Wild at Art: A David Lynch retrospective at the Music Box

When the news broke that David Lynch, considered by many to be one of the greatest American filmmakers, died on Jan. 16, the film-loving world felt a hole the size of an atomic blast.

Lynch, heavily influenced by Americana culture, simultaneously incorporated criticism and nostalgia for American history throughout his films. After his death, cinemas began to rescreen his films in memoriam, including Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. 

The catalyst for the series originated from Chicago-based musician Daniel Knox, who’d been inspired by Lynch in his own art. Knox partnered with production company Mubi to produce “David Lynch: Moving Through Time,” spanning ten days April 11–20. 

The film series inspired a complete redecoration of the theatre, from walkways to restrooms. The redecoration included copious references Lynch’s works like “Twin Peaks,” as the lounge converted to the Black Lodge from the show. 

Music Box screened Lynch’s film “Wild At Heart” April 12, which won the Palme d’Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. The screening was followed by an interview with Duwayne Dunham, a frequent editor of Lynch’s films.

In “Wild At Heart,” Sailor Ripley (Nicholas Cage) and Lula Fortune (Laura Dern) are roadtripping, law-evading lovers who travel across the country. Their romance is against the wishes of Lula’s mother (Diane Ladd), who sends hitmen after them to prevent the couple from being together. 

The film boasts abundant allusions to “The Wizard of Oz,” one of Lynch’s favorite films, including mentions of the good and wicked witches, the yellow brick road and Toto the dog —  furthering the dreamy journey the characters embark on.

The movie’s hectic tone almost completely mirrors the creation of the picture itself, Durham said. In 1989, Lynch had been in the midst of his network deal with ABC for “Twin Peaks” but was still passionate about “Wild At Heart,” which was thematically incongruous from the popular murder mystery television series. 

Because of the inability to commit to both projects at once, Lynch had just a few months to finish the film before debuting it at the Cannes Film Festival in France the next year. 

Dunham described the editing process for the film as unlike anything he had done before — needing to cut a four-and-a-half hour film down to just two hours and completely reimagining the plot. Shuffling the material is on point for Lynch’s whimsical and spontaneous style, but with a tight deadline in mind, it was difficult to stay coherent, Dunham said. 

Dunham worked with Lynch before packing the actual film reels in their luggage on a flight to Cannes in May of 1990 for the film festival. He said they hadn’t seen the full film in its entirety, effectively debuting the film as purely as possible at Cannes. 

Despite its tumultuous production, the film was extremely well-received. Following the yellow brick road led them to Oz in all its glory, furthering Lynch’s status as a legend in the field.

During the second weekend of the festival, the Music Box is continuing to screen Lynch’s hits. Another of Lynch’s favorite movies, Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard,” is being shown April 18 at 3 p.m., followed by Lynch’s own “Blue Velvet,” also starring Laura Dern. 

April 19 will continue the tribute, with the “Twin Peaks” prequel movie “Fire Walk With Me” set for a screening. “Inland Empire” will screen Easter Sunday — a fitting choice considering its usage of rabbits. 

Visit the Music Box on any of these days to pick up Lynch memorabilia like books, posters and the linchpin of it all — Lynch’s smiling face on a pin.