TWIN PEAKS FIRE WALK WITH ME

This is a review of the Criterion edition from late 2022.Laura Palmer dominated the Twin Peaks TV series. Her murder was supposed to be the trigger for plucky Special Agent Dale Cooper and Sheriff Harry S Truman to delve into the many dark secrets of the eponymous northwestern town, but even in death Laura somehow became the main character in the series. There was something extraordinary about Sheryl Lee in those fleeting moments she had early in the series and in the character painfully portrayed in Jennifer Lynch's unflinching Secret Diary that led to Laura becoming the main character, dominating the series even in her absence, a little like Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. It quickly becomes clear in the TV show that when Laura's killer is revealed, the show struggles to find a new path. Ultimately, the path it found after fatally drifting for several weeks led to the Black Lodge and back to Laura Palmer.When the film was first announced as a prequel, there was palpable sense of disappointment, even in the pre-internet age. People wanted a resolution to the cliffhanger at the end of season two. Nevertheless, we got a film that was mostly prequel, with fleeting flashes to events after season two. The film was unfairly pilloried at the time, in part because David Lynch controversially won the Palme d'Or at Cannes a couple of years earlier for Wild at Heart. I saw it at the cinema the day it was released, catching the first screening after morning lectures.The critical mauling the film received was tragic, because Fire Walk With Me is a masterpiece. It's painful, terrifying, heartbreaking and uplifting. After an investigation into a similar murder - of a girl called Teresa Banks - a year before the TV show, we witness the horrors of the last week in the life of Laura Palmer and how the death of Teresa Banks ties into Laura's life. Abused since the age of 12, moonlighting as a prostitute, addicted to drugs, Laura is an innocent under persistent psychic attack by a demonic entity called BOB. BOB has been in possession of someone else's body for years, using the body to assault her and now wants to possess Laura's body. Laura can't see who it is that BOB is possessing in these attacks, but an intervention by a sinister old lady and her 'nephew' lead her to make a sickening discovery. Increasingly BOB possesses Laura, coming to the fore in one terrifying scene when Laura visits her agoraphobic friend, Harold. We know where the film is heading, but that doesn't stop the journey being worthwhile. Sheryl Lee is incredible as Laura - a complex mess of teenage angst; manipulative, destructive, self destructive and cruel, yet somehow noble, kind and desperate, trying to find a way out of the darkness. You can't help but love her. Moira Kelly (replacing Lara Flynn Boyle) as Laura's innocent schoolfriend Donna is given a new slant as Laura drags her into her (Laura's) world. Kyle MacLachlan briefly appears as Cooper, but many TV series cast members are absent.The film looks wonderful on Blu-ray in a modern transfer approved by David Lynch. This is the same transfer used on the Complete Mystery set from a few years ago. However that set had considerable audio sync issues while this one is perfect. The soundtrack is excellent: clear dialogue and lots of audible low, eerie sounds to complement Angelo Badalmenti's score.The major part of the extra features is The Missing Pieces. This is 90 minutes of deleted and extended material cut from the film. Many scenes feature TV show regulars, such as the team at the Sheriff's Department - obviously Laura isn't dead yet, so these characters aren't really necessary at this point - and there's some lovely, irrelevant material with Jack Nance's Pete Martell and Joan Chen as Josie Packard. One scene in particular with Donna's family makes you look at Donna's parents in a whole new way. The image on The Missing Pieces is a bit weird immediately after watching the film. It seems to have been degrained and motion is so smooth that it resembles video at times. The look isn't unlike that of the more recent third season, so this might well be deliberate. Similarly, the sound mix is much more minimalist, akin to the latest series. The Missing Pieces are now an essential part of the saga, though, and a couple of scenes are directly referenced in the new series.Add to that some interviews and it's a very nice package indeed. If you have the Complete Mystery set, you might want to skip this release as unnecessary, although I believe the film deserves its own place with original poster art on a film collection's shelf, rather than buried away in a box set.It's a film that defies genre definition: part neo-noir, part family drama, part crime thriller, part horror film, part black comedy. It's of the best examples of a film based on a televison series ever made: it treads new ground, it introduces new characters and adds new layers to existing ones, while expanding the world we've come to know thus far. This film reveals the dark heart of the series that no network TV show in 1990 could. A very highly recommended release.

I didn't see this film in cinema despite being a huge fan of tv series. I think I was somewhat miffed when I saw this film was a prequel with some of the cast replaced or characters missing rather than a sequel continuing the story.As Mark Frost was not involved in the story, it is a typical David Lynch nightmare of reality and non-reality. Not as surreal or mystical as Twin Peaks Return ended up, makes you wonder how the film would have been if Kyle MacLachlan was in it (not that Chris Isaak was bad obvs).

This movie is a prequel to the series Twin Peaks, so don't watch it without knowing a little about it. Trigger warning for the nude, violent and sex scenes. Other than that, Lynch has a unique way to lure us into the depths of the human soul, pain, cry, perversion and redemption at last. He also introduces his (mindblowing!) aspect of the spirit world and the fight of good vs evil. A masterpiece!

The film: one of David Lynch's best (and Mark Kermode's favourite). It's actually a very sad story of abuse and victim's resulting spiral - very brave. The leading actress's portrayal is emotionally draining, both for her and the viewer - but an absolute must-see if you loved the series. In fact, let's face it, a review of the film here is pointless, because you shouldn't be even considering watching the film if you haven't seen and remembered the series (preferably seen it recently), and if you've done that then you'll be a fan so will want to watch the film anyway. So I'll stop.As such, all you need to know is that this is a good production of the film. However, please note that it does not contain the 90 minutes additional material that the most recent box set does (Twin Peaks - The entire mystery). As such, I'd recommend that you get that instead (thus the docked star).

I found it one of Lynch's finest works and it is currently benefitting from a re-evaluation by critics.

Even if you already own the Region 2 version of Fire Walk With Me, it's worth obtaining a copy of the Region 1 version as well, if you have a DVD player that will play Region 1 DVDs.For two reasons: 1) On the US release there is a 30 minute feature not on the R2 version, catching up with the cast and crew from the series and the film, in 2000. 2) The US release has the option of subtitles throughout, which are essential for some scenes in the film where it's just not possible to understand the dialogue. I am not thinking of the Paradise Club scene, where subtitles are provided anyway, but the scene where the One Armed Man confronts Leland Palmer when he's driving with Laura and the scene where Laura meets up with James at the school early on in the movie.I hope one day there will be a release with all the deleted scenes I have heard so much about, particularly those featuring characters from the TV series that were cut from the final version of the film.

Prompt delivery. Great film

Normally I wouldn't give 5 stars to media that included incest and rape, but this certainly helped me make sense of the series. Dark and disturbing, this documentary sheds light on the perils of drug use amongst highly attractive teenage women. I'm on my second copy of it because my first one wore out. Although actually it didn't because it was accidentally stolen by a friend who I lent it to but I never asked for it back. In an unintentional act of revenge I did not return a set of cutlery he provided for a 54 mile sponsored walk we did together. But I did not let that detract from the overall viewing experience of fire walk with me. And maybe one day I'll get copy one back (which for reference had a different cover). I haven't even tried this copy yet. But please don't let that impact on your potential viewing experience of this masterpiece.