Wild At Heart DVD Review:

Sailor (Cage) and Lula’s (Dern) relationship was forged by love, an unbreakable bond that could never shatter. Even prison, the law and Lula’s obsessed mother Marietta Fortune (Ladd) can stop them from been together. Their love pushes Marietta over the edge however, as she begs Santos (Freeman) to place a hit on Sailor so she can get her baby back.

People either adore or despise David Lynch, there is no in-between and ‘Wild at Heart’ is another film that will split opinion.

Based on the novel by Barry Gifford, ‘Wild at Heart’ is populated with the strange and surreal characters you have come to expect from David Lynch but this is probably the most accessible and comprehensible movie to date. A homage to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and every road movie that had gone before, the film is about one simple thing, love.

Sailor and Lula’s love is unquestionable and the driving force behind the entire film. Whatever they come up against or forces that transpire to prise them apart, the bond just becomes stronger. Murder, jealousy, hate, fear and envy all rear their ugly heads, conspiring together to tear the lovers apart but even in Lynch’s bizarre, macabre and surreal vision of the world, Sailor and Lula are a constant beacon of hope.

Driving the film are the performances of Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as Sailor and Lula. Cage plays Sailor with an intentional hint of Elvis. With his snakeskin jacket and constantly lighting a cigarette, Sailor is cool even though he has no real redeemable features. It is Cage that makes you like him however, as it is drive his drive to be with Lula that makes the character a lot more acceptable. He also proves that he has a decent singing voice as he serenades Lula with the best the King has to offer. Laura Dern had already worked with David Lynch on ‘Blue Velvet’ but it was this role that really pushed her career upwards. As the lovelorned 20 year-old who had found her true love, Lula is a character that she really runs with and merges into. There is no doubt that she is totally committed to Sailor and it is the power of Dern’s performance makes this unquestionable.

Supporting the two main players is an excellent supporting cast. Almost stealing every scene she inhabits is Diane Ladd as Lula obsessed mother Marietta Fortune. She is the Wicked Witch of the movie, jealous of her daughter’s pure love and fearful that her own looks are starting to fade. As this is a David Lynch film, the character is over the top and slightly surreal but this just emphasises her obsession and the extremes she will go to split them up but it is made all the more prevalent when you take into account that Diane Ladd is Laura Dern’s mother. Willem Dafoe is also exceptional as the extremely grotesque Bobby Peru. Probably one of the vilest characters ever to grace the silver screen, Dafoe’s performance makes him instantly distasteful and downright repulsive, bringing the film to an almost disturbing level. There are also good performances from Harry Dean Stanton as the hapless Johnnie Farragut and J.E. Freeman as Santos.

‘Wild at Heart’ is David Lynch’s most accessible film but it still has all his usual hallmarks that drew fans to him in the first place. With excellent performances from Cage and Dern as Sailor and Lula and an exceptional supporting cast that throw themselves into their strange and surreal roles, this is a movie about the love of a young couple and their will to overcome everything. The only problem is that you will want a snakeskin jacket after watching it and that is wrong.

Star Rating = * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts soundtracks, the transfer is very good.

BONUS FEATURES

Love, death, Elvis and OZ: The Making of ‘Wild at Heart’ (29.37 mins)
Director David Lynch, novelist Barry Gifford, producer Steve Golin, director of photography Frederick Elmes, editor Dwayne Dunham and stars Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd, Crispin Glover, J.E. Freeman, Sheryl Lee and Grace Zabriskie reminisce about making ‘Wild at Heart’. The group reveal how they became involved with the picture and the love story between Lula and Sailor driving the script and the movie. With behind the scenes footage from the actual shoot and cast and crew discussing key scenes from the movie.

Dell’s Lunch Counter
A collection of mini featurettes entitled ‘The Good Witch’, ‘Wild at Heart and weird on top’, ‘Sailor and Lula get born’, ‘Lula’s Momma’, ‘The Red Pipe’, ‘Pigeons’, ‘Cannes’, ‘Not your head-head’ and ‘Snake Skin Leather Jacket’ with contributions from director David Lynch, novelist Barry Gifford, director of photography Frederick Elmes and stars Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd and Sheryl Lee.

Sailor and Lula Image Gallery (2.09 mins)
A montage of behind the scenes and publicity shots of Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as Sailor and Lula

Specific Spontaneity: Focus on David Lynch (7.01 mins)
Director of photography Frederick Elmes, casting director Johanna Ray, novelist Barry Gifford, producer Steve Golin, editor Dwayne Dunham and stars Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, J.E. Freeman and Sheryl Lee talk about working with David Lynch, revealing how he works and his career up to now.

David Lynch on DVD (2.44 mins)
The director talks about the process of bringing ‘Wild at Heart’ to DVD

Original EPK Featurette (6.54 mins)
Director David Lynch and stars Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini and Willem Dafoe take you behind the scenes of the making of ‘Wild at Heart’ in this original featurette from 1990.

TV Spots and Theatrical Trailer
Watch four TV adverts and the trailer that were used to promote the movie in 1990

OVERALL

The DVD release of ‘Wild at Heart’ is a package that Lynch fans should revel in. With new interviews and behind the scenes footage, the only thing missing is a commentary track, which is a real disappointment. This is still a good package however but it would have been amazing with a few more additions.



Jamie Kelwick