MIFF Session #2: LYNCH/OZ

Film makers and critics provide their thoughts on the link between the work of David Lynch and The Wizard of Oz? Eh? Well, when you consider that Wild at Heart is practically decorated with Oz references, brick my yellow brick, and quotes and nods abound in the back catalogue from Eraserhead, through Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, there's a lot to deal with.

Whether it's the concept of wind which triggers the story of Wizard of Oz, to the wind of influence once the cinematic flop found a massive audience with the advent of tv, including a young and receptive David Lynch. It might be the notion of the membranes between parallel universes, nudging or even rupturing and pouring into each other, the personal story of Lynch's friendship with fellow odd bod John Waters, or the convoluted but fascinating journey back to the notion of home, the traveller weathered but wonderstruck.

Depending on the deal struck between the contributors and the ringmaster Alexandre O. Phillipe, these contributions are prevented from becoming talking head interviews by a restless montage illustrating convergence or collision with whatever could be found to throw at the screen. The results vary - John Waters sound like he's genuinely reminiscing, whereas Karyn Kusama's written piece feels carefully constructed to keep some wild concepts under rein, undercurrent neo-horror team Benson and Morehead sound the most formal and the rhapsodic David Lowery's final word gives us the home we've started to dearly crave after so much bombardment.

Film essays can vary from the worthy to the inspiring but they don't always make it back to port. Mark Cousins dazzled with his mammoth Story of Film but faltered with The Eyes of Orson Welles. The Real Charlie Chaplin made it in by keeping things spare and inviting to digest. Lynch/Oz, by contrast, shouldn't work at all. While I'll admit to feeling fatigued after the hour mark I let it charge on and felt rewarded by the final chapter's warmth. I remember thinking that it might take a second viewing just to keep hold of some of the chief concepts and then thinking that I wonder if I would do that? One of my screening companions suggested he would if it turned up on streaming. There's the solution.

Phillipe has made a career of films about film. 17/52 is about the shower scene from Psycho (17 setups in 52 seconds of screen time) Others include examinations of the Star Wars phenomenon, Ridley Scott's Alien, the interview feature Leap of Faith about William Friedkin's The Exorcist, and so on. From this you might expect an approach given to over density but there is significant variation in the results. This subject was born dense and each of the participants accepted their homework assignment with evident glee. It is that glee that keeps us listening as the notions gush past, a reminder that film makers like Lynch, Kubrick or Welles all but beg for such mature age student style study through their innovation and teetering mix of persona and style. One it brought to mind, though: I have a copy of Wizard of Oz on 4K that I haven't yet watched. Itching, now.

Seen at Hoyts. Perfect sound and picture. QA with director did not go wayward.