Mulholland Dr. (1999)

Mulholland Dr. Poster

Initially, "Mulholland Dr." was to mark David Lynch's return to television. It is a retooling of a script originally shot as a 94-minute pilot for a TV series (co-written with TV screenwriter Joyce Eliason) for the channel ABC, which had approved the script, but chose not even to air the pilot once it was done in 1999, despite Lynch's labours to cut the project to their liking. It was left in limbo until 18 month later French company Studio Canal Plus (also producer of 'The Straight Story') agreed to pay ABC $7 million for the pilot, and budget a few million more to turn the pilot into a two-hour, 27-minute movie. The cost of the film doubled to $14 million as sets had to be reconstructed and actors recalled.

Introduction
"Mulholland Dr". is a mental thriller movie launched in 2001, not 1999, that was directed by David Lynch. Built on complex and puzzling narrative series, the movie uncommonly switches between a non-linear format and the dream reality, which makes it among Lynch's most renowned and thought-provoking motion pictures.

Plot
The movie mainly focuses on two central characters, aiming actress Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) and amnesiac lady Rita (Laura Harring), who fulfill in a house in Los Angeles. Betty is positive and focused on finding success in Hollywood, juxtaposed with Rita, named after a Rita Hayworth poster, who has no recollection of her past after making it through an auto accident on Mulholland Drive.

Switching Realities
As the film progresses, the plot unfolds in confusing and somewhat disturbing methods. Betty helps Rita in attempting to reveal her identity where they discover numerous clues, mainly a large sum of money and a mysterious blue key in Rita's purse. They end up being more entangled in a dream-like sequence of neo-noir Hollywood where criminal offense distributes communicate with movie directors.

However, everything changes abruptly when they discover a small blue box that matches Rita's strange secret. Upon unlocking it, Betty vanishes, and an entire new truth unfolds. The happy and optimistic Betty we've known is then viewed as Diane Selwyn, an unsuccessful actress filled with jealousy against the successful movie actress Camilla Rhodes, who seems a real-life variation of the amnesiac Rita.

The Contrast in Characters
This narrative shift reveals Betty, represented as an ignorant but hopeful starlet who becomes a scorned fan filled with revenge towards Camilla in truth. On the other hand, Rita, who seems to be a victim of a harmful saga during Betty's dream, seems a successful however insensitive lady in reality who winds up hurting Betty deeply in love.

Final Sequences and Interpretation
Coming near the end, Lynch's storytelling gets back at more extreme and upsetting. Having problem with her career and ravaged by her unsuccessful love life, Diane employs a hit man to kill Camilla. Stricken with guilt, a series of troubling hallucinations afflict her. The sequence leads Diane to lose control of her awareness culminating in her devoting suicide.

Conclusion
Like much of Lynch's movies, "Mulholland Dr". deals few concrete answers. It is a surreal depiction of an unforgiving Hollywood sprinkled with symbolism and non-linear storytelling. The beauty of "Mulholland Dr". resides in the reality that it strongly encourages audiences to untangle the complex web of narrative themselves and leaves it open to specific analysis.

Top Cast

  • Justin Theroux (small)
    Justin Theroux
    Adam
  • Naomi Watts (small)
    Naomi Watts
    Betty / Diane Selwyn
  • Laura Harring (small)
    Laura Harring
    Rita
  • Ann Miller (small)
    Ann Miller
    Coco
  • Robert Forster (small)
    Robert Forster
    Detective McKnight
  • Brent Briscoe (small)
    Brent Briscoe
    Detective Domgaard
  • Scott Coffey (small)
    Scott Coffey
    Wilkins
  • Katharine Towne (small)
    Katharine Towne
    Cynthia
  • Dan Hedaya (small)
    Dan Hedaya
    Vincenzo Castigliane
  • Angelo Badalamenti (small)
    Angelo Badalamenti
    Luigi Castigliane
  • Chad Everett (small)
    Chad Everett
    Woody Katz