Northwest Passage: A Twin Peaks Fanedit

I must admit, I was at first sceptical of this fan edit. I did not believe that anyone could sift through all of the disparate elements of the TV series and bring enough of the relevant parts together to form a sensible whole. But the edit is surprising in its conciseness and simplicity. It really does adhere to the main plot line while retaining many of the “Lynch-isms” that made the original series so unique. For one thing the entire edit radiates with that warm golden-hued glow and slightly “upped” contrast, which made the series so identifiable to the viewer when it graced our TV screens all those years ago.

My only criticisms are that the contrast on the edit seems to go a bit too high at times, making the characters seem less like radiant beings and more like strange aliens. I can only conclude that there was a slight bug or incorrect setting in the editing software. There are also a few consistency problems that could leave a viewer perplexed if unfamiliar with the original series, e.g. a hair style appears to change rapidly between scenes and a bump on the head goes completely unexplained! I also feel that the conlusion is a bit too rapid while the final giant/dwarf dream sequences could have been cut back considerably. But these problems are trivial and minor.

I am sure a lot of Lynch purists will argue that the edit is more like a typical Sherlock Holmes style of detective yarn whose plot conforms to deductive reasoning and logic, rather than a convoluted, multi-layered, and unforgivingly complex Lynchian drama.

Lynch wanted to create a relatively affluent close-knit town on the fringes of wilderness that had secrets upon secrets lurking beneath the superficial beauty and austerity. The use of a timber town was very apt, as the viewer never knew what strange character or plot line was going to literally crawl out of the woodwork next! He intended that only one line of multi-layered secrets would lead to the discovery of Laura Palmer’s killer, yet that line of secrets would be interwoven with other secrets from small town life, many of which were red herrings and dead ends. The resulting confusion would create in the viewer and town’s folk alike a sense of tension, uneasiness, insecurity and uncertainty. Afterall, this was a community that preferred to appear safe, warm and secure on the surface while basking in the quaintness of its pet quirks. Lynch wanted to make sure that the secrets were very difficult to uncover and even more difficult to extricate from the shadows. The secrets are not always revealed in sequence either, but become intermixed, entangled and therefore confusing.

Yet the edit tends to reveal the secrets one after the other until only one logical conclusion can be reached. Some audiences may prefer this approach of simple deductive crime solving without the seemingly weird and endless “soap operas” played out by minor characters in multiple sub-plots. Lynch enthusiasts however will prefer the constant intrigue, dead ends and red herrings of the original series, which did not give up its secrets easily, nor in sequence, and nor with the intention that audience expectations should be entirely filled or satisfied. Lynch wanted to leave his audiences questioning and feeling a bit uneasy.

So from this point of view the edit fails to remain true to the Lynch ideal, but in terms of it being a strict edit that harkens back to the stock standard detective genre, this edit will fit their expectations quite comfortably. It retains just enough Lynchisms to remain true to the “feel” of the original.

It’s not available yet. How can I get it? Thanks.

http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/8068422/Northwest_Passage__A_Twin_Peaks_Fanedit_720p