Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Warner Bros. Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

I was very happy to read from the chat that Warner Bros. plans on putting out Twin Peaks: FWWM on Blu-ray.

I really hope that they do a remix on the sound or at least include the original audio as the New Line audio mix was such a disappointment.

I also wonder if this will be the one to finally get those damn deleted scenes out once and for all...

Really? That's superb news. I pray that Warners Bros. do a Blade Runner like release and give us the ULTIMATE version of this. We now have the Goldbox for the series, that same treatment needs to be given to the film.

Great news! Hope they don't DNR it to death. For me FWWM is the pinnacle of the whole Twin Peaks saga. It's visually and emotionally stunning.
Would love to get Twin Peaks series in Blu aswell.

I think they were saying on another thread that the deleted scenes do exist but they are of lower quality. I also think I recall David Lynch saying he wanted to restore those scenes to the film proper (as a Director's cut) but that the studio didn't wanna pay for it.

I'd be shocked if this had any extra scenes, but I'm happy that this will be released just the same.

I had read not that Lynch wanted to put the scenes back into the film, but that he wanted to give them a better presentation than deleted scenes often get n DVDs. From what I understood, and maybe I misread, he wants to finish the sound design and color timing, etc., so they match the rest of the film in terms of technical quality, but that he had no intention of actually reincorporating them into the film.
Either way, I'd love to see them.

Josh Steinberg said:

I had read not that Lynch wanted to put the scenes back into the film, but that he wanted to give them a better presentation than deleted scenes often get n DVDs. From what I understood, and maybe I misread, he wants to finish the sound design and color timing, etc., so they match the rest of the film in terms of technical quality, but that he had no intention of actually reincorporating them into the film.
Either way, I'd love to see them.

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Da's kewl. I think you're right; that sounds more like what I read. Can't find the old thread. But I wish he would re-incorporate some missing footage. That movie, to me, always seemed like it needed a lot more breathing room.

David Lynch stated earlier that he was negotiating with MK2 (who have the rights) to get the deleted scenes on the dvd. But he thought the current economical crisis would stall things. Anyway, it's great Warner is working on this.

Ethan Riley said:

Da's kewl. I think you're right; that sounds more like what I read. Can't find the old thread. But I wish he would re-incorporate some missing footage. That movie, to me, always seemed like it needed a lot more breathing room.

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I just rewatched all of Twin Peaks earlier this year (both seasons and the film), and I agree that the movie is lacking. I wouldn't call it a terrible film, but I would say that, due to the subject matter (and how well the story is told), it's terribly unpleasant to watch. It has a few moments of levity, and some intrigue, but for the most part, the movie just gives a face to a story we're all familiar with. We know what's going to happen, and we know it's going to be terrible -- hard to "enjoy" that.
That's the movie's flaw, in my opinion, and there's really nothing that could have been done about. David Lynch decided to use the movie to tell a story that a lot of people weren't all that interested in seeing. I think I'd feel better about Fire Walk With Me if they had been able to make additional films, as originally intended. If it wasn't the last word on Twin Peaks, that is. Going from the series finale, which is already quite a few episodes removed from the Laura Palmer story, to the movie which spells out what we've already been told in gruesome fashion, was really jarring for me. That's why I find this to be such a difficult film to give a real review to -- I don't think it's fair to give a negative mark to the film because it's not the Twin Peaks story I wanted to get a feature of. I can't blame the film for not being what I would have wanted; to give it a negative review because I wished Lynch had concentrated on another part of the Twin Peaks saga isn't a good reason. It's a good reason for me not to like it as much, but not a good reason for me to trash the film itself.
It's also hard to discuss because a) I don't want to give away spoilers to those who haven't seen or finished the show yet, and b) it's still just hard to discuss. (Skip this paragraph if you're afraid of spoilers, I don't think there are any but just in case...) I don't have a problem with prequels in general; the idea of going back, in any series, before the point at which it began is almost always a fascinating concept. And I think about a movie like "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith", where I knew what the ending was going to be walking in, I just didn't know how it was going to happen or what the fates of the secondary characters would be. The fun in watching that movie came from knowing some heavy stuff was going to be going down and wanting to watch how it all played out. But it's a little bit different with Twin Peaks, because the series revealed all of those things. We know who killed Laura Palmer, and also when, where, how and why. We know the fates of the secondary characters (well, inasmuch as the Twin Peaks series allowed us to). In Star Wars, we knew Anakin was going to become Darth Vader, and I understand there were perhaps some earlier books or comics that delved into that origin, but if you had only ever seen the films (as was the case with me), we knew Anakin becomes Vader, but that's it. We didn't know exactly how, who did it to him and exactly why, etc., etc., so there was still some suspense. That's the difference between Twin Peaks and my Star Wars example. (And it was just an example off the top of my head, I am in no way suggesting that the two films are on the same level.) So to me it's almost like watching a baseball game taped from the night before where my team got pummeled, only I read about it in the paper instead of watching it, and now I'm going back just to actually see with my own eyes how badly the team lost. It's not a perfect analogy, but that's more or less where I'm at with this.
I've seen the movie maybe 4 or 5 times at this point, and I still don't know what I think about it. I'm grateful to have had one last glimpse into the world of Twin Peaks, but ultimately, it's not the glimpse I would have chosen.
That said, I would definitely consider purchasing a Blu-ray release of this title; and if it included the deleted scenes, I would definitely buy it, probably the moment it was released. The deleted scenes won't fix the problems I have with the film, but they would give us another visit into the world of Twin Peaks, and that can only be a good thing.

It seems like SO much was cut, maybe they can make a whole "alternate" movie.

I'd LOVE to see the deleted scenes as deleted scenes. The movie is certainly dark but I think re-incorporating most of the deleted scenes would just create weird little detours to characters that have nothing to do with the movie's main plot and take away from that story rather than lightening the movie's bleak mood.

I'm with Travis on this. I don't really want a new cut of the film itself. My interpretation of Fire Walk With Me is that it actually ends on a beautiful, poignant note - although it's a prequel, it brings a certain sense of closure to the series IMO.
My understanding is that Lynch wants to take all of the deleted scenes and edit them into a small movie, a kind-of footnote to Fire Walk With Me. That would be a dream come true for me, if it ever happened.

Dale MA said:

My understanding is that Lynch wants to take all of the deleted scenes and edit them into a small movie, a kind-of footnote to Fire Walk With Me. That would be a dream come true for me, if it ever happened.

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Would it ever! A few years ago I had put up a petition site to try and get the cut scenes released. I can't believe that almost 11,000 people signed it. (Proof that I'm not the only psycho that wants to see these things!)
Worldwide Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Deleted Scenes on DVD - Signatures
I wonder if Warner Bros. is aware of the demand and will try and make it happen this time around or if they would just re-issue the New Line transfer on Blu-ray. Does anyone know their track record on catalog New Line titles?
My hope is that it gets the Bladerunner treatment as it is a film that deserves it. It's real interesting as the production of FWWM has a similar troubled past with Sherilyn and Lara Flynn Boyle bowing out, Kyle MacLachlan bowing out at first then changing his mind right before principal photography, and then the whole story of getting booed at Cannes. It would make for a great documentary at the very least.

My understanding, unless DL has changed his position recently, is that he wants to properly mix and transfer/color-correct the deleted scenes to bring them up to the quality of the main feature - not to reincorporate them into the film.
I would look at the Inland Empire DVD as a possible template for what FWWM could look like on a DVD SE re-release/Blu: the deleted scenes run for well over an hour on IE, and are completed from a post-prod. standpoint. But they are a standalone experience, separate from the film.
As far as the success and popularity of FWWM, it's certainly had its share of detractors. For me, it's a wholly fascinating exploration of how evil penetrates a person (or a family). And the filmmaking is absolutely superb.

Felix Martinez said:

And the filmmaking is absolutely superb.

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You know, for all of my quibbles with the film (detailed in the far-too-long post above), I agree with you there 100%!

Josh Steinberg said:

I just rewatched all of Twin Peaks earlier this year (both seasons and the film), and I agree that the movie is lacking. I wouldn't call it a terrible film, but I would say that, due to the subject matter (and how well the story is told), it's terribly unpleasant to watch. It has a few moments of levity, and some intrigue, but for the most part, the movie just gives a face to a story we're all familiar with. We know what's going to happen, and we know it's going to be terrible -- hard to "enjoy" that.

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Your post almost entirely reflects my own feelings about this film. My first instinct for a movie follow-up to Twin Peaks would have been to continue the storyline on after the series finale. And I was kinda p.o'ed when I heard it would be a prequel instead. But I figured--well, if the prequel does well, then there will be another film later on, and they can continue the storyline [/i]then.[/i] And of course, the movie was pretty much a disaster, thus ending any hope of a conclusion to the series' storyline.
I also remember watch TP:FWWM in the theater and wondering when the hell they were going to get to the "good" stuff. I mean--why the hell was Keifer Sutherland there and why spend so much film on that uncooperative policeman, or the old waitress with the cigarette (note that the length of the cigarette does not match from shot to shot ? And the worst was early on in the movie when the sign language chick came on--and she was such an over-acting Cirque duSoleil-style bum that the audience was like wtf? These scenes, and stuff like David Bowie's screeching fit, characters disappearing into nothingness and more confused the crap out of the casual audience. I saw people in the audience looking at this thing with dismay. People were probably thinking that Lynch was a big kid playing with a big expensive toy. They thought he was coming across from the viewpoint that he could do no wrong. I think audiences tried to punish him for that perceived arrogance by staying away and recommending that their friends do so as well.
When the movie finally gets to Twin Peaks itself, things brighten up considerably. It was nice to see the tv cast up there on the big screen--even though some of them only had cameos. The 1/2 of the film that deals directly with Laura Palmer's final days is a pretty good film, but what came before just seemed lengthy and ultimately irrelevant to the Twin Peaks saga.

Ethan Riley said:

The 1/2 of the film that deals directly with Laura Palmer's final days is a pretty good film, but what came before just seemed lengthy and ultimately irrelevant to the Twin Peaks saga.

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I think I enjoy the first part of the film more because it's not tied into Laura Palmer's final days. Which is not to say that I think it's the better part of the film, but for me at least, it's a lot easier to watch. Every time I've seen it after my first viewing, the movie starts up and I think, "You know, this is better than I remember it, I'm really enjoying it" and then by the time it reaches its gruesome climax, I'm back to, "Oh, right, that's why this isn't the most fun thing in the history of the world to watch." The movie takes me to places I don't really want to go, just thinking about what's really going on, the violence against women, incest, rape, etc., and that's not the fault of the film, that's all on me, but it's just not a fun watch -- whereas I think most of the show is a fun watch, and that's the difference between the two.
For what it's worth, I'm not a big fan of Moira Kelly playing Donna in the film... just not a fan of the actress, so admittedly I'm biased. I think my feelings can be summed up best by something my roommate said to me upon seeing the film for the first time (after seeing the series for the first time): "Oh, is that supposed to be Donna?" Exactly.
It's somewhat ironic that Lynch didn't even want to solve the Laura Palmer murder on the show originally because the mystery was more fun than the answers, which I agree with, and then he goes on to make a film that not only solves the case but examines every detail of it.
But I don't want this to sound like I hate the film or think it's terrible - like I said, it's excellent filmmaking, just not the story I would have chosen to tell. The scenes in the Black Lodge, as well as the scenes "above the convenience store" with the Lodge inhabitants playing cards, the scene with the One-Armed Man confronting Leland in that traffic accident, the moment Laura realizes who Bob really is as she sees him exiting the house... there are some moments in that film that are just as riveting and affecting as anything in the series. And of course, at the very end, just the suggestion that the nightmare is over for Laura and that there's a better place for her....it's incredibly moving.
It's by no means terrible -- I just wish it wasn't the last word on the Twin Peaks universe.

Why didn't the real Donna do the film, anyhow?

Will_B said:

Why didn't the real Donna do the film, anyhow?

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I guess she thought she was getting too big for her britches and didn't want to play teenagers anymore. Typical...

Will_B said:

Why didn't the real Donna do the film, anyhow?

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Popular theory is that Lara Flynn Boyle was committed to Wayne's World at the time and had objections to the nude scenes.... however... having attended the annual Twin Peaks Festivals, the cast members that speak about it publicly say that it was due to a recent breakup with then boyfriend Kyle MacLachlan.