Director: David Lynch Cinematographer: Frederick Elmes
Lynch’s unsettling and provocative drama centres around a college student, Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan), who, upon returning from visiting his ill father in hospital, comes across a human ear in a field in his idealised hometown of Lumberton. Intrigued by what he’s found, Jeffrey journeys behind the facade of a supposedly normal small town into the terrifying criminal world of the malevolent Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). Initially disliked for the level of violence, the film has grown from a cult following to be considered one of the best films of the 1980s.
Lists:
- No. 41 on The Pendragon Society’s 1000 Greatest Films of All-Time (2021)
- Monica Vitti’s performance as Claudia was placed No. 18 on The Pendragon Society’s 100 Greatest Film Acting Performances of All-Time (2019)
CAST
- Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens
- Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont
- Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth. The role of the gas-huffing, obscenity-screaming villain brought about a career resurgence for Hopper. He was the biggest name in the film, having starred in and directed Easy Rider (1969). Hopper, said to be far from Lynch’s first choice (Michael Ironside has stated that Frank was written with him in mind), accepted the role after Harry Dean Stanton and Steven Berkoff both turned it down because of the violent content in the film. Few actors have thrown themselves into a part as Hopper does here, showing no inhibition with a performance that had left an imprint on popular culture, with countless tributes, cultural references and parodies.
- Laura Dern as Sandy Williams
- Hope Lange as Mrs. Pam Williams
- Dean Stockwell as Ben
- George Dickerson as Detective John Williams
- Priscilla Pointer as Mrs. Frances Beaumont
- Frances Bay as Aunt Barbara
- Jack Harvey as Mr. Tom Beaumont
- Ken Stovitz as Mike Shaw
- Brad Dourif as Raymond
- Jack Nance as Paul
- J. Michael Hunter as Hunter
- Dick Green as Don Vallens
- Fred Pickler as Detective Tom Gordon/The Yellow Man
- Megan Mullally as Louise Wertham (scenes not in final cut)
- Jon Jon Snipes as Little Donnie