Michaële CUTAYA
Thesis submitted for the
Master of Arts in the History of Art and Design
The Faculty of History of Art and Design and Complementary
Studies
The National College of Art and Design
A Recognised College of the National University of Ireland
The Research has been supervised by:
Dr Brenda Moore McCann
Valerie Connor
September 2004
DECLARATION
I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise
for a degree at any other college or university.
I declare that it is entirely my own work.
I agree that the library may lend or copy the thesis upon request
from the date of deposit of the thesis.
September 2004
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
4
Acknowledgments
5
Introduction
6
Chapter I: Narrative Continuities
25
Chapter II: The Shot of Ambiguity
47
Chapter III: The Montage of Confusion
74
Chapter IV: The Texture of Film
100
Chapter V: The Dark Depths
123
Conclusion
142
Appendix: The Eye-of-the-Duck
148
Selected Filmography of David Lynch
149
Filmography
153
Bibliography
154
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig. 1 The Spatial Relationships of the
Characters, series of stills from Blue Velvet.
Fig. 2 Tensions in the House, series of stills
from Lost Highway.
Fig. 3 The Confrontation of Local and Federal
Authority, series of stills from
the pilot episode of Twin Peaks.
Fig. 4 The Aerial Sense of Presence, series of
stills from The Straight Story.
Fig. 5 Threat Over Los Angeles, series of
stills from Mulholland Drive.
Fig. 6 Following Betty and Rita Inside, series
of stills from Mulholland Drive.
Fig. 7 From Fred To Pete, series of stills from
Lost Highway.
Fig. 8 «Hey Pretty Girl Time to Wake
up», series of stills from Mulholland Drive.
Fig. 9 The Projective Powers of the Telephone,
series of stills from Lost Highway.
Fig. 10 The Difficult Coming to the Light,
series of stills from Lost Highway.
Fig. 11 Going In and Out of the Darkness, series
of stills from Lost Highway.
Fig. 12 From the Darkness Emerges the
Marvellous, series of stills from Eraserhead and Blue
Velvet.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am thankful to Brenda Moore McCann and Valerie Connor for their
patient and supportive supervising. I also would like to thank for their help:
Fergus Daly, Florence Brument, Gavin Murphy and the staff of the National
College of Art and Design. And very special thanks to Philippe, Léa and
Willem.
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