The French newspaper Le Figaro was based means again in 1826, making it the oldest newspaper in France. It took the paper till 1978, nonetheless, to launch its personal supplemental journal, handily referred to as Le Figaro Journal. The outlet would go on to courtroom controversy for its right-wing views and anti-immigration stance, and the truth that members of its editorial board belonged to a GRECE, a hard-right ethno-nationalist think-tank, not less than previous to 1980.
Nonetheless, to have fun its tenth anniversary in 1988, Le Figaro commissioned an formidable and unusual cultural arts experiment dubbed “The French as Seen by…” The journal invited a number of filmmakers to make quick movies concerning the tradition conflict between France and their native international locations. These shorts included “Pèlerinage à Agen” from Italy’s Luigi Comencini, “Proust Contre la Déchéance” from Poland’s Andrzej Wajda (director of “Ashes and Diamonds” and lots of different works), “Les Gaulois” from Germany’s venerable Werner Herzog (director of gonzo movies like “Aguirre, The Wrath of God”), and “Le Dernier Mot” from France’s own film school staple, Jean-Luc Godard.
Lastly, the undertaking’s U.S. consultant was David Lynch, who wrote and directed the 26-minute movie “The Cowboy and the Frenchman” starring Harry Dean Stanton because the Cowboy and Frederic Golchan because the Frenchman. The quick is placing in that it may be thought of Lynch’s solely Western, however it could additionally stand as one of many famed director’s solely straight-up comedies. Like a lot of Lynch’s work, nonetheless, it’s refreshingly off-center. The quick additionally stars notable American character actors Jack Nance (the star of “Eraserhead”), Tracey Walter, and Michael Horse, who would go on to look in Lynch’s TV present “Twin Peaks.”
The Cowboy and the Frenchman is David Lynch’s solely Western
“The Cowboy and the Frenchman” is a reasonably easy quick. Slim (Harry Dean Stanton) is standing round his ranch within the Wild West when two of his ranch fingers (Jack Nance and Tracey Walter) lasso an odd creature within the close by timber. The unusual creature is Pierre (Frederic Golchan). After some shouting and miscommunication, the cowboys uncover that Pierre would not converse English. Slim can be onerous of listening to, so there’s numerous shouting. They uncover that Pierre was operating away from an area Native American named Damaged Feather (Michael Horse).
Pierre, nonetheless, carries a basket filled with French treasures. He has a bottle of wine, a baguette, Gauloise cigarettes, mussels, a ripe hunk of Camembert cheese, a plate of pomme frites, and fashions of the Eiffel Tower. He additionally has some escargot on his individual. Someplace in there, Slim lastly figures out that Pierre is perhaps from France. They haven’t any issues with a French feller, nonetheless, and so they resolve to have a celebration. Beers are consumed, a Statue of Liberty is introduced, everybody sings “House on the Vary” earlier than exclaiming “Viva la France!”
Whereas the identify of the overarching undertaking for “The Cowboy and the Frenchman” was “The French as Seen by…,” Lynch appears to be commenting extra on Individuals than on the French. To the American cowboys in Lynch’s movie, the French are seen as a bundle of cliches, bizarre males in black berets who eat elongated loaves of bread and journey round with fashions of the Eiffel Tower. The cowboys are, as many Individuals is perhaps, largely unaware of worldwide affairs.
The Cowboy and the Frenchman is weirdly optimistic for David Lynch
Counter to Lynch’s common cinematic pursuits, there isn’t a darkness lurking on the coronary heart of the matter. There isn’t any alienation or inside American rot. Unlike in “Blue Velvet,” there are no bugs lurking just below the surface of the nation’s placid suburban entrance. Certainly, Slim appears genuinely excited to fulfill a French man, as soon as he lastly figures out that he is French. The cowboys are all ignorant, shouting hayseeds, however they might like to hunker down and have some beers with an amiable new pal. There isn’t any animosity by any means. It is a pleasant-feeling quick. Lynch’s comedic timing is a little bit unusual — no shock — be he’s by no means something lower than affable in “The Cowboy and the Frenchman,” a shock from the person who would go on to make “Misplaced Freeway.”
“The Cowboy and the Frenchman” got here throughout a large upswing in Lynch’s profession. He had turn out to be a essential darling for 1986’s “Blue Velvet.” In 1990, he would launch “Wild at Coronary heart,” and turn out to be a TV phenom that very same yr with the debut of “Twin Peaks.” Personally, Lynch was relationship “Blue Velvet” star Isabella Rossellini. It is no marvel Lynch was within the temper to make one thing so uncharacteristically optimistic; he was in an incredible place in his life.
Lynch arguably solely made one different comedy undertaking in his profession: the very, very short-lived sitcom “On the Air” which was canceled after three episodes. Given the obscurity of “The Cowboy and the Frenchman” and of “On the Air,” evidently audiences did not like Lynch when he was lighthearted.
