I published a book titled “Unlocking INLAND EMPIRE” which is available from Amazon. It is 163 pages with color photographs, many enhanced in Photoshop to show detail in scenes that are too dark to make out on the DVD release from Rhino. It also contains segments of dialog, including all four of Sue Blue’s wonderful monologs spoken to Mr. K.
I wonder how many people noticed Sue has a band-aid on her neck in all those scenes, plus the same clothes and purse and screwdriver, which clearly means they all occur during the same meeting with Mr. K.
Ever wonder about the strange colors (purple and turquoise) that appear on the buildings behind Gordy in the woods at 1:55:28? They match the colors and layout of the buildings behind Doris Side at 2:08:04. Possibly two worlds co-existing / commingling.
Ever wonder whose Hollywood star Sue Blue is standing on when she drops the screwdriver? It is Dorothy Lamour’s.
The book has some introductory pages, then covers the movie, scene-by-scene. At the end is a summary meant to make it a bit easier to see how some of the scenes are related.
The reason I mention the book is merely to make others aware of its existence. There was a time when I searched Amazon for such a book, and had one been available, I would have gladly purchased it and saved myself a lot of “on-again, off-again” work during the last 10 years.
I elected to give 1/4 of the profits to the David Lynch Foundation, about 1/4 for taxes, and the reminder goes to help someone else with a personal matter. So, I don’t personally make anything from the book. As such, I am not trying to push it, just wanting to make others aware it exists. I think anyone who has an interest in “INLAND EMPIRE” will find the book helpful as an aid to understanding plus it contains lots of interesting aspects like those mentioned above.
BTW - This is THE BEST web site for help on understanding the movie. So please DO read Jeremy's write-ups, whether or not you buy the book.