Lost Highway (1997)

Director:

David Lynch

Writers (WGA):

David Lynch (written by) &
Barry Gifford (written by)

Release Date:

21 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

After a bizarre encounter at a party, a jazz saxophonist is framed for the murder of his wife and sent to prison, where he inexplicably morphs into a young mechanic and begins leading a new life.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Videotape | Death | Jazz | Mechanic

Cast

Bill Pullman	...	Fred Madison
Patricia Arquette	...	Renee Madison / Alice Wakefield
John Roselius	...	Al
Louis Eppolito	...	Ed (as Lou Eppolito)
Jenna Maetlind	...	Party Girl
Michael Massee	...	Andy
Robert Blake	...	Mystery Man
Henry Rollins	...	Guard Henry
Michael Shamus Wiles	...	Guard Mike
Mink Stole	...	Forewoman (voice)
Leonard Termo	...	Judge (voice)
Ivory Ocean	...	Guard Ivory
Jack Kehler	...	Guard Johnny Mack
David Byrd	...	Doctor Smordin
Gene Ross	...	Warden Clements

Also Known As:

Lost Highway (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for bizarre violent and sexual content, and for strong language.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Italy:VM14 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Mexico:C | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Poland:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Amargosa Hotel & Opera House, Death Valley Junction, Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

October Films

Trivia:

Robert Blake told director David Lynch he was not going to give him a hard time about the script because Blake did not understand it. Blake also said he felt his character was the Devil.

Quotes:

Fred Madison: Dick Laurent is dead...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Human Traffic (1999)

Soundtrack:

This Magic Moment

Stunning.

Lighting. That's the thing I remembered most from the first time I saw this film. Amazing lighting. Certain directors, Lynch included, are able to tell the story using camera movement, what's seen/not seen. Lynch, however, has taken that a step further with the way he chooses to light his scenes - he sculpts his shots in a manner that seems almost more like a theatrical lighting designer's work. The use of shadows within the home, the stark colors that accompany certain scenes, even the car lighting in the titles - all of this is used to draw the audience's attention to a certain point, and all of it thrills. With the terse, "European art-film" dialogue style (at first the most distancing thing I found in Lynch's work, it is now one of my favorite elements), sharp sound work, a strong cast, and the marvelous, spiralling structure of the film only reinforcing it's strongest feature - its atmosphere - this is a work that will be discussed long after the credits fade. In my short 22 years, the best film I've seen, bar none.