I first saw NIGHT ORCHID at the New Orleans Film Festival where I had the good fortune to meet the director and some of the cast, including my favorite performer in the movie, Mary Ellen O'Brien, who plays an unforgettably quirky landlady June Mabel. The movie won Best First Feature by a Louisiana artist at the festival.
To be fair, director Mark Atkins acknowledges a debt to Lynch in his feature commentary, which is informative and lively. Various other cast members beam into the commentary via tapes they sent, which is a blessing in disguise since the individual timbre of their recordings helps sort them out. Aside from the commentary there are some token deleted scenes, but these are not extensive.
On a technical level the disc is well-done, though there are a couple of curious drop-outs in the soundtrack during one scene. Since it is music rather than dialogue, nothing informative is lost, but the effect is jolting at first.
If this sort of film is your cup of tea, I wouldn't hesitate to add it to your collection. I was rather surprised to be its first reviewer and made a point to put in my two cents in hopes of winning it a wider audience. 'Night Orchid' is wants to connect with you.
