Name: No Frank in Lumberton
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1988-01-19
Duration: 1 h
Rating: 6.8
Cast: Laura Dern, Brad Dourif, Dennis Hopper

The Making of "Blue Velvet" is not your typical behind the scenes special

Forget everything about you might have seen of behind the scenes specials, the makings of a movie. This one made by a German television network is an insanely unique experience breaks down with all possible patterns to create something equally bizarre and extraordinary. It follows David Lynch, cast and crew of "Blue Velvet", already a unique on its own so obviosuly that you won't see the usual Hollywood kind of special since it's an indie project and Lynch is anything but ordinary, and a special like this suits him and his film with perfection.

Interviews are kept to a ridiculosly mininum and only Lynch, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper and sound editor Alan Splet are given moments to share some opinions here and there, small reflections about characters and the film's ideas. The overwhelming mixture of elements revolves on the shooting of scenes, filmed through the distance and presented with countless noisy sounds, noisy music tracks composed for the documentary and others from "Blue Velvet", overlapped dialogues, countless random images from the film and the set (David's face while drinking what could possibly be the worst coffee he ever tasted), the location in Wilmington, and the editing room.

It doesn't follow a particular order and it's not designed to explain anything about the film. It leaves you in curious in seeing how Lynch works with his cast and crew - it goes from rants to more joyful moments. Not an easy challenge on viewers, you either love it or hate it (almost turned it off after a few minutes, but insisted it and end up enjoying a lot). This is like a behind the scenes made on drugs, instead of the typical happy/smiley/phony folks complimenting each other's work all the time, or the revealing of tricks before editing.

Special moments as when Lynch reveals the real pleasure of making that dream of a film come true, as it is one of the first times where he actually created a unique universe of his own on film and his career only flourished with crazed/bizarre ventures that his fans grew to love ("Twin Peaks", "Wild at Heart", "Lost Highway" and "Mulholland Dr.") and embracing the mystery and quirkness of it all. I think this documentary closely follows the director's own ideas if he were to direct something like this. It wouldn't be something to please all audiences, but just a couple of people would be nice as they would get something different out of it. At least I did, and I liked it a lot. 9/10.

German cinema is famous for its historical depth, expressionist aesthetics, and social-political engagement. It has moved from Expressionism to political reckoning, from New German Cinema's raw realism to contemporary genre experiments. Its legacy lies in both technical innovation and deep explorations of history, morality, and philosophy.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

A very surreal video shot behind the scenes during the production of David Lynch's Blue Velvet in Wilmington North Carolina in 1985 by Peter Braatz.

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No Frank in Lumberton

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