Subject: Re: RS: Wide Awake In America
From: jsnyder@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (J Snyder)
Date: 1991-05-11, 18:16
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

In article <BARB.91May7085651@chamarti.ai.mit.edu> barb@zurich.ai.mit.edu writes:
> >
> >In article <10640002@hpsciz.sc.hp.com> miller@hpsciz.sc.hp.com (Phil Miller) writes:
> >
>> >>     BASIC THEORY: I believe David Lynch is using Twin Peaks to 
>> >>  represent a microcosm of modern day America -- an American that
>> >>  is much differnt than the America of the past (especially the 
>> >>  innocent 1950's).
> >
> >I think my basic difficulty with this is that selfishness, greed, and
> >superficiality have been around forever, and the dreamy, mythic,
> >timeless quality of the imagery of Twin Peaks seems to be telling a
> >more ageless story of the struggle of life to go on when threatened by
> >powerful forces. The evil presence seems to be beyond any particular
> >social phenomenon of recent times.  In fact, by setting the story in
> >this remote place where the classic American vision would think that
> >all should be peace and harmony, the creators seem almost to be
> >saying that a belief that things were so much better in the golden
> >age is in fact an illusion; that even in a seemingly innocent, safe
> >place like Twin Peaks, _which hasn't changed all that much since the
> >50's_, there is evil.  There are people coming from outside, who carry
> >evil within them (Eckhardt, Windom Earle), but the Black Lodge itself
> >is located right there in the woods outside of Twin Peaks, and has
> >been there since long before there was a United States of America (I
> >refer to Hawk's descriptions of the Native American legends of the
> >White and Black Lodges).  The White Lodge is there as well, but to
> >find it you have to find the Black Lodge, and to be able to
> >distinguish between the two.

[deletions galore]

> >Laura did an awful lot in her brief life, and it's interesting that it
> >was not her involvement with what could be seen as the "modern" evils
> >of life (drugs, promiscuity) that killed her.  It was an evil which
> >was much closer to her, and TOOK FORM IN THE ONE PERSON WHO, IN A
> >TRADITIONAL VIEW OF IDYLLIC AMERICAN LIFE, SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SOURCE
> >OF SAFETY TO HER.  It's likely that the drugs, etc. were an attempt to
> >escape from the evil that was right there in her own home.

Actually, after reading through this, my first impression is, "Hey!
This sounds a lot like the end of _The Wizzard of OZ_!  Gee!  And here
it was, all this evil, right in my own back yard!"

So, is this another example of Lynch (et al) to bring this to a
slightly rediculous conclusion -- something which I am beginning to
expect from him.  Consider:

Blue Velvet - That oh-so-bitingly tacky 50's feeling that
everything is just fine.  (Hey!  You've been wearing the shoes
the WHOLE MOVIE and you're only now reading the manual!  What
do you mean you didn't get one?)

Wild at Heart - Laura comes back to life, reincarnated as a
Good Witch (tm), saying "Stop being a fool so we can have a
nice romantic ending."

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Lynch seems to have an affinity
for the anti-OZ ending (yes, I just made it up).  Why should we expect
anything different now?  He's become so damn popular (well, kinda)
that we all believe we could pick out his "style" - but hey, we're
probably right, after all I was shown 15 seconds of _September_ before
I figured out it was directed by Woody Allen. (Like that's a
credential or something...)

Surrender, Dorothy! (_After Hours_, anyone?)

I remain,

-- --------------------------------------------------------------------- jsnyder@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu | If we took the bones out, it wouldn't ---------------------------| be crunchy, would it? - MPFC