2022 Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time

Mr. Reindeer

White Lodge
Apr 13, 2022
737
1,667
Lynch has claimed The Return is a film, and production-wise, it was certainly made that way (they didn’t even know where the episode breaks would be until the editing phase). To me, it’s beautiful how it works as both a long film and as episodic TV depending on what perspective you take. Many Parts absolutely have their own individual feel when taken on their own, but the work undeniably has an overall unity. It’s a beautiful marriage of the two forms.
 

Jasper

Bureau HQ
TULPA MOD
Apr 12, 2022
237
847
It’s interesting how they wrote it as one huge script, suggesting that Frost was probably on board with The Return being one big thing. Lynch famously wouldn’t even refer to the installments as episodes, but insisted that they be called parts, as in parts of a film.

Not that this would be a good idea, but if we were to go in and remove not only the opening credits, but also (most of) the closing Roadhouse performances and randos, then edit everything else together, the feeling of The Return really being a massive film would likely be considerably accentuated.
 

Ickles

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
494
867
Lynch has claimed The Return is a film, and production-wise, it was certainly made that way (they didn’t even know where the episode breaks would be until the editing phase).
This, for me, is why I tend to think of it more as an 18 hour long film than a TV series. I've dabbled in both narrative feature film screenwriting and TV writing and they are very different in terms of execution and breaking out the story. TV seasons generally follow a specific arc/structure than films and The Return feels more structured like a long film to me. And as Jasper pointed out, they wrote it as one long script, not 18 broken out episodes. I don't really care what people call it themselves though. TV, film...at the end of the day it doesn't really matter beyond a label, I guess.
 

LateReg

Glastonbury Grove
Apr 12, 2022
139
376
I'm sure Mr. Reindeer can find this quote at the drop of a hat, but Duwayne Dunham was quite adamant that it was a film, based on the way it was made.

Edit: Here's what Dunham said, and I'm sure it's not all he said but for some reason it's all I have in my notes. But I know it revolved around the process of making the thing.

“It truly is a film and anybody who would even venture to say otherwise, they’re mistaken.”

But yes, I'd say it's both a film and a series.
 
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