Roland Kermarec : There
was also the courtroom scene that was entirely cut out except
for the verdict that we hear off screen. The autopsy of Renee
was also cut out. I had the impression that David only wanted
the scene for one shot, he didn't pay any attention to the
actors and spent most of his time arranging a hole in the
ground for the evacuation of all the bodily fluids, taking
great care in placing cigarette butts, a bit of blood, some
water, a bit of hair and various other things... The object
of the scene was the arrival of the surgeon with his girlfriend,
both of them well dressed. Which brought out a stunning contrast.
This scene didn't bring anything to the story either. In the
final cut you wonder if Renee is really dead, or if it's a
figment of Fred Madison's imagination (especially as she reappears
at the end of the film). Since this scene was not shown from
Fred's point of view, it might have clashed with the voluntary
confusion between Madison's split personality and the concrete
reality. Seeing this scene on screen could have signified
that Renee was really dead.
In the same order of things, when Pete Dayton speaks three
or four times of what happened "that night" (when he transformed
himself into Fred Madison for the first time), the mystery
resides in the fact that his parents and friends are all aware
of what is going on and not the spectator. Instead of giving
a rational explanation to it all, Lynch prefers to keep the
mystery alive. Even the protagonists do not want to tell the
truth to Pete Dayton on what really went on. For Lynch, words
kill the mystery and hold the imagination back.
Objectif
Cinema : Did you keep a copy
of the script ?
Roland Kermarec : David
had given me a copy of the script on my arrival. Every weekend
he went to work on scenes he would shoot the following week.
He often had modifications in the dialogue, and different
color was given to each new version of the script (the blue
version, the red version, etc.)
The first day of shooting, the sequence was to be shot in
subjective camera (Fred and Renee's point of view when they
put the tape in the VCR, the shot from above that advances
in the hallway). Realizing he didn't have the right lens for
the shot and that there was too little time left in the day
for anything he asked to borrow my camcorder to see if that
could work ! Next thing I know, I was explaining the
functions of the camcorder to Pete Deming, the director of
photography ! And as expected, the lens was not wide
enough either. This anecdote is rather representative of the
atmosphere on set, because never was there any panic in similar
situations... Never giving into improvisation, Lynch was always
very aware of the exterior elements that affected the shooting
and never gave in to anger or impatience. It was probably
a sort of ideal for everyone on the set.
2001Wrote
Framework, full length film script 2000Directed
Confiteor, 15min. Short film in Super 8 1998Wrote
The Flight, short film script 1996Assistant
to David Lynch during shooting of Lost Highway
1993Directed
Love Letter, 3min. Short in Hi 8.
ESSAYS
1995
The Elephant Man de David Lynch : Le Regard est
le Miroir de l’Ame 1994 David
Lynch Au-Delà des Apparences
