'You got me hotter than Georgia asphalt!' (Wild At Heart (DVD))

Member Name: Glory_FishesII

Product:	Wild At Heart (DVD)
Date:	23/02/05 (975 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I get it & love it

Disadvantages: You might not get it

David Lynch he's a bit weird. Nicolas Cage well he's a bit weird too. You see, at the point this film was made in 1990,Cage was far from being the big box office pull he appears to be now. He was in fact a bit of an oddity having previously selected roles such as ''H.I'' in The Coen Brothers ''Raising Arizona'' (1987) whereas Weird Uncle Lynch was basking in the out and out cult ''success'' of Twin Peaks. It is often considered that Kyle Maclachlan is the posterboy of Lynchville thanks to ''Blue Velvet'' ''Dune'' and the aforementioned ''Twin Peaks'' but then ''Wild at Heart'' came along and it blew my mind.

The Basic Story:-

Based upon the novella of the same name by Barry Gifford, the film provides a very vivid snapshot of a most under acknowledged series of books.

Lula Pace Fortune (Laura Dern) not only makes the minor faux pas of too much peroxide and red lipstick, but she also falls head over heels with the wrong kind of man. Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) is that man. Her Mother Marietta (Cheryl Ladd) will do anything to keep the lovers apart and I mean a n y t h i n g.

Performances :-

A full list of the main cast can be found at www.imdb.com but I will focus on the main players.

Nicolas Cage as Sailor Ripley.

Other than the notable exceptions of ''Adaptation'' and ''Leaving Las Vegas'' earlier Cage performances hold the most appeal for me. Sailor Ripley is a drifter, with a touch of Elvis about him. But he's a thinker too. And there are so many quotable lines as the post coital lovers discuss life. Cage is suitably passionate in his role, but unlike later roles such as Castor Troy in ''Face Off'' there is also an underated air about him. You can tell that he is relishing the weirdness of it all but he isn't so OTT that you just think Nic is being Nic.

Laura Dern as Lula Pace Fortune

Laura Dern can act. This may come as a surprise to those who suffered ''Jurrasic Park'' et al. Her portrayal of Lula is naive bordering on trashy. Her chemistry with Nicolas Cage is spot on. She is just the right side of neurotic, which keeps her as a likeable lead. Her southern accent is deliciously honeyed, whether or not it is accurate is another question.

Cheryl Ladd as Marietta Pace Fortune.

Cheryl Ladd steals every single scene she is within a hundred mile radius of. Whether she's using her fading feminine wiles to keep track of her daughter or simply being psychotic Ladd delivers. It was an inspired move to cast real life mother and daughter in these roles, although Ladd and Dern share few scenes there is a strange sense of realism between all the madness when they do.


Harry Dean Stanton as Johnny Farragut.

Harry Dean Stanton looks like a bloodhound and boy, is he submissive to Marietta throughout the film as she harangues him into following Sailor and Lula. He is delightfully subdued and confused to the point that it's almost as if Harry Dean Stanton wonders why he's in the film in the first place. His apparent fondness of Marietta is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the whole film.

Willem Dafoe as Bobby Peru.

I hate Bobby Peru. I love Bobby Peru. He is such a vile chancer. He is simply a man that Sailor and Lula meet on their journey. Defoe grabs this role with both hands adding equal measure of piss and vinegar. He is perhaps the most repulsive yet intriguing Lynch character in this whole damn film. The sordid carnality of his exchanges with Lula, make the gooseflesh on my arms acknowledge him, not since Dennis Hopper's Frank Booth in ''Blue Velvet'' have I remained to be so disturbed by a character, even after repeated viewings.

In general, Lynch and Gifford fuse together a circus of the grotesque. The type of people who, when sober we would cross the road to avoid, but once the bourbon is flowing they suddenly become your colourful bestfriends or your ill chosen lovers. Even the cameo parts within this film add a adrenalin to this subversive adventure.

Direction :-

Being basically a road movie "Wild At Heart'' could be viewed ' a vehicle for either one or a small group of individuals who seek to escape the world they are living in and set out redemption on the road' (Sam North on www.hackwriters.com) but as ever, under Lynch's eye things are never that simple. From the angled camera shots to the repetitive motifs, this film borders on being a film noir in so many ways. Lynch once again takes a simple premise and makes it undoubtedly his own. You could watch this film with the sound down and still be left feeling something. The fascination that Lynch holds for the seedy side of Americana, makes uncomfortable viewing at times and once again the main female protagonists Lula and Marietta, as like Dorothy Valens in ''Blue Velvet ''are both strangely sensual but also subject to humilation. And his almost childlike treatment of the ending is both thought provoking and tender if you allow yourself to think of The Wizard Of Oz.

Music:-

From the mental metal of''Slaughterhouse'' to Glenn Miller and Cage doing Elvis, this soundtrack is suitably electic and strangely in keeping with whatever is going on in the film. Longtime Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti provides some original music but perhaps the most notable inclusion is Chris Isaak's sublimely sensual ''Wicked Game''.

Did you know?:-

* ''Wild At Heart'' won the ''Palm D'Or'' award at Cannes in 1990.
* Crispin Glover (Dell in ''Wild At Heart'') and Nicolas Cage attended the same high school.
*Laura Dern and her mother Diane Ladd first worked together when the actress was 13.
*Playwright Tennessee Williams was Diane Ladd's first cousin.
* Nicolas Cage produced the Oscar nominated ''Shadow Of The Vampire'' (2000) starring Willem Dafoe.
* Willem Dafoe is the only actor ever to be nominated for an Oscar for playing a vampire as Max Schrek in ''Shadow Of The Vampire'' (2000)
*Calvin Lockhart (Reggie in ''Wild At Heart'') also appears in Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) as an electrician.
* Isabella Rossellini (Perdita Durango in ''Wild At Heart) used to be married to Martin Scorcese.
* The character Perdita Durango has her own Gifford novella and subsequent film.
* Lynch and Gifford are reunited in ''Hotel Room'' (1993) and ''Lost Highway'' (1987)
* Sailor's beloved snakeskin jacket belongs to Cage himself who collects snakes.
* Laura Dern passed out due to the amount of chainsmoking she had to do as Lula.
* Angelo Badalamenti has composed music for ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' (1989) and ''A Nightmare On Elm Street Part Three : Dream Warriors'' (1987) amongst others.
* Chris Isaak's ''Wicked Game'' also features in Cage's ''Family Man'' (2000).

Related links:-

The official site of Barry Gifford - www.barrygifford.com
The official site of David Lynch - www.davidlynch.com (pay per view :( you meanie)
Nicolas Cage fan site :- www.cagefactor.com

Basic stats:-

Directed by David Lynch.
Screenplay by David Lynch.
Based on ''Wild At Heart'' by Barry Gifford
Rating : 18

Available from :-

www.amazon.co.uk
* DVD Format- Marketplace £7.95
* Paperback- Marketplace £2.50
* Soundtrack - Marketplace £3.50
* VHS Format - Marketplace £0.30

Title quote from Lula.

Summary: