David Lynch by Des Lynch

An Auteur of Absurdity
Presented by Des Lynch. Film Studies. Teacher;

Faustina Starrett
 This presentation is dedicated
to explaining the film making
techniques of Director David
Lynch and what makes him
an Auteur
 First I will explain what
Auteur theory is, who David
Lynch is, exploring his
filmography and why many
consider him to be an Auteur
 Auteur theory is the theory of
filmmaking in which the
director is viewed as the major
creative force in a film.
 The theory arised in France
during the late 1940’s,
stemming off from the French
film criticism as a value system.
 The Auteur theory is derived
from cinematic theories
of André Bazin and Alexandre
Alexandre Astruc, 1965 Astruc
 Auteur theory was commonly used to
differentiate independent film makers
(more specifically French New Wave
directors) from the mainstream
Hollywood directors
 The main tenants of Auteur Theory
describe the notion that the Director
is the greatest influencer in the film
making process
 They set out the tone, the story, how
the film looks, sounds and feels to the
audience. This is wildly different to
regular the regular directors of
Hollywood who have little to no
influence in the outlook of the film
due to studio interference
André Bazin,1948
 An Auteur is a director who has a significant
imprint on the way the film is presented, the way a
film feels. It’s no mistake that the French
translation for “Auteur” is “Author” the single
person that controls the shape and flow of a
narrative
 The most popular Auteurs of today include people
like Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese and Quentin
Tarantino. If you walk into a cinema you could tell
within a few seconds that “This is a *insert auteur*
film” which you couldn’t do with a generic
director
 David Lynch originally trained to be an
artist, attending several Art Schools
and eventually graduating in
Philadelphia
 David is a Painter, Musician, Actor and
Film Director
 His films are unique because of their
surreal storylines and characters, being
overdramatic without being poorly
acted
Six Men Getting Sick The Grandmother The Cowboy and Premonitions
(1967) (1970) The Frenchman Following an Evil
(1989) Deed (1999)
Industrial
The Alphabet The Amputee Symphony No. 1
(1968) (1974) (1989)
Eraserhead Blue Velvet Twin Peaks: Fire The Straight Story
(1970) (1986) Walk With Me (1999)
(1992)
Dune Wild at Heart Lost Highway Mulholland Drive

(1984) (1990) (1997) (2001)
 Lynch has said on multiple occasions that his
filmmaking style is more similar to European
cinema than American Cinema, this is partly
due to his time visiting Europe after
Graduating
 Lynch believes that most films that "get down
and thrill your soul" are from European
directors. He has expressed adoration for
Directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Werner
Herzog
 While being influenced by film, Lynch
has expressed that his own life has
given him greater influence in his
story telling
 His first Feature “Eraserhead” was
inspired by the violence that
surrounded him while he was in Art
school in Philadelphia
“We lived cheap, but the city was full of fear. A kid was shot to death down
the street ... We were robbed twice, had windows shot out and a car stolen.
The house was first broken into only three days after we moved in ... The
feeling was so close to extreme danger, and the fear was so intense. There
was violence and hate and filth. But the biggest influence in my whole life
was that city” David Lynch, 2005
 While his own personal experiences helped
with his writing, Lynch notes that for the
aesthetic appeal of his films were largely
drawn from the paintings he had observed,
most of them being from Francis Bacon
 Above we can see Bacon’s “Seated

Figure” which inspired Twin Peaks
“Red Room” dream sequence which
you can see on the right
 Lynch is a Surrealist and thus is a fan
of surrealist art. That’s why his films
feel absurd, almost dream like
 Most of Lynch’s films are set in America (the exclusion of course being
Dune and the Elephant Man) and focus around the theme of industry.
This can be observed in Eraserhead where the setting is an industrial
wasteland and in Twin Peaks where the opening credits depicts the
machinery in the towns sawmill
 When asked about his recurring theme of industry, Lynch stated;
"It makes me feel good to see

giant machinery, you know,
working: dealing with molten
metal. And I like fire and smoke.
And the sounds are so powerful.
It's just big stuff. It means that
things are being made, and I
really like that."
 Another motif of Lynch is to use Dreams as a significant plot device. This can
be observed in his films such as The Elephant Man and Twin Peaks in which
the main characters dreams affects their decision making and drives the plot
 The surreal plot device of the influence of dreams leads to the stranger motif
of Lynch’s films; having his lead actresses play split roles so that their
characters appear to have multiple or fractured identities
 This motif can be observed in Twin Peaks where Sheryl Lee plays both Laura
Palmer and her cousin Maddy
 David Lynch is an Auteur because
his filmmaking style meets the exact
criteria described in Andre Bazin’s
theory
 He’s the biggest influencer in his
films. He writes the story, influences
the music and the camera shots
 His wacky characters and surreal
plot and dialogue make his films
stand out from the rest, you can tell a
David Lynch apart from a more
generic movie
 Being an artist and musician, Lynch’s movies are
surreal in nature and are often quite confusing. It
depends on a lot of interpretation and therefore
alienates a lot of mainstream audiences. However his
work has gained a cult following due to its
entertainment value and quirkiness
 Lynch has currently just finished Season Three of Twin
Peaks, he’s expected to make many more films in the
years to come
 Enclopedia Britannica, (2017) Auteur Theory, Film Making
https://www.britannica.com/art/auteur-theory
 Caughie, John (2013). Theories of Authorship. Routledge.ISBN 978-1-136-10268-4.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jTZGAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA62&redir_esc=y#
v=onepage&q&f=false
 Encyclopaedia Britannica, (2017) 10 Filmmakers of Cult Status
https://www.britannica.com/list/10-filmmakers-of-cult-status
 Lynch, David and Rodley, Chris (2005). Lynch on Lynch (revised edition). New
York: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-22018-2.
 Le Blanc, Michelle and Odell, Colin (2000). David Lynch. Harpenden, Hertfordshire:
Pocket Essentials. ISBN 1-903047-06-4.
 The Art of David Lynch, Video Essay, Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/223616087

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What is Auteur theory?

What are some of David Lynch's filmmaking techniques?

An Auteur of Absurdity

Presented by Des Lynch. Film Studies. Teacher;

Dune Wild at Heart Lost Highway Mulholland Drive

 Above we can see Bacon’s “Seated

"It makes me feel good to see

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