Welcome to the inaugural column of Sunday Best, where I will continue on the tradition of the Quick Reviews but with an added bonus…the bonus features. For those of you out there that are physical media buyers/collectors like myself, what often makes the difference between dropping $30 and putting it back on the shelf/cart, is the variety and quality of bonus features on a disc. Long gone are the days when “special features” meant only chapter breaks, a trailer, and some additional promotional fluff. Today we want audio commentaries, behind the scenes features, short films, and booklets in order to justify our purchases. Perhaps the best at putting out consistently quality dvds and blu rays is the boutique label, The Criterion Collection. Since their founding in 1985, the Criterion Collection has led the way in premier video releases, releasing over 1000 special editions.
I don’t have quite that many, but in the coming weeks I will spotlight releases that I own and treasure.
To start it all off, I offer up a release from one of my favorite directors, who is quite well represented in the collection, David Lynch. So grab yourself a damn fine cup of coffee, perhaps a slice of delicious cherry pie, and dig in.
*Be warned, if you plan on watching Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, make sure you’ve seen both seasons of the show that originally aired on ABC from 1990-91. This film may serve as a prequel, but I feel the show is necessary viewing in order to fully appreciate the movie. It’s currently available to stream on Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+
The Film
After two years spent mourning the death of Laura Palmer, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me finally tells the story of the beautiful, murdered girl we first met wrapped in plastic. Only appearing in the show in photos and flashback, we barely got to know the girl whose death tore a small northwestern town apart, depending mostly on the recollections and memories of those who thought they knew her well. Finally given a chance to give Laura Palmer life, Sheryl Lee inhabits the character fully, fiercely, and bravely. She’s fantastic, and her portrayal of a survivor of numerous types of abuse is both heartbreaking and terrifying, as she’s unafraid to not only show us the prom queen that everyone loved, but the dark soul that existed underneath in order to deal with her trauma. Laura Palmer is finally a fully three dimensional character and one that’s easy to give your heart to. As we witness her downward spiral into drugs and sex we hope against hope that she can pull herself free from the clutches of all those who wish to possess her, but sadly we know she won’t. As viewers, we can finally feel the sorrow of her death and understand why everyone took her death so hard in the pilot episode.
While Fire Walk with Me spends a great deal of it’s time in Twin Peaks, we are also introduced to the neighboring town of Deer Meadow, the mirror image of friendly Twin Peaks, where another girl has met the same grisly fate as Laura. Special Agent Chester Desmond, played by crooner, Chris Isaak, is investigating the death of Theresa Banks, a name that will sound familiar to long time viewers. Abetted by Kiefer Sutherland’s agent Sam Stanley, they realize this town couldn’t have cared less about the young lady, and care for her death not at all. He’s much like beloved Agent Dale Cooper in that he’s got his own way of investigating.
Together these stories serve the purpose of filling out the story behind Laura Palmer, and until the relaunch in 2017, gave us our last taste of the oddball town. Sadly the film was not met well, either critically or financially, and the planned follow ups never materialized. But I feel the film is an integral part of the story and isn’t to be missed.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The Features
Quality: The film both looks and sounds amazing thanks to a recent 4k remaster as well as 7.1 sound. Fans of Lynch know that his films are always gorgeous to look at, with colors that pop and details that need to be seen. Aural ambiance is also vital, and the new sound mix completely pulls you into the film.
50 Page Booklet: Booklets are always a positive addition in my eyes, and this inclusion is no different. The booklet mostly consists of excerpts from Chris Ridley’s book Lynch on Lynch centered around the universe of Twin Peaks. The book already sits on my shelf but it’s nice to have the pertinent information included with this release. Since Lynch doesn’t do film commentaries, it’s the closest we’ll get to a commentary track.
The Missing Pieces: Some films give you deleted scenes, most of which had every reason to be but from the film. But for this release, Lynch has included 90 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, many of which feature the original series actors in scenes that were cut. In another interview, Lynch states the film could’ve been 3.5+ hours, but he realizes it’s nearly impossible to get audiences to stay in a theater that long. (That wouldn’t stop him from eventually releasing his last film, Inland Empire, in it’s four hour glory.)
Interviews: This set has included three interviews in its special features, each lasting between 20-30 minutes. There are one on one interviews with both actress Sheryl Lee and composer Angelo Badalamenti, but the real treat is a sit down roundtable with writer/director David Lynch and actors Ray Wise, Grace Zabriskie, and Sheryl Lee as they discuss the film, drink coffee, and eat cherry pie.
Special Features Rating 4 out of 5
I cannot recommend this film enough to fans of Twin Peaks and filmmaker David Lynch. It might be a tough sell to those unfamiliar with his work, so to those new to him I’d recommend the other films in the collections, particularly Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive.
