725 Eraserhead

[swo17]

Eraserhead



A dream of dark and troubling things . . .

David Lynch’s 1977 debut feature, Eraserhead, is both a lasting cult sensation and a work of extraordinary craft and beauty. With its mesmerizing black-and-white photography by Frederick Elmes and Herbert Cardwell, evocative sound design, and unforgettably enigmatic performance by Jack Nance, this visionary nocturnal odyssey continues to haunt American cinema like no other film.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:

• New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director David Lynch, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• “Eraserhead” Stories, a 2001 documentary by Lynch on the making of the film
• New 2K digital restorations of six short films by Lynch: Six Men Getting Sick (1967), The Alphabet (1968), The Grandmother (1970), The Amputee, Version 1 and Version 2 (1974), and Premonitions Following an Evil Deed (1995), all with video introductions by Lynch
• New documentary featuring interviews with actors Charlotte Stewart and Judith Roberts, assistant to the director Catherine Coulson, and cinematographer Frederick Elmes
• Archival interviews with Lynch and members of the cast and crew
• Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an interview with Lynch from filmmaker and writer Chris Rodley’s 1997 book Lynch on Lynch

Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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[cafeman]

why bother? we've seen all of this already.

[giovannii84]

Considering the delay, I was expecting more than previously available extras.

Seems to be missing 2 shorts off the previous DVD release...

- The Cowboy & the Frenchman (with intro)
- Lumiere (with intro)

Does anyone know if Janus has these? Wondering if they'll be on a forthcoming Lynch release.

[AlexHansen]

Premonitions... is the Lumiere short.

[cinemartin]

Surprised the original mono mix isn't being offered.

[matrixschmatrix]

why bother? we've seen all of this already.

It lists new and archival interviews, so I imagine there will be... new interviews.

[criterion10]

I guess it will depend how long and extensive the newly recorded interviews are, but otherwise, this release is virtually identical to the Japanese Blu-Ray, which in return was basically a Blu-Ray upgrade of the old Absurda DVD. I wonder if Lynch had specific regulations regarding the inclusion of special features, or if Criterion simply didn't have much else to add or create content wise, but considering the hype for this film entering the collection, this release seems like a bit of a letdown. Nonetheless, I'll still be buying it.

[Bando]

If I'm reading this right, there's basically going to be no booklet to speak of here... Interesting.

[AMalickLensFlare]

If I'm reading this right, there's basically going to be no booklet to speak of here... Interesting.

If this ends up being the case, it's probably Lynch's doing. He seems particularly stubborn (a la Woody Allen) about how his films are presented on home video. My Mulholland Drive DVD doesn't even have chapters. Blue Velvet had some bonus features, though. I wouldn't think he'd care much about a couple essays, but maybe he doesn't want anything like that to influence the viewer's take on the film.

[mrmarbach]

One has to respect that position. It's his work, his "product" and he should be able to control how it is presented.

On the other hand, he should credit his viewers with some intelligence: no-one in their right mind would read the booklet before seeing a film for the first time. (Would they?)

[zedz]

considering the hype for this film entering the collection, this release seems like a bit of a letdown. Nonetheless, I'll still be buying it.

Huh? What hype? I don't think Criterion can be held accountable for idle speculation on the internet by people with no actual connection to the release,

There was a drawing clue, right? Is that hype now?

[Adam X]

There seems to be a lot of hand wringing over what's actually a pretty nice sounding release of the film. There's never been much available as extra content on home video before for Eraserhead, and I'm not sure I'd expect it now. Of course, it'd be interesting to see some critical or theoretical appraisal of the films included, but that's not David Lynch's preference which as has been said, is completely his choice. I'm guessing though, that there'll be actual booklet content added eventually, even if it's just an excerpt from Chris Rodley's Lynch on Lynch.

This release, as of now has everything that was previously included on the R1 DVD releases of Eraserhead & The Short Films of David Lynch (bar The Cowboy and the Frenchman, which personally is not something I'll miss being included.), with the feature coming from a new 4K restoration (rather than the source used for everything so far which have seemingly been based on a master over 10 years old now) along with an actual uncompressed soundtrack this time round, and the shorts are from new HD restorations.
On top of the lengthy discussions of all the films by Lynch on the disc, there's also as yet unnamed interviews with cast & crew. That sounds like a pretty decent release to me, and I imagine that Criterion has been doing their utmost to make sure this release came to be, given what happened last time.

[Roger Ryan]

• New high-definition restorations of six short films by Lynch:...The Amputee, Part 1 and Part 2 (1974)...

I'm not sure what kind of restoration they could have done with THE AMPUTEE as I believe it was shot on standard definition video.

Despite the complaints here, I think it's important just to have more Lynch released on Blu-ray in his home country. Prior to the three releases this year (ERASERHEAD, TWIN PEAKS, WILD AT HEART), only BLUE VELVET and DUNE have been available on Blu in the U.S. (and I barely consider the latter acceptable as a Lynch film!).

[Adam X]

I'm not sure what kind of restoration they could have done with THE AMPUTEE as I believe it was shot on standard definition video.

Yeah, the two versions were filming tests he was asked to make for two different types of analogue video tape.

[Buttery Jeb]

I had no expectations that a Criterion Eraserhead would differ much from the Lynch-produced releases of the film and his Short Film collection; to be honest, based on the comments from the last Wexner Center talk, I thought we were getting a separate release for the shorts, so this is a nice surprise.

The only glaring omission from this release which I thought we might get, outside of the deleted footage which no one seems to be able to locate, was the Jack Nance documentary "I Don't Know Jack." Lynch didn't have a hand in making it, other than a "Presented by" credit; but, given Nance's presence in his filmography, and his owning the titular role in this film, I thought it might be a likely inclusion. This could, of course, be part of the archival interviews mentioned in the extras; but, if it was, I'd think they'd single it out if it was in included in this release.

[AMalickLensFlare]

I should clarify, I'm happy and grateful we're getting the film itself in a new HD transfer. I've never been huge on bonus content anyway.

[djproject]

Obviously this is all water under the bridge as far as Lynch and Criterion is concerned. (And yes, I knew it wasn't an issue ever since all the contents have been on Hulu+ for quite a while.)

As far as the absence of "The Cowboy & the Frenchman", it may have been either a rights issue (since it was a part of a television series) or a space issue (though I don't think it would have an issue for the Blu-ray). Or it is ultimately a Lynch preference. Personally, I wasn't the biggest fan of that particular one and don't mind its absence.

[dicklaurent97]

considering the hype for this film entering the collection, this release seems like a bit of a letdown. Nonetheless, I'll still be buying it.

Huh? What hype? I don't think Criterion can be held accountable for idle speculation on the internet by people with no actual connection to the release,

There was a drawing clue, right? Is that hype now?

In 1999, The head of Criterion said the biggest mistake they've made was not releasing Eraserhead. That hype.

[Galen Young]

Wonder if one of the archival interviews might be this Tom Christie video with Lynch and Frederick Elmes made in 1979.

Still haven't found any better collection of behind the scenes photos than the September 1984 issue of Cinefantastique with its article by Kenneth Godwin on making of Eraserhead -- that in itself would make for a great booklet.

Regardless of whatever gets included for extras, I very am excited to see a new transfer!

[Ishmael]

hype (noun): promotional publicity of an extravagant or contrived kind

[flyonthewall2983]

How long is the "Eraserhead" Stories doc? Not sure why people are so ho-hum about the special features, that's considerably more than some recent releases.

[Soothsayer]

If it's the same interview piece that was on the initial dvd release, it's about an hour long. I find it fascinating and would personally prefer it to almost any context pieces from people who weren't part of the production. The meanings behind this film have been kept so close to the vest, that interpretations for Eraserhead tend to be more subjective than most other films.

[zedz]

considering the hype for this film entering the collection, this release seems like a bit of a letdown. Nonetheless, I'll still be buying it.

Huh? What hype? I don't think Criterion can be held accountable for idle speculation on the internet by people with no actual connection to the release,

There was a drawing clue, right? Is that hype now?

In 1999, The head of Criterion said the biggest mistake they've made was not releasing Eraserhead. That hype.

So you're seriously suggesting that Criterion was engaged in a complex marketing campaign 15 years in advance of a release? And not just casually commenting on a genuine missed opportunity that was pertinent at the time? I'm afraid my money's on Criterion's business strategies being somehow faintly connected to the real world.

[mfunk9786]

I think it's pretty absurd to dismiss a release like this until you see the new transfer and hear the lossless soundtrack. It's all about the film at the end of the day, right? ...Right? Anyway, Day 1 purchase for me.

[Adam X]

How long is the "Eraserhead" Stories doc? Not sure why people are so ho-hum about the special features, that's considerably more than some recent releases.

It's about 85 mins long. Almost the length of Eraserhead itself.