Wild At Heart
DAVID LYNCH: ABSURD ENCOUNTERS, PART 7
"This whole world's wild at heart and weird on top."
After working on the short first season of TWIN PEAKS, David Lynch felt the pull back to feature length filmmaking when he was given a book called Wild At Heart by Barry Gifford. The book seemed ripe for a big screen adaptation and David Lynch immediately began work on it. Within a couple of months, he found himself in New Orleans with stars Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern, plus a host of regular Lynch collaborators.
The production and release of WILD AT HEART was a whirlwind. The film went from the script stage to production in a matter of months, and within the year, the film was making its premire at the Cannes Film Festival, where it took home the festival’s most prestigious prize, the Palm d’Or, a win that came with no small amount of controversy.
In this episode of Cinema Shock — the season finale for our David Lynch: Absurd Encounters series — we will recount the story of how WILD AT HEART came to be, how it was conceived and produced, and how it was ultimately received by critics and audiences.
While this is our final episode in our current series covering the career of David Lynch, our journey through Lynch’s work is not over. In the coming weeks, we will be launching Fire Shock With Me, a TWIN PEAKS watch-along series where we will be working our way through Lynch’s seminal TV series in its entirety. Those episodes will be available exclusively to our $5 and up subscribers on CinemaShock+, where you’ll also find extended versions of all David Lynch episodes that include additional bonus segments. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
At the conclusion of Fire Shock With Me, in early 2025, we’ll be circling back to the films of David Lynch, covering the remainder of his filmography, beginning with TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME all the way through INLAND EMPIRE and TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN.
SYNOPSIS:
After serving prison time for a self-defense killing, Sailor Ripley reunites with girlfriend Lula Fortune. Lula's mother, Marietta, desperate to keep them apart, hires a hitman to kill Sailor. But he finds a whole new set of troubles when he and Bobby Peru, an old buddy who's also out to get Sailor, try to rob a store. When Sailor lands in jail yet again, the young lovers appear further than ever from the shared life they covet.
Up Next: Cinema Shock Roulette: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andrew C. | Andy Lancaster | Benjamin Yates | Curt M. | Elton Novara | Justin V. | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
CAST & CREW
Directed by: David Lynch
Screenplay by: David Lynch
Based on: Wild At Heart by Barry Gifford
Produced by: Steve Golin | Monty Montgomery | Sigujón Sighvatsson
Cast: Nicolas Cage | Laura Dern | Willem Dafoe | Crispin Glover | Diane Ladd | Isabella Rossellini | Harry Dean Stanton | Calvin Lockhart | J.E. Freeman | W. Morgan Sheppard | Grace Zabriskie | Marvin Kaplan | David Patrick Kelly | Freddie Jones | John Lurie | Jack Nance | Pruitt Taylor Vince | Sherilyn Fenn | France Bay | Frank Collison | Sheyl Lee
Cinematography: Frederick Elmes
Edited by: Duwayne Dunham
Music by: Angelo Badalamenti
Release Date: August 17, 1990
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net