Eraserhead (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Five stars for the movie itself, but the DVD...I don't know how to rate it. Because the high-def quality and extra features are al fantastic, but it's missing one very basic quality: scene selection.And not by accident. David Lynch says that his films "must be watched in one sitting." I guess if something interrupts you and the DVD ends up popping out while you're halfway through, you're just out of luck. Never mind the fact that this seems to be a film that's meant to be analyzed. But DL doesn't want you going back to revisit a specific scene. So much for film teachers who might like to analyze certain iconic scenes with their classes.Well joke's on you Mr. Lynch, because on a laptop you *can* still skip ahead to any part you want. Still asinine that we can't have that feature on the actual TV though.As for the movie, I love it, but probably not in the way I'm supposed to.Everyone calls "Eraserhead" a "horror" movie, but for me it's just not. For the most part, I find it oddly relaxing, and often hilarious. The movie is compared to a "nightmare," but it's not for me. It's absolutely like a dream, but not necessarily a bad one. ("Meet the Feebles" and "Hobo With a Shotgun," *those* are films I would call "filmed nightmares." But not "Eraserhead.")First, the Baby. I think time has ruined the effect David Lynch intended the Baby to have. Synopses describe it as "deformed," and in 1977 maybe "deformed human baby" is the first thing that would come to most people's minds. But after decades of sci-fi movies with realistic looking, grotesque aliens and creatures, Henry's baby to me just looks like a hatchling from an alien species. It's ugly and gross, but not much more so than the newborns of some real animal species.Most of the grossest moments in the movie just feel uncomfortable or squickish to me, but not outright "disturbing." The fact that Henry is the only one acting surprised by any of this gives you the sense that, for Mary's family at least, this stuff is all expected and natural. The fact that all this stuff freaking out Henry, but not Mary or her parents, tends to relate to things like mensuration and pregnancy, can't be a coincidence. And at the risk of sounding a bit sexist, I think a female viewer will probably be less freaked out by these things than a guy.People have all kinds of theories about what "dark" meaning David Lynch hid in this movie, but to me it's just a black comedy about parenthood. No, I'm not a parent myself. Maybe my opinion on this movie will change if and when I have kids. But all of the "horror" in the movie seems like an exaggerated version of the basic anxieties of a new parent.Much of the symbolism throughout the movie also feels very on-the-nose, again, probably because of the time that's past. The same subliminal things that were clever in 1977 might be cliche nowadays. (Henry's head is replaced by a love-rod, which is then replaced by his baby's head. Gorsh, I wonder what Henry is regretting.)Finally, the acting and special nearly effects all hold up PERFECTLY. The baby puppet is still mind-blowing. At no point do I stop and think someone is over or under acting. The dreamlike setting makes any fake-looking props fit right in.If you like truly weird or surreal movies, "Eraserhead" is a must-see. And if you're already a fan but have only seen it online, it is definitely worth seeing on a proper TV screen in high def, because you notice so many more details you'd miss when streaming online. Don't let the hype about how "disturbing" or "horrifying" it is get you excited for a chiller, but *do* prepare for some gross or uncomfortable moments.

“New”, as advertised!

Came in sealed and lovely. RIP to the great David Lynch 🥀🕊️

Like Welles - in talent and inventiveness at least - David Lynch proved himself to be a master with his first feature.

And it comes with all four short films that David Lynch released before "Eraserhead." Is the director's last name killing off racism and lynching? This is art, who needs politics.

Writer, director and producer David Lynch had already been experimenting in short films but with his first feature, Eraserhead, he showed the world of cinema a new way to see. After taking five years to complete with a release in 1977, Lynch took movie goers on a surreal and nocturnal odyssey of its character, the reserved and distant Henry (Jack Nance) as he struggles to come to terms with his newly born deformed baby. Inside this odd story is some of the most remarkable dream like imagery ever conceived. From the very bleak first frame, its oddness doesn’t let you go until its some might say a hopeful finale that still doesn’t come completely clear to the audience. Many could assume that the film thrives on how strange it is and Lynch himself has never been one to explain his work but weather that is the case or not, filmmaking would never be the same again. While it is routed in cult and almost horror like sensibilities, I don’t think it would be out of line to place it with the pure art of Buñuel, Fellini, Bergman or Kubrick. Lynch created another work that broke the mold of film just as those directors did and continued to do so with future works The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001) that even took his American surrealism approach to new levels of maturity and authenticity. As someone who feels that films should be about moments of true feeling rather than consistent logic and meaning, Lynch without a doubt lifts the mind’s eye to a new sense of wonder. Eraserhead is not for everyone and will never have a fixed critical reputation but for Lynch and all of the great artists of cinema, it’s probably for the better.

I have the Blu Ray version and an older DVD version. The contrast, saturation and black level is much betterin this Blu Ray. I will not go into the film it's self, other reviewers have already done a nice job.But, there are several prints of this film avalible, which makes it hard to choose which one is best.Be aware that Criterion is releasing a new digital restoration in Blu Ray in September 2014.I have mine on preorder.We will just have to wait and see if the new Criterion version is any better then this Blu Ray.So, if you want to buy this disk, you would be well advised to wait until September, when the restorationhits the market.I am sure I have bought this film at least 4 times, as formats improve over time.The film it's self is very dark in saturation, and you cant see some of the details.This was also the case in the theater when I first saw it at the AFI (Washington, DC), when I was a member.No one had seen the film, and Mr. Lynch was supposed to have been there to introduce the film, but hedidnt show up. It was his actual final work print that was screened that evening.The Blu Ray edition fixes the black saturation so more details are finally visible.I am wondering what other details I havent seen yet may be revieled in Criterion's newrestoration.I am keeping my fingers crossed, I really dont want to keep buying this film hoping to findthe jackpot!!!!