"The Cowboy" is the puppet master
After several viewings of David Lynch's 2001 film MULLHOLLAND DRIVE I've
recently sort of stumbled on what I consider to be new approaches to solving the perplexing riddles looping through this 'Moebius Strip' of a story.
The main theory I would like to postulate is that Lynch, in a very clear reference/homage to his favourite film 'The Wizard Of Oz', transplants or
morphs so called 'real' characters from actual reality into Dreamworld/Sub
Concious cyphers or dopplegangers. Just as Dorothy does in Wizard of Oz.
This theory is well known in MD circles, however what many may not realise
is that I think Lynch applies and expands this narrative device much further
with his film.
I've named this narrative device "The Multiple Doppleganger Theory" and if
you apply it to the various plotlines and characters in the story, I believe a
coehesive and rational explanation/resolution can be found for all the seemingly indecipherable 'loose ends' this movie contains and which repeatedly frustrate many viewers.
For me I first applied the 'Doppleganger Theory' on 'The Cowboy' character
because he intrigued me the most and I felt that his signficance in the
overall story, in my view, has been underestimated and overlooked by other
MD theorists.
The Cowboy is portrayed in Diane's dream sequence as a very strange, ominous, 'behind the scenes', spine-chillingly creepy underworld figure.
We can ascertain from gathering various plotlines together and connecting the dots that he is actually a very powerful and controlling presence throughout the movie.
I would argue that he possesses ultimate and supreme power over all the stories' characters as a kind of 'Puppet Master' if you will - the almost unseen
power behind Hollywood.
Lynch almost literally spells it out how this character is the one pulling all the strings, particularly regarding the activities of various Mafia/Mobster 'Henchmen' appearing in the film.
He can quite easily be interpreted as being the prime figurehead or 'Boss' of the organised crime syndicate ruling over Hollywood - the 'Head Honcho' (I think that term is in itself another clever Lynchian pun/in joke) from his 'Corrale' high above, overlooking the city of L.A.
He is the one ordering 'hits' on various characters in the plot. He is the one
ordering the shutdown of a movie production. He is the one ordering the
recasting of the lead female part in his movie by basically threatening/bullying the director Adam Kesher. Make no mistake, David Lynch is indicating to us in no uncertain terms that this is one nasty, sinister, all-powerfull, creepy 'dude' (another pun).
I also think that Lynch is trying to tell us that as well as being the 'top crime
syndicate boss' he could also be a crooked or corrupt high-ranking law enforcement/authority/official - I suspect a "Sheriff" or U.S Marshall.
'Just think about it for one sec' (another pun/clue).
So if I apply my 'Multiple Doppleganger Theory (MDT) on the Cowboy character you get an interesting result to say the least.
So we have Cowboy and I have discovered that he has 2 other main
dopplegangers that I can find and which I think are fairly obvious, however
there could be others.
They are: Gene (The Pool Man) played by none other than country music's
'Achey Breakey Heart' cowboy popstar - Billy Ray Cyrus (I swear Lynch
loves laddlin' on the in jokes).
The other is Woody Katz - the creepy actor Diane performs the sexually
charged audition scene with. This character to my mind comes across as
being like a washed up 1950's and 60's 'Western'/Cowboy movie star.
Check out the slang he uses and the way he speaks - very Cowboyish I
think.
So what does it mean if we accept that these 3 separate characters appearing in Diane's dream are all basically permutations and versions of the one primary character- 'The Cowboy'? Well, we put all the scenes and
verbal dialogues and exchanges that occured with these 3 characters together to build a more complete rendering, description, profile, study of the single primary character. The result of this process is you get a more detailed
character outline, which includes in-depth information about that character's
particular 'back story', their role in the overall narrative arch and most importantly their relationship to Diane in reality not in the dreamstate.
I believe Lynch applies this doppleganger principle to nearly all the characters,
scenes and even objects portrayed in Diane's dream.
I have deduced by using this method that 'The Cowboy' with his 2 other dopplegangers as represented in the dream is symbolic of Diane's relationship with her Uncle in reality.
In other words I think that Diane's Uncle was her hometown sheriff who had
ultimate control and jurisdiction over his county/territory and was in league with the local organised crime group (Mafia). And he was also her sexual abuser when she was a girl.
He most likely ordered the execution/assasination of Diane's mother and extorted her father.
We can aslo glean from this information that Diane is indeed from the poor
'Deep South' of America most likely along the banks of the mighty Mississipi
River and not Deep River - Ontario, Canada in the North. This is one of many red herring's Lynch has thrown in to lead us off the path. Indeed, I believe
Diane has completely fabricated the story about her origins and past to bury and also escape from various elements in her bleak and dark upbringing.
However, some elements of truth always re-emerge from her back-story that cannot be repressed and so they reveal themselves in their true form during her unconscious dreamstate and finally in her devastating conscious reality.
Here are other doppleganger examples which you could extrapolate, piece together and find new meanings and conclusions:
Diane's Mother in reality = Blue Haired Lady in Box Seat = Crone Behind Winkie's = Rebekah Del Rio = Club Silencio = Inside of the Blue Box =
Rita = Camilla
Diane and Camilla in reality = Dan & Herb in Diner = Betty & Rita = The
2 Detectives.
Diane's father in reality = Adam Kesher = Mr Roque (midget)
Diane's father & mother = The Old Couple
Aunt Ruth in Reality = Betty's Agent = Louise Bonner (Psychic) Red Haired woman at Sierra Bonita = Jitterbug Dancer In opening Sequence = Coco
= Adam's Mom (Coco II)
I would like to flesh out in even greater detail my complete Mullholland Drive interpretation, including Diane's and her family's back story in a future thread.
But for now I'll leave you with a brief summation.
I think, in a nutshell, MD is really a sad tale about how Diane suffered terrible physical and emotional abuse as a child, being raised in a poor Southern neighborhood. She was caught in the crossfire of smalltown, inbred, hill-billie type family disputes, in-fighting, feuds, murder, incest, police corruption, mob/gangster brutality and domination amongst many others.
She fled from home at a young age to escape the horrors of her upbringing
too the gleaming, glittering land of Hollywood -the land where dreams are made and to forge a new life for herself like so many hopeful and aspiring starlets before her. Yet all she ever experienced there was abject failure, more abuse and utter disillusionment - a repeat performance of all the negative things that happened in her early life and which she had hoped to put far behind her.
Diane ends up becoming the very thing she was trying so desperately to
get away from - a vindictive, spiteful murderer.
Lynch ultimately presents us with a very sobering, bleak and hopless indictment on the notion of 'The American Dream' and the hypocracy
of Hollywood.
Sunset Blvd, the movie Lynch himself has cited as being very influential on
his work and which very closely parallels MD's story should read as the final epitaph for this cautionary tale about the nature of dreams and dreaming.
It reads: Sunset Boulevard - Boulevard of Broken Dreams!
