David Lynch: David Lynch’s 9 Feature Films

David Lynch is a filmmaker, visual artist, and entrepreneur known for his surrealist and experimental films. David was born in Missoula, Montana in 1946, but the family moved around often, following where his father was stationed as a research scientist for the United States Department of Agriculture. David expressed interest in art and painting from an early age.

David studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, which is where he made his first experimental short film, Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times). The budget of the work cost 200 dollars, after which David decided that being a filmmaker was too expensive. However, after being approached by a classmate and offered 1,000 dollars for another project, David was back in, and his penchant for filmmaking would only develop from there.

David is a three-time Academy Award nominee for Best Director for his films The Elephant Man (1981), Blue Velvet (1986), and Mulholland Drive (2001), as well as the winner of Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or Award for his film Wild at Heart (1990). Lynch is well-known for co-creating the TV series Twin Peaks (1990) with Mark Frost, which became a phenomenon in spite of its short, two-season run on ABC. Twenty-five years after the finale of Twin Peaks, Showtime revived the cult TV show as a limited series run with Twin Peaks: The Return (2017).

David Lynch has an impressive filmography that has earned him high recognition over the years. His feature-length films include:

1. 1. Eraserhead (1977): Eraserhead is an experimental body horror film following a man named Harry Spencer (played by Jack Nance) as he experiences surreal and bizarre images while moving through his everyday life. David wrote, directed, produced the film on a shoestring budget of 10,000 dollars.
2. 2. The Elephant Man (1981): David directed this historical drama, which he co-adapted from a book of the same name telling the story of the life of Joseph Merrick (played by John Hurt)—known as “The Elephant Man” because of his congenital deformities. The Elephant Man is considered one of Lynch’s more linear films. David earned Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on the film.
3. 3. Blue Velvet (1986): David wrote and directed this neo-noir thriller starring Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini and Kyle MacLachlan. The film follows Jeffrey Beaumont (played by Kyle MacLachlan) who discovers a severed human ear in a field, and soon finds himself embroiled in a dangerous mystery involving a violent drug dealer and a lounge singer. David’s work on the film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
4. 4. Wild at Heart (1990): David wrote and directed this road drama about Sailor (played by Nicolas Cage) and Lula (played by Laura Dern), two young lovers who run away from their North Carolina home while being pursued by hitmen hired by Lula’s mother. The film won the Palme d’Or at that year’s Cannes Film Festival.
   
5. 5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992): This psychological horror film—directed and written by David—is both a prequel and sequel to the hit mystery series Twin Peaks, which followed the murder investigation of Twin Peaks’ slain Homecoming Queen Laura Palmer. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me documents Laura’s sordid last week alive, as well as her murder. Both the TV series and film amassed a major cult following.
6. 6. Lost Highway (1997): Lost Highway—both written and directed by David—is the first feature of Lynch’s “Los Angeles Trilogy” films. The film stars Bill Pullman as a musician accused of murdering his girlfriend, played by Patricia Arquette. Despite its mixed reviews regarding the nonlinear plot, many praised the film for its design, use of sound, and expressionism.
7. 7. The Straight Story (1999): This biopic is based on the true story of Alvin Straight’s across Iowa and Wyoming on a lawnmower to make amends with his ill brother. David directed the film, and it is known as one of his more linear movies.
8. 8. Mulholland Drive (2001): This surrealist neo-noir mystery follows Hollywood actress Betty Elms (played by Naomi Watts) on a strange journey after she discovers an injured woman in her apartment who can’t remember who she is. David wrote and directed this second film in his “Los Angeles Trilogy” series, which earned him a Best Director Award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. It is regarded as one of David’s best and most popular cinematic works.
9. 9. Inland Empire (2006): This experimental film was the last of David’s “Los Angeles Trilogy,” written, directed, co-produced, edited, and scored by David, who was also responsible for the cinematography. Frequent Lynchian collaborators Laura Dern and Justin Theroux star in the film as two actors who discover a disturbing tale behind the movie they’re remaking. Lynch won the Experimental Film Award from the National Society of Film Critics Awards for this feature, with another nomination for Laura Dern for Best Actress.

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