Umm what did we just watch! A mind bending and dramatic thriller with some excellent performances and a great introduction into the creative mind of David Lynch! Thank you all for the support!
You just watched THE most overrated film of all time by the most culted fanbase of David Lynch thinking he's a genius when he literally STOLE this entire film from Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue". Story is exactly the same, plot is exactly the same, many of the scenes are the same yet Lynch swears he came up with this himself. I enjoy you two very much but I just had to click this video to comment here because your "Patreon fanbase" doesn't understand this is not a film for you.
@@samspade8830 the greatest movie of all time? He stole Satoshi Kon's work, refuses to acknowledge he did, and this is the greatest? I hate David Lynch fans...
On the one hand, I appreciate him not wanting to color our interpretation of his films, but on the other, I am capable of hearing what it meant to him and still forming my own opinions, so I want to know his perspective. That said, I think this is one of his more straight-forward in terms of themes and plot.
Lynch is unparalleled in his ability to conjure dread and fear seemingly out of nowhere - even in scenes that don't really sound that scary on paper (a man encounters a homeless person behind a diner in broad daylight; an elderly couple chase a woman through her apartment).
@@TBRSchmitt "It is a scary and confusing world" That is almost LITERALLY a line from Lynch's "Blue Velvet". Not only that, it is a line which is very much the point of that movie. Wow. That just blew me away!
I think the whole Betty portion of the movie is a fantasy/dream in Diane's mind. The fantasy was a coping mechanism. It helped her cope with her failure as an actress (in the fantasy, she is a sought-after actress). It helped her cope with her failed relationship with Camilla (in the fantasy, Camilla loves her). And it helped her cope with the guilt of having Camilla killed (in the fantasy, she saves Camilla). Unfortunately, the fantasy wasn't good enough. The horrible reality of her life breaks through in the end.
You're right on one level, people almost universally agree on this being the "plot" of the movie; however, that being said, Lynch is famous for his movies being metaphors, and the characters themselves representing ideas (Lynch "falls in love with ideas", as per his own words), so the movie should really be seen in this context, with the various relations between the characters being a representation of how these different ideas interact with each other. The character of Betty represents the naive Hollywood dream, and the character of Camilla represents the dark reality of Hollywood, where things are not so easy, and where many young actresses have traditionally had to resort to exchanging sexual favors with powerful figures for more roles and prominence. Beginning from there, you can easily start to unravel what the other characters and objects represent (the hitman represents Hollywood incompetently trying to keep a lid on its dark secrets, the old actresses represent the golden age of Hollywood, and so on).
That's also why the hitman is terribly incompetent in the dream, while in reality he dispatches of Camilla fairly easily. Diane's hoping that somehow the "job" hadn't been a success and the mistake she's made can be fixed.
After the dance shot in the opening, we slip into a POV shot. The camera looks straight down at the bed with red sheets. The camera moves towards the pillow and pushes into it creating darkness... that then trans into the Mulholland Drive street sign with flashes of light hitting it. This is her slipping into a dream. Watts' character takes all the people in her life and swaps them around making herself a success instead of a failure. In real life, her ex-lover achieves the dream of Hollywood. Meanwhile, Naomi is left behind and labeled talentless. Within the dream, her guilt for having her lover killed in real life keeps breaking into the fantasy she is attempting to create in her mind, her dream. To the point that Naomi Watts' character actually dreams about her own death before committing the act in reality. The dream shapes her destiny. Once she awakens we see everyone for who they really are. Sort of like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. It was all just an illusion like the Master of Ceremony showed us in the theater just before waking up. The fact that Naomi Watts' character is a failure who had her lover killed sends her into a spiral. The police are closing in. The fantasy is a nightmare filled with memories and reality distortion propelling a tragic end.
Your analysis was startlingly accurate for a first time watch. Mulholland Drive is my favourite movie of all time, and it took me a couple of watches and a bunch of reading to really appreciate it. Kudos.
the shorthand is: first half is what Diane wanted her life to be, second half is reality. The beauty is once you know that, you can go back and learn a lot about her from the first half.
Oh true, like she was thinking of different possible lives, as they interlope each other in reality. Or multiple lives being led at once. Maybe as point in there on how we feel we need to come off to others.. based on social constructs and groups. So epic
This channel with movies like Das Boot, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and now Mulholland Drive has surely taken an interesting turn. And I am loving every minute of it. :) Keep up the good work, guys.
@@jediciah37 Well, given how few movies many other reactors have apparently seen, I don't mind them covering their bases so to speak by watching the more mainstream movies first. Movies like these will come in due time. Or so I hope because I do have a handful of reactors that I really enjoy watching.
When Adam announces that he and Camilla are getting married, and in the subsequent scene where Diane is ordering the hit on Camilla, she is drinking coffee. Because she associates coffee with these painful memories, coffee becomes something sickening within her dream, causing the Castigliane brother to almost puke it out on the napkin. At least that's my interpretation.
Yes, I've always thought that when Angelo Badalamenti spits out the coffee, it's because Diane randomly glances at him during the party while she has a mouthful of coffee and is feeling physically sick (due to the marriage announcement). But (a bit more specifically), with the scenes at Winkie's....Diane randomly glances at the dream-telling guy standing at the counter while she's feeling intense fear because she's ordering the hit on Camilla. So in the 1st Winkie's scene, the random guy she's seen becomes symbolic of her fear...he talks of HIS intense fear (and even literally mentions that his companion was standing at the counter in his dream).
You got it quite right! In short, you were watching the final moments of an unsuccessful actress (Diane) creating a dream reality about herself, after she committed suicide and most likely hired a hitman to kill her former female lover (Camilla). * The blue key was the trademark of the hitman. But Diane had regrets, so unconsciously she hoped he would be so inept, that he didn't kill Camilla. That's the silly killing scene. * The Godfather scenes were her assumption that someone is conspiring against her. She never was successful because of the "dark forces" in Hollywood. * All the bad stuff happening to the director was her way to explain why he didn't hire her - he just had a bad day ... * The old couple actually were jurors at the Jitterbug contest. So they were judging her, always there, creeping up on her, way to the final scene. And so on, and so on. She constructed this twisted reality in her head why she never had success. In the end, reality hit her hard, and she killed herself. Sad thing is, way in the beginning she just may have been naive and sweet Diane, coming to Hollywood, hoping her dreams would come true.
Thank you for this. This movie has never made sense to me. Even after watching it multiple times trying to figure it out, it was just too confusing and frustrating. I usually love movies where they jump around on a timeline, and movies that have a surreal aspect to them, but this one always hit me as nonsense. Your interpretation makes complete sense and I finally feel like I get it… sort of… lol
The first time I watched this, my immediate reaction when it ended was to start it over again. I did, and right after it started a friend came in and asked what I was watching. I said it was a movie I was trying to figure out. They sat down and watched it with me. When it was over, she said, “wait….start it over again!”
Amazing! It’s a well made cinematic journey! I just enjoyed the film by how hypnotic it was. It wasn’t till the 4th or 5th time I watched it that I realized the first 2/3rds of the movie was a dream. Lol
Nobody captures the feeling of being in a dream (usually a bad dream) like David Lynch. Creeping dread & euphoria simultaneously…Lynch, his sound designers, and composer Badalamenti capture it perfectly.
Hey guys! A couple of things about Mulholland Drive 1) There's no one single interpretation about what it "means" at least according to Lynch who refuses to explain anything in interviews, which is part of the joy of watching his films -- you can get as little or as much as you want out of them if you give yourself over to his weird world -- his films aren't for everyone but if you can get into them they're very rewarding 2) It was originally filmed as a pilot for a TV show believe it or not. Ultimately it did not get picked up but Lynch shot additional material to expand it into a feature
You're wrong on point 1); in fact, David Lynch is clear that there is in fact a correct interpretation, he just isn't going to tell you what it is. Twin Perfect made a video unraveling the truth of it, if you're interested, referencing tons of things David Lynch has explicitly said himself, in light of that it becomes rather obvious what the movie is about.
Thank you for disagreeing! These movies have been debated, reinterpreted, and analyzed endlessly for years -- I don't think that's going to end anytime soon which is a big part of what makes Lynch's films so magical. Thankfully there is no "one" single true meaning except perhaps in the artist's mind as you say, and he's content to leave it up to the viewer to map their own dreams and desires on the canvas. I'm sure the video maker you referenced has an interesting take on the material, it sounds very exciting!
@@darklyroaring: It's not going to end because people keep continuing to do it even long after the right interpretation has already been made; that doesn't make this correct interpretation, and we know from Lynch himself that such an interpretation does indeed exist, and is possible to discover, and Mulholland Drive is even accompanied by 10 questions formulated by Lynch himself specifically to help people arrive at it. And yes, the video I mentioned does indeed have an "interesting take", because it shows clearly what the movie is actually about through referencing Lynch himself. It's not a mystery anymore, it has been solved; that doesn't make it any less good of a movie at all, far from it (just like Richard Feynman would constantly point out to artists that understanding more and more of the scientific aspects of a flower didn't subtract anything from its beauty, it only added to it).
@@hoon_sol I'm really enjoying your perspective! For each analysis that claims to being "the one" for any artwork, idea, or dream, the dissension and discussion that arises is really beautiful to sift through -- otherwise, there would be nothing to discuss hah!
@@darklyroaring: You don't understand what I'm saying at all. When you start making a scientific model of something, you understand more and more facets of that thing, until you've arrived at an understanding that's as close to the truth as you define by some margin of error. When someone then comes along and says something incredibly stupid that's not in accord with reality at all, that doesn't make those two "perspectives" equally valid in any way, shape, or form, because the former "perspective" incorporates much more information and knowledge, and is thus far more accurate. Likewise, what I'm talking about here isn't any old "perspective" at all, but literally what the movie was intended to mean by Lynch himself, as clearly evidenced from numerous of his statements, including explicitly stating that he wanted to expose sexual indecency and its role in Hollywood, but didn't feel free to openly talk about it. Thus when you continue talking about how the discussion that arises from any piece of analysis claiming to be the one is great to sift through, that's an insanely clueless statement; some such claims are completely ridiculous, and can be dismissed without discussing it at all, much like if someone suggested the Moon was yellow because it was literally a piece of cheese. The entire point of discussion is to get closer and closer to the truth, and only discussion which actually helps in doing that is interesting.
Great reaction. Lynch is my all time favorite director, and Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, and Blue Velvet are 3 of my favorites. His style is unmatched and all his movies leave you thinking about them long after you’ve finished watching. Repeat viewings are very rewarding. Maybe the next one you guys react to should be Blue Velvet since it’s a far more linear story. And eventually if you guys have time, Twin Peaks is a must see. It’s my favorite TV show ever.
MDK2 It’s one of my least favorite but once in a while I try it again. Im due for another try soon. One big problem is that the digital look is so ugly
@@Asoleimani1989 yeah, that’s for sure. All I really remember about it, aside from my complete loss of the threads of the film, was that Laura Dern’s performance was terrific. But I didn’t know what any of it was about.
A guy just did a good reaction to "Blue Velvet" earlier tonight, one of only two that I know if....and, as of now, the only good one! Here's the link: ruclips.net/video/Sbw3H6QelLM/видео.html
A lot of critics felt Naomi Watts deserved an Oscar nomination if not the award itself for that audition scene alone. So you are in good company with that opinion.
If you want to understand this movie, you have to watch David Lynch's Lost Highway, which is pretty much a precursor to Mullholland Drive and follows a similar "Mobius Strip" structure, where a story has a beginning and an end that meet in the middle, but no clear sign of where one begins and the other ends.
I watched Lost Highway years after Mulholland Drive, and both movies are definitely very, very similar. I think Mulholland Drive is a way for David Lynch to explain the same story in a more simplified way.
@@Soulsphere001 Well, Mullholland Drive was originally meant to be a television series. David Lynch originally envisioned it as a spin off of Twin Peaks, where Audrey Horne leaves Twin Peaks behind and goes to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. That version of Mullholland Drive never happened due to Twin Peaks' cancellation and Lynch went on to do Lost Highway, inspired by the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Lynch attempted to resurrect the Mullholland Drive television project in the late 1990s and actually got to film the series pilot, but network interference caused the show to get scrapped, and Lynch ended up taking what he filmed from the pilot and expanding it into this movie.
@@44excalibur I did not know any of that. Thank you for the information. I keep thinking I should watch Twin Peaks, but I have never gotten around to watching neither the old nor the new series. I have only seen the very end of the original show.
@@Soulsphere001 It's one of the greatest TV shows of all time. It's one whole series. The Return just picks up the story 25 years later. So you can't watch the Return without having seen the original series. It's really the 3rd season.
@@Soulsphere001 You're welcome. The first season of Twin Peaks is the best. Network interference caused the second season to go off the rails. That, and Lara Flynn Boyle insisting that David Lynch tank the Cooper/Audrey Horne storyline, as she felt the popularity of that pairing detracted from her character, Donna Hayward.
In an Interview about making the movie Justin Theroux once said: “I started asking him questions [about characters and plot]… When I finished a question, Lynch would say ‘You know, I don’t know, buddy. But let’s find out.’ He wasn’t being cute or cheeky or evasive; he genuinely didn’t know.
the blonde girl in the headshot "Camilla Rhodes" who was also at Adam's party, is played by Melissa George, who's also Australian, like Naomi Watts, and was in a good horror film in 2009 called "Triangle", and was before that in Home and Away (an Australian soap opera) and had a brief role in Alex Proyas's 1998 sci-fi neo-noir film "Dark City".
“Carol”, the brunette who was singing before Melissa George in the “This is the Girl” scene is played by Lisa Lackey, also Australian and of Home and Away fame.
Someone explained this movie to me once as ‘like watching a dream’ the way a dream can jump around and how parts of dreams seem real and random bits are just bizarre. I liked that way of looking at it
Huge props for this one! Actually had a long conversation about this film at lunch today. First off, I LOVE this film, but when I first saw it when it came out I loathed it. It hurt my brain. And I was very vocal about how much I disliked it. But was compelled to rewatch it again and again. It was a massive struggle to decipher, but still impossible to explain, which I now feel is a great attribute. This is David Lynch though. Strange and beautiful. Your reactions throughout are absolutely priceless!
Lynch got into a series of films that are like this (see also Lost Highway and Inland Empire) but this is far away the best. I saw Inland Empire only once and it’s so long and was so hard to follow (I was completely lost by the 45 minute mark) that I have never tried a second viewing. All I took away was Laura Dern’s great performance and one funny off-screen cameo by Lynch. Lost Highway is good but not as terrific as this.
@@MDK2_Radio I recently did a breakdown of Inland Empire...it's not really that difficult once you pay attention to the clues, though some are a bit obscure. I'll just drop the word "reincarnation"...watch it again with that in mind.
DL has said he loves dream logic ( many dreams have no logical explanation ). And no, he does not use ideas from his dreams. For example, one day he put his hand on a warm car, and a vision of a little man in a red suit came to him ( the Arm of the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks ).
Also, back on July 4, 2013, I tried to drive to every location I know Lynch filmed this movie at, especially the diner where the monster is at. That place is abandoned; I waited for 3 hours to get a hotdog from Pinks; and I even tried to drive the length of Mulholland Drive...I fell short haha there was a motorcycle (not car) accident, forcing people the opposite way.
Omg. This is one of my favorite movies ever. And I still don't FULLY understand what happened, no one really is supposed to. But it's just so dreamlike and surreal and good.
DON'T FORGET: Mulholland Drive started out as a TV pilot. The show wasn't picked up and Lynch shot an additional 26 minutes of footage to make it a feature instead.
Lynch is greatly inspired by the movie The Wizard of Oz. So for him, dreams aren't nonsense, they reveal a great deal about a character's hopes and fears.
And let us not forget the stunningly emotional rendition of _Crying_ (Llorando) by the incomparable Rebekah Del Rio (whose performance, as the magician explained, is not real after all)! As she's singing it, the ladies are doing it, both realizing Diane's betrayal. She touches her tear-stained face, reaches into her purse for a tissue, and finds the lock box that the blue key opens. Inside it later, she finds reality, the end of the Betty and Rita Dream Existence and the cruel transport to the real world of Diane's madness. Her love life has not worked out, her career has not worked out, and as her hold on sanity becomes increasingly tenuous, even the nice old couple she met on the plane when she first breezed into town are now like attacking monsters, or tiny maggots, their well-wishes of a bright existence threatening, terrifyingly, to eat her soul, because it has not been very bright at all. The wonderful dream at last ended, Diane finally gives herself no alternative, turning herself into the darkest part of the dream, the corpse girl on the bed. An overwhelming reality, over which the task of mastering she found herself entirely inadequate -- quite a lot indeed to be crying about....
I would also recommend The Elephant Man (1980) and Blue Velvet (1986) as some of Lynch's (slightly) more straightforward film. Then I'd recommend Eraserhead (1977) for his strangest film (and my favourite of his).
Absolute masterpiece, and perhaps the best movie of the 21st century. Yes, it's confusing, and yes it needs multiple viewings...and yes it actually DOES make narrative sense. But the most important thing I can tell you is to don't worry about the story so much - this movie is about EMOTION with a capital E. Let the colors and music and gorgeousness of everything just wash over you and FEEL what you feel. That's the movie.
The day after watching this film, the actor that played The Cowboy approached me at the store where I work and asked me where he could find something. It was very surreal. He ended up shopping at our store for several years. Very nice guy. He gave me a boxed set of Lynch short films.
David Lynch is basically the American Frederico Fellini (who was Lynch's biggest influence as a director), a painter and a musician. His movies are heavy on emotional response and "visual poetry" and super abstract. At the same time a lot of his stuff, like Twin Peaks for example, is also really funny and charming at times while simultaneously being scary as hell. He's just extremely talented and unique. I hope you guys dig further into his filmography.
Before the movie: "I have no idea what this could possibly be about." Nailed it! I think, it is a little bit like "Vertigo" with the character changing.
David Lynch was asked, 'what does it mean? I don't know what's happening." He answers something along the lines of, "You know what's happening." I think he's talking about your subconscious working on your and your rational mind not being able to integrate those ideas to what we experience. Something along the lines of it looking beneath the surface, but in a sort of terrifying way. Yeah, the ending scared the s**t out of me, and was sooo sad. The music kills me. Inland Empire has a bit of horror as well.
Major kudos to you guys for tackling difficult films with an open mind. I appreciate the diversity in the kinds of films you guys have chosen to react to. I’m sure you have a patreon system or something for requests, but I just want to plant a seed for the future: maybe you’d enjoy doing some Coen Bros reactions? I can’t remember off the top of my head if you have already done any of theirs.
You mention the sound design a lot in this reaction. Not sure if anyone else mentioned, but David Lynch was the chief sound designer as well as director.
Lynch would have LOVED that they were pointing out the sound design in this movie, right? That's his favorite part of the film-making process, I believe, adding the sound.
Took me literal YEARS before I came to a good understanding of this film. YEARS. But your analyses were pretty spot on, especially for a first viewing! My first viewing was when I was young and I just...was completely confused. This has been my favorite film for many many years now and I've seen it so many times. It never gets old! Btw - Mulholland Drive is actually a road in LA that runs parallel to (and above) Sunset Blvd. - obviously another famous noir film with similar themes. It's just as much a story about Diane/Camila as it is David Lynch's love letter to LA/Hollywood/and Cinema. It deals with dreams, illusions, fears, etc. and how films can REALLY blur the line between illusion and reality. The first indication of the dream is after the opening credits - the shot where the camera descends onto the pillow. Then throughout the dream, there are numerous indications that we aren't quite witnessing reality - the super cheesy (overdubbed) LAX arrival scene which is literally nothing like what LAX is like, the fact that Rita (Camila) so conveniently just falls into Diane's lap and wanders into her aunt's house (and is helpless like a victim), and how life constantly sh*ts all over the film director's life (because the real Diane hated him). In real life, our dreams repurpose people we've already seen. As such, Diane repurposes everyone she's seen into her dream/delusion too, including the Cowboy and the espresso man (both at the engagement party). The guys from the diner scene near the beginning? She sees them AT the diner when she's ordering the hit on Camila. And notice how both "Betty and Rita" seem super paranoid and suspicious throughout the dream? It's because Diane's subconscious mind is still aware that none of this is real, that she's making it all up to shield herself from the guilt and shame of killing Camila. The hit man left the blue key - the symbol that "the deed was done" - behind the dumpster of Winkie's diner. So that diner scene is actually one of Diane's dream "characters" realizing that he's in the dream and he just feels that something terrible is going on. The hobo is sort of like Diane's terrible realization about what she's done and who she's become - she can't stand to look it in the face. But ultimately she has to either come to terms with what she's done, or kill herself. And those "detectives" that keep popping up? There are real detectives after Diane, presumably, once they trace her to the disappearance of Camila. I think they are the ones knocking at the end. So it's Diane's subconscious fear that she's actually being followed, which she repurposes to be shady "men in suits" who are looking for Camila instead during the dream. The way when "Betty" calls the number for "Diane Selwyn" whose apartment they later find her dead body in, the voice message says, "Hey, it's me!" And that's not to mention the whole shady "Hollywood Mafia" that seems to be running everything from behind the scenes - because that's how Hollywood really works right?? Wink wink. And remember - it's the blue key (the one from Rita's purse) that UNLOCKS the blue box, which is like a portal that takes us from the dream part of the film back into reality. It's literally the key to understanding how the film is constructed.There are just tons of details that I've discovered over the years. But yes - obviously you need to watch this film tons of times to really get a sense of the thing as a whole and what's going on. But it's worth it, promise...be careful, you may not want to stop watching it! BTW - that espresso man is the David Lynch's composer lol.
Can you guys watch Eraserhead, it's another David Lynch movie, not only just a few movie reaction who make a reaction to the movie, i really really curious to see you guys reaction on how weird yet amazing the movie was.
Whenever I return to this fascinating film I again become so aware of the lovely score by Angelo Badalamenti (who passed away in December of 2022 at age 85). His music compliments the movie tremendously, although there is not a ton of it .... but what there _is_ of it is wonderful. The opening theme, and the love theme ... they work on my emotions. Plus, sometimes I listen to those themes by themselves on RUclips so there are no distractions visually. Mulholland Drive reminds me that movie scores can really take a cinematic experience to another level.
I absolutely loved your faces at the end of the film; I was the exact same way when I saw it the first time. And I really love how much you guys are smiling by the end after you break it down for a bit, that’s what makes this film so rewarding.
Kinda funny that your patrons just tossed you guys into the deep end with old David Lynch here. He definitely has things that are a lot more accessible to unprepared audiences. "Wild at Heart" is a lot of fun and "Twin Peaks" has a ton of charm and humor to take the edge off the surreality. Plus, "Mulholland Drive" gains a lot through context of other Lynch projects, so it's not really the best jumping in place, either way. Although, a lot of it is just interpretive, so there can only be so much context. I'm pretty sure that your patrons just wanted to freak ya'll out.
I thought the same thing!!! I have seen two reactors scared off Lynch because they were thrown into the deep end. One guy went in blind to "Lost Highway", all psyched he was going to see his first Lynch movie......and 9 months later, he hasn't revisited a single one! lol. Ditto this movie with another reactor, and another one who did "Eraserhead". I'd say start with "Wild At Heart" or "The Elephant Man". "Blue Velvet" is a good entry point for some people, but for TBR and Sam, I would have chosen one of those two. I love the "Twin Peaks" movie, but I feel like that's the missing link between "Wild At Heart" and "Lost Highway"....I think it belongs more in the "deep end" camp, myself. But definitely I agree about "Wild At Heart" being the first Lynch movie I would have recommended to TBR and Sam and, actually, most reactors. And "The Elephant Man" is the one Lynch movie EVERY reactor could and should do.
@@johnnyskinwalker4095 Lol. Fair enough. I meant it in comparison to the other Lynch movies. Cage and Laura Dern are so funny (and cute) together, it's a wacky movie, with a lot of humor.
@@TTM9691 If you want accessible and great, The Straight Story. Its in the title. It is the straightest you can get Lynch this side of Elephant man. At least they did not start with Inland Empire.
If I were recommending a starting place for Lynch I would go with Twin Peaks, but you run the risk of being sucked into the series and then slogging through season two until its brilliant conclusion. Still, that’s his most accessible body of work.
Holy wow, you guys really went stright into the deep end of the David Lynch pool! May I suggest you do Twin Peaks? It's got all of the dread and weirdness of Lynch's work but it's a much more viewer-friendly project.
Edgy 18 year old me watching this in Creative Writing class thought this two and a half hour panic attack was the greatest thing to ever exist lol, I’ve grown fond of some other works of Lynch a little bit more since but I still really like this. If Lynch’s movies were being released now, RUclips and social media would have a field day with conspiracy theories and analysis videos while the movies were in theaters.
Thank you for reacting to this film! I learned a long time ago that, at least for me, watching a David Lynch film is more like experiencing a dream than watching a conventional movie where everything is supposed to clearly make sense and add up in a linear way in your head. Some of it will, maybe some of it won't. That's not what he's interested in. What he really likes is ideas, notions, moods, impressions and feelings, especially primal ones like fear, dread, love, or uncertainty. He likes to appeal to the subconscious and the imagination. It's one of the reasons why he can set a mood like very few people can.
Mulholland Drive is one of my absolute favourite movies. TV shows and movies by David Lynch are not meant to be understood, they're meant to be experienced and felt. Back when this came out a friend and I went to see it. We're both long time Lynch fans, and the last movie he made before this was The Straight Story (for Disney!!) which, literally, was a straight story. The reviews for Mulholland Drive were raving that Lynch had gone weird again. When the movie ended (we both cried laughing over the shitty hitman, by the way) we looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, "That wasn't weird". We both loved it. Right after, we went to a disco and I went to the bar to buy a beer, and as I stood there, watching people dancing I literally felt I had stepped out of the reality that was Mulholland Drive and into the illusion that was this disco. Strangest feeling I've ever had. I hope you'll continue with more Lynch. No, he's not a horror director but everything he does - maybe apart from The Straight Story, The Elephant Man, On The Air, and Dune - is terrifying, especially on an existential level.
Lynch is pretty much the opposite of Kubrick, Kubrick's ability and knowledge allows him to make extremely calculated masterpieces. Lynch's ability and knowledge allows him to make extremely improvised masterpieces not fall apart. Probably the craziest thing is that all Lynch movies feel like they're in the same universe even if they arent.
One of my favorite movies of all time and after 20 viewings, I still don't fully understand it. I'm a Lynch fan thanks to Twin Peaks and The Elephant Man.
I agree with that (that's how I saw them, anyways....as they were released!). One can skip "Dune", in my opinion. Just go "Eraserhead", "Elephant Man", "Blue Velvet", and so on....
@@TTM9691 IMHO one of the good things about Dune is that Lynch realized how much he hated the studio system and went back to surrealism with his next film Blue Velvet
@@macheesmo3 I definitely think it's worth watching, but not essential. And since there are hardly any Lynch reaction videos, I'd rather not waste a bullet on "Dune", if you know what I mean! Next thing you know everyone's doing "Dune" and there's zero "Wild At Heart" videos, lol. By the way, this channel linked below is going to be doing "Blue Velvet" in a couple of weeks, you may want to subscribe or keep your eye out. ruclips.net/channel/UCX4vbGTeMfh8qm2gV7ycWNgvideos
Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, and Inland Empire are like a triptych painting work. Different interpretations of the same feelings, conflicts and trauma.
I've heard a theory that all of the events of this film are memories or thoughts going through Diane's mind from the time she shoots herself until she actually dies.
I like how this movie makes you guys talk about it so much afterwards. I watched this movie so many times with friends and we ended up talking about it all night. There's so many ways to perceive this movie.
I've always found David Lynch to be very intriguing and interesting and creative, and very difficult. I might suggest two films by him that aren't so challenging: "The Straight Story" and "Wild at Heart." The former has none of the weirdness and is really a basic, Hollywood, sweet story. The latter stars Nic Cage and a repulsive character by Willem Dafoe, and a great performance by Laura Dern and I believe her real-life mother as her character's mom. Two other big classics of his are "The Elephant Man" and "Dune." If you like weird and challenging, then I'd suggest two by Lynch called "Lost Highway" and "Inland Empire." And he may have attracted much critical attention with his direction of the TV series "Twin Peaks"--for me, the first season is the best, as it gets weirder and weirder as things go on. His first film "Eraserhead" is visually and thematically interesting, but honestly made me feel nauseated when I watched it.
The Straight Story is probably his most accessible hence the title lol which seems typically Lynch. Also The Elephant Man which is a weirdly touching story. Lost Highway is his best film imo that shit is trippy asf lmao
I agree that's a great starting point . "Wild At Heart" is a great one too. And "The Elephant Man" is the one Lynch movie EVERY reactor could and should do at some point. And it definitely is Lynchian, at least to those of us who are original fans from the "Eraserhead" days! "Blue Velvet" though, definitely, and one of his most famous, and most iconic. All four of those movies I"d start with before the later ones, now that I think about it, even "Eraserhead" (which might be the best "super weird" Lynch movie to start with)
This is such a weird movie, but I enjoyed it for it's neo noir style where you meet all these various characters that are somehow connected to each, up until the shocking twist ending.
Umm what did we just watch! A mind bending and dramatic thriller with some excellent performances and a great introduction into the creative mind of David Lynch!
Thank you all for the support!
The first 2/3 of this movie was filmed as a TV pilot.
I'm impressed and happy you guys watched this! In my opinion, the greatest movie of all time!!
You just watched THE most overrated film of all time by the most culted fanbase of David Lynch thinking he's a genius when he literally STOLE this entire film from Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue". Story is exactly the same, plot is exactly the same, many of the scenes are the same yet Lynch swears he came up with this himself.
I enjoy you two very much but I just had to click this video to comment here because your "Patreon fanbase" doesn't understand this is not a film for you.
@@samspade8830 the greatest movie of all time? He stole Satoshi Kon's work, refuses to acknowledge he did, and this is the greatest? I hate David Lynch fans...
It s a David Lynch film..You ll be scarred for life..i tried to dissect this one for years...not There yet
43:32 “I would love to hear like the intention of the director of what was supposed to be happening”
“No.” - David Lynch
😂😂
On the one hand, I appreciate him not wanting to color our interpretation of his films, but on the other, I am capable of hearing what it meant to him and still forming my own opinions, so I want to know his perspective. That said, I think this is one of his more straight-forward in terms of themes and plot.
Lynch literally said this when asked to explain in a interview. Lol
@@dANIELhasMDD "Elaborate on that"
@@StCerberusEngel On the surface it´s straight forward, but it has different levels of surrealism.
Lynch is unparalleled in his ability to conjure dread and fear seemingly out of nowhere - even in scenes that don't really sound that scary on paper (a man encounters a homeless person behind a diner in broad daylight; an elderly couple chase a woman through her apartment).
The elderly couple will haunt me forever now lol...
David Lynch always leaves an impression
That one scene in Lost Highway makes the whole movie worth a watch (even though I think Lost Highway is one of his weakest movies).
Just like in dreams. You're scared even when theres nothing typically scary in the dream.
@@TBRSchmitt ruclips.net/video/VvgRLTP3U5Y/видео.html
Shout out to Angelo Badalamenti's beautifully eerie score for this film. A criminally underrated and under appreciated composer.
Oh, yeah, but Badalamenti is one of the greats.
He does a good job acting as the mobster who didn’t like his espresso too.
What's he rated? Just because people don't mention him constantly in the film press or online doesn't mean his work is rated poorly.
@@Corn_Pone_Flicks Nobody said that. Don't put words in other people's mouths.
His score for twin peaks. ❤
He made that show so special.
Love it so much.
"What the hell are we watching?"
Welcome to the world of David Lynch :-D
It is a scary and confusing world lol
@@TBRSchmitt you have no idea lol
@@TBRSchmitt "It is a scary and confusing world" That is almost LITERALLY a line from Lynch's "Blue Velvet". Not only that, it is a line which is very much the point of that movie. Wow. That just blew me away!
@@TBRSchmitt You should really react to all David's films. I would love to see your reaction to Lost Highway.
@@TBRSchmitt wait til you see Eraserhead.
The more I rewatch Mulholland Drive, the sadder it becomes. The story is *tormenting*
Agree
.also we can see David tell in us since the beginning that all was a dream.
@@christianpereyracespedes8099lol. It was not a dream.
It is tormenting. It’s pure heartbreak. It’s beautiful.
I think the whole Betty portion of the movie is a fantasy/dream in Diane's mind. The fantasy was a coping mechanism. It helped her cope with her failure as an actress (in the fantasy, she is a sought-after actress). It helped her cope with her failed relationship with Camilla (in the fantasy, Camilla loves her). And it helped her cope with the guilt of having Camilla killed (in the fantasy, she saves Camilla). Unfortunately, the fantasy wasn't good enough. The horrible reality of her life breaks through in the end.
You're right on one level, people almost universally agree on this being the "plot" of the movie; however, that being said, Lynch is famous for his movies being metaphors, and the characters themselves representing ideas (Lynch "falls in love with ideas", as per his own words), so the movie should really be seen in this context, with the various relations between the characters being a representation of how these different ideas interact with each other.
The character of Betty represents the naive Hollywood dream, and the character of Camilla represents the dark reality of Hollywood, where things are not so easy, and where many young actresses have traditionally had to resort to exchanging sexual favors with powerful figures for more roles and prominence. Beginning from there, you can easily start to unravel what the other characters and objects represent (the hitman represents Hollywood incompetently trying to keep a lid on its dark secrets, the old actresses represent the golden age of Hollywood, and so on).
I think this is spot on
That's also why the hitman is terribly incompetent in the dream, while in reality he dispatches of Camilla fairly easily. Diane's hoping that somehow the "job" hadn't been a success and the mistake she's made can be fixed.
@@hoon_sol Brilliant, thank you
@@hoon_sol thank you for this, it's cleared up so much in this film.
Ann Miller as Coco. Her final role in a legendary legendary legendary career. She really adds the “old Hollywood” mystique to the film.
True.Especially meta is the fact that she looked like Rita when she was younger
After the dance shot in the opening, we slip into a POV shot. The camera looks straight down at the bed with red sheets. The camera moves towards the pillow and pushes into it creating darkness... that then trans into the Mulholland Drive street sign with flashes of light hitting it. This is her slipping into a dream. Watts' character takes all the people in her life and swaps them around making herself a success instead of a failure.
In real life, her ex-lover achieves the dream of Hollywood. Meanwhile, Naomi is left behind and labeled talentless.
Within the dream, her guilt for having her lover killed in real life keeps breaking into the fantasy she is attempting to create in her mind, her dream. To the point that Naomi Watts' character actually dreams about her own death before committing the act in reality. The dream shapes her destiny. Once she awakens we see everyone for who they really are. Sort of like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. It was all just an illusion like the Master of Ceremony showed us in the theater just before waking up. The fact that Naomi Watts' character is a failure who had her lover killed sends her into a spiral. The police are closing in. The fantasy is a nightmare filled with memories and reality distortion propelling a tragic end.
Well put. There's a tragic beauty to this film, and it's one of my favorites.
Gorgeously worded! And love this way of interpreting it
Well described ... before opening pandoras box: it's all her moment of death
Yup you got it! This is the true narrative.
@@hoechel Though I'd say the blue box was her dream symbol for the blue dumpster behind Winkies. Where Camila's body was dumped.
Cool that you guys pointed out the sound. David Lynch does his own sound design, and he’s a master.
Your analysis was startlingly accurate for a first time watch. Mulholland Drive is my favourite movie of all time, and it took me a couple of watches and a bunch of reading to really appreciate it. Kudos.
Yea I dont really trust some people when they say “first time watching”
the shorthand is: first half is what Diane wanted her life to be, second half is reality. The beauty is once you know that, you can go back and learn a lot about her from the first half.
definitely a movie that has to be seen more than once
I would recommend season one of TWIN PEAKS for your next stop with David Lynch
ruclips.net/video/OiCfHW3N3vo/видео.html
To believe a 'reality' exists in this kind of Lynch film is something of a mistake. All is the American dream/nightmare in one form or another.
Oh true, like she was thinking of different possible lives, as they interlope each other in reality. Or multiple lives being led at once. Maybe as point in there on how we feel we need to come off to others.. based on social constructs and groups. So epic
This channel with movies like Das Boot, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and now Mulholland Drive has surely taken an interesting turn. And I am loving every minute of it. :) Keep up the good work, guys.
@@bottlerocket3218 No, it was the 3.5 hour version, IIRC. Here, we saw the 6 hour version as a 6-episode mini series.
They definitely try great art films that other reactors don't.
@@jediciah37 Well, given how few movies many other reactors have apparently seen, I don't mind them covering their bases so to speak by watching the more mainstream movies first. Movies like these will come in due time. Or so I hope because I do have a handful of reactors that I really enjoy watching.
Samantha’s face at the end credits is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
🥴😂
So was TBR's reaction at 26:51 when Rita disrobed... ;)
When Adam announces that he and Camilla are getting married, and in the subsequent scene where Diane is ordering the hit on Camilla, she is drinking coffee. Because she associates coffee with these painful memories, coffee becomes something sickening within her dream, causing the Castigliane brother to almost puke it out on the napkin. At least that's my interpretation.
Nice, I never felt sure of a lot of my Mulholland Drive ideas, like with Lost Highway, but this was an idea I jotted down, as well.
In any other movie by any other director, I’d call that a stretch, but knowing Lynch, it only makes sense.
Yes, I've always thought that when Angelo Badalamenti spits out the coffee, it's because Diane randomly glances at him during the party while she has a mouthful of coffee and is feeling physically sick (due to the marriage announcement).
But (a bit more specifically), with the scenes at Winkie's....Diane randomly glances at the dream-telling guy standing at the counter while she's feeling intense fear because she's ordering the hit on Camilla.
So in the 1st Winkie's scene, the random guy she's seen becomes symbolic of her fear...he talks of HIS intense fear (and even literally mentions that his companion was standing at the counter in his dream).
Did you notice on the outside of her coffee cup at the party it says SOS?
@@jeffzest8393 Wow, no I didn't. Good catch!
"Everyone in this movie is weird or scary." LOL BAZINGA
Cringe
You got it quite right! In short, you were watching the final moments of an unsuccessful actress (Diane) creating a dream reality about herself, after she committed suicide and most likely hired a hitman to kill her former female lover (Camilla).
* The blue key was the trademark of the hitman. But Diane had regrets, so unconsciously she hoped he would be so inept, that he didn't kill Camilla. That's the silly killing scene.
* The Godfather scenes were her assumption that someone is conspiring against her. She never was successful because of the "dark forces" in Hollywood.
* All the bad stuff happening to the director was her way to explain why he didn't hire her - he just had a bad day ...
* The old couple actually were jurors at the Jitterbug contest. So they were judging her, always there, creeping up on her, way to the final scene.
And so on, and so on. She constructed this twisted reality in her head why she never had success. In the end, reality hit her hard, and she killed herself. Sad thing is, way in the beginning she just may have been naive and sweet Diane, coming to Hollywood, hoping her dreams would come true.
Thank you for this. This movie has never made sense to me. Even after watching it multiple times trying to figure it out, it was just too confusing and frustrating. I usually love movies where they jump around on a timeline, and movies that have a surreal aspect to them, but this one always hit me as nonsense. Your interpretation makes complete sense and I finally feel like I get it… sort of… lol
The blond Camilla Rhodes? The dead body being a brunette?
@@jeffzest8393 Diane's defensive mechanisms still kicking in, even if poorly
The first time I watched this, my immediate reaction when it ended was to start it over again. I did, and right after it started a friend came in and asked what I was watching. I said it was a movie I was trying to figure out. They sat down and watched it with me. When it was over, she said, “wait….start it over again!”
Amazing! It’s a well made cinematic journey! I just enjoyed the film by how hypnotic it was. It wasn’t till the 4th or 5th time I watched it that I realized the first 2/3rds of the movie was a dream. Lol
I love that! Thanks for sharing.
The movie's a real trip, huh.. 🔥
Wish I had a friend like that 😂
Nobody captures the feeling of being in a dream (usually a bad dream) like David Lynch. Creeping dread & euphoria simultaneously…Lynch, his sound designers, and composer Badalamenti capture it perfectly.
Lynch does his own sound design - Twin Peaks the Return is his crowning glory in this regard
Hey guys! A couple of things about Mulholland Drive
1) There's no one single interpretation about what it "means" at least according to Lynch who refuses to explain anything in interviews, which is part of the joy of watching his films -- you can get as little or as much as you want out of them if you give yourself over to his weird world -- his films aren't for everyone but if you can get into them they're very rewarding
2) It was originally filmed as a pilot for a TV show believe it or not. Ultimately it did not get picked up but Lynch shot additional material to expand it into a feature
You're wrong on point 1); in fact, David Lynch is clear that there is in fact a correct interpretation, he just isn't going to tell you what it is. Twin Perfect made a video unraveling the truth of it, if you're interested, referencing tons of things David Lynch has explicitly said himself, in light of that it becomes rather obvious what the movie is about.
Thank you for disagreeing! These movies have been debated, reinterpreted, and analyzed endlessly for years -- I don't think that's going to end anytime soon which is a big part of what makes Lynch's films so magical. Thankfully there is no "one" single true meaning except perhaps in the artist's mind as you say, and he's content to leave it up to the viewer to map their own dreams and desires on the canvas.
I'm sure the video maker you referenced has an interesting take on the material, it sounds very exciting!
@@darklyroaring:
It's not going to end because people keep continuing to do it even long after the right interpretation has already been made; that doesn't make this correct interpretation, and we know from Lynch himself that such an interpretation does indeed exist, and is possible to discover, and Mulholland Drive is even accompanied by 10 questions formulated by Lynch himself specifically to help people arrive at it.
And yes, the video I mentioned does indeed have an "interesting take", because it shows clearly what the movie is actually about through referencing Lynch himself. It's not a mystery anymore, it has been solved; that doesn't make it any less good of a movie at all, far from it (just like Richard Feynman would constantly point out to artists that understanding more and more of the scientific aspects of a flower didn't subtract anything from its beauty, it only added to it).
@@hoon_sol I'm really enjoying your perspective! For each analysis that claims to being "the one" for any artwork, idea, or dream, the dissension and discussion that arises is really beautiful to sift through -- otherwise, there would be nothing to discuss hah!
@@darklyroaring:
You don't understand what I'm saying at all.
When you start making a scientific model of something, you understand more and more facets of that thing, until you've arrived at an understanding that's as close to the truth as you define by some margin of error. When someone then comes along and says something incredibly stupid that's not in accord with reality at all, that doesn't make those two "perspectives" equally valid in any way, shape, or form, because the former "perspective" incorporates much more information and knowledge, and is thus far more accurate.
Likewise, what I'm talking about here isn't any old "perspective" at all, but literally what the movie was intended to mean by Lynch himself, as clearly evidenced from numerous of his statements, including explicitly stating that he wanted to expose sexual indecency and its role in Hollywood, but didn't feel free to openly talk about it.
Thus when you continue talking about how the discussion that arises from any piece of analysis claiming to be the one is great to sift through, that's an insanely clueless statement; some such claims are completely ridiculous, and can be dismissed without discussing it at all, much like if someone suggested the Moon was yellow because it was literally a piece of cheese.
The entire point of discussion is to get closer and closer to the truth, and only discussion which actually helps in doing that is interesting.
My favorite film of all time. Took three watches to understand it. It's perfect and devastating.
The greatest film ever made! There will never be a film like it. Kudos to David Lynch for taking risks to his approach to directing.
You’re in for a ride 😵💫
An absolute mind trip!
You've gotten to Lynch.
FANTASTIC! Enjoy every ride.
Great reaction. Lynch is my all time favorite director, and Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, and Blue Velvet are 3 of my favorites. His style is unmatched and all his movies leave you thinking about them long after you’ve finished watching. Repeat viewings are very rewarding. Maybe the next one you guys react to should be Blue Velvet since it’s a far more linear story. And eventually if you guys have time, Twin Peaks is a must see. It’s my favorite TV show ever.
💯
What’s your take on Inland Empire? I hot so lost in it and haven’t yet tried watching a second time.
MDK2 It’s one of my least favorite but once in a while I try it again. Im due for another try soon. One big problem is that the digital look is so ugly
@@Asoleimani1989 yeah, that’s for sure. All I really remember about it, aside from my complete loss of the threads of the film, was that Laura Dern’s performance was terrific. But I didn’t know what any of it was about.
A guy just did a good reaction to "Blue Velvet" earlier tonight, one of only two that I know if....and, as of now, the only good one! Here's the link: ruclips.net/video/Sbw3H6QelLM/видео.html
A lot of critics felt Naomi Watts deserved an Oscar nomination if not the award itself for that audition scene alone. So you are in good company with that opinion.
One of Lynch's genius abilities is showing how people remember events to comfort themselves or support their internal narrative.
If you want to understand this movie, you have to watch David Lynch's Lost Highway, which is pretty much a precursor to Mullholland Drive and follows a similar "Mobius Strip" structure, where a story has a beginning and an end that meet in the middle, but no clear sign of where one begins and the other ends.
I watched Lost Highway years after Mulholland Drive, and both movies are definitely very, very similar. I think Mulholland Drive is a way for David Lynch to explain the same story in a more simplified way.
@@Soulsphere001 Well, Mullholland Drive was originally meant to be a television series. David Lynch originally envisioned it as a spin off of Twin Peaks, where Audrey Horne leaves Twin Peaks behind and goes to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. That version of Mullholland Drive never happened due to Twin Peaks' cancellation and Lynch went on to do Lost Highway, inspired by the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Lynch attempted to resurrect the Mullholland Drive television project in the late 1990s and actually got to film the series pilot, but network interference caused the show to get scrapped, and Lynch ended up taking what he filmed from the pilot and expanding it into this movie.
@@44excalibur
I did not know any of that. Thank you for the information.
I keep thinking I should watch Twin Peaks, but I have never gotten around to watching neither the old nor the new series. I have only seen the very end of the original show.
@@Soulsphere001 It's one of the greatest TV shows of all time. It's one whole series. The Return just picks up the story 25 years later. So you can't watch the Return without having seen the original series.
It's really the 3rd season.
@@Soulsphere001 You're welcome. The first season of Twin Peaks is the best. Network interference caused the second season to go off the rails. That, and Lara Flynn Boyle insisting that David Lynch tank the Cooper/Audrey Horne storyline, as she felt the popularity of that pairing detracted from her character, Donna Hayward.
In an Interview about making the movie Justin Theroux once said: “I started asking him questions [about characters and plot]… When I finished a question, Lynch would say ‘You know, I don’t know, buddy. But let’s find out.’ He wasn’t being cute or cheeky or evasive; he genuinely didn’t know.
Justin said in his commentary not to try and figure it out; e.g. blue box.
You might guess that the "cowboy" is not an actor. He isn't but DL wanted him to do the role. They had to use cue-cards to get his lines done.
How many times have we woken up from a dream and said "What?" Lynch's ability to capture the strangeness of dreams is peerless.
The best way to understand this movie is to think of it as a dream. Dreams jump around and loop back and often don’t make sense.
After Kubrick, Lynch is my favorite director. You two keep surprising me with reaction choices and it's great. Take care guys.
the blonde girl in the headshot "Camilla Rhodes" who was also at Adam's party, is played by Melissa George, who's also Australian, like Naomi Watts, and was in a good horror film in 2009 called "Triangle", and was before that in Home and Away (an Australian soap opera) and had a brief role in Alex Proyas's 1998 sci-fi neo-noir film "Dark City".
“Carol”, the brunette who was singing before Melissa George in the “This is the Girl” scene is played by Lisa Lackey, also Australian and of Home and Away fame.
@@tuberaxx cool Horace Lin, thanks for the information, I'm sorry I didn't know that before
"Everyone is scary and weird" you've just described David Lynch characters in a nutshell :D Love how you got the comedy in his work too.
Someone explained this movie to me once as ‘like watching a dream’ the way a dream can jump around and how parts of dreams seem real and random bits are just bizarre.
I liked that way of looking at it
Huge props for this one! Actually had a long conversation about this film at lunch today. First off, I LOVE this film, but when I first saw it when it came out I loathed it. It hurt my brain. And I was very vocal about how much I disliked it. But was compelled to rewatch it again and again. It was a massive struggle to decipher, but still impossible to explain, which I now feel is a great attribute. This is David Lynch though. Strange and beautiful. Your reactions throughout are absolutely priceless!
Just remember, "No hay banda. There is no band. It is an illusion."
Lynch got into a series of films that are like this (see also Lost Highway and Inland Empire) but this is far away the best. I saw Inland Empire only once and it’s so long and was so hard to follow (I was completely lost by the 45 minute mark) that I have never tried a second viewing. All I took away was Laura Dern’s great performance and one funny off-screen cameo by Lynch. Lost Highway is good but not as terrific as this.
@@MDK2_Radio I recently did a breakdown of Inland Empire...it's not really that difficult once you pay attention to the clues, though some are a bit obscure. I'll just drop the word "reincarnation"...watch it again with that in mind.
Same here. I hated it the first time, but it stuck with me. Second time I kinda enjoyed it. On the third viewing I loved it.
DL has said he loves dream logic ( many dreams have no logical explanation ). And no, he does not use ideas from his dreams. For example, one day he put his hand on a warm car, and a vision of a little man in a red suit came to him ( the Arm of the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks ).
Also, back on July 4, 2013, I tried to drive to every location I know Lynch filmed this movie at, especially the diner where the monster is at. That place is abandoned; I waited for 3 hours to get a hotdog from Pinks; and I even tried to drive the length of Mulholland Drive...I fell short haha there was a motorcycle (not car) accident, forcing people the opposite way.
That's a great story!
Omg. This is one of my favorite movies ever. And I still don't FULLY understand what happened, no one really is supposed to. But it's just so dreamlike and surreal and good.
The knock on the door at the end was the detectives.
"I guess Betty's crushing it." 😂😂😂 CLEARLY
DON'T FORGET:
Mulholland Drive started out as a TV pilot. The show wasn't picked up and Lynch shot an additional 26 minutes of footage to make it a feature instead.
The opening dance sequence encapsulates the entire movie.
Lynch is greatly inspired by the movie The Wizard of Oz. So for him, dreams aren't nonsense, they reveal a great deal about a character's hopes and fears.
And let us not forget the stunningly emotional rendition of _Crying_ (Llorando) by the incomparable Rebekah Del Rio (whose performance, as the magician explained, is not real after all)! As she's singing it, the ladies are doing it, both realizing Diane's betrayal. She touches her tear-stained face, reaches into her purse for a tissue, and finds the lock box that the blue key opens. Inside it later, she finds reality, the end of the Betty and Rita Dream Existence and the cruel transport to the real world of Diane's madness. Her love life has not worked out, her career has not worked out, and as her hold on sanity becomes increasingly tenuous, even the nice old couple she met on the plane when she first breezed into town are now like attacking monsters, or tiny maggots, their well-wishes of a bright existence threatening, terrifyingly, to eat her soul, because it has not been very bright at all. The wonderful dream at last ended, Diane finally gives herself no alternative, turning herself into the darkest part of the dream, the corpse girl on the bed. An overwhelming reality, over which the task of mastering she found herself entirely inadequate -- quite a lot indeed to be crying about....
I would also recommend The Elephant Man (1980) and Blue Velvet (1986) as some of Lynch's (slightly) more straightforward film.
Then I'd recommend Eraserhead (1977) for his strangest film (and my favourite of his).
I'm really impressed about how much you can remember after watching a movie. Especially a movie like this.
Samantha doing her best DeNiro impression in the thumbnail. 😂
Absolute masterpiece, and perhaps the best movie of the 21st century. Yes, it's confusing, and yes it needs multiple viewings...and yes it actually DOES make narrative sense. But the most important thing I can tell you is to don't worry about the story so much - this movie is about EMOTION with a capital E. Let the colors and music and gorgeousness of everything just wash over you and FEEL what you feel. That's the movie.
Like abstract art, a DL film is to be experienced, to be felt. Like dreams, but not literally a dream.
The day after watching this film, the actor that played The Cowboy approached me at the store where I work and asked me where he could find something. It was very surreal. He ended up shopping at our store for several years. Very nice guy. He gave me a boxed set of Lynch short films.
Are those short film anywhere to find?
@@jeziskristus6762 ruclips.net/video/oJ_t1eOAipo/видео.html
@@jeziskristus6762 ruclips.net/video/oJ_t1eOAipo/видео.html
@@jeziskristus6762 This has more than the boxed set that I have but I believe most of the ones I have are on this list.
The first half is Betty's dream of LA; the second is her reality.
David Lynch is basically the American Frederico Fellini (who was Lynch's biggest influence as a director), a painter and a musician. His movies are heavy on emotional response and "visual poetry" and super abstract. At the same time a lot of his stuff, like Twin Peaks for example, is also really funny and charming at times while simultaneously being scary as hell. He's just extremely talented and unique. I hope you guys dig further into his filmography.
A masterpiece. Couldn’t believe this movie
Before the movie: "I have no idea what this could possibly be about." Nailed it!
I think, it is a little bit like "Vertigo" with the character changing.
Maddie in Twin Peaks is actually inspired by that film.
David Lynch was asked, 'what does it mean? I don't know what's happening."
He answers something along the lines of, "You know what's happening."
I think he's talking about your subconscious working on your and your rational mind not being able to integrate those ideas to what we experience. Something along the lines of it looking beneath the surface, but in a sort of terrifying way. Yeah, the ending scared the s**t out of me, and was sooo sad. The music kills me. Inland Empire has a bit of horror as well.
37:40 Now you know how Homer felt when he watched Twin Peaks the first time.
As a hardcore fan, this was sooooooo much fun to watch! I forgot how insane it all appears without having studied it for years. NO HAY BANDA!
I think it's pretty amazing that you said you were so baffled yet you seem to actually get it first time watching.
I completely agree! They got way more than I did the first time I saw it!
"I don't know what the hell we just watched." Hey, congrats, you're a David Lynch fan now! :D
La confidential would be a good watch.
David Lynch creates surrealist films about topics like: Dreams, Electricity, 1950's Americana, Dark Roads, Doppelganger's, Satire/irony, and comedy.
I don't think I've ever heard Lynch summed up this accurately in just one sentence.
And coffee. Lots of coffee.
@@majimasmajimemes1156 And cigarettes. If you met him, he'd literally try to get you to start smoking if you were a non-smoker.
Major kudos to you guys for tackling difficult films with an open mind. I appreciate the diversity in the kinds of films you guys have chosen to react to. I’m sure you have a patreon system or something for requests, but I just want to plant a seed for the future: maybe you’d enjoy doing some Coen Bros reactions? I can’t remember off the top of my head if you have already done any of theirs.
Big Lebowski, or ANYTHING by the coen brothers!
David Lynch Truly is the MOST original director alive. One of a Kind.
Hello Long Lost FBI Agent. You're goddamn right
"Meanwhile..." - Laura Palmer in the Black Lodge
You guys have really been hitting it out of the park with some of your film choices lately. Welcome to the world of David Lynch!
You mention the sound design a lot in this reaction. Not sure if anyone else mentioned, but David Lynch was the chief sound designer as well as director.
Lynch would have LOVED that they were pointing out the sound design in this movie, right? That's his favorite part of the film-making process, I believe, adding the sound.
Yep. He also mixed the movie and did some music for the second half of the movie.
Took me literal YEARS before I came to a good understanding of this film. YEARS. But your analyses were pretty spot on, especially for a first viewing! My first viewing was when I was young and I just...was completely confused. This has been my favorite film for many many years now and I've seen it so many times. It never gets old!
Btw - Mulholland Drive is actually a road in LA that runs parallel to (and above) Sunset Blvd. - obviously another famous noir film with similar themes.
It's just as much a story about Diane/Camila as it is David Lynch's love letter to LA/Hollywood/and Cinema. It deals with dreams, illusions, fears, etc. and how films can REALLY blur the line between illusion and reality. The first indication of the dream is after the opening credits - the shot where the camera descends onto the pillow. Then throughout the dream, there are numerous indications that we aren't quite witnessing reality - the super cheesy (overdubbed) LAX arrival scene which is literally nothing like what LAX is like, the fact that Rita (Camila) so conveniently just falls into Diane's lap and wanders into her aunt's house (and is helpless like a victim), and how life constantly sh*ts all over the film director's life (because the real Diane hated him).
In real life, our dreams repurpose people we've already seen. As such, Diane repurposes everyone she's seen into her dream/delusion too, including the Cowboy and the espresso man (both at the engagement party). The guys from the diner scene near the beginning? She sees them AT the diner when she's ordering the hit on Camila. And notice how both "Betty and Rita" seem super paranoid and suspicious throughout the dream? It's because Diane's subconscious mind is still aware that none of this is real, that she's making it all up to shield herself from the guilt and shame of killing Camila. The hit man left the blue key - the symbol that "the deed was done" - behind the dumpster of Winkie's diner. So that diner scene is actually one of Diane's dream "characters" realizing that he's in the dream and he just feels that something terrible is going on. The hobo is sort of like Diane's terrible realization about what she's done and who she's become - she can't stand to look it in the face. But ultimately she has to either come to terms with what she's done, or kill herself. And those "detectives" that keep popping up? There are real detectives after Diane, presumably, once they trace her to the disappearance of Camila. I think they are the ones knocking at the end. So it's Diane's subconscious fear that she's actually being followed, which she repurposes to be shady "men in suits" who are looking for Camila instead during the dream. The way when "Betty" calls the number for "Diane Selwyn" whose apartment they later find her dead body in, the voice message says, "Hey, it's me!" And that's not to mention the whole shady "Hollywood Mafia" that seems to be running everything from behind the scenes - because that's how Hollywood really works right?? Wink wink. And remember - it's the blue key (the one from Rita's purse) that UNLOCKS the blue box, which is like a portal that takes us from the dream part of the film back into reality. It's literally the key to understanding how the film is constructed.There are just tons of details that I've discovered over the years. But yes - obviously you need to watch this film tons of times to really get a sense of the thing as a whole and what's going on. But it's worth it, promise...be careful, you may not want to stop watching it!
BTW - that espresso man is the David Lynch's composer lol.
Can you guys watch Eraserhead, it's another David Lynch movie, not only just a few movie reaction who make a reaction to the movie, i really really curious to see you guys reaction on how weird yet amazing the movie was.
Yes pleaaase it's one of my favourite movies
Whenever I return to this fascinating film I again become so aware of the lovely score by Angelo Badalamenti (who passed away in December of 2022 at age 85). His music compliments the movie tremendously, although there is not a ton of it .... but what there _is_ of it is wonderful. The opening theme, and the love theme ... they work on my emotions. Plus, sometimes I listen to those themes by themselves on RUclips so there are no distractions visually. Mulholland Drive reminds me that movie scores can really take a cinematic experience to another level.
The look on your faces at the end of the movie, priceless.
I absolutely loved your faces at the end of the film; I was the exact same way when I saw it the first time. And I really love how much you guys are smiling by the end after you break it down for a bit, that’s what makes this film so rewarding.
One of my all time favorite films!
Kinda funny that your patrons just tossed you guys into the deep end with old David Lynch here. He definitely has things that are a lot more accessible to unprepared audiences. "Wild at Heart" is a lot of fun and "Twin Peaks" has a ton of charm and humor to take the edge off the surreality. Plus, "Mulholland Drive" gains a lot through context of other Lynch projects, so it's not really the best jumping in place, either way. Although, a lot of it is just interpretive, so there can only be so much context. I'm pretty sure that your patrons just wanted to freak ya'll out.
I thought the same thing!!! I have seen two reactors scared off Lynch because they were thrown into the deep end. One guy went in blind to "Lost Highway", all psyched he was going to see his first Lynch movie......and 9 months later, he hasn't revisited a single one! lol. Ditto this movie with another reactor, and another one who did "Eraserhead". I'd say start with "Wild At Heart" or "The Elephant Man". "Blue Velvet" is a good entry point for some people, but for TBR and Sam, I would have chosen one of those two. I love the "Twin Peaks" movie, but I feel like that's the missing link between "Wild At Heart" and "Lost Highway"....I think it belongs more in the "deep end" camp, myself. But definitely I agree about "Wild At Heart" being the first Lynch movie I would have recommended to TBR and Sam and, actually, most reactors. And "The Elephant Man" is the one Lynch movie EVERY reactor could and should do.
@@johnnyskinwalker4095 Lol. Fair enough. I meant it in comparison to the other Lynch movies. Cage and Laura Dern are so funny (and cute) together, it's a wacky movie, with a lot of humor.
@@TTM9691 If you want accessible and great, The Straight Story. Its in the title. It is the straightest you can get Lynch this side of Elephant man. At least they did not start with Inland Empire.
@@Dacre1000 LOL! Yeah, at least they didn't start with Inland Empire, ha, that made me laugh Dacre, lol.
If I were recommending a starting place for Lynch I would go with Twin Peaks, but you run the risk of being sucked into the series and then slogging through season two until its brilliant conclusion. Still, that’s his most accessible body of work.
Easily one of my favourite films of all time
Holy wow, you guys really went stright into the deep end of the David Lynch pool!
May I suggest you do Twin Peaks? It's got all of the dread and weirdness of Lynch's work but it's a much more viewer-friendly project.
The man responsible for the eerie score of the film is Angelo Badalamenti, who played the role of the guy who spits the espresso.
Best film of the 21st century
...so far
Followed closely by “Twin Peaks The Return.”
Edgy 18 year old me watching this in Creative Writing class thought this two and a half hour panic attack was the greatest thing to ever exist lol, I’ve grown fond of some other works of Lynch a little bit more since but I still really like this. If Lynch’s movies were being released now, RUclips and social media would have a field day with conspiracy theories and analysis videos while the movies were in theaters.
edgy 18 year old you was right 😏
Well, you need to react to TWIN PEAKS now 😜
Excellent movie! One of my favorites of all time.
The best jumpscare in cinematic history at 5:39. In a parallel universe, Lynch has specialised in horror movies.
One of my all time favorite movies. I just love this movie so much. With this movie (pre #MeToo) Lynch was already warning us of what went on.
Been waiting for this!!! Great reaction as always
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you for reacting to this film! I learned a long time ago that, at least for me, watching a David Lynch film is more like experiencing a dream than watching a conventional movie where everything is supposed to clearly make sense and add up in a linear way in your head. Some of it will, maybe some of it won't. That's not what he's interested in. What he really likes is ideas, notions, moods, impressions and feelings, especially primal ones like fear, dread, love, or uncertainty. He likes to appeal to the subconscious and the imagination. It's one of the reasons why he can set a mood like very few people can.
Mulholland Drive is one of my absolute favourite movies.
TV shows and movies by David Lynch are not meant to be understood, they're meant to be experienced and felt.
Back when this came out a friend and I went to see it. We're both long time Lynch fans, and the last movie he made before this was The Straight Story (for Disney!!) which, literally, was a straight story. The reviews for Mulholland Drive were raving that Lynch had gone weird again.
When the movie ended (we both cried laughing over the shitty hitman, by the way) we looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, "That wasn't weird". We both loved it.
Right after, we went to a disco and I went to the bar to buy a beer, and as I stood there, watching people dancing I literally felt I had stepped out of the reality that was Mulholland Drive and into the illusion that was this disco. Strangest feeling I've ever had.
I hope you'll continue with more Lynch. No, he's not a horror director but everything he does - maybe apart from The Straight Story, The Elephant Man, On The Air, and Dune - is terrifying, especially on an existential level.
Mel Brooks saw Eraserhead, and decided DL could do something special with Elephant Man.
Aaahhh...David Lynch...37:27, your faces say it all lol
Lynch is pretty much the opposite of Kubrick, Kubrick's ability and knowledge allows him to make extremely calculated masterpieces.
Lynch's ability and knowledge allows him to make extremely improvised masterpieces not fall apart.
Probably the craziest thing is that all Lynch movies feel like they're in the same universe even if they arent.
One of my favorite movies of all time and after 20 viewings, I still don't fully understand it. I'm a Lynch fan thanks to Twin Peaks and The Elephant Man.
I tend to think Lynch's oeuvre is best seen in order so you can get the feel for his style and evolve along with it.
I agree with that (that's how I saw them, anyways....as they were released!). One can skip "Dune", in my opinion. Just go "Eraserhead", "Elephant Man", "Blue Velvet", and so on....
@@TTM9691 IMHO one of the good things about Dune is that Lynch realized how much he hated the studio system and went back to surrealism with his next film Blue Velvet
@@TTM9691 Dune is a wonderfully weird failure of a film worth watching IMO
@@macheesmo3 I definitely think it's worth watching, but not essential. And since there are hardly any Lynch reaction videos, I'd rather not waste a bullet on "Dune", if you know what I mean! Next thing you know everyone's doing "Dune" and there's zero "Wild At Heart" videos, lol. By the way, this channel linked below is going to be doing "Blue Velvet" in a couple of weeks, you may want to subscribe or keep your eye out. ruclips.net/channel/UCX4vbGTeMfh8qm2gV7ycWNgvideos
My all-time FAVORITE FILM!!!
I discover new things with each viewing. A work of art!
I can't wait for them (or anyone) to react to Inland Empire. Now that movie is a ride. Makes Mulholland Drive seem like a walk in the park.
Completely agree with that
DL just went to Hollywood Blvd and filmed whatever happened. ( I'm kidding )
@@treetopjones737 if it wasn’t for Terry Crews I would’ve totally believed he just filmed random homeless people, totally believable!
Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, and Inland Empire are like a triptych painting work. Different interpretations of the same feelings, conflicts and trauma.
Giving you a like just for *choosing* this film for a reaction.
I've heard a theory that all of the events of this film are memories or thoughts going through Diane's mind from the time she shoots herself until she actually dies.
Yes, that theory would make it similar to the Ambrose Bierce story “Incident At Owl Creek Bridge”.
I like how this movie makes you guys talk about it so much afterwards. I watched this movie so many times with friends and we ended up talking about it all night. There's so many ways to perceive this movie.
Absolute puzzle of a movie but it can be solved.
Excellent breakdown
5:37: Best jump scare reaction ever on this channel! Definitely the funniest! :D
I've always found David Lynch to be very intriguing and interesting and creative, and very difficult. I might suggest two films by him that aren't so challenging: "The Straight Story" and "Wild at Heart." The former has none of the weirdness and is really a basic, Hollywood, sweet story.
The latter stars Nic Cage and a repulsive character by Willem Dafoe, and a great performance by Laura Dern and I believe her real-life mother as her character's mom. Two other big classics of his are "The Elephant Man" and "Dune." If you like weird and challenging, then I'd suggest two by Lynch called "Lost Highway" and "Inland Empire."
And he may have attracted much critical attention with his direction of the TV series "Twin Peaks"--for me, the first season is the best, as it gets weirder and weirder as things go on. His first film "Eraserhead" is visually and thematically interesting, but honestly made me feel nauseated when I watched it.
It IS her mother. Laura has her father's name ( Bruce Dern ).
One of my favorite movies of all time 👍
David Lynch is a weird guy, now u know what Lynchian is, I’d say Blue Velvet is his most accessible lynchian movie
Also your interpretation of it at the end seems spot on, I had to google a bunch afterwards
I think Wild at Heart is pretty accessible while still having those Lynch flairs
The Straight Story is probably his most accessible hence the title lol which seems typically Lynch. Also The Elephant Man which is a weirdly touching story. Lost Highway is his best film imo that shit is trippy asf lmao
Samantha: "We saw that this was a David Lynch film..."
TBR, 5 minutes later: "What the hell are we watching?"
Yeah, that's David Lynch.
I agree that's a great starting point . "Wild At Heart" is a great one too. And "The Elephant Man" is the one Lynch movie EVERY reactor could and should do at some point. And it definitely is Lynchian, at least to those of us who are original fans from the "Eraserhead" days! "Blue Velvet" though, definitely, and one of his most famous, and most iconic. All four of those movies I"d start with before the later ones, now that I think about it, even "Eraserhead" (which might be the best "super weird" Lynch movie to start with)
Coco was played by Ann Miller, a very busy actress in the 30's, 40's and 50's
Blue Velvet has to be your next Lynch watch.
"What are we watching?" You have just entered the Land of Lynch. Welcome. Many of us have been here for decades, and we love seeing new people.
This is such a weird movie, but I enjoyed it for it's neo noir style where you meet all these various characters that are somehow connected to each, up until the shocking twist ending.