We gave a mention to this seminal 1990s David Lynch classic in one our latest posts, a reblog from The Selvedge Yard regarding the September 1991 photo spread in American Vogue entitled “Wild at Heart”.
For me, it was easy to see the title as a reference to Lynch’s film of the same name, released just a year prior to the shoot, and winner of accolades that included the Palm D’Or (an equivalent to Best Picture at the Academy Awards) at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990.
The film stars Nicolas Cage as Sailor Ripley and a radiant Laura Dern at her sexiest as the dangerous bombshell Lula Pace Fortune. The film plays out like a rebel fantasy, with plenty of allusion to The Wizard of Oz (this has been admitted by Lynch himself who idolized the film as a child), as well as Elvis Presley, 50s youth culture, and the American Dream.
It’s nothing and everything it promises to be, and is perhaps my ultimate favorite film of the American auteur. And as for style savvy, the film has got it in spades. Check out those shades on Nic Cage in the top photograph (I used to have a pair exactly like those that had been given to me by a friend) – classic rebel style, shaking it up by ditching the frames altogether and letting that gold bar along the brow do all the hard work.
And, of course there is the rebel snake skin jacket donned by Sailor, which is seen in the film’s most iconic moments. It seems the sssss-seductive look could have taken inspiration from one of cinema’s most famous bad boys – Marlon Brando, who wore a similar snake skin jacket in the forgotten 1960 classic “The Fugitive Kind” directed by Sidney Lumet.
Brando plays Val Xavier, a sexy, down on his luck convenience store clerk who finds temptation in both his boss (the talented Ana Magnani), and the town’s local wild child, played by a young and ravishing Joanne Woodward. The film is being discovered again for it’s crushing performances, moody black and white photography, and brash, bold direction.
It goes to show that everything has its precedence, and discovering the links make for a richer understanding of the landscape we visit.
We pulled this track from the film’s soundtrack to share with you all in a music minute that promises to mill about deep within you, and scatter your thoughts to the darkest and most beautiful corners of your subconscious…
Don’t be scared, though; It’s just a little music to keep you going throughout the long and arduous days and nights…As Lula says:
“This whole world’s wild at heart and weird on top.”
So let’s just drive…
Until next time,
{theEye}
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