[Thi Them]

In the review thread, I don't think I was clear of what I put in spoilers. I meant to say that the ending was for the most part reality, and the first half or so was a dream. This is probably obvious, but the audience I saw it with didn't seem to get it (wrong type of movie to watch with a college audience ).

What did you guys think of the Cowboy character? It seemed to me like he was the only person who existed in both worlds.

One thing I don't understand was the first scene with hitman where he has some trouble after finishing his job.

~T

[Tony Mirra]

This movie has several characters that function like the Mystery Man in Lost Highway. The Cowboy, the scary guy behind the dumpster, the old couple at the airport, and I think even Coco are all somewhat supernatural characters who can ride between the different layers, breaking them apart to prevent Diane/Betty from sustaining her fantasy. Like the MM, they may be aspects of her subconscious given corporeal form.

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[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Mulholland Drive". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "Mulholland Drive" should be posted to this thread .

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

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Peter Staddon: "I didn't say you can put 'Monkeybone' back!"

[Edited last by Robert Crawford on October 11, 2001 at 05:12 PM]

[Thi Them]

Tony, the only Lynch works I've seen are The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet, The Straight Story, and Twin Peaks.

Yeah, I got the idea that Diane's fantasy was falling apart. When she receives the blue key at the end, she can no longer fantasize since Rita/Camille is dead, so she kills herself to end it all--silencio.

I'm going to try to watch again tomorrow when it opens. The lesbian scenes will be worth the ticket price alone.

~T

[Thi Them]

The Cowboy said he would appear once if the director picked Camille and twice if he didn't. During the party at the end when the director is with the real Camille, he appears in the background. Now if I remember correctly, didn't he appear twice next to the door of the room with the corpse? If this is true, then the reason for this is because Camille is dead and the director can no longer pick her. Right?

~T

[Ken_Pro]

Thi, you can say you thought the first half was a dream, but don't say that it WAS a dream. There's more than one interpretation.

I for one can't believe that someone like David Lynch would be that hackneyed -- that he'd pass off 100 minutes of film as nothing but one character's daydream. I think the movie's more complex than that.

Besides, how can it all be Diane's dream if she isn't in all of the scenes? Are you saying that it's one big collective dream of several characters? I'd buy that before thinking it's all in Diane's head.

[Thi Them]

Ken, you're entitled to your interpretation, as well as I am to mine. I've found that many people forget to use words/phrases such as "I think" or "In my opinion," and that many posts (especially with a topic dealing with different interpretations), should be read with some degree that the writer is stating his/her opinion.

I'd like to read your interpretation of the first half or so. I would still describe it as a dream, a complex one. I don't think Betty has to appear in all those scenes in order for it to be Diane's dream. I know that when I dream or daydream, I don't always see myself in there.

~T

[Mark Pfeiffer]

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced this is the best film I've seen this year.

I'm not too concerned with trying to figure it all out. In some ways, I think it's more enjoyable if you don't.

The general sense I made of it was this:
--Betty (the blonde) came to Hollywood with big dreams. She became friends with Rita, another struggling actress.
--Rita (or whatever name you want to give her) caught a bigger break first. Betty becomes jealous.
--Betty hires a man to kill Rita so she can take her place.
--Rita either escapes being killed because of a car crash or Rita is killed. (The conflicting scenes lead me to believe that Betty feels guilty over Rita's death or fear of being discovered because Rita escaped.)
--Betty commits suicide.

Certainly there's so much going on in this film that it is impossible to comprehend it fully in one viewing.

Some other thoughts...
--I think Lynch is saying at one point that the quickest route to fame is to be young and pretty and die tragically.
--I sort of took the director as a stand-in for Lynch.
--I think that the older people are Betty's parents or grandparents. (Don't we see them with her in those shots in which she has one some kind of award?)

Anyone want to bet this film is one of the more polarizing films here at HTF when it goes wider?

[Matt_Stevens]

Will I like this movie?

I loved Twin Peaks, I liked Dune, Straight Story and Elephant Man.

I disliked Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart with a passion. I hated Fire Walk With Me.

So where does Drive fit into the game plan and should I risk it?

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www.deceptions.net/superman

[Tony Mirra]

I agree with Mark on his points. I think this is the best movie I've seent this year, and it is definitely my favorite Lynch film.

I think that everything that happens in the first 3/4 of the movie is not real and either is some kind of altered reality or a delusion formed by Diane/Betty after she experiences a schizoid episode similar to what happened to Fred in Lost Highway. Betty does not exist; Betty is really Diane. Rita does not exist; Rita is really Camilla.

This involves many layers:
Layer #1, Reality (what we see right after the key is put into the blue box): Diane is a failed actress. She came to LA with big dreams of breaking into the movies, but couldn't succeed at it. She was probably working as a waitress at Denny's. Somewhere along the line she started a relationship with another woman and they moved in together.

Diane had a big movie audition but lost the part to Camilla, who was much more glamorous and talented. Camilla feels sorry for Diane and convinces the director to cast her in a bit part, but Diane feels as though she has been condescended