Film Snail

Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive

7.8

Mulholland Drive

R·2001·147m

Summary

Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.

Cast

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts

Betty Elms / Diane Selwyn

Laura Harring

Laura Harring

Rita / Camilla Rhodes

Justin Theroux

Justin Theroux

Adam

Ann Miller

Ann Miller

Coco

Mark Pellegrino

Mark Pellegrino

Joe

Robert Forster

Robert Forster

Detective McKnight

Dan Hedaya

Dan Hedaya

Vincenzo Castigliane

Angelo Badalamenti

Angelo Badalamenti

Luigi Castigliane

Patrick Fischler

Patrick Fischler

Dan

Brent Briscoe

Brent Briscoe

Detective Domgaard

Michael Cooke

Michael Cooke

Herb

Monty Montgomery

Cowboy

Lee Grant

Lee Grant

Louise

James Karen

James Karen

Wally Brown

Chad Everett

Chad Everett

Jimmy Katz

Melissa George

Melissa George

Camilla Rhodes

Scott Coffey

Scott Coffey

Wilkins

Richard Green

Richard Green

The Magician

Rebekah Del Rio

Rebekah Del Rio

Rebekah Del Rio

Jeanne Bates

Jeanne Bates

Irene

Dan Birnbaum

Irene's Companion

Lori Heuring

Lori Heuring

Lorraine

Marcus Graham

Marcus Graham

Mr. Darby

Bonnie Aarons

Bonnie Aarons

Bum

Michael J. Anderson

Michael J. Anderson

Mr. Roque

Geno Silva

Geno Silva

Hotel Manager / Emcee

Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus

Gene

Vincent Castellanos

Vincent Castellanos

Ed

Wayne Grace

Wayne Grace

Bob Brooker

Rita Taggart

Rita Taggart

Linney James

Michele Hicks

Michele Hicks

Nicki

Lisa Lackey

Lisa Lackey

Carol

Tad Horino

Tad Horino

Taka

Missy Crider

Missy Crider

Waitress at Winkie’s

Kate Forster

Kate Forster

Martha Johnson

Tony Longo

Tony Longo

Kenny

Michael Fairman

Michael Fairman

Jason

Rena Riffel

Rena Riffel

Laney

Katharine Towne

Katharine Towne

Cynthia

Michael Des Barres

Michael Des Barres

Billy

Robert Katims

Robert Katims

Ray Hott

Randall Wulff

Limo Driver

Maya Bond

Aunt Ruth

Joseph Kearney

Roque's Manservant

Enrique Buelna

Back of Head Man

Richard Mead

Hairy-Armed Man

Daniel Rey

Valet Attendant

David Schroeder

David Schroeder

Robert Smith

Tom Morris

Espresso Man

Mo Gallini

Mo Gallini

Castigliane Limo Driver

Diane Nelson

Heavy-Set Woman

Charles Croughwell

Charles Croughwell

Vacuum Man

Michael D. Weatherred

Hank - Assistant Director

Lisa K. Ferguson

1st AC

William Ostrander

William Ostrander

2nd Assistant Director

Brian Beacock

Brian Beacock

Backup Singer #1

Blake Lindsley

Blake Lindsley

Backup Singer #2

Adrien Curry

Backup Singer #3

Tyrah M. Lindsey

Backup Singer #4

Johanna Stein

Johanna Stein

Woman in #12

Conte Candoli

Trumpet Player

Cori Glazer

Blue-Haired Lady

Lyssie Powell

Blond in Bed

Sean Everett

Sean Everett

Cab Driver at LAX

Kimberly Clever

Dancer

Joshua Collazo

Dancer

David Frutos

Dancer

Peter Loggins

Dancer

Theresa Salazar

Dancer

Thea Samuels

Dancer

Christian Thompson

Dancer

Crew

Director, Writer

David Lynch

Reviews

FilipeManuelNeto

FilipeManuelNeto

July 8, 2022

10

**Today, I finally understood this movie… and I was amazed by it.**

I think what happened to me was exactly the same as what happened to most people: when I saw this movie for the first time, years ago, I didn't understand a thing. That went on for a long time: whenever I saw this film, I ended up not understanding it. That ended today, when I saw it with a friend of mine, who also likes cinema and who told me _“you have to keep two things in mind: the first is the non-linear narrative, sometimes with very subtle changes; the second is that most of the film is not real life, it is a dream of the protagonist”_.

If there are films that are almost perfect, this one is close to it, although it is not easy to understand, and it is necessary to watch it five or six times to understand it well. I had already the experience that David Lynch's films are not easy... I had my first contact with the director a few years ago, with _Blue Velvet_, and I realized that he makes hermetic films, with implicit ideas and dreamlike suggestions, which often (almost always) escape our eyes. I like that: it's a challenging kind of cinema, which makes you think and moves you. It doesn't mean that I understand everything! And today, talking with my friend, I finally managed to understand this film better. Initially made in 1999 as a pilot episode for a TV series, it was made into a feature film after TV producers rejected the product. The very way Lynch took his failure and turned it into one of his biggest hits is remarkable, revealing his style and persistence.

The film is really good, and I believe that, by commenting on what I learned today, I am already helping those who want to see it and understand it. If we pay attention, it indicates the moments when the main character falls asleep (right at the beginning) and wakes up again. And I think I can still say, without revealing too much, that the party at the film director's house, very close to the end, is the key scene to understand more than half of the plot, which basically focuses on a young woman, who goes to Los Angeles with the dream of becoming rich and famous and fails in that desire, combining this frustration with a huge love heartbreak, and the loss of her own moral values ​​and innocence.

The cast is perfectly up to the challenges they're getting from the director, and it's amazing to see Naomi Watts here. This film truly symbolizes the start of her career, as she only did a few minor jobs, in Europe and the USA, until making this film. She is truly excellent, managing to capture all our sympathy and make us like her character. To a certain extent, I think the actress saw a lot of herself in the character she played: she also had a dream of succeeding in her career, and she also suffered to achieve it. Also, Laura Harring did very well and deserves praise for her work. Justin Theroux, who played director Adam Kesher, makes a welcome and solid contribution to the work of the actresses, even though this film is clearly dominated by them.

Technically, this is a film class at all levels. In addition to the brilliant direction, Lynch bets a lot on cinematography. Here, it is worth seeing how he uses the locations he chooses, the cityscapes, and some techniques such as zoom, close-up or blur, to convey messages to the audience about the characters' state of mind. He also makes good use of color, vibrant and beautiful, with the colors red and blue having a particularly important meaning for understanding the film. The film has some intense nude and sex scenes, and a very slow pace that is intentional. The settings are also very important: sometimes, the arrangement of props and the way the actors relate to them helps us to understand what we see, but this is really subtle, and you have to be attentive. Finally, a very special word for the hypnotic and almost unforgettable soundtrack, signed by Angelo Badalamenti, which is worth listening to, from the main leitmotif to the songs, happy and carefree, in the style of the 50s.

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$15,000,000.00

Revenue:

$20,289,986.00

Keywords

amnesia
loss of sense of reality
schizophrenia
nightmare
hitman
suppressed past
identity
key
detective
job interview
bisexuality
trauma
hallucination
surreal
surrealism
casting
hollywood
los angeles, california
car accident
audition
doppelgänger
criterion
neo-noir