David Lynch's Eraserhead

[dms1972]

Anyone interested in discussing this nightmarish, surreal film - I watched it many years ago, and had forgotten most of it - but I listened to a couple of commentaries about the film online. I also came across a video of David Lynch explaining how he didn't always know what his films meant. And that he had been wrestling with the meaning of the ideas in Eraserhead and had picked up a Bible and came across a sentence that seemed to sum it up for him. He also said in an interview that Eraserhead is his most "spiritual" film. When asked to elaborate - he refused to say anything more. I am not sure what Lynch means by "spiritual"?? For instance, does he mean spiritual in a gnostic sense?

Anyway he has never said what that sentence in the Bible was, and I have only seen people guessing verses.

Lynch rarely if ever discloses much about the meaning of his films, he leaves it to the viewer and he says each interpretation is valid.

Please note - if you haven't seen it - that the film is rather nightmarish and parts of it are quite disturbing - its certainly not to everyone's taste.

 

[dms1972]

One analysis I have come across when searching online:

Trevor Lynch on "Eraserhead: A Gnostic Anti-Sex Film" | Counter-Currents

Eraserhead is quite simply a gnostic anti-sex film. The film is premised on a gnostic dualism, which holds that the material world—including sex and childbearing—is fundamentally evil, a prison in which the spirit suffers. The solution to suffering is to free ourselves from the trammels of matter, including sexual desire.
​

 

[d taylor]

Not about Eraserhead but i watched a David lynch movie once ( i believe blue velvet) , they are different. he is really not my choice for movies.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I am not sure what Lynch means by "spiritual"?? For instance, does he mean spiritual in a gnostic sense?

Secular movies don't make a distinction between paranormal and spiritual phenomenon, if it's invisible and cannot be explained by a limited understanding of the laws of physics, it's spiritual - in a spooky way.

 

[Alistair_Wonderland]

Aw... so this thread isn't about Mr. Aizawa?

 

[dms1972]

Aw... so this thread isn't about Mr. Aizawa?

Sorry I don't know who Mr Aizawa is?

 

[Sunshinee777]

I love David Lynch.
He is genius.
His work has been inspirating me a lot even my work is nothing like his. But somehow I always wanted to paint like Lynch was making movies.

Lynch rarely if ever discloses much about the meaning of his films, he leaves it to the viewer and he says each interpretation is valid.

I do this with my paintings. I refuse to explain my paintings.
I think this should be always the case when it comes to art. It’s about trip and experience not a lecture.
I think you have special gift if your art has multiple meanings in one piece. It is fascinating it is almost like supernatural in my view. I also see bible has this same concept, even there is one strong messages there can be multiple other meanings for individual guidance.

Im not sure if anybody understand what I mean but anyway

I can watch Lynch movies over and over and never get tired of them.
And I learn something new about myself and the world when I watch them.
Experience is always different.
If you can produce art like this,
That is a sign of true genius when it comes to art.

Eraserhead is one of my favorite movies from Lynch because it’s black & white.
And it looks like amateur film even it has such a depth psychologically.

Unfortunately Lynch is not christian he is into new age.

 

[Leaf473]

I've never seen the movie, but I did watch a clip on youtube.
(I won't post it here, just search for Eraserhead moving turkey scene.)

So based on that one clip, I feel qualified to evaluate the entire movie; indeed, David Lynch's entire career.

Yes, it's dark and disturbing. It's like Lynch is able to take the dream part of the brain and transfer it to film. For that alone, Genius.

Based on the clip, I think he's probably commenting on the absurdity of modern society.

 

[dms1972]

Its certainly a disturbing and dark movie. That clip I think shows how he is embarking on a new level of personal responsibility and involvement with others, and how he is not ready for it all - it's a meal with his girlfriends parents, his girlfriend is pregnant. He is not ready to become a father. That is my take on it. As it goes on it is quite a disgusting scene effects wise.


It is now several months after starting the thread - I don't really think I'd recommend people go out of their way to see the film, or spend hours pondering it. Its not really clear what Lynch was trying to do with his movie, or if its even a coherent whole. And he tends not to explain his ideas when interviewed - but does he not have understanding of what he was trying to do, and why would he be reluctant to explain his movie? One the one hand I suppose he doesn't want to disrupt the viewers experience perhaps by prefacing it with an explanation. But is it not also important to provide some boundaries for interpretations? To say as he did that it was his most "spiritual movie" doesn't really say a lot. What is his understanding of spirituality - there is more than one sort of spirituality. We need to be discerning here - most spiritualities that have their origin on the horizontal plane of mental and emotional cognitions attempt to reconcile good and evil in some way, and that isn't christian spirituality.

 

[Leaf473]

Its certainly a disturbing and dark movie. That clip I think shows how he is embarking on a new level of personal responsibility and involvement with others, and how he is not ready for it all - it's a meal with his girlfriends parents, his girlfriend is pregnant. He is not ready to become a father. That is my take on it. It is quite a disgusting scene effects wise.


It is now several months after starting the thread - I don't really think I'd recommend people go out of their way to see the film, or spend hours pondering it. Its not really clear what Lynch was trying to do with his movie, or if its even a coherent whole. And he tends not to explain his ideas when interviewed - but does he not have understanding of what he was trying to do, and why would he be reluctant to explain his movie? One the one hand I suppose he doesn't want to disrupt the viewers experience perhaps by prefacing it with an explanation. But is it not also important to provide some boundaries for interpretations? To say as he did that it was his most "spiritual movie" doesn't really say a lot. What is his understanding of spirituality - there is more than one sort of spirituality. We need to be discerning here - most spiritualities that have their origin on the horizontal plane of mental and emotional cognitions attempt to reconcile good and evil in some way, and that isn't christian spirituality.

I agree with everything you're saying except maybe the part about an artist explaining their work.

Just as an example, I've written poems that I thought were interesting but I wouldn't be able to explain. Maybe it's possible that Lynch doesn't actually know what his movie is about?

 

[dms1972]

I agree with everything you're saying except maybe the part about an artist explaining their work.

Just as an example, I've written poems that I thought were interesting but I wouldn't be able to explain. Maybe it's possible that Lynch doesn't actually know what his movie is about?

Its a good point. I think CS Lewis said a writer doesn't necessarily understand their own work better than someone reading it. But he didn't say they don't understand their own work at all. However with Lynch it does seem that he didn't understand his film, or was wrestling with understanding it, as I mentioned in my first post he said he came across a verse in the Bible that helped him understand his own film. I would like to know which verse or verses that was, but i haven't been able to find out for sure. So he did seem to gain some understanding and I thought that would have been good for him to share (assuming he hasn't somewhere). One verse that came to my own mind was from James: "lust when it conceives give birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown brings forth death". Not talking about that one scene though. I don't know if that was the verse that summed it up for Lynch however.

 

[Leaf473]

Its a good point. I think CS Lewis said a writer doesn't necessarily understand their own work better than someone reading it. But he didn't say they don't understand their own work at all. However with Lynch it does seem that he didn't understand his film, or was wrestling with understanding it, as I mentioned in my first post he said he came across a verse in the Bible that helped him understand his own film. I would like to know which verse or verses that was, but i haven't been able to find out for sure. So he did seem to gain some understanding and I thought that would have been good for him to share. One verse that came to my own mind was from James: "lust when it conceives give birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown brings forth death". I don't know if that was the verse that summed it up for Lynch however.

Some random thoughts which maybe relate, or maybe not.

I have a close friend who about 7 years ago absolutely loved Lynch's film Inland Empire. Now he says he's not really interested in watching it.

And then for some reason our discussion reminded me of Luis Buñuel's film The Phantom of Liberty. I have seen that film, though it was a long time ago. In one scene, people are gathering for what appears to be a dinner party. But it turns out they just go to sit around a table, and they sit on toilets. At one point, a little girl says to her mother that she's hungry. The mom is like, Shhh. Don't talk about food at the table.

For some reason the moving turkey scene in Eraserhead reminded me of that scene.

 

[dms1972]

Some random thoughts which maybe relate, or maybe not.

I have a close friend who about 7 years ago absolutely loved Lynch's film Inland Empire. Now he says he's not really interested in watching it.

And then for some reason our discussion reminded me of Luis Buñuel's film The Phantom of Liberty. I have seen that film, though it was a long time ago. In one scene, people are gathering for what appears to be a dinner party. But it turns out they just go to sit around a table, and they sit on toilets. At one point, a little girl says to her mother that she's hungry. The mom is like, Shhh. Don't talk about food at the table.

For some reason the moving turkey scene in Eraserhead reminded me of that scene.

Ok well I haven't seen either of those films, so I cannot comment. I personally would not be that inclined to rewatch David Lynch stuff that much. I never perhaps seen the whole of Eraserhead at first, and I made my own decision not to watch it in my teens, thinking it might not be much help to me at that time. I watched it up to a point, then left off. Then some years later in my twenties I think I watched it all. But I don't even now feel that inclined to watch it right through again.

I think with Eraserhead there are a series of scenes created with more of a view to conveying emotional and psychological and perhaps spiritual (in some undefined sense) themes than a concrete storyline, and there are some connections between the scenes, but as you say it has a very dream like, or nightmare like quality also. I have forgotten the main character's name, but there is a sort of transition taking place in his life that he seems unprepared for, and it means greater involvement with others (for instance his girlfriend's family).

Lynch has got into Transcendental Meditation, I don't know what his spiritual journey or history was before that or up to that other than what the wikipedia entry says about him being raised Presbyterian.

One of Lynch's early films The Elephant Man is very good, some particularly good performances in it.

In some of his later films he focuses on aspects of Hollywood culture. His earlier films are better than what I have seen of his later work.