ERASERHEAD (1977/David Lynch)

The Criterion 2-DVD set of Eraserhead is probably the best special edition DVD I own. I will never part with it.
A sheer delight for cinephiles. It includes his amazing short films and over-the-years documentaries regarding Eraserhead, with cinematographer Fred Elmes and others involved in the making of this bizarre masterpiece.

How do you review a movie like this one? I've seen it ten times now and I don't know what it's about. And that's a great thing. Stanley Kubrick said it was his favorite film ever, and it's no mystery why: this film crawls into your skull and makes you think.
From the opening shot your mind is doing cartwheels to try to figure out what the hell is going on. Just see it. It's a surreal experience that was about six years in the making. No one involved knew what the finished product would be, and to Lynch's credit he gave everybody points for the film, even tho it took a long time to make money. Very cool to hear one of the actresses in it put her kids through college with royalty checks!

This film is all about atmosphere, tone and the realms of the absurd. Is it about fatherhood? Alienation? Dysfunction? Puppets in an industrial miasma? Who the fuck knows.
But it is one of the greatest works of cinematic Art ever created. It will continue to fascinate viewers for centuries.