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Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 8:14 pm
by LostInTheMovies
Just finished reading TV Peaks, a scholarly analysis of Twin Peaks' place in television history written by Andreas Halskov (I'll be talking to him soon about the book & Twin Peaks, adding to the collection of author interviews on my site). There is a really fascinating anecdote in the book from supervising sound editor Douglas Murray. It provides a whole new perspective on the cutting on FWWM, which I had always assumed was entirely Lynch's and Sweeney's doing without any outside interference. It also suggests that many of the missing pieces may actually have been part of the cut quite late in the game.
Here's the quote from Murray:
Gilles Jacob was the chief of the film festival at Cannes for many years, and we were working on the film, we were mixing it, and we were getting it ready for the festival. They had accepted the film on principle for competition, but hadn't seen it. So he came to visit us, and he objected to the film. He thought it was too long, but the main thing is the scene where Leland kills Laura. We had done an amazing sound treatment on that. We had thunderblasts, when you see the lights, and we had voices, and we had lots of sounds of the boxcar and the stabbing going into her heart repeatedly. It was very intense. Gilles Jacob thought that it was too much, and he convinced David Lynch that if should be more poetic, so David went away from that scene somewhat rattled, and so he took it to heart and made adjustments accordingly.
I was so disappointed that all of our work was not used, but the scene is very strong. It was a very powerful and experimental thing we had done, but in the wrong way. It was powerfully horrific, but in the end it becomes a kind of release for Laura. Riccardo Muti's music, which they were lucky to be allowed to use, changed the whole scene. The music was so celestial, and the ending ended up being so beautiful.
The other thing Gilles Jacob complained about was all of the subplots, and many of them got taken out.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 3:57 am
by dugpa
Would love to read more on this.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 6:28 am
by TwinPeaksFanatic
I think Lynch should be proud of FWWM's cut. The missing pieces are amazing and I'm glad fans can see them, but that movie told Laura's story beautifully and horrifically. Not to mentiom that Sheryl Lee killed it in her performance. Personally I think it's his best film other than Mulholland Dr.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:43 am
by FauxOwl
I would love to hear the original sound design as an exercise (certainly if Lynch wanted to do something very experimental and horrific he'd have pulled it off)... I suspect I'd agree with changing it to the Muti music... I think that celestial, spiritual quality was ultimately a necessary thing. It really goes to show you malleable the filmmaking process can be from script to final cut, and Lynch's films more than most. If the rumors about the schedule for the new series is true, it makes sense that Lynch wants as much or more time in post as he does for shooting... and whatever the series is now is probably going to go through some significant changes by the time editing and sound design is complete.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 9:56 am
by LostInTheMovies
I mentioned this to John Thorne and he was surprised about the changes to the ending too (and doubtful about the Missing pieces still being part of the equation that late in the game - since Murray was focused on sound I suppose it's possible that he got mixed up in the chronology years later although I'm not sure what to believe about the scenes right now!). He also mentioned that when he looked back over the Mary Sweeney interview recently (for the upcoming Wrapped in Plastic compilation) he was reminded that she said they would often screen Lynch's films (including FWWM) for friends & peers to get feedback although Lynh himself would not actually attend he screenings
I don't think the process behind any film fascinates me more than FWWM. I know if Brad writes a follow-up it will probably just be on season 3. Dugpa's documentary is great but what I wouldn't give for a book-length exploration of how that film got made...where the changes came, how it evolved, etc...
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 10:21 am
by james
Lostinthemovies - you're about as well-qualified as anyone to embark upon such a book aren't you?
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 10:53 am
by LostInTheMovies
james wrote:Lostinthemovies - you're about as well-qualified as anyone to embark upon such a book aren't you?
Qualified I don't know (no contacts either among FWWM cast/crew or in publishing industry). Enthusiastic yes, but also aware of how time-consuming that would be. So I am hoping someone else removes the necessity haha, which is what it will feel like if in 2-4 years time there is still no thorough book on the film's production in the offing...
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 10:58 am
by N. Needleman
I think you'd be a good choice and have a good shot, being here as you are. Word has gotten around about your video essay and there are people who know people hereabouts, I think.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 12:24 pm
by LostInTheMovies
Thanks, Needleman. That's definitely true. I think regardless of whether someone else tackles the making-of-Twin-Peaks project I have a Twin Peaks book in me somewhere along the path - we'll see what the future brings!
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 6:41 pm
by Agent Sam Stanley
LostInTheMovies wrote:james wrote:Lostinthemovies - you're about as well-qualified as anyone to embark upon such a book aren't you?
Qualified I don't know (no contacts either among FWWM cast/crew or in publishing industry).
I think we have a lot of people here with such contacts, and I'm sure they would love to help you out if someday you decide to commit to this
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 11:33 pm
by David Locke
Just jumping in to concur that if anyone's qualified to write a book about FWWM, it's LiTM. Whoever the author is, though, there's certainly a book waiting to be written about the film. Despite a lot of great analyses by Lynch scholars and chapters in various Lynch books I don't think it's really totally yet got its due, and certainly not in terms of digging into the behind-the-scenes stuff as to how the film's production unfolded. The only problem I could see this presenting is Lynch's secrecy preventing a lot of on-set details from coming to light -- and yet I don't see why if Brad's book can happen then one on FWWM can't.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 11:46 pm
by LostInTheMovies
I'd also say John Thorne is probably a great person to write the book. In fact a lot of his interest with went on behind-the-scenes fueled my own interest. And quite possibly more than anyone else who wasn't actually on the shoot (except maybe for Brian/Dugpa) he has a huge amount of knowledge about what went on there and how it unfolded.
I think to me the most interesting book topics would be how Lynch functions as a narrative artist (something I haven't seen explored too much even in some of the best Lynch studies I've read), the evolution of Laura's character, and the behind-the-scenes story of Fire Walk With Me.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 4:30 pm
by StealThisCorn
WOW! What I wouldn't give to see Laura's murder scene in its original cut and with Lynch's "experimentally horrific" sound design. It's always tricky when you know the version we do have, but read about a version we don't have. The temptation to wonder and imagine if it would be even better. But I always did personally feel a little unsatisfied with the scene of Laura's murder in the film failing to capture the brutality and horror that the series had imbued that night with (more like the ending scene of Episode
. It builds up and up and then sort of...fades to an end with the swell of music and the abstract flickering shots of knife coming down and Laura's blood.
Now I am so curious. Thanks for sharing this, I had never heard it before.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:36 pm
by LostInTheMovies
I think ultimately the benefit of the scene as it exists is that it emphasizes that the point is not so much Laura's death, but all the stuff that happens just before. The murder itself is essentially post -climactic in that sense which is the big difference from the train car scene in the series.
Re: Lynch modified FWWM at Cannes chief's request?
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 1:01 pm
by james
Emphasizes which stuff that happened just before? I'm not sure about this.
Leland hitting Jacques with a whiskey bottle?