Roger Ebert Fumble

External Since: Apr 06, 2004 Posts: 11

Hi all

This is my first post here, so please pardon if I'm addressing an
issue long since laid to rest.

Awhile back in the National Post here in Canada, Mr. E. asserted
that there was no definitive precis for Mulholland Drive, and not only
that, somewhat arrogantly (to my mind) warned us plebes not to even
*try*. Something about watching it with 12 million experts in Boulder
Colorado, none of whom could figure it out. They loved it, they just
couldn't figure it out. So they decided Mr Lynch makes films that,
while fun to watch, make no sense.
I beg to differ. MD is *airtight*, and not even non-linear. What do
you think of this:

Diane Selwyn goes to Hollywood, fails as an actress, and puts a hit
on her estranged lover. She then fails in her attempts to convince
herself that she is the victim. With the police knocking at her door,
and guilt knocking at her conscience, she blows her miserable brains
out. Pffft. That's all, folks.

Confusion results from the fact that the film begins with a dream and
segues into flashbacks which explain the dream. It is hinted that this
dream-flashback cycle has been going on for three weeks, during which
time our Diane subsists on nothing but coffee and agonizing. We join
her on her last day, her last attempt to "dream things different".
Remember the old couple at the airport and their wish to see Diane's
name on the big screen. They are the eternal tourists, we the
audience, happy to see someone succeed or fail, long as it makes for
an interesting story. And don't skimp on the gory details.

To me, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive are like two very similar,
exeedingly beautiful sort of abstract paintings. In the former you
have a man in an imposed prison trying to convince himself he "didn't
do it". In the latter, a woman in a self-imposed prison trying to
convince herself it "wasn't my fault".

Viewed in this simple way, all the wonderfully strange details make
perfect, airtight sense. The man in Winkies in the dream sees the face
of pure evil. In the flashback (reality), what does he see? Diane
plotting murder. It is Diane's dream; this is how she now sees
herself.

I'm going on here, but would just like to point out the interesting
fact that in Mulholland Drive we meet only two "real" people: Diane
and the neighbour she switches apartments with. Every other character
is seen only through Diane's dream or flashbacks.

Again, perhaps all of the above has already been long established in
this most excellent of newsgroups. If so, sorry bout that. Meanwhile I
sure am delighted to have finally found you folks! I'm also interested
in other interpretations, though I realise I'm coming off pretty cocky
self-assured in my own.

Cheers,
Mitch

External Since: Feb 01, 2004 Posts: 11

In article <64dddc3d.0404062027.5f0b0e42.DeleteThis@posting.google.com>,
mitchsperkins.DeleteThis@yahoo.com (mitch perkins) wrote:

> Awhile back in the National Post here in Canada, Mr. E. asserted
> that there was no definitive precis for Mulholland Drive, and not only
> that, somewhat arrogantly (to my mind) warned us plebes not to even
> *try*. Something about watching it with 12 million experts in Boulder
> Colorado, none of whom could figure it out. They loved it, they just
> couldn't figure it out. So they decided Mr Lynch makes films that,
> while fun to watch, make no sense.

Roger Ebert is an idiot.

And yes, Mitch, you are right - both Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive
are cinematic masterpieces that anyone with a modicum of insight, let
alone decades worth of "film criticism", should be able to understand.

Jeff