On its surface the story of Eraserhead is reasonably simple. It takes us into the world of Henry who is on vacation from his job in printing (never going into any further details) and becomes aware that his girlfriend Mary has had a child despite such a short span of time. They marry (off screen) and she moves into his apartment with the "baby". It a horribly deformed creature that evokes both disgust and pity, resembling ET if it's limbs had been removed. The effect is quite stunning and has been a secret kept by Lynch and his crew these many decades. He has only stated that it was "born nearby". Married life does not suit Henry, nor being the father of a deformed child and begins to have adverse effects on both himself and his wife. Unable to tolerate the incessant crying Mary lives so that she can get a good night's sleep, leaving Henry and the baby. When it becomes ill Henry tends to it like a dutiful father. He had fantasies about a seductive woman who lives across the hall from him, even taking her into his apartment when has locked herself out of her own apartment. The baby watches as the two sink slowly into a milky pit in the middle of the bed. Henry is now trapped in the apartment. If he makes any attempt to leave the baby begins to howl. Soon he can no longer stand it and cuts open the bandages wrapped around its body and it unravels before his eyes. Henry is reunited with the woman who lives on a small stage behind the radiator. The screen goes white.
It is open to interpretation what any of this means. David Lynch has never offered any interpretation of his own and preferred that each viewer draw his/her own . He has been very coy and evasive whenever asked about the film and has only offered anecdotes about the filming but never reveals anything. I'm glad that he has never given his interpretation, saying only that it was "his most religious film" and that one bible passage he happened across tied the film together. Naturally he refuses to say what passage this was.
I had read about Eraserhead in various books about cult films but in an era before affordable home recording devices and streaming services it was difficult to find a way to actually watch it. Finally in the late 80's I was able to watch a VHS copy of the film. It was dark and a lot of details are difficult to see. It wouldn't be until decades later when Lynch released the film.on his own website that it became a very different experience. One can see the attention to detail Lynch put into creating this world. It took his four years to complete, having to periodically stop when money ran out. The crew were dedicated to seeing the project finished,especially actor Jack Nance sho sported that bizarre hairstyle for the duration.
It is a truly remarkable film. My banner of it being "the most original American film ever made" may be a bit hyperbolic but I have never seen anything like it. I have seen films by Surrealists like Luis Bunuel but in America Lynch is ( at the time) a true original. I eagerly anticipated each new film but in recent decades have found his works disappointing. I doubt that a modern audience will have the same reaction. It is a culture steeped in gore and extreme horror and Eraserhead might come across as quaint and perhaps even boring. Every so often I want to revisit this world of nightmares. Unfortunately it is the principle of diminishing returns that makes each viewing less special.
Lynch tells an anecdote about about how Stanley Kubrick gathered a bunch of people over to his house to watch his favourite film: Eraserhead.
It is open to interpretation what any of this means. David Lynch has never offered any interpretation of his own and preferred that each viewer draw his/her own . He has been very coy and evasive whenever asked about the film and has only offered anecdotes about the filming but never reveals anything. I'm glad that he has never given his interpretation, saying only that it was "his most religious film" and that one bible passage he happened across tied the film together. Naturally he refuses to say what passage this was.
I had read about Eraserhead in various books about cult films but in an era before affordable home recording devices and streaming services it was difficult to find a way to actually watch it. Finally in the late 80's I was able to watch a VHS copy of the film. It was dark and a lot of details are difficult to see. It wouldn't be until decades later when Lynch released the film.on his own website that it became a very different experience. One can see the attention to detail Lynch put into creating this world. It took his four years to complete, having to periodically stop when money ran out. The crew were dedicated to seeing the project finished,especially actor Jack Nance sho sported that bizarre hairstyle for the duration.
It is a truly remarkable film. My banner of it being "the most original American film ever made" may be a bit hyperbolic but I have never seen anything like it. I have seen films by Surrealists like Luis Bunuel but in America Lynch is ( at the time) a true original. I eagerly anticipated each new film but in recent decades have found his works disappointing. I doubt that a modern audience will have the same reaction. It is a culture steeped in gore and extreme horror and Eraserhead might come across as quaint and perhaps even boring. Every so often I want to revisit this world of nightmares. Unfortunately it is the principle of diminishing returns that makes each viewing less special.
Lynch tells an anecdote about about how Stanley Kubrick gathered a bunch of people over to his house to watch his favourite film: Eraserhead.