Mild at Heart: Two David Lynch Movies Show Director’s Talent for Relaying Human Emotions
Few filmmakers had a knack for the surreal than did David Lynch.
Eraserhead, Lynch’s directorial debut, gained a cult following after its release in 1977. Although I saw the movie more than three decades ago, I’ve never joined this gang of groupies. My friend who persuaded me to watch it with him loved it (he had previously seen it), but the film left me totally perplexed — to this day!
But I became a devoted viewer of Lynch’s television show Twin Peaks, which premiered in 1990. The program presented enough mind-bending oddities to satisfy Lynch’s fans who craved the bizarre. However, it also emphasized people’s eccentricities; this gave it a humorous appeal.
Lynch died Jan. 15 at the age of 78. Many of his friends and colleagues paid tribute to a creative director who was a visionary with the ability to execute.
He is most known for movies such as Dune, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Mulholland Dr. But it was two others he made that stood out to me as displaying his mastery at storytelling.
Lynch’s second film, 1980’s The Elephant Man, is a testament to the human spirit. It chronicles the final years of John Merrick (portrayed by John Hurt), who developed severe deformities at an early age.
Merrick is forced to join a “freak show” to earn a living, where he is billed as The Elephant Man due to his appearance. Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), a surgeon at London Hospital, persuades Merrick’s employer to let the physician examine him. He presents Merrick to other doctors in discussing his abnormalities.
Merrick’s employer injures him during a beating once he returns, and Treves brings him back to London Hospital to stay for good. There he develops a friendship with the surgeon and is introduced to other members of British society.
While he’s limited in what he can do with his life, at least now Merrick has a caring home with people who accept him for who he is. At London Hospital, he’s able to use his imagination to construct a card model of a church he can partially see from his window.
The Elephant Man explores the cruelty of life. This includes the harshness of nature in inflicting a gentle soul with such a horrendous condition. The consequences of Merrick’s appearance lead to the cruelty of other people, who’s only interest in him is as an entertaining sideshow with other “freaks.”
However, this cruelty is defeated by compassion. Merrick bonds with hospital staff and other Londoners who can look beyond the deformities to see the human being.
Nearly two decades after he made The Elephant Man, Lynch offered another gem. The Straight Story, released in 1999, documents how an elderly man made good on his commitment to reconcile with a member of his family.
Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) of Iowa can no longer drive a car due to his poor eyesight. But after hearing that his brother, Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton), had suffered a stroke, he decides to visit him in Wisconsin.
Alvin and Lyle previously had a falling out, and they’ve been estranged for some time. But Alvin wants to make amends before either he or his brother dies. He just has to find a way to travel the 240 miles separating these siblings.
He hitches a trailer to his John Deere riding mower to make the journey. Moving at a top speed of 5 mph along the shoulder of highways connecting the two states, Alvin will be on the road for quite a while. He pulls off to the side to set up a camp each evening.
One of the more poignant scenes in the movie shows Alvin sitting by a campfire at night offering advice to a young woman named Crystal (Anastasia Webb). She has run away from her home because she discovered that she’s pregnant. Her parents would be angry if they found out and wouldn’t understand, Crystal tells him.
Alvin comes up with a wonderful way to encourage Crystal to make the best decision. He tells her that individual twigs are easy to break with minimal pressure.
However, sticks grouped together are able to withstand concerted effort to break them. They rely on each other’s strength to resist great force.
When Alvin wakes up the next morning, he sees that Crystal is gone. But she leaves behind a bundle of sticks tied together to convey what she’s decided: She’s going back home so she won’t face this challenge by herself. Alvin has a look of contentment on his face when he realizes he made a difference in her life.
The beauty of The Straight Story is that it contains quiet moments that don’t require any words. We know what the characters are thinking and feeling in the way these scenes are presented.
The Elephant Man and The Straight Story (both based on real individuals) show people at their best and focus on what’s really important: Connecting with others who love you and overcoming obstacles to maintaining these bonds. This is how we make it through the rough times and nourish relationships that create lasting memories.
Lynch may have made his name in Hollywood flirting with life’s oddities. But The Elephant Man and The Straight Story demonstrated that he knew how to tug at our heartstrings as well. He used cinema for its most noble purpose, and this for me will remain his lasting legacy.