The Alphabet

1969
6.7| 0h4m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 13 February 1969 Released
Producted By: Pensylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A woman's dark and absurdist nightmare vision comprising a continuous recitation of the alphabet and bizarre living representations of each letter.

Genre

Animation, Horror

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Cast

Director

David Lynch

Production Companies

Pensylvania Academy of Fine Arts

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The Alphabet Audience Reviews

TeenzTen An action-packed slog
Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.
jordan mackenzie I'm a Lynch fan. Perhaps more an admirer of his art than his films. And I love most of his films. What I like most about his short films, particularly his early ones, is that the themes or ideas presented - although abstract - are singular. I adore MD for what it is to me... A collection of brilliant short stories which parallels never really added up. I've read some clever thesis on the subject and some even struck a chord. But for me, Lynch hits hardest when he's not tied to a specific plot or timescale. Alphabet and rabbits are a prime example. I never bothered reading theories on their meanings because they made sense to me right away.The one thing I'll say about Lynch is that he does not give any credit to his influences.
gavin6942 David Lynch's earliest work... a short film that somehow involves a girl (Peggy Lynch) and the alphabet, and what seems to be the most screwed-up nightmare anyone could ever possibly imagine. What inspires this sort of thing? I have no idea.The film has been called "avant garde", and I really can't think of a better classification. I'd say something a bit more vulgar, but I won't. One reviewer said this film is what should have been on the tape in "The Ring", and I think that's a fine suggestion. This could scare the pants off of many people.If you've seen Lynch's films, and I recommend pretty much all of them, you know he's capable of some messed-up imagery. I mean, the ear in "Blue Velvet"? Or all of "Lost Highway"? Crazy weird. But after you see this early work, you'll understand that Lynch has been weird for over forty years...
Tommy Nelson Many films, or books, or any form of media will challenge the mind and make you think in order to draw your own conclusions. What this short film feels like, is something that wasn't written with too much depth. The direction was what the time was spent on making this, not any kind of deep writing, and because of that, this short film suffers from a lack of any kind of coherent anything.A girl lays in bed and begins having nightmares about the alphabet. The beginning is live action, and the middle moves into animated territory where the letters are given birth to and nightmarishly appearing. The film ends with a weird upside down face, and the girl from the opening reciting the alphabet, only to then throw up blood. It's quite original, but at the same time, quite impossible to comprehend.The acting...well, there's one actress and she is fine. The direction is very atmospheric and creepy. The background is almost always black, and the constant chanting of the ABC's is both strange and eerie. The writing is what I question. Director David Lynch must have had something in mind for what this meant...no I don't think so. It really doesn't seem to mean anything. It's just a creepy short about an alphabetic nightmare that can really only be taken at face value. The deeper you dive into what this means, the less sense it makes. Let's just call it an experiment with animation and direction and leave it at that.This short is effectively scary, but missing the substance necessary to make a short that has some sort of meaning. Yet these disturbing images are still tattooed on my brain(?)...My rating: ** 1/2 out of ****. 4 mins.
Scars_Remain I'm making my way through all of Lynch's films so I figured I'd start with his early short films and I am very pleased with them. I really liked Six Men Getting Sick and this one was great too. I will be commenting on the rest of them as well. The Alphabet is very ambiguous and let's you come up with your explanation of what's going on and I think that is great. David Lynch is a genius in so many ways. I think it's wonderful seeing where my favorite filmmaker started out and very inspiring. I am still trying to figure how he pulled some of the stuff in this film off and wondering how I could do something like this myself. I will continue to enjoy Lynch and be amazed by his work. I hope you can as well!

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