While many film critics panned David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me during the film’s initial release in August 1992, I love finding reviews from individuals who appreciated the legendary filmmaker’s vision. One such critic is Christopher Potter, former News Arts Writer for the The Ann Arbor Times in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Let’s take a look at the paper’s coverage along with Potter’s views on how Lynch’s new film showed “flickers of [a] weird genius.”
WHAT IS THE ANN ARBOR TIMES?
The Ann Arbor Times was published under various names between 1835 to 2009. It ended a 174-year print run on July 23, 2009, and was replaced by a website, AnnArbor.com. The website carried daily news stories with print editions published on Thursdays and Sundays. In 2013, the website was renamed to MLive.com which continues digital publishing of the latest news from Michigan and beyond.
ADVERTISEMENTS FOR TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME IN THE ANN ARBOR TIMES
Ads for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me began running in The Ann Arbor Times on August 27, 1992, the day before the U.S. theatrical release. The print ad indicated the film “Starts Tomorrow.”
In the upcoming movie preview section, a brief synopsis of Lynch’s new film was published:
Kyle MacLachlan reprises his role as FBI agent Dale Cooper, and much of the TV show’s original cast returns to the weirdest town in the Pacific Northwest, to investigate the puzzling events that lead to Laura Palmer’s murder. Series co-creator David Lynch directs Sheryl Lee, Michael Ontkean, Ray Wise, Peggy Lipton and Joan Chen with David Bowie, Harry Dean Stanton and Chris Isaak.
This is an odd write up to include a day before the official U.S. since Ontkean and Chen did not appear in the theatrical cut. The film had been available in international markets since May 16 when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. Audiences around the world would have known hardly any of the characters from the television series would appear in the film. In the days before social media or the World Wide Web, news did not travel as fast as it does today.
On August 28, a publicity photo of Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) confronting Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) and Donna Hayward (Moira Kelly) accompanied a brief description of Lynch’s film.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me – Kyle MacLachlan reprises his role as FBI agent Dale Cooper, and some of the TV show’s original cast returns in this “prequel” devoted to the last days of Laura Palmer – or are they? Series co-creator David Lynch directs Sheryl Lee, Moira Kelly, Dana Ashbrook with David Bowie, Kiefer Sutherland, Frank Silva, James Marshall, Harry Dean Stanton, Chris Isaak and even Lynch himself. Rated R at Showcase.
This is the original publicity picture taken by the late Lorey Sebastian outside Snohomish High School on Sept. 21, 1991.
In the movie theatre listing section, another ad for the film was published for Showcase Cinemas Ann Arbor, located at 4100 Carpenter Road. This theatre originally opened on Oct. 7, 1998 as a 14-screen cineplex. It was expanded over the years to a 20-screen theatre. In Dec. 2009, Rave Motion Picture Theatres assumed ownership until June 2013 when it was taken over by Cinemark.
Showtimes were 1:20, 4:15, 7:15, 10:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. This “exclusive engagement” didn’t accept movie passes.
A teaser to Christopher Potter’s film review was also published on the front page asking readers, “So how does the new movie ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’ compare to the loopy television series?”
‘NOT PAST HIS PEAK’ – CHRISTOPHER POTTER’S REVIEW OF TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME ON AUG. 29, 1992
Potter’s review was published on two pages in the Entertainment section of the August 29, 1992 edition of The Ann Arbor News. He gave the film 2 1/2 stars out of four along with a fairly positive review printed below.
The Gordon Cole image is from a cropped publicity photos taken by Lorey Sebastian at the Fall City Airport in September 1991. The copy I have of this image was autographed by Chris Isaak who played Special Agent Chet Desmond.
Not Past His Peak
David Lynch’s ‘Fire Walk With Me’ shows flickers of weird genius.
Conversation overheard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival:
Critic One (emerging from a movie screening): “That was just about the worst film I’ve ever seen.”
Critic Two: “Obviously you haven’t seen the ‘Twin Peaks’ film yet.” — from The Village Voice
It doesn’t attempt to wrap up the TV series’s open-ended finale. It offers no revelations that weren’t already evident to vigilant viewers. It delivers a final scene so absurdly kitsch that any true believer might well be advised to flee the theater.
And yet David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” is hardly the disaster it was deemed last May at Cannes, where it was so mercilessly panned that releasing company New Line Pictures declined to give advance screenings to American critics.
For all its flaws, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” is a reminder of Lynch’s unique, if flighty, genius.
Fans of TV’s meteoric, short-lived “Twin Peaks” will swiftly discover that a whole slew of characters have vanished from the film. Missing are such mainstays as Michael Ontkean, Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Beymer, Piper Laurie, Joan Chen, Lara Flynn Boyle, Everett McGill, even “Eraserhead’s” Jack Nance. Most returnees — including Kyle MacLachlan as intrepid Agent Cooper — are given such short shrift that their appearances are barely more than cameos.
First-timers Harry Dean Stanton and Kiefer Sutherland get about five minutes each — which is still a lot more than the time given David Bowie, who’s onscreen so briefly (30 seconds, perhaps?) one wonders why he bothered. Even the redoubtable Log Lady (Catherine E. Coulson) gets but one token scene before vanishing for good.
“Peaks” fans will surely protest this paring down. Yet what emerges is a lean, sleek and scary film bereft of the extraneous side plots that ultimately destroyed the TV series. Following a nearly interminable 20 minutes of introduction, this “prequel” of a movie blossoms into a double showcase — for writer-director Lynch and even more so for star Sheryl Lee.
Of all the TV starlets of “Twin Peaks,” Lee unavoidably got the toughest break being cast as teenage Laura Palmer, who was found floating dead in a river in the series’ opening scene.
In “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” Lee practically is the picture. For this is the chronicle of the last seven days in the life of Laura Palmer, before she (perhaps) departed this earth violently and forever. And Lee responds with an eruptive, screen-melting performance. Who would have believed this sweet, recessive actress could so light up a movie?
Lee’s tormented Laura is menaced by a redneck monster from the dark side (Frank Silva) who seems bent on destroying her body and possessing her spirit.
No longer a good girl. Laura snorts coke, juggles a pair of lovers including good-guy James (James Marshall), and bad-boy Bobby (Dana Ashbrook), and makes regular visits turning tricks at a sleazy Canadian-border bar.
Lee conveys this agonized descent into hell with astonishing conviction. Her Laura can oscillate from schoolgirl to sultry vamp to hissing demon to frightened lamb with terrifying abruptness.
It’s a brilliant performance, helped no end by director Lynch. His camera constantly caresses his actress, catching protagonist Laura in all moods and modes — from innocent girl talk with best friend Donna (Moira Kelly. replacing Lam Flynn Boyle) to dancing topless bathed in purple strobe light.
“Twin Peaks” the movie proves a distinctly different animal from “Twin Peaks” the television show. Once Laura’s story begins. the movie turns dead serious and frightening, without the campy comic darkness of the TV series. Lynch has made a straight horror film, further probing the themes of 1986’s “Blue Velvet.”
The contrast in mood from TV to movie house is evident in Laura’s father, Leland (Ray Wise). A hammy, deeply comic monster in television’s “Peaks.” Leland is strictly a monster in “Peaks” the movie. Photographed in screen-filling close up by Lynch, he’s a mad molester-murderer who, in rare moments of sanity, is pathetic.
Lynch himself has a cinematic field day, liberated from TV constrictions. He conjures up an orgy scene that’s sensual and menacing, rather than ridiculous. Earlier, a raging confrontation between motorists at a stop sign boils over with venom so ferocious the scene leaves the viewer as shaken as the characters.
Ever the surrealist, Lynch isn’t afraid to take “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk” on flights of dark fancy involving angels and demons. dead-of-night visions and crazed time jumps. For the first time he even manages dialogue that’s almost poetic — as when a dreamy Laura talks of falling through space, then “bursting into fire — forever.” doomed since “the angels have all gone away.”
No one will ever accuse “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” of being a great film – not with its dead-weight opening and lamentable finale. Yet there’s enough greatness within this imperfect movie that to dismiss it as trash is akin to not seeing the forest for the forest. The wicked Mr. Lynch surely knows what he is about.
I love that Potter acknowledged Sheryl Lee’s Oscar-worthy “brilliant performance” as Laura Palmer (she really should have received an award). The more I discover what she went through to make this movie, the more I admire her as an actress and a wonderful human being.
He also highlights Ray Wise who gave such a compelling and emotional performance in the film.
MORE ADVERTISEMENTS FOR TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME IN AUGUST 1992
Following Potter’s review on August 29, additional film advertisements continued being published in the paper through Sept. 7.
I like this square ad sans Laura Palmer in a burning heart from Aug. 31; it feels like it should be on a t-shirt.
BOX OFFICE RESULTS FOR TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME
The newspaper published box office results from a syndicated Associated Press story on Sept. 3. David Lynch’s new film debuted at eighth spot with $1.8 million during the first weekend. Honeymoon in Vegas took the top spot earning $7.3 million.
ADVERTISEMENTS FOR TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME IN SEPTEMBER 1992
Film ads continued into September with an ad suggesting Sheryl Lee deserving an Oscar nomination which comes from a review in L.A. Weekly by Frank Swertlow. The ad also includes a 3 1/2 star rating from a review by Howie Movshovitz in the Denver Post.
The September 4 edition included an updated film synopsis with Christopher Potter’s (CP) rating of 2 1/2 stars.
Three more film ads would appear in papers published between September 5-7. These ads included the aforementioned star rating and Oscar comment from the September 4 issue.
After September 7, no more ads would appear as the film quickly disappeared into the discount theatre market.
Yet, Potter’s review holds up more than three decades later. Like a magician longing to see, he knew Lynch had a gift and today Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is appreciated by a whole new generation of critics and fans. It’s a masterpiece I can enjoy again and again.
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