The Lost Film David Lynch Spent Almost 40 Years Trying To Make

David Lynch as a man and creative force is impossible to describe, as he is an enigma wrapped in a cosmic brilliance that we can only pretend we are worthy enough to understand. The legend has left our mortal plane at the age of 78leaving a legacy of unique cinematic, television and storytelling achievements, even his “worst” film is better than the average filmmaker’s best. His 2007 film “David Lynch Cooks Quinoa” is one of the most fascinating works of short form filmmaking, and is legitimately just a video of the famous director doing exactly what the title says – cook quinoa. (For the record, her quinoa recipe is pretty damn good.)

He is a creative force so singular and unique that his work has helped us make sense of our own existence. His auteur perspective on the world around us was so different that we had to invent the term “Lynchian” before we could even dare try to wrap our heads around it. He inspired many other creative people and he alone is responsible for why so many of us fell in love with film, but there will never be anyone like him.

This is why it’s so strange to know that one of Lynch’s biggest passion projects never materialized despite 40 years of trying.

Following the success Lynch found with “Eraserhead” in 1977, he began developing a film called “Ronnie Rocket: or The Absurd Mystery of the Strange Forces of Existence.” He intended it to be his follow-up feature, but after he failed to secure funding, he shelved the project and instead pursued what would become another of his eventual classic, “The Elephant Man.” He picked it up again in the 1980s, but by then he felt it was never going to happen.

“Ronnie Rocket” is the story of a detective trying to gain access to a second dimension thanks to his ability to stand on one leg, although he is hindered on his journey by a strange field of rooms, a train, and a group of the the name of the “Donut Men” who use electricity as a weapon. Its title, however, is a reference to a small teenage person named Ronald d’Arte, who can only stay alive by being plugged into an electricity supply and has an affinity power over that electricity, the he uses it to make music or cause destruction. , calling himself Ronnie Rocket and making friends with a tap dancer named Electra-Cute. These two narrative threads take place in worlds that are separate yet connected in an unexpected way, a common theme in Lynch’s work. On paper, “Ronnie Rocket” sounds really absurd, but when you know it’s from the mind of David Lynch, it becomes completely solid.

Many of Lynch’s trademark motifs from across his filmography are present in the project, including the shattering of America’s ideal view of 1950s culture, characters with disabilities being portrayed in ways that most filmmakers lack the range to even try, and it would have been. his first film in colour, inspired by the work of Jacques Tati. Dexter Fletcher and Michael J. Anderson (who would later appear in “Twin Peaks”) was attached at various times in the title role, while Brad Dourif, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nance, Isabella Rossellini, Harry Dean Stanton, and Dean Stockwell were also being pursued for roles in the film. They would all eventually appear in various Lynch projects.

Unfortunately, most of the financiers interested in bringing it to life eventually filed for bankruptcy before the film could be made, including Dino De Laurentiis’ Entertainment Group and Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope. It remains one of the most famously discussed movies not made in cinema history.