TOP FIVE BIOPICS

TOP FIVE BIOPICS

1. LA VIE EN ROSE (2007)

This biopic of Édith Piaf is equal parts beautiful and tragic, the wonderful Marion Cotillard is transformed into Piaf and transfixes you in every scene. I’m not much of a crier but I was in floods of tears by the end of this film.

2. WALK THE LINE (2005)

Before watching this film I knew little of the life of the legendary Johnny Cash, but I found it so interesting that I have since read his autobiography and bought his whole discography. The two leads in this film, (Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon) although not sounding exactly the same as Johnny and June are great and this is a thoroughly enjoyable film to watch.

3. THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)

Another film that makes me cry, the least Lynchian Lynch film, and a beautiful, hauntingly moving piece of filmmaking. This is based on the true story of a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a 'side-show freak'. I was an odd child so I actually knew a bit about John/ Joseph Merrick before I was this film but Lynch treats the story in a deeply human way.

4. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002)

This is one of those ‘Life is stranger than fiction’ stories that is told in a fantastic way with great direction from Spielberg and great performances from DiCaprio, Hanks and Walken. It takes you on an unbelievable journey that seems too strange to be true.

5.  THE DISASTER ARTIST (2017)

Although this isn’t a biopic in a traditional sense, as we know absolutely nothing of the past of the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau, it’s a document of a period of his life while making the infamous movie ‘The Room’. It’s funny and surprisingly heartwarming, and James Franco plays Wiseau in a way I think not many other actors could.

Here’s a few examples of some of the items now in my clearance sale in my etsy shop… 50% off many items with further discounts on others…

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ClaireHefferDesign/items

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/twin-peaks/news/a832484/twin-peaks-david-lynch-scenes-art-inspiration/

FILM 1393: WILD AT HEART

TRIVIA: Nicolas Cage does his own singing.

The snakeskin jacket Sailor wears in the film was actually Nicolas Cage's own. Cage asked director David Lynch if he could wear the jacket in the film, as a tribute to Marlon Brando's role in The Fugitive Kind (1960). After filming was completed, Cage gave his jacket to Laura Dern. (On a side note, "The Fugitive Kind" was based on the play, "Orpheus Descending," by Laura Dern's cousin, Tennessee Williams. Laura Dern's parents, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, met while appearing in a 1961 stage production of "Orpheus Descending.")

"A prayer for the wild at heart, trapped in cages" was the subtitle to the play Stairs to the Roof by Tennessee Williams, who was cousin to cast members Laura Dern and Diane Ladd.

Before filming started, Laura Dern and Nic Cage went on a road trip to Las Vegas in order to bond and get a handle on their characters. It was Dern's idea with her stating, "We agreed Sailor and Lula had to be one person, one character, and we would share it".

Originally after Johnnie is killed by Juanna and her henchman, there was a sex scene involving Juanna and Reggie. Test audiences found the scene to be too disturbing and 50% of the audience walked out.

Several actors from this film had also appeared in at least one film directed by Martin Scorsese: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Harry Dean Stanton and Willem Dafoe. In addition to that, Isabella Rossellini was married to Scorsese.

… OF THE DAY

A few sketches of some furniture that David Lynch personally made for the film Lost Highway. 

I am a big Lynch fan, I am always fascinated by his way of thinking and the way he creates things that no one else could even dream of thinking of.  His capacity for problem solving and his span of creativity leave me in awe. 

I watched a documentary today on YouTube which mostly focused around the filming of Lost Highway but also looked at Lynch’s paintings and photographic art as well as early short films that I had never seen before.  I recommend it to anyone not only interested in David Lynch but also in film-making or set design or art in general.  Here’s a link for you…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11nPUi5RWck

FILM 1128: THE PERVERT'S GUIDE TO CINEMA

The Pervert's Guide To Cinema takes the viewer on an exhilarating ride through some of the greatest movies ever made. Serving as presenter and guide is the charismatic Slavoj Zizek, acclaimed philosopher and psychoanalyst. With his engaging and passionate approach to thinking, Zizek delves into the hidden language of cinema, uncovering what movies can tell us about ourselves. Whether he is untangling the famously baffling films of David Lynch, or overturning everything you thought you knew about Hitchcock, Zizek illuminates the screen with his passion, intellect, and unfailing sense of humour. THE PERVERT'S GUIDE TO CINEMA cuts its cloth from the very world of the movies it discusses; by shooting at original locations and from replica sets it creates the uncanny illusion that Zizek is speaking from 'within' the films themselves. Together the three parts construct a compelling dialectic of ideas.