David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. is a film so tightly wound in
mystery, that some shots, moments, or hell, entire characters, are bound to be
ignored. Upon rewatching the film recently, I was struck by 13 specific things
that never seem to gain much attention from viewers. I hope you enjoy my
thoughts on Lynch’s beautiful dark twisted masterpiece, and be sure to tell me your favorite overlooked moments from the movie!
How stylized the title card road sign is.
How the other racing car doesn’t stop in the beginning. I
mean seriously, what a bunch of assholes.
Robert Forster. Four lines. One stare. Perfection.
Naomi Watts’ very overt, very purposeful overacting in the
beginning of the film.
The look of total adulation and satisfaction on the faces of
the old people. That knee slap… fucking perfect. THAT’s how happy, old people
act.
Justin Theroux blowing a smoke ring as he prepares to watch
Camilla Rhodes’ audition.
The fact that Betty leaves the best career opportunity of
her life to help solve a mystery that has nothing to do with her. Girl’s got priorities.
How much this shot evokes Bergman’s Persona.
How overexposed the entire film is, but particularly its
night scenes.
The long, jittery, handheld push-in shot of Betty and Rita
entering Silencio.
The very blurry soft focus, pulled sharply to hard focus as
Diane furiously masturbates.
How Justin Theroux holds out his arms when the two women
arrive at his home. A simple gesture that says so many different things.
The fact that this is easily the most complicated scene in
the entire film. Where is Aunt Ruth? Indeed.
Great post! I think people got the Persona shot, it was just too much of a homage and such a different shot in the movie, much like with its homage to Vertigo.
ReplyDeleteI always found the couple laughing in the cab to be extremely creepy and sinister. For me it's one of the freakiest moments in the whole movie.
I do see that Persona shot a lot, but damn I love it here.
DeleteI've seen my grandparents act like the old people do in the beginning so many times. So cute. The end scene...not so much.
Fantastic post Mulholland Dr. is just one of those films where every scene can be singled out for some brilliant moment. I think what often gets overlooked is just how funny it is. Every time I watch it I just find another subtle joke or gag I didn't notice before.
ReplyDelete-Dan
Thanks Dan. I agree that it's a damn funny film. The botched hit man scene?
DeleteAww man. Hilarious.
Nice post. My favorite scene from the movie is when Camilla Rhodes sings "Every Little Star" for the audtion and the look on Betty's face. I hope this comes to BlueRay soon
ReplyDeleteThanks man! Oh that's a great scene there. And seriously, why no Blu-Ray release yet? This movie is gorgeous.
DeleteTruly one of the best films ever. There's so many moments in that film that I love. The use of music, the cinematography, the opening credits sequence before the title of the film, the failed assassination sequence, the creature, and everything else.
ReplyDeleteI still cry during that scene where Betty and Rita watch that woman sing "Cryin'" So devastating.
It needs a new DVD/Blu-Ray release. A true classic.
That is such a powerful scene there. The way Watts starts consvolsing ... just remarkable. A true classic indeed.
DeleteMy favorite film of all time! Never gonna change.
ReplyDeleteRule #1 of Mulholland Dr. is you don't talk about the masturbation scene. Rule #2 is you don't talk about the masturbation scene! That scene alone should have won Naomi that Oscar. Crap, I just broke the rule.
I remembered all these things, except for the smoke ring. Did not even register.
One of my top 13 things...is the scene where Betty and Rita are reading the script together and they burst out in laughter. One of the most beautiful moments in the film, making everything else that follows that much more poignant since we got a glimpse of what could have been.
Ha, had no idea there was an unspoken Fight Club rule(s) against discussing THAT scene! Sorry, brah!
DeleteThat laughing scene you mention is perfect, for that reason exactly. Great choice there. Love this damn movie.
Awesome post! I remember noticing Watts's deliberate overacting right off the bat and wondering "what the hell is going on here?" It didn't make any sense until I'd seen the whole movie and had time to ponder it a bit. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYep, exactly. And it's brilliant because, when this movie came out, no one knew who Naomi Watts was. I remember when I first saw this I was like, "Oh, Lynch, come on now..."
DeleteHow could I ever doubt him?
I really need to watch this again.
ReplyDeleteYou can never watch Mullholland Dr. too much.
DeleteGreat stuff. Definitely a film you can rewatch over and over, finding new details each time. Wasn't this originally supposed to be a tv show?
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed. And when no network wanted to pick it up, Lynch decided to make it a film. First scene he added was the sex scene. Go figure.
DeleteNice job here, man! Really makes me want to revisit this one. I know there's quite a bit I missed the first time around.
ReplyDeleteThanks dude! This is the type of flick you gain more and more about everytime you watch it.
DeleteLike Brittani, I need to watch this again. Great stuff man. There's a lot to love with this film.
ReplyDeleteI truly think you can never watch this movie too many times. Always more to discover.
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