favorite film

eraserhead, by david lynch, is one of my all time favorite films. i watched it for the god-knows-how-manyeth time last night. i recall defending this film in college and graduate school to befuddled friends who thought it was gross, stupid, incomprehensible, and a waste of time. i still feel it's one of the best films ever made and it holds up, for me, viewing after viewing. i just learned the libarary of congress has deemed it "culturally significant," so i feel supported in my early defenses. if you haven't seen it, i highly recommend it.

eraserhead was lynch's first feature. he'd made a few shorts prior. it took six years to complete, which is hard to believe when you watch the film because there's no indication of that time span, other than perhaps the lead character's hair which gets longer. it was made by a small crew working mostly at night in unused spaces at the american film institute in los angeles. the script was just 21 pages long (a typical feature script is usually around 120 pages).

it's a tense film despite the lack of dialog and action. the story is told by the environment as much as it is by the actors. radiators, door knobs, lamps, steam, sounds from outside, long periods of silence, and misunderstanding move the story along. one of my favorite scenes is henry's wife's departure late one night. she leaves him because she can't stand their baby's constant crying. she gets dressed, goes to the foot of the bed, reaches under, and rocks the bed, moaning in escalating intensity. it seems like sex. this goes on quite some time. henry watches, dumbfounded, as are we. finally, she lurches back and we realize she has pulled loose a stuck suitcase from under the bed. it's brilliant.