Mulholland Dr. Explanation?

Started by Xeditor, April 23, 2003, 05:04:36 PM

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ladysage21

Quote from: Pit seems u've managed to explain the outline of the film, like the structure, but not the meaning of any characters or even lines ...
u may hav put the film together in an editorial way, but the significance of individual elements, other than arbitrary time-markers, has still gone unanswered.

Well, frankly, I'm not David Lynch.  The masterpiece of this movie, is that all of the symbolism depends on the audience watching the movie and nobody really knows the true meaning of all of the characters or "individual elements."

And I never said that I knew everything, and I did say that I left a lot of things unanswered.   A lot of people have said that the movie doesn't make any sense at all because nothing fits.  I just wanted to provide one explanation as to how the jigsaw puzzle fits together (sort of like an outline/ bare bones of how the movie works).  The meat of the story is the symbols and mini-stories, which I think are supposed to be open for individual interpretation.  

So please don't make me out to be some Smart Alec Know it All, because I'm not.  I just wanted to share my opinion, not impose them on others.  

...by the way, thank you for the "pseudo-compliments."

ladysage21

Quote from: MacGuffin
Quote from: ladysage21I think the hotel manager plays dual roles to further divide the lines between reality and fiction.

But Cookie plays dual roles within her dream (fiction); not one in Diane's dream and one in her reality like all other characters. He would be purely fictional then.


Sorry, you're right.  I meant to say "blur" the lines.

ShanghaiOrange

I just saw this movie. It was stupid because it didn't make any sense.  :roll:
Last five films (theater)
-The Da Vinci Code: *
-Thank You For Smoking: ***
-Silent Hill: ***1/2 (high)
-Happy Together: ***1/2
-Slither: **

Last five films (video)
-Solaris: ***1/2
-Cobra Verde: ***1/2
-My Best Fiend: **1/2
-Days of Heaven: ****
-The Thin Red Line: ***

freakerdude

Ladysage21, did you happen to post your comments on IMDB?

Anyway, that was a great insight for anyone who wasn't quite sure how the movie may be tied together. I tend to think that the relationship was purely fantasy on Betty/Diane's part. The first sex scene occurred during her dream of Hollywood. You know she's dreaming when the sun is shining, she is smiling, and everything is so gleeful. The last sex scene was where Camilla suddenly appears as Diane is making coffee.....only to disappear and re-appear again on the couch. The ashtray is there but not the key, but again, it's her fantasizing about Camilla the whole time, IMO.  

So did they actually even have sex? I never saw anything indicating they did but we did know that Betty/Diane fantasized about her. The hard core masturbation scene has some relevance, IMO. What is your take on that scene? Here's the thread that someone started for me:
http://xixax.com/viewtopic.php?t=4079

I still don't see anything relevant about clue #9 "the occurrences surrounding the man behind Winkie's".
MC Pee Pants

Mia Wallace

I've pretty much put every single piece of the Mulholland Drive puzzle together. If you have any questions then just ask.

This movie makes Vanilla Sky look like shit... Thats how good it is.
I have to go powder my nose

ono

Quote from: Mia WallaceI've pretty much put every single piece of the Mulholland Drive puzzle together. If you have any questions then just ask.
Why don't you just start talking, and we'll tell you when we've heard enough?  That is, post your thoughts instead of asking for questions like you're some sort of expert on the film.  The consensus among thousands of film geeks seems to be pretty much that there is no one interpretation of the film, and that's why it appeals to so many.
QuoteThis movie makes Vanilla Sky look like shit... Thats how good it is.
Actually, that's not something for a film to brag about.  It's not that big an accomplishment.  You've heard of Abre los ojos, right?

Jeremy Blackman

I guess this a good time to resurrect my theory from C&C, with pictorial support.

DISCLAIMERS:
Do not read this if you haven't seen the movie.
I'm not sure I believe the puzzle can be entirely solved.
I'm not claiming this was Lynch's intention.

So here's the theory:

The dream is Diane's creation, but Rita is having the dream. Betty is Diane's ghost. Her purpose is to fix the mess she helped create before her death... to alleiviate Rita's guilt, put the world back together for her in a manipulated frame, and bring her back to full consciousness.

Diane isn't falling asleep in the first red pillow scene.

She's dying.


Rita falls asleep for the first time.

CUT TO:

Rita's dream begins.

Surreal and almost absurd.

Rita falls asleep again, under Aunt Ruth's kitchen table.


CUT TO:

Rita's dream continues...

...with the Winkie's story, even more surreal.

CUT TO:

Rita, still asleep.


CUT TO:

Mr. Roque introduced.


Up to this point, Rita's visions have been pretty vague, unconnected, and entirely non-poigniant. They must be shaped to mean something.

Enter Betty, precisely when Diane (chronologically) would have killed herself.


After Betty has met Rita and has becomed concerned about her...

...she puts Rita to sleep, placing her hand on her forehead, infusing a dream directly into her head

CUT TO:

Adam Kesher's story begins.


This is the real beginning of Rita's detailed dreams. A completely absurd and overelaborate conspiracy is blamed for Camilla's success, and indirectly, Diane's dejection... when it was really Camilla's fault. History is rewritten, and Rita's guilt is gone.

CUT TO:

Just a reminder, Rita is still sleeping/dreaming...

...and Betty touches her forehead again.

CUT TO:

Mr. Roque's story continues...

...this time with more detail, and a connection to Adam's story & the larger conspiracy.

CUT TO:

The Black Book...

...with reference to the car crash and the conspiracy.

Rita wakes up.

Betty encourages Rita to find her identity.


Betty points out the waitress' name (even saying it slowly and clearly)...

...thus getting Rita to remember the name "Diane."

Betty gets Rita to help her practice her lines in an angry scene...

...deliberately giving Rita a glimpse of Diane.

Adam sees a ghost...

...then agian, he's not really there either.

Betty encourages Rita to fear conspirators.


Rita tries to stop Betty from knocking...

...but you can tell from the look on Betty's face that she knows more than we think.

"I guess you're not Diane Selwin"...

...pushing her further towards an identity.

When Rita sees Diane's body...

...Betty's purpose is not to be shocked, but to support & expose Rita.

Diane holds Rita's hand...

...and Rita starts saying "silencio"...

Diane gives the blue box to Rita...

...(Rita does not discover it.)

Right before Rita opens the box, Betty disappears...

...because she is no longer needed.

As Diane pushes her out...

...Camilla's guilt is obvious.

In some of the last moments of her public life, Diane collects characters.




And finally, Adam's hair changes in the middle of the party scene--


Pubrick

..and that is how a mind is blown.
under the paving stones.

phil marlowe

jeremy blackman that was a really really good read, you just inspired me to sit down and watch the movie right now.

mogwai

jb inspired me to buy a blonde wig.

modage

he inspired me to change my hair in the middle of a party.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

MacGuffin

I still say the hair change was just a continuity error; one scene was from the original pilot and the other is from reshoots many months later.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

NEON MERCURY

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman



voluptuous=Laura  in a red shirt

good read JB.....

freakerdude

most definitely well done JB.......I too will be watching this again soon from your post.
MC Pee Pants

NEON MERCURY

Quote from: MacGuffin

..i just noticed/thought of something.after watching my beautiful copy of eraserhead the other night i have noticed:

the bum in mulholland drive is similar looking to that guy in eraserhead that pushes all the handles....and that they both "control" the acts of the characters in mulhjolland dr. and eraserhead....well, that is my deep thougth of today.its friday and its time to get drunk on cheap beer and pretend that i actually have a life.......its fun to get drunk and reach that point of drunkeness that you think your someone else....anyway, if someone could do a favor and post a "swell" pic of the lever pulling guy in eraserhead for comparitive purposes i(NEON) would be happy to see it.........it could help prove my point or it could make me look like a phucking idiot....either way i'm getting drunk.........   :wink: