Mullholland
Drive (2001)
Note:
It is impossible to fully discuss this film without
spoilers.
With "Mullholland Drive," David
Lynch continues to discuss the themes he expressed
in "Blue Velvet,"
"Twin Peaks"
and "Lost Highway." But this film is set in the netherworld
of Hollywood and many of Lynch's ideas fit very well
into this milieu.
Lynch has always explored existence as a dream. In
the "Twin Peaks" film, "Fire Walk with Me," a character
even says, "We live in a dream." When Betty, the main
character of "Mullholland Drive" comes to Hollywood,
she describes it as a "dream world." In this city, Lynch's
vision becomes more focused and more intense, perhaps
even more real.
The film concerns Betty, a fresh-faced kid who comes
to Hollywood to be discovered. She has a leg up because
her aunt is an established actress and is letting Betty
stay in her apartment while she is filming out of the
country. She has also set up some interviews for Betty.
But Betty's life takes an immediate and unexpected
turn when she meets an amnesiac whom is eventually called
Rita after an old movie poster for a film with Rita
Hayward. Rita has some deep, dark secrets that she cannot
seem to remember and with Betty she sets off on an odyssey
to discover who she is. What she begins to find is quite
dark and frightening.
Meanwhile, Lynch also explores the dark side of Hollywood
with the character of Adam, a young film director having
problems with the studio. The powers-that-be are insisting
that Adam cast a particular actress for the lead role
in his film. Adam resists at first but eventually capitulates.
This sounds like pretty standard fare but in the hands
of Lynch it becomes ethereal. The studio head, or at
least I think that's what he is, is played by Michael
Anderson, the "Man From Another Place" from "Twin Peaks."
Or to put it bluntly, the dancing midget from the dream
sequences in Lynch's former TV show. Here, however,
Lynch and crew construct a large, fake, seated body
for Anderson to stand behind, head balanced on fake
shoulders, so he looks like a full sized man. It's creepy
when you are initiated into the canon of Lynch.
So, here Lynch creates a world as corrupt and frighteningly
disturbing as his other film and TV realms. Here, Hollywood
is dark and jaded and full of conspiracy. Again, this
is what we expect from Hollywood. But Lynch, of course,
makes it all so Lynchian. For the first time, Lynch
is not exploring the darkness underneath the cheery
exterior of suburban America. Here, he explores the
dark side under the known jaded and dark side of Hollywood.
And in Lynch's hands it becomes even more creepy and
surreal.
Using Hollywood imagery that reflects a knowledge
of movie lore, Lynch creates unique and awesome characters
that remind one of his other character creations. In
the image of "Twin Peaks'" Log Lady is a veiled and
wrinkled oracle (played by Lee Grant) who appears on
Betty's doorstep to proclaim, "Something bad is happening.
Someone is in trouble." Here, this crazy woman seer
is simply an old former actress who everyone thinks
is a bit nutty. Meanwhile, the giant character from
"Peaks" is represented here by The Cowboy, a movie icon
if there ever was one, who tells hotshot director Adam
what to do in a secret meeting and then tells him, "If
you do right, you will see me one more time; if you
do not, you will see me two more times." Pure Lynch.
And as is always the case, there is a dreamer, such
as Colonel Briggs in "Peaks," who sees something in
a dream that he cannot quite comprehend. He explains
his dream to his partner and then they begin to enact
the dream to see what will happen. It's awesome good
fun for Lynch fans.
Finally, in a homage to Lynch's own "Lost Highway,"
"Mullholland Drive" takes on a deliciously freaky final
segment where reality distorts and we are exposed to
a world where the actress playing Betty now plays a
character named Diane. Without exposing too much of
the plot, and there is simply tons of stuff going on
here, Lynch seems to discuss the repetitive nature of
Hollywood. In his film, the fresh- faced young actress
evolves into a jaded star, a woman capable of putting
a contract out on her female lover. (There is a lot
of lesbianism here). Although this segment also seems
to act as flashback, it could conceivably mean to convey
the circular nature of fame in Hollywood, where innocents
are jaded by fame and the business. Future chronology
becomes flashback becomes reality becomes future...
a never ending cycle.
Lynch's world is a dream world turned into nightmare
where no one can be trusted, nothing is as it seems,
and everyone only wants from others. Again, these themes
are not necessarily new to Lynch. But by setting his
film in the dream world of Hollywood, Lynch has more
definite things to say. His film is a Lynchian take
on Hollywood and contains everything that such a notion
would seem to contain. It's fantastic, bizarre and delightfully
creepy. I giggled with glee at numerous Lynchian moments
in the film. There are tons of them.
Also, mention must be made of "Silencio," the netherworld
night club in Lynch's film. Echoing the room with red
drapes in "Peaks" (Cooper's dream world) as well as
the club where Dorothy works in "Blue Velvet," Silencio
is a performer's dream world where "everything is on
tape" (in other words, nothing is as it seems). When
Betty and Rita visit the club, they begin to watch performers,
such as a woman who sings Roy Orbison's "Crying" in
beautiful Spanish and then faints (or perhaps dies)
while the "tape" continues to play. Her beautiful performance
is rendered "fake" (nothing is as it seems) by this
revelation that she is lip-synching. While Betty and
Rita watch, they sob uncontrollably. The film ends with
one of the spectator at Silencio, an adorned, blue haired
lady, saying "Silencio" in a subtle yet twisted homage
to "Sunset Boulevard" that will give you goosebumps.
When Rita is first found, she has lots of cash in
her purse and an unusual key. Later, a box appears that
has a lock shaped obviously for the key. When Rita opens
the box, the world shifts and the alternate reality,
where Betty is Diane and Rita is Camilla, the lovers,
begins. The box seems to represent desire. As is the
typical Hollywood dream, a innocent with wide eyes appears
in Hollywood hoping for a big break. The box represents
that dream, or at least, when that dream becomes reality.
Here Lynch is suggesting that we be careful what we
wish for least it come true. In Lynch's world here,
as in the story of Jeffrey, in "Blue Velvet," wishing
for knowledge and opening ourselves to a darker world
is considered a dangerous game. The box represents this
too.
As for other symbolism, there is plenty, as is Lynch's
wont. Again, street signs represent our entrance into
a surreal world, a place we have never been before.
In "Blue Velvet," Jeffrey's aunt warns him not to go
near Jefferson street and soon after a street sign shows
us that Jeffrey, a good boy, has not heeded her warning.
The street sign allows us the knowledge that the characters
are entering new worlds, undiscovered countries. The
same device is used here without any aunt to warn us
of their consequence. Here, instead, the aunt has seemingly
invited her niece, Betty, into this strange new troubled
world without advice or guidance.
Meanwhile, as is the usual Lynchian devices, camera
angles of ordinary objects seem creepy as hell. Lynch
can make a typical graffiti covered pay phone seem extraordinary
and does so here. His lumbering dolly shots slowly move
us towards plot points and information. Lynch questions
us with his camera: "Are you sure you want to go here?
Are you sure you want to see this?" He gives us ample
opportunity to turn back. Like Jeffrey, we do not heed
the warning. Safe in our plush theater seats, we want
to enter this dream world and see the hideous nightmare
that it contains. Lynch knows we want to travel with
him on this journey. He trusts us. He moves his camera
slowly, building up delectable anticipation. It's remarkably
courageous of him to trust his audience so much. "Mullholland
Drive" is never boring to a Lynch fan.
As for the performers in this twisted nightmare realm,
there are plenty. In addition to Anderson, Dan Hedeya
makes for a creepy producer type character. Well known
names like Grant and the delightful Ann Miller also
make remarkable comebacks here. Miller is perfection.
Only Lynch rivals Tarantino in the ability to cast someone
who has sort of disappeared from Pop consciousness and
make them relevant and vital to film again. Lynch pays
homage to this symbiotic bond with the younger director
by having Robert Forster play a cop here as well. Other
well known names who hit the comeback trail here include
Chad Everett, who has an amazing scene with Naomi Watts
as Betty. Everett and Watts do a audition together that
will blow you away.
As for musicians turned actors, who usually populate
Lynch's worlds as well, Billy Ray Cyrus (that's right,
the "Boot Scootin' Boogie" guy) has an awesome albeit
small role as a lover that is hilarious and campy fun.
And Lynch's longtime associate Angelo Badalamenti, who
also does the score here with Lynch as well, plays a
small role too. As always, Music is integral to the
film.
Justin Theroux has his breakthrough role as Adam,
the hip director, in a character that may or may not
be a Kyle MacLachlan-esque representation of Lynch himself.
Laura Harring attempts with all her might to be a new
Lynch ingenue, opening her eyes as wide as possible
to represent any emotion she is asked to emote. In other
words, she's the new Lara Flynn Boyle. And finally,
notice must be given to Scott Coffey, a young actor
who is still looking for a big break. Coffey made a
short DV film and actually got Lynch to act in it last
year. He looks like a 25 year old Lynch and actually
played the great one's son in his short film. Coffey
is in "Mullholland Drive" for all of 2 minutes and has
exactly two lines.
I know the film boils down to this: If you love Lynch,
you will love "Mullholland Drive." But the question
is how will those uninitiated take to the film? I think
it is perhaps the most accessible Lynch in years. It
contains all of his quirky trademarks, yet because the
milieu is Hollywood, the themes of corruption and decadence
and dreamlike regret will be easily understood by many.
The only problem with "Mullholland Drive" for those
who don't love Lynch, is that it was originally conceived
as a TV series, which ABC rejected. It's easy to see
why they nixed the concept, Lynch is deliberately slow
and plodding, again setting up a mystery (such as the
death of Laura Palmer) and then writing slowly around
the puzzle. I like to think he imagines these set-ups
without knowing how he, or a co-conspirator, will find
a way out of them later on. Lynch gives Rita an unusual
blue key early in the film but if the series was ever
picked up, how long would it have taken for Lynch to
find the lock? Here, he wraps up the plot in 2 1/2 hours,
and quite successfully, but there are plenty of loose
ends on the road, in a way. Robert Forster's character
never appears after a brief moment in the beginning,
for example.
Lynch creates an awesome world that I would love to
visit again and again but will probably not have the
chance. His vision surely stands complete as is. His
disarming visions of a world out of control, a world
in flux, where dreams, alternate realities, soothsayers,
chronology, and deeply troubled people collide is like
the fascinating car wreck at the beginning of "Mullholland
Drive." That single collision leads us to amazing characters,
and a world that implodes under the heavy stress of
grief, regret and corruption.
Hollywood never seemed more surreal. Hollywood never
seemed more real.
Note:
Longtime Lynch associate Mary Sweeny edits the film.
Rebecca Del Toro sings the Spanish "Crying." A new
Lynch songs, "Sixteen Reasons," appears in the film
and is sung by Connie Stevens. Chris Issac, who appeared
in "Fire Walk with Me" and contributed "Wicked Game"
to "Wild at Heart's" soundtrack, also did some music
work for the film.
This Film Reviewed
from the 2001 Austin Film festival!
|
Report
Card
Script:
A+
Acting: A-
Cinematography\Lighting: A+
Special Effects\Make Up: A+
Music: A+
Final
Grade: A+
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