In the dark of the Joynes basement, students are lost in Isabella Rosellini’s haunting performance as Dorothy Vallens in the film “Blue Velvet.” As she sings her iconic rendition of the film’s namesake, the lyrics remind us that in hearts there’ll always be, precious and warm, the memory of director and writer David Lynch.
After his passing last month, Longhorn film lovers continue to mourn the loss of visionary Lynch. Throughout February, the Plan II Film Club will host weekly Sunday night screenings of his most beloved films, inviting students to dive into Lynch’s unique world.
“When a great many people mourn someone like Lynch, it should tell you (as) an outsider looking in that this guy meant a lot to a great deal of people,” said Ben Catterton, the film
club’s president.
Catterton, a Plan II English freshman, said they discovered the defunct club online and decided to revive it last semester. After hearing that Lynch passed away, Catterton said they knew the month of February must be dedicated to his works.
“David Lynch means a lot to me,” Catterton said. “When my friends and I started watching Lynch movies together, it was such a pensive, emotional experience.”
For some, Lynch’s death has introduced them to his filmography. Club member and Plan II freshman Morgan Bart said he was not too familiar with Lynch’s work until the club’s
showings began.
“I think his work is very revered and interesting, but his death really reignited a passion for a lot of people,” Bart said.
This Sunday, Lynch lovers united in the basement to watch his 1986 film, “Blue Velvet.” English professor Betsy Berry said after seeing “Blue Velvet” for the first time, she was both unsettled and fascinated by the film’s unflinching look at human relationships and nature.
“I remember coming out of the theater … and looking out at the green grass,” Berry said. “It was at night, the grass looked blue, and I could almost see, because this had been Lynch’s vision, I could almost see that grass growing and weeds growing.”
Berry said Lynch’s power as a filmmaker lies in his ability to show horror and evil without creating a conventional horror film. Instead, she said Lynch provides a new way of looking at things. Berry explores this in her seminal work “Forever, in My Dreams: Generic Conventions and the Subversive Imagination in Blue Velvet.”
“After I wrote that article, I got a call from an assistant to Lynch, asking me if I would hold for Mr. Lynch,” Berry said. “He told me that he really appreciated the article and thought I nailed it. He said what every writer of an article would like to hear, ‘You saw things in that movie that I hadn’t even thought about.’… It was a big thrill.”
Berry said she was surprised to see the student response to Lynch’s passing but was delighted that the younger generations continue to be drawn into Lynch’s vision of the fantastic.
“I think that is the biggest compliment that he could possibly get,” Berry said. “Films are made to last, not just on celluloid, but in the imagination.”
