In a radical departure from the cheeky, if at times apocalyptic, fun of Back to the Future Part II last month, November's "Twin Peaks Cinema" hones in on the dark psychological and avant-garde experimental aspects of Twin Peaks. When I selected it based purely on the Turner Classic Movies description, I was completely unfamiliar with Belladonna of Sadness, an explicit Japanenese mytho-psychodrama anime from the early seventies. The film tells the tragic story of a young peasant woman in France who survives a traumatic gang rape at the lord's castle, and the subsequent demonic visitations of a phallic creature who may be her own Id or Satan himself, in order to become a witch with healing powers. Full of psychedelic imagery and music evoking both earlier and later productions like Faust, Yellow Submarine, End of Evangelion, and The Witch, the film's biggest tie-in to Twin Peaks turned out to be literary, evoking Laura's struggles with BOB on the pages of Jennifer Lynch's Secret Diary.
Although I use the witch theme to connect to the archive reading of my Devil's Bride review, elsewhere the podcast tackles some relatively lighter fare - Norma Jennings' fraught relationship with her stepfather and (step?)mother, as well as how Mark Frost's later books further complicate this dynamic. In the Twin Peaks Reflections location studies, Twin Peaks' golf course and the Red Diamond City Motel (although I forgot to include that enticing "city" in the recording!) provide dual lens through which to view Leland's troubled consciousness, a theme I explore more deeply in another of this month's podcasts - my episode 15 coverage for Lost in Twin Peaks, opened to all patrons on the thirtieth anniversary of its airing. Meanwhile, the spear's tip of that rewatch (for $5/month patrons) advances to episode 21, which includes reflections not just on the troubled midseason material but also random tangents such as the American public's reaction to the ongoing Gulf War, a German left-wing terrorist group's idiomatic influence, and an abandoned cop show starring Rowdy Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura. It's always fun to see where a particular episode leads us...
Podcast Line-Ups for...
Lost in Twin Peaks #22
INTRO
THE OPENING OF THE EPISODE
DIRECTOR/WRITER
PRODUCTION & TV CONTEXT
(when it aired, ratings, surrounding shows)
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
(#1 movie, Gulf War including TIME cover) - no media coverage this week
FAN RECEPTION
w/ Usenet quotes & PERSONAL RECEPTION
THE FEEL OF THE EPISODE
THE STRUCTURE OF THE EPISODE
(including "previously on" recap & top storyline)
SCENES ORGANIZED BY STORY
Horne family / Shelly, Bobby & Leo / James & Donna / Ed & Norma / Hank's enterprises / Josie & Harry / Drugs in Twin Peaks - DEA investigation / Josie, Eckhardt & Andrew / Lucy's pregnancy - Little Nicky / Windom Earle & Cooper's history / Bobby's new job / Mystery of the woods / Super Teen Nadine / Milford bride / James & Evelyn / Ben's crack-up
LOCATIONS
CHARACTERS
(introductions, first interactions, rankings, absences, returns)
COFFEE, PIE & DONUTS
(+ other food & smoking)
THE MYTHOLOGY / LODGE LORE
WHAT IS TWIN PEAKS?
WHO IS AGENT COOPER?
WHO IS LAURA PALMER?
READINGS FROM MY OTHER WORK
LOG LADY INTRO & NEXT TIME PREVIEW
SPOILER SECTION
(for future episodes)
CHARACTER/DIRECTOR MILESTONES & EPISODE RANK
MORE READING FROM MY OTHER WORK
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
INTRO
THE OPENING OF THE EPISODE
DIRECTOR/WRITER
PRODUCTION & TV CONTEXT
(when it aired, ratings, surrounding shows)
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
(#1 movie, Gulf War including TIME cover) - no media coverage this week
FAN RECEPTION
w/ Usenet quotes & PERSONAL RECEPTION
THE FEEL OF THE EPISODE
THE STRUCTURE OF THE EPISODE
(including "previously on" recap & top storyline)
SCENES ORGANIZED BY STORY
Horne family / Shelly, Bobby & Leo / James & Donna / Ed & Norma / Hank's enterprises / Josie & Harry / Drugs in Twin Peaks - DEA investigation / Josie, Eckhardt & Andrew / Lucy's pregnancy - Little Nicky / Windom Earle & Cooper's history / Bobby's new job / Mystery of the woods / Super Teen Nadine / Milford bride / James & Evelyn / Ben's crack-up
LOCATIONS
CHARACTERS
(introductions, first interactions, rankings, absences, returns)
COFFEE, PIE & DONUTS
(+ other food & smoking)
THE MYTHOLOGY / LODGE LORE
WHAT IS TWIN PEAKS?
WHO IS AGENT COOPER?
WHO IS LAURA PALMER?
READINGS FROM MY OTHER WORK
LOG LADY INTRO & NEXT TIME PREVIEW
SPOILER SECTION
(for future episodes)
CHARACTER/DIRECTOR MILESTONES & EPISODE RANK
MORE READING FROM MY OTHER WORK
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
Lost in the Movies #73
INTRO
MONTHLY UPDATE (recently published): post-election status update, public podcast on Training Day, Twin Peaks Unwrapped on episode 14, improved image quality on pages, revised Path through Journey Through Twin Peaks
MONTHLY UPDATE (behind the scenes): finished Mark Frost golf books
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Vivian, Ernie, Norma / Red Diamond City Motel, Golf course / Norma's mom as MT Wentz + The Final Dossier
TWIN PEAKS CINEMA: Belladonna of Sadness
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: The Devil's Bride
OUTRO
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