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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: Eraserhead
Message-ID: <5166@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 2-May-85 03:44:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.5166
Posted: Thu May  2 03:44:58 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 5-May-85 02:14:11 EDT
References: <1911@decwrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 37
Summary: 

In article <1911@decwrl.UUCP> dross@vlnvax.DEC writes:
>
>	Can anyone offer explanation as to the reasoning behind the making
>of "Eraserhead"?  I rented it this weekend and was unimpressed, disappointed,
>and confused.  Why would anyone PAY to have this movie made?  

"Eraseehead" was made on grant money from a variety of sources.  I have seen
much stranger and less interesting films made from grant money.

>It does not
>entertain, inform, stimulate the brain, or evoke any emotion.  I find it to
>be more offensive than the slasher/T&A/Smokey and the Car Chase offerings
>because it doesn't seem to address itself to ANY audience...  Did I miss 
>something?

Well, yes, you did miss something.  "Eraserhead" is advertised as "A dream of
dark and troubling things."  I don't claim to understand it, but I certainly
did find it troubling.  The imagery is fascinating (to me and a few others,
at least) and the exercise of trying to follow the plot is reminiscent of
reconstructing my dreams the day after.  I can identify certain major plot
points, but weird and unexplainable things intrude, and the overall motivations
and meanings are obscure.  I will readily admit that enjoyment of this sort
of experience is very much a matter of taste.  I'm not sure if I can honestly
say that "Eraserhead" entertained me in the more conventional meaning of the
word, and it certainly didn't inform me, but it did stimulate me (even at
midnight, which is when I saw it) and it did evoke several emotions.  

>
>	If anyone can explain any of the following, I would appreciate it :

I read an interview with David Lynch in which he said that there was no
explanation for much of the imagery in "Eraserhead".  Attempting to fit it
all into a neat package is futile.
-- 
        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher