Remembering David Lynch, the Surrealist Filmmaker Maestro Behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Blue Velvet’

David Lynch, the writer-director behind surrealist cinematic revelations such as “Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive” and “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” died last Thursday at the age of 78. Lynch’s family released a statement to his Facebook profile:

“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time,” the post read. “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ It’s a beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies all the way.” 

The Independent spoke with fans around the world who are mourning the loss of Lynch, noting the tremendous impact he had on their personal sense of vulnerability:

“Before David Lynch, I didn’t understand what it meant to be vulnerable as an artist,” said Gunnar Sizemore, a Harvard student and actor-director. “The first time I watched ‘Eraserhead,’ I laughed throughout. The second time, I was deeply upset throughout. The third time, I felt both feelings and more: I felt the scope of a vulnerable human. His work and his spirit are one and the same, and for that reason, the fantasy of his worlds always felt truer than reality. To watch a Lynch film means nothing; to feel a Lynch film is to connect with a sensitive, inquisitive soul in an overwhelmingly intimate way.” 

Lynch’s work spans nearly half a century. His debut feature film “Eraserhead” realized on the silver screen 47 years ago in 1977. The film’s funding came from Lynch’s alma mater, the American Film Institute (AFI), on a grant of 10,000 dollars, with additional funds being sourced from Lynch’s earnings as a paperboy for The Wall Street Journal. Then-Dean of AFI, Frank Daniel, insisted that Lynch receive funding for the “Eraserhead” screenplay, threatening to resign if it did not get made. The film spent five years in production, with an additional year for post-production on the sound design alone – meticulous audio engineering eventually becoming a hallmark of Lynch’s ambient and palpably auric filmmaking style.

“Eraserhead” first earned Lynch a cult following through midnight screenings, grossing over 7 million dollars at the box office in its initial run, and ultimately becoming his most profitable film to date. His second feature film, “The Elephant Man,” expanded upon his growing acclaim, earning eight Academy Award nominations including ‘Best Picture’ and Lynch’s first ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ and ‘Best Director’ nominations. He received the nominations at the age of 33.

Lynch mystified his viewers with his jarring and extraordinary visuals. One of his fans, renowned filmmaker and creator of “Star Wars” George Lucas courted Lynch to direct the third installment of the original Star Wars trilogy, “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” after seeing Lynch’s penchant for creating practical galactic visuals in his first two films. The negotiations became highly publicized and ultimately fell through. In turn, Lynch directed the first feature film adaptation of the sci-fi novel epic “Dune” in 1984. Although Lynch’s “Dune” initially received mild audience and critic reactions, it lead to the formation of one of the most superb actor-director duos in cinematic history: Kyle MacLachlan and David Lynch. 

Two years after “Dune” released, MacLachlan and Lynch reteamed for the captivatingly confounding picture “Blue Velvet,” where Lynch returned to his smaller-budgeted but larger-than-life sensibilities. “Blue Velvet” also starred Lynch’s eventual girlfriend, Isabella Rosselini, and soon-to-be frequent collaborator Laura Dern. As much of Lynch’s work would, “Blue Velvet” challenged the perceived innocence and tranquility of suburbanism, mundanity and Americana, intent on questioning the origin of those nuclear standards. Through revelatory performances by the leading cast paired with stellar stylistic choices and scripting, Lynch delivered what many regard as one of the greatest films in cinematic history. Lynch also received his second ‘Best Director’ Academy Award nomination for his efforts. 

“Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision,” Maclachlan wrote on Instagram in a tribute to Lynch Thursday afternoon. “What I saw in him was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him […] Our friendship blossomed on ‘Blue Velvet’ and then ‘Twin Peaks’ and I always found him to be the most authentically alive person I’d ever met.”

MacLachlan and Dern would prove to be mainstays for Lynch’s work. In addition to “Blue Velvet,” Dern starred in the absurdist-romantic comedy “Wild at Heart” and the psychological horror flick “Inland Empire.” MacLachlan lead the masterful, existential mystery television series “Twin Peaks,” which some consider to be the crowning piece of Lynch’s portfolio. He also starred in the prequel film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” which satisfied a conclusion to the Laura Palmer saga (Palmer being played by another Lynch mainstay, Sheryl Lee), until “Twin Peaks: The Return” in 2017. There, MacLachlan, Dern and Lee worked under Lynch’s direction again in what stands as his last long-form directorial work. 

“Twin Peaks” garnered 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations amidst its initial run, three of of which being Lynch-specific nominations in the ‘Best Direction for a Drama Series’ and ‘Best Writing for a Drama Series’ categories. “Twin Peaks: The Return” garnered two more Emmy Award nominations in 2018 for ‘Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series’ and ‘Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series’ – Lynch being personally credited on the nominations for both. 

“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 1992, with his preceding film “Wild at Heart” and succeeding film “Mulholland Drive” both premiering in competition for the highly prestigious Palme d’Or award; “Wild at Heart” won the Palme in 1990. Ee, “Mulholland Drive” earned Lynch his third ‘Best Director’ nomination at the Academy Awards in 2001.

Lynch operated behind the camera as well as in front, playing the eccentric FBI deputy director Gordon Cole in all three seasons of “Twin Peaks,” as well as in “Fire Walk with Me.” He also appeared in his rendition of “Dune” and lent his voice to “Inland Empire.” Both Lynch’s first and last longform projects are as an actor, the fire being an uncredited performance in the 1956 film “The Girl Can’t Help It,” and in his last as famed film-western director John Ford in Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical 2022 film “The Fabelmans.”

Though Lynch’s work on both ends of the camera is highly accoladed, some of his greatest strides in cinema occurred simply through impacting his audiences on a personal level. The Independent spoke with Lily Olson, student-programmer of Los Angeles’ largest revivalist film institute, the American Cinematheque, about Lynch’s way of using abstraction to make sense of the ordinary: 

“David Lynch made a world for me when I didn’t have a place in my own. His world was full of people whose emotions and personalities were bigger than the bodies they were given,” said Olson. “It was the first time I could see myself in characters that weren’t written to be the freak or the outcast. They were just people, like me. I cannot express how much Denise as a character meant to me as a trans person. David Lynch made a world for me when I didn’t have a place in my own. […] His worlds have always been, and always will be, a bright light of refuge.”