HOTTER THAN GEORGIA ASPHALT

By Raymond Benson

One critic described it as a “kinky fairy tale,” which is quite apt. It’s also a love story, a crime thriller, a road movie, and one of director Lynch’s signature works. Made at a time when the public and critical acclaim of Lynch’s innovative and striking television series, Twin Peaks (co-created by Mark Frost), was at its peak, Wild at Heart represents some of the director’s most bravura filmmaking. In other words, he was on a roll during this period, only to hit an unfortunate snag when the Twin Peaks movie, Fire Walk With Me, was released in 1992 to public and critical derision. (However, that particular film will be reassessed and discussed further in the coming weeks with the release of the entire Twin Peaks saga on Blu-ray, along with ninety minutes of footage deleted from Fire Walk With Me. This material is the “holy grail” for Peaks fanatics.)

Based on a novel by Barry Gifford, Wild at Heart follows the story of Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lulu (Laura Dern)—their passionate and rock ‘n’ roll love for each other, and their pursuit across a surreal America by Lulu’s mother and her various henchmen. The movie is violent, colorful, sexy, loud, tender, and a hell of a lot of fun. This might be the closest thing Lynch ever got to making a comedy, but there are a lot of laughs in Wild at Heart, as well as a number of disturbing and shocking bits that are the director’s trademarks. In many ways, Lynch is an American heir to Luis Buñuel, the master of surrealism in cinema. Lynch loves the dream world, and this obsession is reflected in all of his important works. One fine example is the scene in which Sailor and Lulu stop in the middle of a highway at night because an isolated, recent car accident blocks the way. There, they meet a survivor, played by Peaks alumnus Sherilyn Fenn, whose dazed and confused monologue makes the sequence one of the director’s most haunting.

Both Cage and Dern are terrific. Dern especially sells the movie with her sensuality and wild-child persona. Dern’s real-life mother, Diane Ladd, was nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Lulu’s evil mom, portrayed in the film as something akin to the Wicked Witch of the West. In fact, references to The Wizard of Oz abound, as do nods to Elvis Presley, personified by Sailor’s fascination and mimicry of the singer. Other Lynch regulars show up—Harry Dean Stanton, Jack Nance, Grace Zabriskie, Isabella Rossellini, Crispin Glover, Sheryl Lee—but the scariest guy in the picture is Willem Dafoe as “Bobby Peru,” a truly creepy hit man.

Twilight Time has released a limited Blu-ray edition (3,000 units)  which appears to be a port over from the U.S. MGM/UA (Fox Home Video) edition. The transfer looks good, but it doesn’t appear to have undergone a restoration. All the extras are the same—a thirty minute documentary on the making of the film, deleted scenes, interviews, a vintage making-of film, two short pieces with Lynch, a number of TV spots, and trailer. New for the Blu-ray is an isolated music track, so you can just listen to Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting score, along with the bounty of rock ‘n’ roll numbers like Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” if you want.

At any rate, David Lynch’s take on the classic “lovers on the run” theme is well worth the ride. As Dern’s Lulu proudly announces, it’s “hotter than Georgia asphalt.” Just be careful—you might get blisters.

(This title has sold out at the distributor, Screen Archives. Click here for availability on Amazon)