Throughout the month of June 2025, Twin Peaks Blog has celebrated the life and music of the late Julee Cruise. With rare interviews, photos and more, our Julee In June takeover has offered unique insight about this angelic singer whose work is synonymous with the wonderful and strange world of Twin Peaks. As this year’s salute draws to a close, I’m looking back at Julee Cruise’s appearance during the 1992 Cannes Film Festival debut of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
‘TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH’ ME DEBUTS AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL ON MAY 16, 1992
It’s fitting I close this tribute to Julee Cruise with a look at her appearance at Cannes. A few years ago, long-time Twin Peaks fan Dugpa wrote the definitive story about David Lynch’s 1992 masterpiece, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, at the beloved film event.
Dugpa was the person who inspired the Julee in June takeover this year. His article about Julee’s performance during the 2002 Twin Peaks Festival sparked the idea for the blog’s month-long salute.
Lynch had only a handful of months between the time production wrapped on his masterpiece in early November 1991 to when the film would be shown in France on May 16, 1992. There were two screenings held at Cannes – one for critics in the morning and one for the general audience in the evening.
Despite long-held beliefs that everyone hated the film, Dugpa provided concrete evidence that the general public actually applauded Lynch as the credits rolled.
The morning screening, however, were what people remembered the most. Negative reactions from some critics were quickly reported in newspapers published around the world. The often-repeated negative press – “the film was booed” – hounded the film throughout the rest of 1992 and prompted New Line Cinema to adopt non-conventional marketing methods for the film’s U.S. debut in August.
Nevertheless, Cannes attendees were excited for Lynch’s new work since two years earlier he won the coveted Palme d’Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival for Wild At Heart.
When Lynch and team arrived on May 15, Julee Cruise and Michael J. Anderson, sporting a Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me t-shirt, joined the famed director on the beach for press interviews. Cruise and Anderson would later perform during a nighttime party held the next day.
RED CARPET ARRIVAL FOR ‘TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME’ AT CANNES | MAY 16, 1992
For the red carpet arrival during the late afternoon on May 16, Julee joined Lynch, film editor Mary Sweeney, Michael J. Anderson, Angelo Badalamenti, Walter Olkewicz, Robert (Bob) Engels, and film producer Francis Bouygues. Lynch also asked James Marshall to join after spotting him in town promoting his film Gladiator (not the Ridley Scott one).
Together, they walked the red carpet to the public screening in the Grand Auditorium at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres.
Julee Cruise discussed her appearance at Cannes during the 2015 Twin Peaks Festival in the United Kingdom. Thank you to Aaron Cohen (@IMoveCar) for sharing this clip.
‘TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME’ AFTER PARTY | MAY 16, 1992
Following the film’s premiere, Lynch and company attended a private Twin Peaks party for VIPs only. Julee spoke with Jim Butler for his 2015 Zoo Magazine article, “Rockin’ Back Inside Our Hearts” about her experience.
Jim Butler: You didn’t spend much time on set then?
Julee Cruise: Oh, yes, I got flown back to do Fire Walk With Me and I got to go to the Cannes Film Festival, which was great.
JB: A lot of the actors – the likes of Mädchen Amick, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Sherilyn Fenn in particular – were touted to be stars of the nineties, but it never really happened for them, did it?
JC: I think they were overexposed. And there was a time when David was up. He won the Palme d’Or at Cannes with, erm, one of my favorites, Fire Walk… no the other one, come on, help me out here…
JB: Wild at Heart?
JC: Wild at Heart, yes. And… I’m still not awake yet. And then he returned with Fire Walk With Me. And he brought his wife along, Ed, my husband, and me along. Angelo brought his son and Lonny, his wife, and Little Mike [Michael J. Anderson) came with a prostitute. A real scuzzy old one, I don’t know if he did it on purpose, or what. But it was pretty funny. But I thought David had such guts. Because the French they booed. I felt so much admiration for him for standing tall. For being really cool about it. It was a lot of fun.
Julee attended the party wearing the same dress seen during The Roadhouse scene in the feature film.
BEACH PARTY AT CANNES FOR ‘TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME’ | MAY 16, 1992
Following the screening, VIP attendees walked across the Croisette (seaside walkway) to Majestic Beach. Their destination was a candle-lit sandy beach with a huge barge floating just off shore. Ciby Pictures commissioned 20-foot high letters spelling TWIN PEAKS for the Carlton Hotel’s roof located opposite the beach.
A few moments later, the TWIN PEAKS letters on top of the building are now lit up with a red light and increased smoke making the Carlton Hotel appear as if it is on fire.
JULEE CRUISE PERFORMS ‘QUESTIONS IN A WORLD OF BLUE’
Bathed in blue light, Julee took the stage during the beach party. Backed only by a keyboard player dressed in a black tuxedo, she sang the hauntingly beautiful “Questions in a World of Blue.”
YouTube user Damian posted a clip of Julee signing featured in an E! Entertainment News broadcast about Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at Cannes.
During the performance, her face is projected on huge screens flanking the stage.
David Lynch and Mary Sweeney are seen in the VIP lounge watching Julee performance on the large screen.
This is a once in a lifetime experience for attendees huddled under the dark skies of the French Riviera. Her performance was followed by Michael J. Anderson giving his rendition of The Thought Gang’s “A Real Indication” from the the film’s soundtrack.
JULEE DISCUSSES HER EXPERIENCE WITH DAN FROM ‘DAN AND TINA GO TO THE MOVIES’ IN 1992
Months later while on tour with The B-52s, Julee spoke with Dan from Dan & Tina Go to the Movies from Canada about her Cannes experience. Dan asked if she had seen the new film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
“Well, I went to Cannes. I was representing it,” Julee retorted surprising the host.
“Yes, I went to Cannes representing the film. It’s going to shock a lot of people. [David Lynch] begins the film by blowing up a television set. So maybe a lot of Twin Peaks fans may be a little shattered by this.”
“Did you do the music for this,” asked Dan.
“Yes, I did a song, a real tear-jerking song in the Roadhouse where I’m wearing a blue formal. Why I would be wearing a blue formal in a biker Roadhouse I don’t know why. But I’m in it and I’m singing a beautiful song called, ‘Questions In a World of Blue,’ which will be the next single off the new soundtrack.”
Julee confirmed Lynch wrote the song for the film. She then described her experience at Cannes.
“There was this huge red carpet and this big giant place called the Palais [des Festivals et des Congres]. And all these European journalists and they were snapping pictures and everything. And we walked up the steps. I went with little Mike … Michael Anderson. Mike and I represented the film. And David Lynch was there of course. Then we sang on the beach, under a full moon in front of 20,000 people, the new songs off the album for a big party afterward. I met [Federico] Fellini. It was pretty cool.”
Julee would continue touring with The B-52s through April 1993 before returning to the studio to record tracks for her sophomore album, “The Voice of Love.”
While this article closes this year’s Julee In June takeover, there are still plenty of stories left to share about this talented musician.
Special thank you to fellow Twin Peaks Blog authors Dugpa, Vinnie Guidera, Mary Hütter and Anita Rehn for contributing articles, and thank you to many readers who shared stories, comments and followed along. To Julee, we miss you every day. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world.
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