``The Straight Story'' A surrealist's challenges and achievements in worldly subjects

Creating images with a documentary touch that shows the actual journey

The most noteworthy aspect of this work is that it faithfully captures the actual route that Alvin traveled. It seems that the screenwriters, John and Mary, followed Alvin's journey in advance and actually experienced Alvin's journey.

When the filming began, they followed the route that Alvin actually took. The film begins filming in Lawrence, Iowa, and the film faithfully captures the long journey to Mount Zion, Wisconsin, where his brother Lyle lives. When Lynch himself visited the area for a preview of the shoot, he drove his car slowly at the same speed as a real lawnmower, experiencing with his own eyes and body the scenery and atmosphere that Alvin saw.

His strong commitment to location can be seen from the early stages of writing the script. Making a film with such fidelity and sincerity is probably an expression of David Lynch's will towards filmmaking.

Not only are the filming locations faithful, but most of the characters are also faithful to the true story. Apparently, there actually was a family that took Alvin to stay when their lawnmower broke down on a slope, so the scriptwriters interviewed that family, gathered as much material as possible, and did thorough research.

"The Straight Story" (c) 1999 STUDIOCANAL

The film's cinematographer was Freddie Francis, who worked with Lynch for the first time since `` Dune' ' (1984). The film is a lively shot of the rural areas of the American Midwest, and the lush green hills are captured in stunning visual beauty. No matter where you look, it looks like a painting, and it purifies your soul. His traditional and dignified photography techniques are truly the virtuosity of one of the world's leading photographers.

Furthermore, since most of the scenes were shot outdoors, the documentary-style colors that use plenty of natural light warm your heart. Above all, Richard Farnsworth's carefree performance makes the story even more convincing.

Richard, a famous stuntman turned actor, received high praise for his performance in this film and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. However, the year after its release, he committed suicide due to cancer. This work became his last work. At the time of filming this film, Richard was said to have been suffering from terminal cancer, but with his natural cowboy spirit, he continued to work until the end. This movie must have been a big journey for actor Richard Farnsworth to look back on his life.

<Reference>

"A filmmaker talks about himself: David Lynch Revised and Expanded Edition” (Film Art) Chris Rodley (author) / Akiko Hiroki, Junko Kikuchi (translator)

Text: Hayato Otsuki

Born in May 1993 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Writer, editor. He started his writing career in 2016 and currently contributes columns, movie reviews, etc. to various media. By reading the creator's Arrival from a bird's-eye view, we incisively analyze and explain the original intention of the work. His writing publications include "THE RIVER", "IGN Japan", and "Real Sound Movie Club". My specialty is action and fantasy.

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"The Straight Story"

Publisher: IVC

Price ¥3,800+tax