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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A Hilarious Work from Lynch, 13 September 2008
10/10
Author: Scars_Remain from United States

I've almost seen all of David Lynch's films. I've seen all of his feature films so now I'm working through the obscure stuff and short films. This is an awesome short film that was apparently an episode for a show that never even got off the ground. I'm glad it was made available in the Short Films of David Lynch DVD because I don't know if we'd be able to see it otherwise. It is much more comedic than much of anything Lynch has done in the past. It's almost slapstick comedy in a way. I love the characters. It's awesome how much is put into them in such a short amount of time. The actors and the story are great also. This is something every Lynch fan should see.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Simply hilarious (a must see), 23 December 2002
10/10
Author: enmussak (enmussak@yahoo.com) from Madison, WI USA

I'm usually intensely critical of comedy, but this is a real gem. I laughed all the way through it. The acting was perfectly idiosyncratic and quirky making for hilarious sequences. I had no idea Lynch had this in him. This short used enough good ideas for a feature length film. Lynch shows here that his talent is very diverse. Kudos, my fellow Madisonian. 10/10

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
An over-the-top treat!, 12 July 2002
Author: stephen_bounds (stephen_bounds@yahoo.com) from Phladelphia, PA

This 25 or so minute short film, now available as part of a collection titled "The Short Films of David Lynch," is a ridiculously funny dive into a kind of pure realm of cliché about some cowboys who encounter a wandering Frenchman, and the antics that ensue as they become acquainted. Stereotypes are served up relentlessly as if to demonstrate just how ridiculous they are, while at the same time a kind of light sweetness pervades. There's both a silly, vaudevillian surface humor, and a deeper dreamlike release - if you get the joke. David Lynch basically goes as far as anyone could go with the idea, without getting dark. Though fascinating, nothing on David Lynch's 'Short Films' compilation was too surprising - except this one. It's a real treat.

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"Two clichés!", 10 February 2006
Author: Polaris_DiB from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

More like three, you have to count the Indian.

Okay.

This film is hilarious. David Lynch, always having the serious work he does with the dirty, bizarre worlds and the disturbing, psychological characters, mixes it up a bit with The Cowboy and the Frenchman, a tale (that doesn't really make sense, as per his usual work) about a bunch of cowboys who find a Frenchman and befriend him. The culture clash is more than one can handle, what with the mix of music, stereotype ("Damn, what's that? Damn, what's that? Damn, what's that? Damn, what's that? Damn, what's that?"), and caricature.

In fact, the entire strength of this short rests on the moment the two underlings open up the Frenchman's case and start pulling out his "affairs", all of them stereotypical things Americans think the French are obsessed with but which are really just things they happen to have a lot of in their culture (the French equivalent would be opening up an American's suitcase and finding a pile of hamburgers and televisions).

Not to say the cowboys don't get their collection of satire, what with shooting random animals, being absolutely stupid, and never understanding anything.

It's piercingly funny, even if it is about five minutes too long and isn't really that much of a work of art as much as just a silly exposition.

--PolarisDiB

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Lynch's funniest film, almost without trying, 4 February 2006
Author: MisterWhiplash from United States

The Cowboy and the Frenchman, which is included among the lot of the director's short films (some from his days before Eraserhead and some he's done since Mulholland Drive), is so Lynchian if you've only seen one of his films- particularly Wild at Heart or Lost Highway- you could tell who made it. Though it doesn't make it any less strange, it also happens to be his funniest film, with the long takes long enough to capture the awkwardness of the cowboys with their 'captive' Frenchman, and an assortment of strung-together stereotypes. Anything clichéd about French people, or cowboys for that matter, is exploited to a very funny effect. In a way it's funny at times like a Jim Jarmusch film is, in pointing to the differences and lack of communication as something very human and interesting. It's not as 'artsy' as Eraserhead (though with a little nod to that film there are singing faces in the sky), and it takes its time to lead up to ridiculously no point. But it's shot in a very cool black and white film (or maybe video, who knows), some neat shots, and the added plus of the great character actor Harry Dean Stanton among the cast of nobody's (save for Lynch regular Jack Nance). If you can find it, likely among other Lynch shorts or online, it's worth a view. It's an absurd shot of American versus European versus Native American pathos, containing the most morbid though not-too-dreamlike moments of Lynch's films.

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Lynch's funniest short, 16 November 2002
Author: squidlike from Salt Lake

I recently had the opportunity to see all of David Lynch's short films (on a compilation entitled "The Short Films of David Lynch" narrated by the auteur himself, I love Lynch's art in any form I can get it.) The short films range from artsy to funny to sickening. The Cowboy and the Frenchman was certainly funny. If you liked On The Air, you'll love this film short. And if you get the opportunity to see the short films compilation, don't pass it up.

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short but sweet, 11 April 2002
Author: sagerae from Victoria, BC, Canada

This is the funniest thing that I have ever seen. Seriously. The absurdity of the entire thing is hilarious - I love Harry Dean Stanton's "What the hell?" that is repeated SO many times.

The plot: Cowboy meets Frenchman and they become quick friends. This film is one that everybody can appreciate.

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Classic Lynch, 21 November 2000
Author: Corndog101 from Hollyweird, CA

This movie should be used at film schools across the world as an example of the Art of Filmmaking. This Lynch original keeps with the consistency of his other amazing contributions to the world of Entertainment.

David Lynch is a gift to the vast world of story telling and will surely be looked up to by newer generations of entertainers and artists. The cast deserves a round of applause as well. Harry Dean-Stanton is a true professional. Even if you're not into Lynch styled movies, you will be highly entertained by this film.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Very Very Funny, 28 January 2003
Author: jbels from Chicago

This is a French tv show that David Lynch was commissioned to make and it is so funny. It is his take on American's perception of the French and all the cliches are thrown in. This is worth checking out just to see Harry Dean Stanton say "What the hell!" over and over again.

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