Dumbland DVD Review

Written by Daniel Hirshleifer

DVD released by Subversive Cinema

Written and directed by David Lynch
2002, Region 1 (NTSC), 33 minutes, Not rated
DVD released on May 28th, 2006

Starring:

David Lynch

Review:

When most people think of David Lynch, they probably think of severed ears and a girl wrapped in plastic. They probably don’t think about an internet-based flash animation called “Dumbland.” And yet, that is exactly what David Lynch made when he first opened his website. World-famous film director David Lynch sat down and personally animated eight cartoon shorts for inclusion on his website.

So what is Dumbland, anyway? Well, Dumbland, according to David Lynch, is “a crude, stupid, violent, and absurd series. If it is funny, it is funny because we see the absurdity of it all.” And when Lynch says it’s stupid, violent, and absurd, he means it. The animated shorts star a thickheaded piece of unnamed trailer trash (almost no characters in the series have names), who goes through life generally doing whatever the hell he wants, even if the consequences prove disastrous to himself.

An example: In the second episode, the man (voiced, as are all the characters in the series, by David Lynch) sees his wife on a treadmill. He can’t stand the noise she makes, so he throws her off and intends to destroy the treadmill. At first he stomps it, but it is running so quickly that he is blasted out of the house. He comes back with a sledgehammer and attempts to smash it, but it still knocks him out of the house. Next thing we know, the man is saying “OW OW OW OW” over and over. The camera pulls out, and we see why. The sledgehammer has wedged itself into his ass. He then removes it by farting it out.

This is pretty indicative of the series as a whole. The wife never speaks, she only screams pitifully, as if life with this man were simply more than any one woman can bear. Or, perhaps she’s meant to represent all women as hysterical good for nothings. His son looks like a half-aborted fetus, and he generally repeats himself over and over, even until his gums bleed. His neighbor has only one arm and sexually molests ducks. The man himself is the epitome of crudity, and there are more swear words than in any given scene of the HBO series "Deadwood."

Done by anyone else, this would be nothing but pure potty humor, funny only to drunken frat boys who happen to stumble across it while looking for cheap porn on the internet. But in David Lynch’s hands, the whole things becomes a symphony of absurdism. It’s like Frank Booth’s retarded redneck cousin got his own cartoon. Lynch deftly uses the animation medium to paint an absurd portrait that is often hinted at in his films, but rarely given the spotlight.

Lynch as an animator is crude, but then, that is the point. And, in fact, the drawings, while technically simple, are very evocative. Lynch knows exactly how much he has to show to give the impression of a person or an object. So while he puts in the minimum drawing, it still conveys everything he wants it to. Lynch also has, as is his stock in trade, excellent uses of long pauses and sound effects. A good portion of all the episodes involve periods where none of the characters are moving or talking, and all you hear are particular noises. To the average viewer, these sections might seem intolerable and unnecessary, but to a Lynch aficionado, they are easily recognizable in both intent and effect. However, the general content, mixed with Lynch’s particular style, may not sit well with a casual audience.

Video and Audio:

Dumbland was originally and internet flash animation, and all in black and white to boot, the picture quality doesn’t rise above its source. There’s no pixilation or anything, but obviously it’s not going to look as good as a major feature film. So while there are no major flaws, there’s nothing to shout about, either.

The sound is in stereo. However, as Lynch has shown before, he can make stereo sound very evocative. Every sound on the show is there for a reason, and it’s obvious. So while it isn’t a full-blown surround sound track, it’s still well-crafted and effective.

Special Features:

There are no extras.

Grades:
Movie:	– (The drawings are crude as crude can be, but there is more to it than meets the eye)
Video:	– (Internet source is obvious, but it’s not bad)
Audio:	– (Stereo only, but very well done)
Features:
Overall:

Conclusion:

Dumbland is crude, rude, stupid, and downright hilarious. Yes, it’s weird. The pacing is strange. The drawings are overly simple. The whole thing is bizarre. But it’s a direct outpouring of David Lynch’s ideas, without anyone else interpreting it for him. And that’s pretty rare. Longtime Lynch fans will find a small treasure trove of material in this DVD. But for anyone else, the nature of the material, combined with the short running time, would not make for a recommended purchase. David Lynch will always polarize viewers, but with Dumbland, he made something exclusively for his ardent fans. The fact that these cartoons first appeared in the for-pay members only section of his website should indicate the type of audience this DVD is geared towards. Lynch fans, rejoice! Everyone else, try borrowing it from your crazy Lynch fan friends.

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