Any thoughts on the movie Mulholland Drive?

Question

I saw this movie yesterday, and I'm still discussing the themes, symbols, meaning, and truth behind the movie with my friend. It is a difficult movie to understand, especially when you watch it late at night like I did.

Answer 1

According to Freudian theory, the mind consists of three parts, the Id, the Ego, and the Superego, and the wishes and desires of the Id are made real in our dreams, at least to the extent that our Superego denies us when awake. Asleep, the Superego (represented by the woman in blue hair at the end of the movie) transforms these dreams from that which is denied to that which is permissible. Furthermore, bits and pieces of information from the waking life are taken, in a disorganized manner, to construct such a dream reality.

Under the Freudian interpretation, the first part of the film is a dream of the real Diane Selwyn, who in her dream has cast herself as the innocent and hopeful 'Betty Elms' and reconstructed her life, history, and persona into something like a Hollywood movie. This includes her ultimate "seduction" by the dark allure and hollow promises of stardom by Hollywood — a metaphoric seduction that is turned into a physical one in her dream. The second half of the film is then the bleak reality of Diane's actual life, a life where so many wishes and desires, both personal and professional, have fallen tragically short.

The pre-credit sequence is, in this scenario, Diane Selwyn lying in bed before committing suicide. The opening credits are the dream-like setup of Diane's alter ego Betty winning a dance competition (possibly Diane's own means for reaching Hollywood) but leading a more idyllic career than Diane. Betty and Rita encounter the deceased Diane late in the film, leading to the Club Silencio dream-like sequence to return the film to the real life of Diane, involving the blue keys. The core movie, beginning with the opening credits (the dance competition) and ending with The Cowboy saying "Wake up", is the dream that the real Diane sees just before dying of a self-inflicted gunwound, as reinforced by the man explaining his dream to his friend and dying after going to the back of the diner to see if "this" is all a dream.

It is also possible, however, that the entirety of the film is a non-linear account of the platonic tale of the `small town girl` coming to Hollywood and being corrupted by it, told through the form of several intertwining narratives involving multiple incarnations of the same personae. According to this interpretation, all of the film is equally `real` because it all ultimately tells one story, with the different narratives combining into a coherent whole. Added into the mix are several `unreal` or symbolic characters, who symbolize themes such as remote, behind-the-scenes power and perhaps even the Devil, as well as a healthy dose of aestheticization of the Los Angeles area and the southwestern U.S. in general. This interpretation would make Mulholland Drive very similar to another Lynch movie, Lost Highway.

The film contains structural and conceptual similarities to other films, including Jean-Luc Godard's Le Mépris (Contempt), in which the word Silencio is also uttered by the director at the film's end, Sunset Boulevard, Persona, Vertigo, and The Wizard of Oz, as well as the life and death of actor Bob Crane.

Answer 2

David Lynch it is said began making a T.V. Series with Mulholland Drive. But the T.V. Series was scrapped so he is said to have made the Movie with the footage he had worked on. Somehow they put together a Movie, but the Movie seems to be here there and every where as a result of being compiled into a Movie from a TV Show.

Answer 3

I think that the producers of this movie were stoned when they made Mulholland Drive. The whole movie is built around a dream from the woman because she died in the car accident. It is an absolute head trip.

Answer 4

now go watch "lost highway"

same themes, Identity and self, but I thought it was done a lot better....

Answer 5

Yes.