HALFBORN: An Inland Empire Analysis

[Mulligan]

Like Kingsly in the movie mentions specifically that the curses script Nikki Grace gets trapped in is based on a "Polish-gypsy folktale.  It's astonishing to me that nobody analyzing INLAND EMPIRE, other than myself apparently, thought to actually read any Polish-gypsy folktales.  If you do that you will find the answers to things like what are the talking rabbits doing in the film and what was AXXoNN.  OR you can just read my study.  Instead people seem to watch the film over and over again thinking answers will come out or they talk about other films etc...but the answers to INLAND EMPIRE can only really be found in researching literature and history.

[Mulligan]

Like reading through your analysis, you touch on some of the answers but it's like your feeling around blind.  You can make them out but can't tell exactly what they are and have to guess at a lot of the connections.  My book is like turning the lights on so you can see all of it and it all becomes clear.  Your is actually one of the better ones I read, but it still doesn't actually explain anything, it relies too much on the film itself and you have to have a background in European and American history, Roma (Gypsy) culture and folklore, Biblical prophecy and the Transcendental Meditation experience, and be able to cite your sources, to really understand the film.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Your is actually one of the better ones I read, but it still doesn't actually explain anything, it relies too much on the film itself

This is where you almost lost me.

I'm very interested in "the film itself." Maybe that's naive.

I'm also interested in cultural/historical/literary context, and I'm sure it's obviously part of the story. And that's probably where I would have gone next had this been a bigger project. I am admittedly less interested in it (explained below), because I do believe the film needs to stand on its own for the most part, which it does.

It does seem more likely that those things provided structure and background for Lynch, perhaps meaningful structure and background, but that he (of course) turned things in a Lynch direction, and that the film's meaning is more Lynch-centric than European folklore centric.

I definitely don't want to prejudge your ebook/essay, though. Can you expand on that? Does the folklore illuminate the spiritual mechanics (which after all is the core of the film)? Because I would love to read that.

I'm worried that, as with so much literary analysis, we reach to make as many connections as possible with whatever cultural sources are available, and countless coincidences get caught in the net. It's easy to stray with that approach, is what I'm saying.

It still looks like people should buy your book (buy his book, everyone!)... I'm just expressing some healthy skepticism.

For example, according to one review, you talk about the significance of hares in Gypsy folklore, and I assume you use that to explain the rabbits. But Lynch's series "Rabbits" (which I love) was made four years before Inland Empire. Was Lynch reading Gypsy folklore even then? (I don't know, maybe that's his thing.)

Hmm and this part of this review concerns me:

Lidstone's argument grows tenuous in the final section, "INLAND EMPIRE Revealed." He continues to raise interesting questions, but none of the supplied evidence necessarily leads to the conclusion that "INLAND EMPIRE is a prophetic warning against a descent into fascim, the rise and fall of a future America 4th Reich, nuclear war and even the Biblical 'day of the lord.'"

This sounds like violent overreaching. Any rebuttal? Or is it simply best explained in the book?

[Mulligan]

What I mean by "the film itself" is that many people don't expand on the films background elements and keep looking for answers in the film itself.  Like its impossible to understand Dante's Inferno if you arn't aware of the politics or current events that were taking place at the time it was written.  Or you can't understand Virgil without understanding the current events in Rome at the time, or you can't understand Milton's Paradise Lost without understanding the English Civil War.  Like someone wrote a book I believe called "A Skeleton's Kay to Finnegans Wake" it might have been Joseph Cambpell, in order for people to better understand that James Joyce book...my book is like a "Skeletons Key" to INLAND EMPIRE.  Speaking of Joyce, you cna't understand Joyce's "Ulysses" without knowledge of Irish History and classical literature... So apart from looking to the current events in the US in the 21st Century, you can't understand AXXoNN without having read Early 20th Century folklorist Vladimir Propp, who someone informed me Lynch has a painting of in his home, or you can't understand the rabbits without having read Polish-Gypsy folktales, or you can't understand "On High in Blue Tommorows" without some knowledge of Old Testament prophecy etc.  That's just what I mean but looking beyond the film in order to understand it.

If you read Polish-Gypsy folktales, or my study, much of the film and Sue Blue's experiences will make much more sense, and a film that seems difficult to comprahend becomes much more clear.  Both in terms of plot structure and an overall spiritual theme.  But thats just one element, the films combines several of them which I build up to in my book.

Yes Lynch was definitly reading Gypsy folklore before during and after rabbits. 

Regarding the About.com thing, I don't think my points towards the end of the book, which that author throws out there without any of my sources or evidence that I use to back it up (that author also seemed angry at me for writing it after talking to him privately, maybe it was jealousy) are really overreaching because I don't feel they are my points, they are just what Lynch puts forward and I'm just putting it out there for anyone to agree with or not....   

When Kingsly walks into the meeting and says he just had a horrible cup of tea, and sits down and spaces out like he's just been hit in the head... that's a tip that kicks of an entire political allegory for the 21st century... but like i said, all the elements I talk about come together and its difficult to explain it all here..which is why i put them in a book haha so I didn't have to talk at length about it like this because it gets exhausting over and over...   but I appreciate the questions and enjoy answering them and if you read my book and have more questions i have no problem answering them

[FinnYorke]

Hi everyone,

I just read the analysis, hoping to find an explanation of something I found watching the movie, however it was not mentioned. During the movie and even from the earliest scenes, we can see two lights appear. The first one I saw was in the background, such as in an alley or something. I don't quite remember since I only saw the movie once yesterday. And I know it wasn't accidental because it was very clear two little yellow lights in the background. I didn't think much of it the first time but kept it in mind and saw the two lights several times after that. They don't always appear in the same fashion, an example of those lights is during the satanic rabbit-play scene where one of the female rabbits is holding two candles. It appears quite often in the movie. At first I thought it could represent lost girl's eyes as she watches Sue struggling, but at some points it doesn't seem to make sense that way. I've only watched it once yesterday so I don't remember every scene where it could be seen or even what it could mean at the time. So I'm gonna watch it again next week to see if I can make any sense of it.

Anyway, does anyone might have an explanation for this ?

[Mulligan]

You can watch the movie 1000 times and still have no better understanding of anything in it, at least on a conscious level, until you read my study.  Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Lynchs-INLAND-EMPIRE-Explained-ebook/dp/B004LGS7I6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373992345&sr=8-1&keywords=lynch+inland+empire

This film goes so much deeper than most people give it credit for, but that's been the strangest thing, just convincing people that the film CAN be understood.  Only film has this problem, other writers or artists never have to deal with this.  I'm assuming because film is such a pop culture medium, at least since art films stopped being popular by the end of the 1970's, and most films are easily understood.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I just bought your book. I'll read it and post my thoughts here.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Hi everyone,

I just read the analysis, hoping to find an explanation of something I found watching the movie, however it was not mentioned. During the movie and even from the earliest scenes, we can see two lights appear. The first one I saw was in the background, such as in an alley or something. I don't quite remember since I only saw the movie once yesterday. And I know it wasn't accidental because it was very clear two little yellow lights in the background. I didn't think much of it the first time but kept it in mind and saw the two lights several times after that. They don't always appear in the same fashion, an example of those lights is during the satanic rabbit-play scene where one of the female rabbits is holding two candles. It appears quite often in the movie. At first I thought it could represent lost girl's eyes as she watches Sue struggling, but at some points it doesn't seem to make sense that way. I've only watched it once yesterday so I don't remember every scene where it could be seen or even what it could mean at the time. So I'm gonna watch it again next week to see if I can make any sense of it.

Anyway, does anyone might have an explanation for this ?

It can't be coincidental, so I'm guessing it does have spiritual meaning. Does anyone else remember the two lights being in the original Rabbits series as well? I think I do...

[Mulligan]

Sounds great, it will be cool to hear your thoughts...if you don't like it I will literally get your address and send you you're money back!  I've never offered that before but you've been respectful and legitimately want to understand the film.

Thanks!

-Mike

[Jeremy Blackman]

I'm a bit more than 1/4 the way through, writing a lot of notes. Love your analysis of the rabbits, Roma lore, etc. Finding much of the other content not as convincing. I will have a lot more to say when I'm done. I might have to revisit the film to be fair.

[Pubrick]

I might have to revisit the film to be fair.

No! You're not allowed to do that! You could watch it ten thousand times and be no closer to understanding anything in it! It's all about the book, the BOOK is the thing, don't you see? Read that a thousand times instead!

The movie is nothing more than supplementary material for the BOOK!

[Mulligan]

haha That's the kind of sillyness you encounter on the internet.  What he's talking about is following along WITH the book while watching the movie.  But it's fascinating how much people disrespect Lynch by reducing his work to the level of any other film that doesn't require any background knowledge.  Imagine if people did that to other artists and writers, there would be no more college art or lit classes that's for sure. haha

People like Pubrick are the main reason I put out the book, because arguing on message boards with people who have no interest in Lynch, understanding INLAND EMPIRE or serious discussion got really old really fast.  At least now it's reserved for only the intellectually curious INLAND EMPIRE fan, not internet trolls like Pubrick.

But that's why nerds on a message board are nerds on a message board.  They have no concept of the real world and no influence in it.  They exist just to tell people their favorite band sucks and their favorite director is a hack.  These are people who have never read anything, written anything, made anything, or put anything they've ever done out into the real world.  And when you explain INLAND EMPIRE to them, something they could have never done on their own in a million years, they have no clue what you're talking about.  But such is the life of irrelevant internet message board geeks. haha

[Mulligan]

So far I haven't heard anyone say anything intelligent on this entire site about anything related to movies (other than myself), I've just seen a bunch of internet message board geeks doing what internet message board geeks do, I'm hoping Blackman comes in to save the day with something intelligent!

[Reel]

Please do save us, Jeremy.

[Mulligan]

Please save them from understanding INLAND EMPIRE!  The last thing they need is to be introduced to the real world, message board geek world is so much better for them. haha