Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I want to see this film NOW!! I am in the mood for a fat-assed slice of Lynchian surrealism, and I can’t wait anymore!! NOW! NOW! NOW!
Pardon me... I’m going to have some pie and coffee to calm my frazzled nerves. Enjoy the review while I’m gone...
Howdy,
I just got back from seeing a sneak of 'Mulholland Drive' in Dallas. The star of the film, Laura Harring, was there to answer questions. Among the interesting facts she revealed: the film makes as much sense to her as it does to anyone else, and it's supposed to be that way. Also, while shooting the pilot, Lynch never referred to it as a show; he always called it a film, and she thinks he kind of hoped it would end up as a theatrical release. And, of course, someone brought up the lesbian sex scenes. She said she was uncomfortable at first, but Lynch was a real gentleman and kept the set closed and made sure she was aware at all time of how she would be shown on screen, which made it a lot easier.
So here's my review:
This new film from one of my favorite directors, 'Mulholland Drive,' is a rather difficult one to put a finger on. I liked it quite a bit (almost loved it) and David Lynch certainly did deserve his Best Director award at the Cannes film festival. But there are two films here, one good and one great, and although they are tied together, I have trouble viewing them as a finished whole.
The first two acts of the film make up a rejected television pilot for ABC that Lynch wrote and directed not too long ago. The plot was a mystery set in LA, dealing with the lives and disillusions of a handful of characters. ABC saw the finished product and didn't want to have anything to do with it, and the project languished for a little while. Then some French financiers gave him some more money, and he came up with a way to tie up all the loose threads started in the pilot and turn the whole thing into a feature film.
The first two hours are the stuff of classic mystery. We open on a beautiful young woman (Laura Harring) riding in the back of a limousine up the winding hillside of Mulholland Drive. The car stops suddenly, and the driver turns around and points a pistol at her; at that exact moment, a car full of drunken teenagers slams into the limo, killing everone exept the young woman, who stumbles out of the wreckage and into the valley with a severe case of amnesia.
She winds up in an apartment with Betty (Naomi Watts), an overly optimistic young actress who just arrived in Hollywood. The mysterious young woman takes the name Rita from a 'Gilda' poster hanging in the bathroom, and when she and Betty discover a massive amount of cash and a strange blue key stashed in her purse, they set out on a quest for some answers.
Interspersed with this Lynchian verison of a Nancy Drew story are various scenes and vignettes, some of which tie into the main story more than others. A nervous man relates a recurring nightmare that culiminates in a really shocking visual; a hitman botches an asassination in the most hilarious scene of physical comedy I've seen in a long time; a young directer is coerced by his producers into choosing a particular actress for the lead role in his new film.
There are some incredible moments in here. Watch the scene where the director meets with his producers; Lynch turns it into a suspensful black comic gem centering on a cup of espresso. And the scene where Betty nails her first audition sneaks up on us in a powerful way. It's all pure Lynch, offbeat and slightly uncomfortable at times, alternating between humor and pathos, eroticism and fear.
And then, right around the two hour mark, Betty and Rita make love in an explicit yet sensually romantic scene. It's not as titillating as, say, the ninety seconds of lovin' in 'Bound,' which is interesting because Lynch has always shown sex in a harsh, if not deragatory light. The love scene is rather sweet, and although it is fairly explicit (in terms of nudity), I think people going to see the film for lesbian action will be disappointed. At this point, it's obvious that the TV show is over and we're entering Lynch's dream -- for Lynch has said that he received the inspiration for the final act from a dream. The film descends into the bizarre and abstract territory that 'Lost Highway' took place in, and while it may seem to some that Lynch is merely exalting in his weirdness, he does manage to tie up the film's threads in a strange and beautiful way. Just as a day's events work their way into our dreams, all of the film's characters and themes receive resolution in the nightmare that last act becomes. Whether or not this is a satisfactory ending depends on your point of view; basically, are you a David Lynch fan?
So we have the first half, which is a deliciously intriguing set-up, and then a conclusion which is definitely a conclusion but not by the normal definition of the word. Which part is great and which part merely good? Well, again, it depends on your point of view; I'm not entirely sure myself yet. I think the last act is brilliant, but it still feels tacked on. There are things in the first half that were clearly meant to be elaborated on had the show gone on to air, and I would have liked to see how Lynch handled them. The way it works now is kind of like a female companion piece to 'Lost Highway,' only without that film's more gradual descent from dreams to nightmares. After the quiet majesty of 'The Straight Story,' one might see this as a step back for Lynch, but it isn't. It may be a bit inconsequential alongside the director's other films, perhaps, but in this year of entirely predictable cinema, 'Mulholland Drive' is shining, fascinating little star.
So that's my opinion. I strongly suggest going to see it, even though I have a feeling a lot of people will dislike it. But now that 'Hedwig' is leaving theaters, this is probably the best thing you could go see at the moment.
Thank you for your attention, and if you are a fan of independent filmmaking, I'd love it if you could grace my website, www.road-dog-productions.com, with your presence!
Ghostboy
Thanks for the review, Ghostboy, and I’ll give the website a spin this week!
"Moriarty" out.
