What’s this all about?
Oh, man. Here we go. There’s a lady who looks like “Pinky” from the Beauty School Dropout number in Grease, who can fly, and sings a bunch of songs. A little person tries to saw through a telephone pole. A topless lady dry humps an old Dodge, and a skinned deer dances around on stilts. In other words, I have no idea what this is all about.
Industrial Symphony No. 1 is a recording of a stage show directed, and largely written by David Lynch. It is extremely surreal, and as far as I can tell, conveys no traditional story.
Who is Nick in this one?
Nick appears in a single scene, as one participant in a phone call, in which he breaks up with his girlfriend, played by Laura Dern. This seems like a reprise of their respective roles in Wild at Heart as they both have heavy accents, but I’m not sure of that, as their unbreakable connection is the characters’ defining feature in that film.
Who else is in this one?
Laura Dern plays Nick’s erstwhile girlfriend.
Julee Cruise is arguably the star of this production. I was unfamiliar with her before watching this. She was quite an interesting lady.
Did you see that?
The amount of “wire work” in this production is incredible. Julee Cruise spends much of the 50 minute show singing while suspended high above the stage. Other actors frequently float, fall in slow motion, or fly throughout the show. It’s very well executed, and it’s a lot. This had to be an exhausting performance. -Michael
I am truly amazed at how many people were involved in this production. There was a company of dancers running around, and such a huge behind the scene crew. And it was this crazy weird, kind of boring, performance that only happened twice live. I do not get it. -Sarah
What were Nick’s best parts?
This one’s kind of hard because Nick’s only in one scene, so it’s his best by default. Nick emotes well during the scene. He conveys the emotions of a breakup without screaming or yelling, or even over-acting, really. -Michael
He did a good job. In fact, the little person (Twin A) repeated the performance during the “concert” and didn’t do nearly as good of a job. -Sarah
What were Nick’s worst parts?
In the same acne mentioned above, Nick affects a weird Southern accent. It’s very similar to the one that he used in Wild at Heart. I have to assume that the accent wasn’t Nick’s choice, but it isn’t great. -Michael
No comment. -Sarah
How was the movie?
To be fair, this isn’t a movie, but rather a stage performance that’s been filmed, then edited. I’ve seen critics call it “Twin Peaks; The Musical.” This is not at all accurate. The work is a fever dream of bizarre sound and imagery. There are no characters, there is no plot, and the setting is nonsensical. I’m sure that there’s a great deal of symbolism that is lost on me.
I really like David Lynch’s style and surrealism, but I much prefer it when it is used to tell a story. This is the film equivalent of an abstract painting. You might like the colors or the design, and it might make you feel something, but it isn’t a picture of anything. This film isn’t about anything. -Michael
Oh, it’s absolutely awful! -Sarah
Yeah, but did you like it? (Michael/Sarah)
I’m glad that I sat through it, but it isn’t entertaining; at least not to me. I won’t watch it again. -Michael
Not at all. -Sarah
Where can I watch it?
It’s on YouTube.
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