Filmmaker David Lynch once remarked that there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think about THE WIZARD OF OZ. It’s a seminal film for many, particularly for those who grew up when it was shown each spring on television in the 1960s. Now, Swiss filmmaker Alexandre O. Phillipe has made a documentary entitled LYNCH/OZ that explores Lynch’s clear reverence for the classic film as evidenced by all the similar themes and many references to it found in his cinematic output. Dreams, parallel worlds, youthful innocence vs adult danger – they’re all there in Dorothy’s adventure down the Yellow Brick Road as well as in Lynch’s films like MULHOLLAND DRIVE, WILD AT HEART, LOST HIGHWAY, and his groundbreaking television series TWIN PEAKS. Phillipe’s film showcases all of it, playing like an elaborate, filmed term paper in its way. It’s a movie fan’s dream too, a doc full of clips, interviews, side-by-side comparisons, and expert essays on the similarities between Lynch and his beloved Oz.
Phillipe breaks his film into six chapters, with different filmmakers discussing the various parallels between Lynch’s films and the 1939 Victor Fleming movie. Rodney Ascher (ROOM 227), Karyn Kusama (JENNIFER’S BODY), filmmaking creative partners Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead (THE ENDLESS), David Lowery (AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS), and the legendary John Waters (HAIRSPRAY) pontificate throughout, sometimes on camera, extolling the commonalities. The chapters cover subjects such as how the wind plays such a role or how Dorothy’s ruby slippers likely influenced Lynch to place red shoes on the character of Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn) in the ABC TV series in 1990. Dorothy was a babe in the woods, and despite Audrey’s flirtatious nature, so was she. LYNCH/OZ explains various theories and interpretations of such material in a film that often resembles an oral history. At other times, it may very well remind you of the rolling dissertation that was Ascher’s documentary 227. His doc about the themes in Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic THE SHINING (1980) has a similar feel to what Phillipe is attempting here.
Additionally, LYNCH/OZ serves as a wonderful examination of THE WIZARD OF OZ. We’ve all seen that seminal movie many times, so in some respects, the strongest part of this documentary lies in all the parts that focus squarely on Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion in the beloved adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel. One example concerns the wind that opens THE WIZARD OF OZ as a chorus of female voices impersonates the wind during the overture. Such a choice foreshadows the stylized fantasy to come as well as the humanity at play within this telling of the children’s classic. Inherent in all that as well, is a suggestion of the power of the female voice, no doubt. Despite the presence of the three male characters accompanying Dorothy to the land of Oz, the real power trio in the movie is female – The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), Glinda (Billie Burke), and of course, Dorothy (Judy Garland). Think that Kansas farm girl is hardly a force, and rather a naif as pure as the driven snow? Think again as her entrance into Oz presents her committing a homicide, while the climax of the story showcases her defeating Hamilton’s villain via manslaughter. Truly!
Original caricature by Jeff York of filmmaker David Lynch. (copyright 2017)
LYNCH/OZ assumes you know Lynch’s work thoroughly, so if you’re unfamiliar with Robert Blake’s spectral character hounding Bill Pullman’s lead in LOST HIGHWAY, or uncertain of all the side characters at play in MULHOLLAND DRIVE, you may be as confused as Rita (Laura Harring) was in the latter. But then again, if you aren’t a Lynch fan, this film may not be your cup of tea, or damn fine cup of coffee, anyway. Perhaps even more confounding are the many other film references that Phillipe throws in, literally dozens and dozens of other films influenced by Oz, sometimes explicitly discussed, other times just vaguely inferred. Why the filmmaker bothers talking about the influence of THE WIZARD OF OZ on a film like Robert Zemeckis’ BACK TO THE FUTURE may feel like an unnecessary distraction but for the movie afficionado, it’s both hilarious and heavenly.
As a Lynch enthusiast, I found most of the chapters to be not only enthralling, but indeed, spot on in their analysis of the themes examined. Particularly convincing is the symbolism of curtains in Lynch’s work from THE ELEPHANT MAN to BLUE VELVET and how such mysteries behind them kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Would Lynch reveal something good, bad, or merely more mysterious? Yes, yes, and yes, most of the time, whether it was the revelation of the deformed man/child John Merrick (John Hurt) in the historical bio to Isabella Rossellini’s tortured chanteuse in the erotic thriller.
Pulling back the curtain on all of Lynch’s motivations is not as easy to showcase as the filmmaker is notoriously tight-lipped about giving away his trade secrets or innermost thoughts beyond what’s on screen. Lynch famously has refused to do any DVD commentary for decades, explaining that all you need to know is right there in front of you in the images you’re watching. Still, Phillipe manages to get some rare footage of Lynch discussing some of his resume as well as grainy behind-the-scenes footage that gives us some additional context to what the filmmaker was thinking as he shot. LYNCH/OZ itself often plays like a Lynchian puzzle box on its own – a lot of it can feel inexplicable at times but it all but begs for further viewings to comprehend more and more.
Original caricature by Jeff York of Judy Garland, Ray Bolder, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr in THE WIZARD OF OZ. (copyright 2020)
If you’re looking for a more thorough dissertation of Lynch’s work and have every single parallel to THE WIZARD OF OZ spelled out in a way a 13-year-old who’s never seen a Lynch film could understand, this is not the documentary for you. Such spoon-feeding docs are the stuff of the History Channel or A & E, and that’s great, but such a straightforward presentation isn’t apropos for a filmmaker as teasingly sly and often disturbing as Lynch. This doc matches his style, making for an even cheekier examination of the man because it almost feels like Lynch himself might have created such a presentation.
LYNCH/OZ is a fascinating exploration of what Lynch is up to in his work, or may be up to. And despite the well-made arguments by all of Phillipe’s essayists on hand here, let alone the clips upon clips of photographic evidence, the documentary director still leaves plenty for us to determine. Because some of such mysteries are left unanswered, this doc feels close to some of the puzzles or fever dreams you’d find in a Lynch film. If nothing else, Phillipe’s clever and complex film should leave you wanting to watch his doc again, let alone run out and watch everything that Lynch has ever filmed.
And that makes for a damn fine documentary.
