The Laura Palmer Project

[Ferguson]

I found the missing pieces scene at the Hayward house very telling of others' awareness of Laura's horror. Dr. Hayward and Eileen share a knowing a look of concern right after Laura is called home by Leland. Maybe I am reading into it, but no one there seems surprised by Laura's emotional state and even if they didn't know what was going, they knew something was.

[N. Needleman]

I found the missing pieces scene at the Hayward house very telling of others' awareness of Laura's horror. Dr. Hayward and Eileen share a knowing a look of concern right after Laura is called home by Leland. Maybe I am reading into it, but no one there seems surprised by Laura's emotional state and even if they didn't know what was going, they knew something was.

I agree. That scene is one of the Rosetta stones of the show to me, and it indicates a level of awareness, however repressed, which few of the adults, at least in the TV series, ever expressed.

[Nightsea]

the abuse is def there in the series (as early as the "WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS HOUSE" stuff in s1) but the film really spells it out, doesn't let you look away

I almost mentioned this in my previous post, but there is a 1994 film directed by Atom Egoyan called Exotica that shares similar subject matter, moods, and themes with Fire Walk With Me. Have you ever seen it Dalai? If you haven't, I don't want to spoil it too much, but it's an interesting film to juxtapose against Fire Walk With Me. While Fire Walk With Me graphically brings Laura's abuse to the forefront, Exotica only alludes to a particular character's abuse through sparse dialogue and simplistic imagery, leaving the actual nature of the abuse to the viewer's imagination. Both approaches have merit and are equally powerful. Out of all of the films that I've seen, only one other film comes close to Fire Walk With Me in regard to its frank portrayal of sexual abuse: Mysterious Skin, released in 2004 by director Gregg Araki.

Ferguson and N. Needleman, yes! Out of all of the scenes in The Missing Pieces, if I had to pick something to reinstate into Fire Walk With Me, it would be that one scene. I have a feeling that if Lynch could hop into a time machine and go back, he'd likely include it. He was probably on the fence about cutting it. The scene wouldn't have added that much to the running time, and as each of you mentioned, it really serves as an eyeopener in regard to how Laura's situation was viewed by adults outside of the Palmer household.

[Dalai Cooper]

the abuse is def there in the series (as early as the "WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS HOUSE" stuff in s1) but the film really spells it out, doesn't let you look away

I almost mentioned this in my previous post, but there is a 1994 film directed by Atom Egoyan called Exotica that shares similar subject matter, moods, and themes with Fire Walk With Me. Have you ever seen it Dalai? If you haven't, I don't want to spoil it too much, but it's an interesting film to juxtapose against Fire Walk With Me. While Fire Walk With Me graphically brings Laura's abuse to the forefront, Exotica only alludes to a particular character's abuse through sparse dialogue and simplistic imagery, leaving the actual nature of the abuse to the viewer's imagination. Both approaches have merit and are equally powerful. Out of all of the films that I've seen, only one other film comes close to Fire Walk With Me in regard to its frank portrayal of sexual abuse: Mysterious Skin, released in 2004 by director Gregg Araki.

Haven't seen it, no, in fact the only egoyan I've seen is ararat, years and years ago. Will keep an eye out for it - it's a very difficult subject to handle

[N. Needleman]

Out of all of the scenes in The Missing Pieces, if I had to pick something to reinstate into Fire Walk With Me, it would be that one scene. I have a feeling that if Lynch could hop into a time machine and go back, he'd likely include it. He was probably on the fence about cutting it. The scene wouldn't have added that much to the running time, and as each of you mentioned, it really serves as an eyeopener in regard to how Laura's situation was viewed by adults outside of the Palmer household.

It's also possible he removed it to enhance Laura's isolation, and to eliminate that layer of ambiguity from the canvas. If you keep that in it changes everything, IMO. I count it as canonical to TP nonetheless, mind you, and I believe The Missing Pieces are intended to be. But I think the discussion of Laura and the story at large would have been very different over the last 20+ years had that scene remained in.

[Nightsea]

That's true too N. Needleman, and in the series, Bobby did say at Laura's funeral, "We all knew she was in trouble." The Missing Pieces scene just illustrated that notion so well. It's heart-wrenching to have it wind up on the cutting room floor. Whatever the case, it would've been rough to be in Lynch's shoes during the editing process... to have to strip away so many scenes that featured the series regulars. And forgive me for going off-topic for a moment, but I realized recently that on its own, The Missing Pieces is fairly straightforward and linear in regard to its narrative structure... certainly much more than Inland Empire! Ha ha! Of course, not that Inland Empire ever aimed for traditional narrative flow. It's simply a little mind-blowing that so many of the cut scenes from Fire Walk With Me work together to form a narrative that's almost standalone.

Dalai, I just looked Ararat up on IMDB. It utilizes several of the same actors that were in Exotica and one of his other films, The Sweet Hereafter. Coincidentally, Exotica features eccentric characters and a character named Christina who reminds me very much of Laura Palmer. Also, please don't be dismayed by the refreshed cover art for Exotica that most movie sites now use. It really misrepresents the film and makes it look like a risqué late night Cinemax film... which, it's not that type of movie at all. It's much more evocative of something like Twin Peaks.

Alas, I don't want to dominate this discussion and not give others their breathing room, so I'll gracefully bow out for a while and head over to LostInTheMovies' new thread. Take care everyone– let's keep our fingers and toes crossed in regard to the new season .

[LostInTheMovies]

I found the missing pieces scene at the Hayward house very telling of others' awareness of Laura's horror. Dr. Hayward and Eileen share a knowing a look of concern right after Laura is called home by Leland. Maybe I am reading into it, but no one there seems surprised by Laura's emotional state and even if they didn't know what was going, they knew something was.

I agree. That scene is one of the Rosetta stones of the show to me, and it indicates a level of awareness, however repressed, which few of the adults, at least in the TV series, ever expressed.

After watching it I felt like I'd just seen the hidden heart of Twin Peaks so "Rosetta Stone" is such a great way to put it. This scene more than any other made me recognize the links between the two worlds of the film and series. I believe it's the only time we really see Laura interacting with the community: not just individuals here and there but a group with their own energy, which recalls the warmth of the show. So sad, like ships passing in the night.

[LostInTheMovies]

the abuse is def there in the series (as early as the "WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS HOUSE" stuff in s1) but the film really spells it out, doesn't let you look away

I almost mentioned this in my previous post, but there is a 1994 film directed by Atom Egoyan called Exotica that shares similar subject matter, moods, and themes with Fire Walk With Me. Have you ever seen it Dalai? If you haven't, I don't want to spoil it too much, but it's an interesting film to juxtapose against Fire Walk With Me. While Fire Walk With Me graphically brings Laura's abuse to the forefront, Exotica only alludes to a particular character's abuse through sparse dialogue and simplistic imagery, leaving the actual nature of the abuse to the viewer's imagination. Both approaches have merit and are equally powerful. Out of all of the films that I've seen, only one other film comes close to Fire Walk With Me in regard to its frank portrayal of sexual abuse: Mysterious Skin, released in 2004 by director Gregg Araki.

Another film with similar subject matter is Bliss starring - surprise! - Sheryl Lee. Hard to track down and a mixed bag at best (most of it deals with Terence Stamp as an almost comically self-assured Tantric guru) but Sheryl is quite good, especially in a climactic scene. A brief flashback using a fisheye lens is also extremely effective in evoking horror/trauma elliptically in a very different way from Fire Walk With Me.

[mlsstwrt]

I saw Exotica and enjoyed it very much but I had never made a mental link with Twin Peaks. I do understand what you mean though.

Laura Palmer is my favourite character in any work. It's an interesting point that Laura is a complete wreck in the last 7 days. Of course, she had to be, given how quickly the walls were closing in. But I always wondered how much of Laura's character was shaped by incest and BOB's presence in her life and how much was purely Laura. To put it another way, I wonder how Laura would have turned out without either of those two horrors. Her diary is probably the most useful source in this regard, since it looks back over years, not days or weeks.

I absolutely love one of the framed photos of Laura. Not the prom queen one. It's a photo where she's not smiling but has this incredible look of tortured defiance on her face. I wonder if it will be immediately obvious just from that brief description which one I mean?

[OK,Bob]

I absolutely love one of the framed photos of Laura. Not the prom queen one. It's a photo where she's not smiling but has this incredible look of tortured defiance on her face. I wonder if it will be immediately obvious just from that brief description which one I mean?

This one?

[mlsstwrt]

I absolutely love one of the framed photos of Laura. Not the prom queen one. It's a photo where she's not smiling but has this incredible look of tortured defiance on her face. I wonder if it will be immediately obvious just from that brief description which one I mean?

This one?

Correct!!!

Does anybody else really like this photo? Her expression says so much to me about what is going on inside.

[OK,Bob]

Does anybody else really like this photo? Her expression says so much to me about what is going on inside.

Indeed. You see sorrow in her right eye, seduction in the left (which she is pushing toward the camera)... and her whole countenance is distancing and defiant.

[mlsstwrt]

Does anybody else really like this photo? Her expression says so much to me about what is going on inside.

Indeed. You see sorrow in her right eye, seduction in the left (which she is pushing toward the camera)... and her whole countenance is distancing and defiant.

I love that description. You articulated it perfectly.

[rocketsan22]

Dalai, I just looked Ararat up on IMDB. It utilizes several of the same actors that were in Exotica and one of his other films, The Sweet Hereafter. C

IF you haven't seen The Sweet Hereafter, I implore you to seek it out immediately and watch it. It is so beautifully shot, it is an unforgettable movie...and, like Twin Peaks, it's a town ripe with secrets.

Such a great film...

[LostInTheMovies]

Dalai, I just looked Ararat up on IMDB. It utilizes several of the same actors that were in Exotica and one of his other films, The Sweet Hereafter. C

IF you haven't seen The Sweet Hereafter, I implore you to seek it out immediately and watch it. It is so beautifully shot, it is an unforgettable movie...and, like Twin Peaks, it's a town ripe with secrets.

Such a great film...

Yeah, SPOILER for The Sweet Hereafter in a moment...

The moment in the end where the girl exculpates the bus driver while silently accusing her dad is incredibly powerful (her expression, his reaction)...it's honestly up there with some of the Laura/Leland interactions in FWWM when it comes to exposing the central self-deceit of incest perpetrators.

I read the book before the movie, and I seem to recall that they didn't really go in that direction but made it seem more like it was consensual. But I may be misremembering, so don't quote me on that.

Either way, great movie and great performance by Sarah Polley.