tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6666885.post4392753590348793582..comments2023-12-04T17:59:09.201+00:00Comments on In League With Paton: Who Dunnit?Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568125123286691070noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6666885.post-42790419122805378962007-03-21T13:07:00.000+00:002007-03-21T13:07:00.000+00:00Thanks for the comment Richard - there's lots to t...Thanks for the comment Richard - there's lots to think about in there, particularly as you've clearly had the benefit of seeing the film more than once. Mulholland Drive revealed so much more on repeated viewings (although I loved it first time round), and I'm quite prepared for a more enlightening viewing of Inland Empire when it emerges on DVD.<BR/><BR/>I particularly like your interpretation of the film's confusion. I also found it moving, but wasn't able to pin down quite why. You've summed it up eloquently, and in a way that completely refutes the misogyny charge that still seems to trouble Lynch's harshest critics!Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02568125123286691070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6666885.post-58079318053280390522007-03-21T11:08:00.000+00:002007-03-21T11:08:00.000+00:00Hi Daniel, long-time reader, first-time poster her...Hi Daniel, long-time reader, first-time poster here. I thought your piece was one of the best I've read on Inland Empire - intelligent and considered. I'm much more convinced of the merits of the film though, and there's one issue I'd raise with your analysis: stunning as the visuals and (especially) the sound are, I'm wary of simply labelling the film as something to be "experienced rather than understood". Inland Empire may be a thrilling demonstration of pure cinema, but on second viewing I don't think it's anywhere near as incomprehensible as some critics suggest. Lynch's films are always greeted by waves of confusion, yet years later Lost Highway and Mulholland Dr don't seem so inexplicable - it takes time for their meanings and ideas to seep through. I'm by no means suggesting there's a (blue) key that unlocks Inland Empire, but the film's multiple strands echo and overlap at enough points to produce a logical narrative of their own. Lynch's seemingly banal explanation - "it's about a woman in trouble" - is also more acute than it first appears: this is a film where ALL women are in trouble, largely because of manipulative men (whether directors, actors or pimps). Nothing new is being said here - "it's an old story" - but has male exploitation ever been depicted in such an extraordinary fashion? In this sense, I found the final meeting between Laura Dern and her Polish doppelganger to be an extremely moving expression of a sort of female solidarity that crosses both geographical and metaphysical boundaries. I agree that it's tough to see where Lynch can possibly go now, but there's so much in Inland Empire to digest in the meantime. Keep up the good work!Richard Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18232500372752780249noreply@blogger.com