- one of my favorite writers -- and in that light it does not compare. it's on letterboxd.
His movies are watchable and enjoyable for the main stream Hollywood cinema audience. Amazing movie, sound and it's feel.
Thank you. Intelligent read on Lynch.
Can’t say I never seen anything like this but very interesting film. I watched last night on max
I watched eyes without face and watched this right after, I had no idea what I was getting into and I was not ready
Excellent timing.
indeed!
Why’s that
@@thenero9493 I was just asking him about Lynch movies a few days ago. Serendipitous that he posted this video next.
I took it as every weird thing we saw was his feelings or anxieties visualized. So yes he had a baby but it was his feelings about it visualized. Not a real monster but we see it as one cause that’s how he and his girlfriend felt about it. And I took the man in the planet as being the same as the woman in the radiator (his internal world visualized…controlled by the man in his head and persuaded by the woman). I don’t understand what the little thing in the cabinet was though.
Thanks for reviewing this movie! Your insights are helpful. The insecurity aspect of this movie is crushing. Yowza!
It is pretty much a nightmare. I don't know what else can I say about it. I feel empty or hollow after watching it.
Life is indeed absurd viewed through the prism of certain death. So to deal with this for me Lynch seems to be saying "use humour and surrealism and absurdism" and that's fine by me. I dug this movie.
thank you.
Es una película espectacular.
Imágenes y pesadillas en una secuencia de imágenes.
thank you.
I feel like the movie is showing one of the possible outcomes of an unwanted pregnancy. The alien baby may be the way some people see or feel about a baby they aren't prepared to have. The awkward scene when the girl's mother pushes him about whether or not they had intercourse made me think there was emphasis being put on how you get pregnant. Basically saying they had sex and the result was a baby so they have to get married and be parents now. I can actually see both sides of the abortion debate going on so I guess it's really open to interpretation. Also, that man-made chicken is terrifying considering the fact that they are growing meat in labs.
in my country Philippines 🇵🇭 eraserheads is one of the successful band and there era. They got this movie tittle to named the band. 😁
I wish tcm would play more Lynch movies and surrealist movies in general.
I'm surprised they play any at all!
Could there be a future review on Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi and Maya Derren's Meshes of the Afternoon??
I am happy to consider those.
It is a documentary of lynch's nightmare
does he have a recurring nightmare?
This movie is about the man on the moon with the levers having space fever and the baby is his imagination
Oneiric Masterpiece
Lynch described how all will bring their own associations and interpretations to the movie, which of course doesn’t negate his own intentions or mean that it means nothing 😏
I think virtually all Americans who don’t like it probably don’t have deep film history experience. I haven’t seen or read Lynch describing influences (he’s not unique in this)😉 but he had to be aware of earlier Euro surrealist/expressionist movies like M, Un Chien Andalou, Les Enfants Terrible, Crime & Punishment - I mean how similar are Lorre and Nance?❤
Kafka, 1984, Freaks, … very many references.
Henry Spencer, not Harry but thank you for the video!
Thanks
Who do you think is the best surreal filmmaker? And what is your favourite surreal movie?
It depends on what surreal means. I could classify Malick as such, though his is a dreamier/beautiful surrealism.
@@LearningaboutMovies
Do you think the series twin peaks fits this type of dreamlike/surrealism? because i am thinking of watching it.
You said Harry Spencer. It's Henry....apart from that it's a good analysis 😉
thank you for the correction!
I thought I was one of the only 37 people on the planet to have seen this movie at an "art movie" house in the early 80s.
How about covering Sorcerer, or the original, Wages of Fear, if you thought one of them was great? If you didn't share such opinion, well... never mind.
there's a brief review on this channel of Wages of Fear.
yes
yep.
I remember watching Mullholland Dr in my teens and remember disliking it and it put me off watching any of the other David Lynch movies. Perhaps Blue Velvet would be a better reintroduction to Lynch than Eraserhead? It does look interesting Eraserhead head though
not sure. I always recommend Elephant Man and Straight Story to ordinary moviegoers/casual viewers. Both likable and not too weird, yet Lynchian. I did not review Mulholland favorably (look up my writeup on letterboxd), but do not tell anybody! (many get mad by such views).
@@LearningaboutMovies Oh yes I have seen elephant man, I forgot that was a Lynch film that's quite good. I agree with some of the things you say in your Mullholland Dr review. From my observations, the movie is about the lies we tell ourselves and the absurdities we conjure up in our heads as a method to rationalise and deal with failure and hardships we may suffer in life, in the case of Mullholland Dr, the failures an actress may suffer in pursuit of a Hollywood career- and how these kinds of people deal with it. Like yourself, I can't really connect these kinds of themes to myself, and the message I think it tries to signal to its viewers, or at least the one I got, doesn't really resonate with me at all. Movies that deal with more important and bigger issues like existentialism, the nature of man, spirituality, political and social critiques are things that are more my taste.
@@LearningaboutMovies Munholland drive is total masterpice
@@LearningaboutMovies I 10000000000%agree with you, Munholland drive have such a cult and standard peoples ho go to cinema think that is Lord of the rings Gladiator, Psycho,, Shawshank redemption and movies like that, Munholland drive is for us ho seen almost all Fellini, Bergman, Kurusawa, Billy Wilder, Wiliam Willer, David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock, Joseph Mankiewicz, Altman, Lumet, Leone, Copolla, Fincher, Scott, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Cohen brothers, Del Toro, Inarritu, Cauron, Tarkovski and so many others great directors, Munholland drive, Vertigo and Fight club are masteripices but in time of this movies critic are awful to this movies only Munholland drive is by critic do well and Linch is nominated for best director at oscars, today this movies are golden standard for movies, same with Tarkovski Mirror or Tokyo story
David Lynch claims he just pulled the thoughts out of nowhere for the movie and just made it for what it was. I don’t see it that way! It’s a story about an abandoned industrial town in present-day Pennsylvania. But in an alternate universe! The Russians or Japanese fulfilled our fears about the Cold War and dropped nuclear bombs on the United States in the 1950s. Most people were killed, technology became at a standstill, and those that survived had all kinds of emotional issues. Hence the strange behavior of all the characters in the movie! And of course, the baby!
Such a bizarre film. I dont get it but I really do like it.
I think everybody who likes it would be able to say your second sentence.
In answer of your video. “It ends”
I forgot the question.
👌
thank you
Munholland drive is my 3 best movie ever made, i love Linch movies not Dune and this movie, but for Linch standard is not good for me
glad you like those movies.
Its fun silly
I watched this movie a few days ago and frankly....didn't really like it that much the constant loud background noise was too distracting
Didn’t like the movie. Too slow and too confusing but part of it is growing on me
Report every day
a continuation of a previous comment.
DISLIKE
It’s not even remotely great.