The Grandmother (1970)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

David Lynch

Writer:

David Lynch (writer)

Genre:

Short | Animation

Plot:

A young boy plants some strange seeds and they grow into a grandmother. Short, surreal, and David Lynch's third film. |

Plot Keywords:

Plant | Grandmother | David Lynch | Young Boy | Soil

Cast

Richard White	...	Boy
Dorothy McGinnis	...	Grandmother
Virginia Maitland	...	Mother
Robert Chadwick	...	Father

Directed by
David Lynch

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
David Lynch		writer

Produced by
David Lynch	....	producer

Original Music by
Tractor

Cinematography by
David Lynch

Sound Department
Robert Chadwick	....	sound effects
David Lynch	....	sound effects
Peggy Lynch	....	sound effects (as Margaret Lynch)
Alan Splet	....	sound editor
Alan Splet	....	sound effects
Alan Splet	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Doug Randall	....	still photographer: production stills

Animation Department
David Lynch	....	animator

Other crew
Peggy Lynch	....	script advisor (as Margaret Lynch)
C.K. Williams	....	script advisor

Production Companies

• American Film Institute (AFI)

Runtime:

34 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

UK:12

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

American Film Institute (AFI)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch (1997) (TV)

Interesting forerunner to Eraserhead

Long-time Lynch collaborator Jack Nance once said that watching The Grandmother was like spending half an hour in the electric chair. Mixing live action (both colour and black & white) with animation, along with a dark & unsettling soundscape created by Alan Splet (still Lynch's sound designer today, three decades later), the film is an intensely disturbing experience.

The Grandmother deals with the story of a boy, abused by his brutal, animal-like parents, who grows himself a kindly grandmother in the attic.

Although it does suffer from a certain 'student film' feeling, this half-hour short is a must-see for all fans of David Lynch, particularly those who admire the stark & surreal world of Eraserhead. One can definitely see the genesis of Lynch's next film within it.