Mulholland Dr. "codes"

Discussion of Mulholland Drive

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Asterisk
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Mulholland Dr. "codes"

Post by Asterisk »

Last night I watched Mulholland Dr. for only the second time. The first time was when it cam out at the cinema. This time I figured I'd watch it while at the same time paying some attention to the supposed "10 codes for unlocking the secrets of Mulholland Dr."

I don't know about anyone else, but it still made no sense to me!

I love Lynch, obviously, and I like Mulholland Dr., but I don't think it's his masterpiece. For my money, Lost Highway is considerably superior.

I feel I must be missing something... Can anyone shed any light?!
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Re: Mulholland Dr. "codes"

Post by Red Room »

Asterisk wrote:Last night I watched Mulholland Dr. for only the second time. The first time was when it cam out at the cinema. This time I figured I'd watch it while at the same time paying some attention to the supposed "10 codes for unlocking the secrets of Mulholland Dr."

I don't know about anyone else, but it still made no sense to me!

I love Lynch, obviously, and I like Mulholland Dr., but I don't think it's his masterpiece. For my money, Lost Highway is considerably superior.

I feel I must be missing something... Can anyone shed any light?!
There are many theories as to the true meaning of these 'clues', however a good place to start would be here: http://www.mulholland-drive.net/studies/10clues.htm

Things may start to fall into place in your mind after reading this...

Of course, as with most of Lynch's work, there will never be a definitive 'explanation' from David, so make of it what you will. But the unravelling is (for me) part of the fun.

BTW, I agree that Lost Highway is a masterpiece.
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Asterisk
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Post by Asterisk »

Thanks RedRoom. That made for some interesting reading.

I got that we were dealing with various time frames and dream states, and I absolutely think MD will grow on me. There are many great things about it.

With Lynch, nine times out of ten I am just as happy not overanalyzing as he is about not giving anything away!

I also found this page -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166924/faq -- to be quite useful.
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Post by sloclub »

When MD came out I read a great article in Sight and Sound that helped me figure out what is going on. Then an article in Wrapped In Plastic mag. I read the theories on the MD website cited above but there are so many that you may want to start out more slowly and work up.

For myself I sat and enjoyed MD 5 times without analyzing it too much before I decided to delve into it's mysteries. Well worth it.

And yes, Lost Highway is a masterpiece too! So are Blue Velvet and Wild At Heart.
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Post by bmiller »

Asterisk,

What following is a review of Mulholland Dr. from Amazon.com which I cut and pasted a long time ago because it seemed to encompassed most of what I believe about the movie and also because it so well written and to the point. I did not write this review although I really wished I had.


I must warn you though:

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD


MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD



MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD




"Don't listen to anyone who tells you that this movie is impossible to understand. That's not true. Difficult, yes...especially on first viewing, but there is method to David Lynch's madness and there is an explanation to be found for those willing to look.

"Mulholland Drive is a brilliantly structured film even though the structure is unconventional. Basically the first two hours play out as the dream of a very troubled young woman by the name of Diane Selwyn. In the final 30 minutes we are taken into Diane's reality. Mullholland Drive is a very disturbing portrait of the inner world of a woman about to commit suicide and we learn about her life and what led her to murder and suicide through the dream imagery of the first two hours.

"What confuses many people the first time they see Mulholland Drive is that David Lynch doesn't use the normal cinematic techniques to tip his audience off that they are watching a dream segment. In fact, the dream plays out in fairly conventional linear fashion while it is the reality portion of the film that plays out in non-linear form, jumping back and forth in time and introducing psychotic hallucinations as well. This further blurs the line between reality and fantasy in this film.

"Contrary to popular belief Mulholland Drive is actually very intricately plotted, although the narrative is not readily apparent on the first viewing. The dream portion is a mirror image of reality and it displays a reversed reflection of Diane's real world. A few examples: In the dream Rita exits the limousine and walks downhill; in reality Diane exits the limousine and walks uphill. In the dream Aunt Ruth is alive; in reality Aunt Ruth is dead. In the dream Adam Kesher's world is spinning out of control and he is losing everything; in reality Adam Kesher's world is very much in control and he has everything. In the dream the hitman is incompetent; in reality he turns out to be all too competent. In the dream Camilla is alive and Diane is dead; in reality Diane is alive and Camilla is dead.

"Betty is, of course, the idealized dream version of Diane. She's a prettier, more wholesome, and more talented version of Diane. However, Diane is not Betty in her dream as most people automatically assume...she's Rita.

"Mulholland Drive is a challenging and haunting film that I believe will only rise in stature as the years go by. David Lynch spoonfeeds nothing to his audience but challenges them to explore the nightmarish inner world of Diane Selwyn for themselves and reach their own interpretations and conclusions. There are great rewards for those willing to do so."
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Re: Mulholland Dr. "codes"

Post by thewoodstove »

I read that same post on amazon awhile back and it finally gelled everything for me.
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Post by Black Rose »

bmiller wrote: "Betty is, of course, the idealized dream version of Diane. She's a prettier, more wholesome, and more talented version of Diane. However, Diane is not Betty in her dream as most people automatically assume...she's Rita.
Again, I ask: Why is Diane Rita?
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