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"Mulholland Drive" is a film that is hard to grasp and will be
hard to review with just one viewing of the film, but I will attempt to
write one. This is a film which I was disappointed in at first,
but as the film went on and then afterwards, was convinced that it is a
masterpiece of a film.
I won't spend much time writing about the plot, but will describe
briefly what the audience sees on the screen. As with most David
Lynch films, it's not the plot that matters anyway. The
story centers on the life of two women in Hollywood. Betty has
arrived with the hopes and dreams of becoming a famous actress.
Rita has just been involved with sinister characters in a car crash and
thru fate or luck, ends up at the home where Betty is staying.
Rita has lost her memory and so Betty and Rita embark on trying to solve
the mystery of who Rita is.
"Mulholland Drive" is not only a film noir, but also a
psychological mystery which puts one's brain at constant work to try to
figure out what is going on. The film is not linear, it circles
back between reality and imagination. What is real and what is a
figment of Betty's imagination? I believe the film has two
motives involved: one being a blistering indictment of how Hollywood
works and the other is how the allure of Hollywood and subsequent
shattering of hopes and dreams can cause a person to self-destruct.
I'm convinced that to understand this movie, one has to realize that
what appears to be true is really an imagined story, or like dreams
realized while one is laying on a bed...daydreaming .. And what
appears to be surreal and/or dreams or nightmares is really the truth.
There are many details or clues throughout the film to support this
theory, and the opening of a mysterious box with a blue key is, I
believe, the switch between imagination and reality. Characters
who on the outside appear to be nice and helpful are later used to
symbolize the backstabbing, manipulation, and dirty deeds that can only
happen in Hollywood.
As with all Lynch films, there are mysterious characters and wry humor.
But the intellectual play between reality and imagination is used to
extreme to reflect the film's motivation. Most reviews I have read
have criticized the final forty-five minutes as total surreal gibberish
which will leave the audience with a total mind blowing experience, not
knowing what has happened here. All I can say is that I have the
exact opposite viewpoint here... that the final forty-five minutes
explains and ties in what has been viewed prior to that point.
For those who like to use their brains while watching (and after
watching) a film will be engrossed and fascinated with "Mulholland
Drive". I am more anxious to view this film a second time
than I was the first time.
-- Mike
( 4 out of 4 pops )
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