Product Description

From an early age, David Lynch was inspired by the arts and the warm inner glow that comes with the pursuit of creative expression. "Pretty as a Picture:The Art of David Lynch" examines how this modern day Renaissance man makes a motion picture, and examines, through his artistic explorations, the very nature of creativity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72729 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-03-23
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Amazon.com
Director Toby Keeler investigates all of David Lynch's artistic endeavors (which include photography, painting, music, and furniture building as well as filmmaking) in this fascinating documentary shot during the making of Lost Highway. Along with film clips and interviews with Lynch, composer Angelo Badalamenti, and producer Deepak Nayar are numerous behind-the-scenes glimpses at Lost Highway and Lynch at work in other media. The highlight is the Eraserhead reunion, where Jack Nance, Catherine Coulson (the "Log Lady" from Twin Peaks and Nance's first wife), and Lynch visit the site where Lynch's first successful feature was shot in the mid-1970s over a two-year period. Maybe not as revealing as one could hope, but an always intriguing portrait of an uncompromising artist driven to create in a wide range of media. --Sean Axmaker.

From the Actor
PRETTY AS A PICTURE: THE ART OF DAVID LYNCH reveals an artist deeply in love with the creative process, from writing and directing, to composing, painting, furniture-building, sculpting, photography, and always something new. "Ideas are the best things going", David likes to say. This 80 minute documentary explores his passionate pursuit of ideas and their creative fulfillment.

Customer Reviews

Full of secrets
Comprised mostly of footage and interviews shot during the making of "Lost Highway," this excellent documentary provides a fascinating peek inside the world of the master filmmaker and his entourage of collaborators. Besides some amusing anecdotes from David himself, there's chats with his ex-wife Peggy, his children (including budding director Jennifer Lynch), his friend Jack Fisk, editor Mary Sweeney, producer Mel Brooks, writer Barry Gifford, actor Dean Stockwell, and "Eraserhead"/"Twin Peaks" almuni Jack Nance and Catherine Coulson. We also hear from the cast members of "Lost Highway," as well as learn the stories behind some of Lynch's characters (Bob, The Log Lady, Frank Booth, Mr. Eddy). Some of the more illuminating moments come when the focus shifts to his non-film projects, including some great footage of him working with composer Angelo Badalamenti and singer/violinist Jocelyn Montgomery (billed as Jocelyn West) on the unreleased track "And Still." His bizarre multimedia paintings are discussed, and there's a visit to a gallery show of his photography. He also created all of the furniture used in "Lost Highway." and we see a showcase of the odd tables and shelves he's made. This DVD edition outshines the shorter VHS version, with additional footage (and some Twin Peaks coverage) plus nice menu screens featuring clips from "Eraserhead,""Lost Highway," and his two early short films "The Grandmother" and "The Alphabet." All in all, any fan of the man's movies will want to check this one out. It's an interesting and inspiring portrait of a real American iconoclast.

Ideas are the best thing going
Ideas are the best thing going. That's what David Lynch says in the interview on this DVD.

This is a great overview of David Lynch.. It provides some good insight into his history interspersed with interviews with his ex-wife, his children, Mary Sweeney, Barry Giford and many others.

As a Lynch fanatic, I find this documentary exemplary. The best part by far is the interview with Lynch himself, who does not give interviews very often. You get a real sense of what a cool dude he is. Aside from the fact that his art stands on it's own, it is interesting to watch this documentary and learn that David Lynch is just an ordinary guy doing extraordinary things. To me, that in and of itself is inspiring.

Not Bad, But...
Pretty As A Picture is an 80 minute documentary focusing on America's most original director, David Lynch. And while it was somewhat interesting in spots(the clips of his early short films were pretty neat), as a Lynchaholic, I was hoping for something a little more in depth. While it spends a lot of time talking about Lost Highway, Lynch's other films(The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, TV's Twin Peaks) are only brushed over slightly. Wild At Heart, winner of the Palm D'Or for whoever cares, was barely mentioned if at all. For my money, I'd go with the 80 minute documentary on the Blue Velvet Special Edition DVD. Yes, it focuses mostly on Blue Velvet, but it is far more informative and interesting than Pretty As A Picture. I just think that a brilliant filmmaker like Lynch deserves a much better documentary. That's my two cents.