The seeds of David Lynch’s film career started germinating during his time at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia where the painter created a series of animated shorts. He eventually used them to apply for a filmmaking grant with the AFI. His projects won him wider admiration, he relocated to Los Angeles, wrote a script for an adultery/madness tale called Gardenback — which Lynch felt like he quickly lost creative control of once an interested producer at Fox asked him to expand upon it more realistically — and started developing Eraserhead .
The script was around 20 pages long, and the shoot was schedule for a few weeks, but the haunting film took several years to complete — mainly due to budget restrictions. We first spotted some fascinating behind the scenes photos from the set of Eraserhead at This Must Be the Place, featuring the director (along with his long locks and signature cup of coffee), Jack Nance (and his electrifying coiffure), and everything in-between. Check out several amazing snapshots from one of cinema’s strangest and most beautifully surreal movies past the break.
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch
Image credit: David Lynch