Movie Review by Bill Rendall

Mulholland Drive

What is reality? Mulholland Drive asks this question of Hollywood, the place where dreams are made. And nightmares.

On the first viewing Mulholland Drive appears to be a random jumble of puzzle pieces. Even without making sense of the movie it is enjoyable for the haunting music score and bizarre images.

There are scenes in Mulholland Drive which leave a lasting impression. One is a meeting in which Hollywood heavies pressure a movie director (Justin Theroux) to cast an actress called Camilla Rhodes as the leading lady in his movie. One of the heavies is played by the composer of the movie's score (Angelo Badalamenti). I was stunned by his reaction to the coffee he is served.

Another unforgettable scene features the director at a late night meeting with a mysterious cowboy. The cowboy also pressures the director to cast Camilla Rhodes as the leading lady. The cowboy speaks in a soft, restrained voice but is strangely menacing.

The pivotal scene is when the leading ladies (Naomi Watts and Laura Harring) go to the nightclub called the Club Silencio. A diva appears and sings a song in Spanish. If you don't understand Spanish it is important to know that it is the Roy Orbison song 'Crying'. This song signals the unrequited love which leads to the demise of the ladies.

On closer examination the story line of Mulholland Drive does make some sense. The first part of the movie is a dream of how life could have been. I use the word "dream" loosely as many of the scenes do not include the dreamer but feature other characters who are influencing her life.

Later the mysterious cowboy appears and tells the dreamer to wake up. What follows is probably close to the reality of life. The latter part of the movie includes flashbacks, so you still have to pay close attention to follow the story.

There is a party at the director's house in which many characters from the dream appear again in real life. This is reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. The pain of unrequited love is again evident in this scene.

There is a parallel between the character Watts plays in Mulholland Drive and her real life. She had come to Hollywood years earlier from Australia and had struggled to get a good acting role. She had become very frustrated with the auditioning process and this added irony to the audition scene in Mulholland Drive.

Watts pulls off an amazing transition between the two characters she plays in Mulholland Drive and richly deserves the accolades she garnered for her performance.

David Lynch originally wrote Mulholland Drive as a pilot for a television series. It was rejected but he later obtained funding to add more footage and turn it into a movie. Mulholland Drive is essential viewing if you like mind-bending movies. It may also appeal to people who have an interest in what goes on behind the scenes in the movie industry.

Director: David Lynch

Screenplay: David Lynch

Music: Angelo Badalamenti

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