Mulholland Dr. (2001)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

David Lynch

Writer (WGA):

David Lynch (written by)

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (Canada)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A Love Story In The City Of Dreams

Plot:

After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesic, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.

Plot Keywords:

Amnesia | Car Crash | Conspiracy | California | Car Accident

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 33 wins & 30 nominations

Cast

Naomi Watts	...	Betty Elms / Diane Selwyn
Laura Harring	...	Rita (as Laura Elena Harring)
Ann Miller	...	Catherine 'Coco' Lenoix
Dan Hedaya	...	Vincenzo Castigliane
Justin Theroux	...	Adam Kesher
Brent Briscoe	...	Detective Neal Domgaard
Robert Forster	...	Detective Harry McKnight
Katharine Towne	...	Cynthia Jenzen
Lee Grant	...	Louise Bonner
Scott Coffey	...	Wilkins
Billy Ray Cyrus	...	Gene
Chad Everett	...	Jimmy Katz
Rita Taggart	...	Linney James
James Karen	...	Wally Brown
Lori Heuring	...	Lorraine Kesher

Also Known As:

Mulholland Drive (France) (UK) (USA) (closing credits title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some strong sexuality.

Runtime:

147 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:R21 (cut) | Iceland:16 | Italy:T | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Israel:16 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #37982)

Filming Locations:

7400 West Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Les Films Alain Sarde

Trivia:

The set of reels that was distributed to the movie theaters included a computer written, photocopied note from David Lynch himself giving special instructions to the projectionists worldwide. Specifically, he didn't want the movie to be centered vertically on the screen but rather to "allow more overhead" as the term in projectionist's slang, that is to let the top part of the frame be more visible than the bottom part. This is because the film was originally made for TV, with an aspect ratio of 1:1,78 (or 16:9) in mind - without the projectionists' manual correction, the aspect ratio of the theatrical release (1:1,85) would have resulted in heads being cut of at the top of the silver screen. Lynch also asked to raise the volume of the theater's sound system by 2 decibel when the film was playing. The note ended with the words "Your friend, David Lynch".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the shot of the dark colored car with the two men in suits driving by the apartment complex right before Betty Elms leaves for her audition (1:13:23), for a moment the top of the camera is reflected in the bottom part of the car's rear window.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Rita: What are you doing? We don't stop here.

Movie Connections:

References Sylvia (1965)

Soundtrack:

I've Told Every Little Star

Possibly Lynch's best; brilliant, enigmatic, and masterfully filmed

Originally filmed in 1999 as a TV pilot, "Mulholland Dr." was rejected. The next year, David Lynch received money to film new scenes to make the movie suitable to be shown in theaters. He did so - and created one of the greatest, most bizarre and nightmarish films ever made.

The film really doesn't have main characters, but if there were main characters, they would be Betty (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Elena Harring). Betty is a perky blonde who's staying in her aunt's apartment while she auditions for parts in movies. She finds Rita in her aunt's apartment and decides to help her. You see, Rita's lost her memory. She has no clue who she is. She takes her name, Rita, from a "Gilda" poster in the bathroom. So the two set out to discover who Rita really is.

David Lynch has been known for making some weird movies, but this film is the definition of weird. It's bizarre, nightmarish, and absolute indescribable. It's like a dream captured on film. By the 100-minute point, the film has become extremely confusing - but if you've been watching closely, it will make perfect sense. Having watched the movie and then read an article on the Internet pointing out things in the film, I now understand the movie completely.

The acting is very good. Watts is terrific. Justin Theroux is very good as a Hollywood director facing problems with the local mob. The music is excellent. Angelo Badalamenti delivers one of his finest scores. And the directing - hah! David Lynch is as masterful a filmmaker as ever there was.

Is this your type of film? Well, that depends. You should probably view more of Lynch's work before watching this movie. You'll need to be patient with the film, and probably watch it a second time to pick up the many clues Lynch has left throughout the movie. For Lynch fans, this is a dream come true.

"Mulholland Dr." is a masterpiece. It's brilliant, enigmatic, and masterfully filmed. I love it.