Let me start the review with a scene from David Flynch’s Mulholland drive
Two beautiful women are seated in an almost deserted auditorium.
They are watching a show called the Silencio
’’Nothing is real’’the semi-french compere explains ’’There is no band-yet you hear an orchestra’’
The reason is simple-A recorded band is playing it all in the background
A fellini-esque trumpeter walks in -plays the trumpet and stops short-the sound continues-’’It’s pre-recorded remember?’’
The Final act is a Spanish woman dressed like an Opera’s Prima Donna
OFF she breaks into a Spanish version of Roy Orbison’s Crying (yes- of all songs!) and an aria-like version at that too...
Genuine emotion floods the aria-a small tear rolls down her eye-down the colourfully painted tear drop on her cheek
The song fills the arena-as her voice reaches unreachable peaks-The two women who are watching are visible moved-the voice fills them with an unspeakable sadness...they are moved to tears...rattled...
The song reaches a crescendo- and then...the singer collapses- dead!
but the song continues-it’s pre-recorded remember?
So there-that sums up Mulholland drive
A devilishly wicked film that follows the logic of your dreams-full of irrational fears and apprehensions-which all make sense only in a dream-faces at the window, strange people singing, people who want to murder you for no reason-well-aren’t these what dreams are made off?
As for the plot- I have NOT deciphered it and despite the fact that I Do have an interpretation, I have made no attempt to understand or decipher it-for there’s no point!
Trying to coax a plot into it and freeze it as the sole ultimate truth would be fool hardiness-for the magic of this work is that it let’s the viewer choose his own way through the maze!
A beautiful, dark haired woman (a breathtakingly beautiful Laura Elena Harring)is almost murdered by the assasins who are driving her car when another drunken car crashes into hers and saves her-but her memory is gone
She wanders into the home of a sweet blonde named Betty (Naomi Watts in a much acclaimed portrayal)who has come to the land of Dreams to become whatelse?-a movie star!She has a glimpse at a poster of Rita Hayworth and decides to call herself Rita
Betty auditions for a part, which has already been reserved by shady mafia dons for another girl
Meanwhile Rita needs Betty to help her out-to find out who she really is- Betty obliges-only to find she is falling in love with Rita...
If you thought this was the main plot-oops!
Halfway through you find there might be no Rita-or maybe no Betty...You are presented with a bumbling assasin who jokes about Rita’s car-accident, a Key to a box-that might solve the mystery and a phony hot-shot film director(Justin Theroux) in the clutches of a mafia don and a ’’Smart-ass’’ hating cowboy...
For a moment you thought the movie was set in the 50s but why are there brand new-state of the art cars around?
This is a movie in many planes
part criticism of the hollywood myth which corrupts and exploits-taking all and giving nothing....
part jigsaw puzzle where the background art is a surreal painting!
part Tarantino spoof/tribute-can’t make up my mind here-but the hilarious scene where one murder leads to another and the restaurant conversations are definitely Pulp Fiction-modelled
part erotica (Like most Lynch movies)
Whatever it is-it’s one movie you will not forget in a hurry