"Twin Peaks" Pilot (1990)

Director:

David Lynch

Writers:

Mark Frost (written by) &
David Lynch (written by)

TV Series:

"Twin Peaks" (1990)

Original Air Date:

8 April 1990 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A Mystery That Holds Its Secret To The Very End

Plot:

An eccentric, mystical FBI agent arrives in the small Pacific Northwest town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a young high school girl.

Plot Keywords:

Agent | FBI | Murder | Investigation | One Armed Man

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Kyle MacLachlan	...	Special Agent Dale Cooper
Michael Ontkean	...	Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Mädchen Amick	...	Shelly Johnson (as Madchen Amick)
Dana Ashbrook	...	Bobby Briggs
Richard Beymer	...	Benjamin Horne
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Donna Hayward
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Audrey Horne
Warren Frost	...	Dr. Will Hayward
Peggy Lipton	...	Norma Jennings
James Marshall	...	James Hurley
Everett McGill	...	Big Ed Hurley
Jack Nance	...	Pete Martell
Ray Wise	...	Leland Palmer
Joan Chen	...	Jocelyn Packard
Piper Laurie	...	Katherine Martell

Runtime:

94 min | USA:113 min (video version) | 90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Norwegian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:15 | South Korea:18 | Spain:T | UK:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

North Bend, Washington, USA

Company:

Lynch Entertainment

Trivia:

Although Joan Chen assumed the role of Jocelyn "Josie" Packard, the character was originally written as an Italian woman named Giovanna Pasquialini Packard, with Isabella Rossellini slated for the role. This earlier version of the character appears in the first pilot script David Lynch and Mark Frost submitted to ABC. In this seminal draft, the series was entitled NORTHWEST PASSAGE.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the end of the pilot, Sarah Palmer wakes up from the sofa screaming due to her vision. In the mirror above the sofa, you can see a reflection of what appears to be Frank Silva (Bob). Silva may have been off camera as he was the "on-set dresser" for this episode. It is more likely that he was there to assist Grace Zabriskie with her performance by recreating the scene in her vision (UK version of pilot).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pete Martell: She's dead. Wrapped in plastic.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le son de Lynch (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Nightingale

Sheer Surrealist Perfection - Jaw dropping - Left me Breathless

Absolutely Brilliant.

This movie couldn't have been any better, although I will readily admit that this is not a film for everyone. The bizarre characters and inscrutable plot require great effort on the part of the viewer so if you grew up on MTV, you probably won't find yourself liking this - or most David Lynch movies for that matter. While I am a horror movie buff and have seen the traditional canon of all the "scary" movies the surreal images in the last quarter of this film made my jaw literally drop and left me breathless sitting there salivating on the couch. Not as overtly disturbing as Blue Velvet, not as incomprehensible as Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks is the perfect combination of fear, fun, and bafflement that will leave you stunned and begging for more. Stylistically, this reminded me a lot of another one of my favorites, the ever underestimated Donnie Darko.