Just watched this movie. I...I didn't understand much, but I've learned that that is common. The only thing I really got was Diane was dreaming for 2 hours of the film. The blue box, the cowboy, disjointed storyline, Winkie's dream, all went over my head. I assume this film requires multiple viewings and extensive research. Good god.
The Cowboy is part of the lead characters dreamscape. So is this male director character. Now it gets more complicated from there but these basics have to be understood first. Your attitude on the matter will go a long way in you grasping this film dont you agree?
People don't understand and realize is that when you are dreaming, each character in the dream is a representation of different aspects of your personality; like a hall of mirrors, multi-faceted and reflecting our deepest fears and hidden desires.
I see the cowboy representing Hugo Grotius and how he saw "In the whole Christian world as a license of fighting at which even barbarous nations might blush. Wars were begun on trifling pretexts or none at all, and carried on without any reference of law, Divine or human." How's that for over analysis? :)
He is just a figure you would never expect to meet...He's Cowboy (country man, peasant, villager etc...)and the Cowboy is talking to a rich, important, powerful man from Hollywood,..He's warning him, giving him orders...isn't that creepy?
An "off" light bulb flickers on. Electricity appears out of nowhere, and with it, the Cowboy, as if an invisible door opened, and power came through. What he is, isn't as important as the fact that he is there. He has come to open Adan Kesher's eyes, at a crucial time, that will either make him, or break him. All he wants Adam to do is stop being a jerk and listen, like a man. The Cowboy leaves, the light goes off. I think as soon as he stepped out of sight, he vanished into thin air.
I think the Cowboy is a spirit from a bygone time, the Silent Era, like Tom Mix. He's modest and simple, and is fairly disgusted by the modern man's sarcastic tendencies. Still, he's there to put the young fool on the correct path. This is like the spiritual equivalent of being sent to the principal's office. It may not seem so nice, but it's for your own good.
The cowboy is not "evil" He's a no-nonsense, straight talker. I think the spirits of Old Hollywood are angry with the hot-headed Kesher, but they want him to succeed, so they send the Cowboy, not to threaten him, but to give him the inside scoop on how to succeed in Hollywood. The Cowboy is saying "This is how you will succeed. Do it differently, and you will fail. The choice is yours" Who ever it is, they seem to want him to succeed, to accept the compromise for his own good.
Great material for child raising. I use the cowboy's statements in raising my own kids. I'll tell my son every so often that a man's attitude goes some ways, and that if they fix their attitude, they can ride along with me. Or they'll see me 2 more times if they do bad, lol!
Hitchcock did the same thing in Psycho with Norman Bates "Mother". His mother was the antagonist and instigator of the film, but only in Norman's demented mind. He not only took on the persona of his mother but also her psyche as well. Norman was a kind man, but in Psycho II, when he found out that another woman was his biological mother he became violent and killed her. My main point is that David Lynch must have been a fan of Alfred Hitchcock.
Never seen this, but I have seen Lost Highway.....a number of times. Stil can't figure that one out even after reading a number of thoughts on it. Maybe they're just kool movies that confuse the shit out of people and make you think real hard. Maybe the joke is on us and Lynch is laughing. How about that?
Lynch has a talent for creating creepy characters, that feel as if they are taken from real life. One absolutely doesn't feel as if this guy comes from a script. What I would love to see, is a deathmatch between Lynch's characters. Frank Booth vs The Cowboy. Sounds stupid, I know, but Lynch would be crazy enough, or would he...
I love this movie, you have to watch it a few times to fully understand. the ending reveals the dream. the cowboy at the party, everyone. not hard to understand but its surely a mind fuck
He should have just got this cowboy customer in a headlock and then drove off in his precious buggy, instead of listening to his bullshit riddles. This film is a masterpiece.
i somehow think that david couldn't represent exactly what was in his mind at the time of making some of the scenes, i would really love to be an actor in a david lynch film, i think i would really comprehend him
How such ideas work in our brain is not understood. So every interpretation that begins with "The Cowbow stands for...." is highly questionable me thinks.
"A man's attitude goes some ways...the way his life will be. Is that somethin' you might agree with?" Great dialogue. His voice reminds me of brother Larry (w/ Darryl & Darryl) on Newhart.
The Cowboy is a non-entity, more of an ethereal being of malevolence. I have this theory that the Cowboy may actually be Diane's personified ego basically saying that if she does not get what she wants in life, which in this case is a part in the movie there will be deadly consequences. The Cowboy is very similar to Robert Blake's Mystery Man character in Lost Highway. Frank from Blue Velvet is flesh and blood and needs no influence from the "spirit realm" to magnify his psychosis.
the cowboy maybe good.....but he is nothing compared to the character Frank in Blue Velvet, played by dennis hopper - another mind fucking creation of David Lynch.
The Cowboy is a non-entity, more of an ethereal being of malevolence. I have this theory that the Cowboy may actually be the Naomi Watts character's personified ego basically saying that if she does get what she wants, which is the part in the movie there will be deadly consequences. The Cowboy is actually very similar to Robert Blake's Mystery Man character in Lost Highway. Frank, from Blue Velvet is flesh and blood and needs no influence from the "spirit realm" to magnify his psychosis.
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." Twain wrote this as a "notice" in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
I post this in response to the comments relating to Lynch's own statements that that so much shouldn't be made of his films.
The cowboy to me represents a kind of moral choice the director has to make - I feel he is a cowboy as that archetypal character perfectly symbolises the battle between good and evil (the Old West) and that is the decision the director has to make here.
OK, here's my question: Why would the director see the cowboy two more times if he "did bad."
What happens on the second meeting that couldn't have just as easily happened the first meeting (which was going to proceed regardless of whether the director "did good" or "did bad")?
If I were the director, I would have asked... It's always good to solicit clarification on details like that.
Probably there is one time that cant be avoid even by the cowboy - lets say some reunion or something, witneses involved.. Second time is the killing.
Lynch is all about mood and psychology. I think the sheer ambiguity of it generates tension for the audience. Something like what I've heard Hitchcock say about a death scene out of the viewers sight, say behind a closed door, but still heard, is more terrifying than seeing the actual death scene.
The cliche cowboy and cliche gangsters earlier, the cliche of the perfect iconic actress...I interpreted that much as being a commentary on how two dimensional Hollywood can appear from the outside.
Nope, we see the cowboy two more times. Once when he wakes Naomi Watts character from her dream, and also once at the party. As he predicts here in her dream two times is bad, and we know what happens then in the end.
This 'cowboy' seems to bear an uncanny resemblance to another figure that used to haunt the same Hollywood hills, Max Hardcore, the porn producer.. And it would certainly fit with certain themes and motifs that recur through the film. The destruction of women, under the glare of the sun and flashbulbs of the 'starmaking' capital.
Yeah Lynch is a master of that. Check out the Andy's Party clip from Lost Highway. If you can successfully pull that shit with someone at a party, he'll be talking about you for years!
This film is confusing, challenging, and ultimately brilliant -- but don't ask me to explain why.
It's simply Lynch at his best, providing individual scenes like this that tend to scare the s--- out of you. The is hands down the most unusual and captivating film of the past 10 years.
I think that that film is also Lynch's best to potray love in a healthy way, as Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks showed us love in a sick and twisted way. Wild at Heart is also a good potrayal of love.
Brilliant is all i have to say, ive never really understanded his even tho i have many theories, thus i came to a conclusion of my own a while ago, i decided to just watch and enjoy all the great scenes and not think about the plot at all, this scene for example is just so damn entertaining as the most in his movies.
It's obviously a veiled threat. As if to say, you'll see me at the movie screening no matter what, but if you don't do as we say I'll pay another visit . . .
My opinion on the cowboy is that he's the devil, controlling a person. I don't know what it is..the whole "meeting in a corral" thing gave me that feel, and the eerie light turning on, and his controlling, but elusive way of speaking. He has the guy in his back pocket, utterly..
This is why I'd love to study these movies in school, so much can be learned from each character, each scene, each subject, Each film!
I love the tension in this scene. The way the cowboy talks to the director reminds me of the tone a teacher takes when trying to deal with a troublesome student. The cowboy's eyes are almost completely black and his questions seem to see right through the director. Also, the cowboy's calm makes this scene eerie...
This is a good scene. The cowboy didn't have any eyebrows. That made me think he was some kind of demon or something; one of lynch's supernormal characters like the mystery man in lost highway. The man in the planet. The lady in the radiator. etc.
Hey all, thanks for the responses to the cowboy question, what I still never got though, was why is the cowboy watching her kill herself at the end of the film? And I still don't understand what he means about the one time or two times thing.
He's actually not in the room when Diane kills herself. He's in the bedroom after Diane had Camilla killed.
I saw the Cowboy as a dark angel. (Someone else called him a demon. I actually thought he was the devil the first time I watched this movie.) It seems like he's always around, and is in control, of the darker side of Hollywood.
Alright Lynch fans. I feel like I "get" this movie...most of it is lived in the Watt's charators fantasies. Most of it is not supposed to be really happening, but she is fantasizing about this life that she'll never have, but what the hell is the cowboy character? I mean, what is he? Theories? This scene, like so many in the film are only this deluded woman's fantisies...so what is this character??? ????
The cowbay was a real person in reality. In reality the cowboy was simply some dude dressed is western garb at the dinner party where Adam (director character) announces to his guests that he and Rita are getting married. Diane, catches a glimpse of this guy in the western garb as he's moving about the party. This man, perhaps because he was dressed so out of place at that party, enters her subconscience. He shows up in her dream as this mysterious behind the scenes Hollywood string puller.
Good interpretation. I think Lynch is having fun setting up the perfect "mind fuck" scene.
On first viewing, you're expecting the guy to beat Adam up. But Lynch sustains the tension in a non-violent way, through spoken words, mood, visuals, and the stark contrast in personal styles.
Adam is supposed to be urbane, the cowboy straight-talking and plain. Adam wears glasses, the cowboy a stereotypical hat. Adam is passive; the cowboy aggressive with his leading questions ("what did I say?").
No, you posters are not thinking. You're too busy being a smart aleck to be thinking. Now I want you to think, and stop being a smart aleck. Can you try that for me?
You see hime twice after this part in the movie. (HOLY HELL I LOVE THIS MOVIE). Once at the party (which occurs in "real life"), and once more after he tries to wake Noami Watt's character up (which I believe is after her suicide/in her "dream")
The audience and the director(I think he saw him) saw the Cowboy once more near the end of the movie at the party. Remember he said you'll see him once if he did good, twice if he did bad...or something along those lines. Freaky scene.
This has got to be one of my favorite scenes in any movie. I think part of what makes it so good is that there is nothing physically about the cowboy at all to make him intimidating. His clothes are ridiculous, he's small, and his voice is not that deep. And still, based on dialogue alone, he is totally intimidating. That is awesome writing!
its his confidence. he talks with a demanding calm. makes you think "what is this guy capable of, or who is he connected to? and not ONCE does he take his eyes and concentration off Kesher (Theroux).
Evil people have a tendency to look ridiculous in order to persuade people to laugh at them so that they can justify the evil things they like to inflict. It's like bait.
"stop for a litle second and think about it - can you do that for me?" Alan snickers and then suppresses his laugh. When the camera cuts back to the Cowboy, you can see the actor almost lose it and start cracking up - but he catches himself and finishes the scene. Great stuff!
You're all wrong! Cowboy is delighted at seeing Alan's snigger because his job of killing him will now be justified in his mind should he have to do it, and he is suppressing this delight to a smirk. This emphasise the evil and sadistic nature of the Cowboy making him even more sinister. Lynch would never let an accidental smirk in his film, especially on such a tense scene. Brilliant stuff!
There's sometimes a buggy is him making a very awkward analogy. A buggy being like...something a cowboy would drive, Wild west buggy. His point is, he's driving the buggy. He is dominating the conversation. The director guy will not.
That's one of the highlights of his speech, the way he says it is so natural but so alien to us, we immediately know how different he is just from one small analogy.
exactly, who's driving the buggy, making the decisions? your reason? (i see adam *also* as the reason/head of diane, 'this is the girl'.) well no, most of the decisions humans make are deeply emotional, and the comboy represents the power of our deepest desires or grieves. although adam may think it's his own choice to pick camilla rhodes and diane can say the decision to kill camilla is completely reasonable. but it's not because diane regrets it at the end and so does adam at the audition.
yes, your thinking in the right direction. the way i see it is, the cowboy resembles peoples deepest line between fail & success. he's like the pure logic we think over in our heads when challenged with a large decision to make. now also think about when the light came on, when adam stepped into that area with the cowboy, (logic&deeper thought) I belive the light bulb is a sign of thinking going on(bulb over head=idea). so think back to the other appearances of the cowboy.
I think people read too much into Lynch films. He's just an odd guy who makes weird movies to entertain us. He's even admitted there's no deeper meaning to his movies. That being said, I do like your analysis.
there are always ideas and meanings to scenes and characters that are going to remain up for debate, but this movie in particular does indeed have a very definite plot.
Just watched this movie. I...I didn't understand much, but I've learned that that is common. The only thing I really got was Diane was dreaming for 2 hours of the film. The blue box, the cowboy, disjointed storyline, Winkie's dream, all went over my head. I assume this film requires multiple viewings and extensive research. Good god.
WolfataDoor 2 years ago
I have a hunch that Lynch originally had Dennis Hopper in mind for this cowboy.
mrpossibilities 2 years ago
Is anyone else totally freaked out by the cowboy's coat? It scares the hell outta me.
SingHouse 2 years ago
You've got to love that Cowboy. Genial but threatening nonetheless.
jonahbegone 2 years ago
I tried to figure out what the Cowboy reminds me of, and I found it out.
He reminds me of a Teacher who tries to talk to you after class.
Dojack 2 years ago
haha totally
SingHouse 2 years ago
david lynch is a genious
kfag101 2 years ago 3
this is how hollywood works... once you take the oath you do as they say
or you end up wearing drag hanged in a closet in bangkok
the media whores shall sit with their masters when we rise up
MaTchBoOkPoEt 2 years ago 2
wtf is this where is hannah montana
cydelon 2 years ago
You've been LYNCH-ROLLED.
feloniousbutterfly 2 years ago
Her dad's in the movie yeah.
Mrster 2 years ago
you see him 3 times
barneygrumble 2 years ago
yeah... this time and then two more times, as he threatened.
lonsumtravlr 2 years ago
The Cowboy is part of the lead characters dreamscape. So is this male director character. Now it gets more complicated from there but these basics have to be understood first. Your attitude on the matter will go a long way in you grasping this film dont you agree?
Silvertrine 2 years ago 4
People don't understand and realize is that when you are dreaming, each character in the dream is a representation of different aspects of your personality; like a hall of mirrors, multi-faceted and reflecting our deepest fears and hidden desires.
kalimaganeshshivan 2 years ago
I see the cowboy representing Hugo Grotius and how he saw "In the whole Christian world as a license of fighting at which even barbarous nations might blush. Wars were begun on trifling pretexts or none at all, and carried on without any reference of law, Divine or human." How's that for over analysis? :)
edgazda 2 years ago 5
"Thank You Masked Man"
feck2112 2 years ago
ive uploaded all of this masterpiece if anyone is interested in watching
MrMovieoreo 2 years ago
Cowboy: There's sometimes a buggy. How many drivers does a buggy have?
Adam Kesher: One.
Cowboy: So, let's just say I'm driving this buggy. And, if you fix your attitude, you can ride along with me.
gklite 2 years ago 3
I think the cowboy is a mind-a-fucking with my entire brain and I do not like it. :)
Jirkenz131 2 years ago
this is the END
blackbbbbiochip 2 years ago
He is just a figure you would never expect to meet...He's Cowboy (country man, peasant, villager etc...)and the Cowboy is talking to a rich, important, powerful man from Hollywood,..He's warning him, giving him orders...isn't that creepy?
xbikox 2 years ago 4
not really, I mean he could be an even richer, more important, and more powerful man who just dresses as a cowboy
d2eux 2 years ago
An "off" light bulb flickers on. Electricity appears out of nowhere, and with it, the Cowboy, as if an invisible door opened, and power came through. What he is, isn't as important as the fact that he is there. He has come to open Adan Kesher's eyes, at a crucial time, that will either make him, or break him. All he wants Adam to do is stop being a jerk and listen, like a man. The Cowboy leaves, the light goes off. I think as soon as he stepped out of sight, he vanished into thin air.
RickTBL 2 years ago 5
I think the Cowboy is a spirit from a bygone time, the Silent Era, like Tom Mix. He's modest and simple, and is fairly disgusted by the modern man's sarcastic tendencies. Still, he's there to put the young fool on the correct path. This is like the spiritual equivalent of being sent to the principal's office. It may not seem so nice, but it's for your own good.
RickTBL 2 years ago 2
The cowboy is not "evil" He's a no-nonsense, straight talker. I think the spirits of Old Hollywood are angry with the hot-headed Kesher, but they want him to succeed, so they send the Cowboy, not to threaten him, but to give him the inside scoop on how to succeed in Hollywood. The Cowboy is saying "This is how you will succeed. Do it differently, and you will fail. The choice is yours" Who ever it is, they seem to want him to succeed, to accept the compromise for his own good.
RickTBL 2 years ago
The actor who plays Cowboy has been an executive producer in several Lynch productions. this is his only role as an actor to date.
I find it tinglingly funny that in his only scene as an actor his character is giving threatening orders to a rebelling young director.
masterofpaint 2 years ago 3
Great material for child raising. I use the cowboy's statements in raising my own kids. I'll tell my son every so often that a man's attitude goes some ways, and that if they fix their attitude, they can ride along with me. Or they'll see me 2 more times if they do bad, lol!
Zrandrid 2 years ago 10
Hitchcock did the same thing in Psycho with Norman Bates "Mother". His mother was the antagonist and instigator of the film, but only in Norman's demented mind. He not only took on the persona of his mother but also her psyche as well. Norman was a kind man, but in Psycho II, when he found out that another woman was his biological mother he became violent and killed her. My main point is that David Lynch must have been a fan of Alfred Hitchcock.
kalimaganeshshivan 2 years ago
The cowboy's dialog is brilliant. Where the hell did they find that guy?
Mimasfriend 2 years ago 3
Never seen this, but I have seen Lost Highway.....a number of times. Stil can't figure that one out even after reading a number of thoughts on it. Maybe they're just kool movies that confuse the shit out of people and make you think real hard. Maybe the joke is on us and Lynch is laughing. How about that?
p0479 2 years ago
Lynch has a talent for creating creepy characters, that feel as if they are taken from real life. One absolutely doesn't feel as if this guy comes from a script. What I would love to see, is a deathmatch between Lynch's characters. Frank Booth vs The Cowboy. Sounds stupid, I know, but Lynch would be crazy enough, or would he...
Gaaraoftheoasis 2 years ago
I love this movie, you have to watch it a few times to fully understand. the ending reveals the dream. the cowboy at the party, everyone. not hard to understand but its surely a mind fuck
wakeuptofuckup 2 years ago 2
He should have just got this cowboy customer in a headlock and then drove off in his precious buggy, instead of listening to his bullshit riddles. This film is a masterpiece.
7lartceps 2 years ago 3
this film can't be understood nor explained entirely, IMO. but still my fav. movie. see this scene in german on my channel
Permafrost38 2 years ago 2
i love the pink on his shirt
YouDidntdoAnything 2 years ago 4
i somehow think that david couldn't represent exactly what was in his mind at the time of making some of the scenes, i would really love to be an actor in a david lynch film, i think i would really comprehend him
janohermano 2 years ago
How such ideas work in our brain is not understood. So every interpretation that begins with "The Cowbow stands for...." is highly questionable me thinks.
flexfanger 2 years ago 2
"A man's attitude goes some ways...the way his life will be. Is that somethin' you might agree with?" Great dialogue. His voice reminds me of brother Larry (w/ Darryl & Darryl) on Newhart.
Zrandrid 2 years ago
does this movie actually really has sense or is it just a "surreal" creation that it really has no other sense than impacting the human mind?
janohermano 2 years ago
The Cowboy is a mind control mechanic.....read up on MK Ultra...
ForceRecon75 2 years ago
The Cowboy is a non-entity, more of an ethereal being of malevolence. I have this theory that the Cowboy may actually be Diane's personified ego basically saying that if she does not get what she wants in life, which in this case is a part in the movie there will be deadly consequences. The Cowboy is very similar to Robert Blake's Mystery Man character in Lost Highway. Frank from Blue Velvet is flesh and blood and needs no influence from the "spirit realm" to magnify his psychosis.
kalimaganeshshivan 2 years ago
No, you fools! The Cowboy is obviously Michael Gira.
AlwaysReady4Luv 2 years ago
the cowboy maybe good.....but he is nothing compared to the character Frank in Blue Velvet, played by dennis hopper - another mind fucking creation of David Lynch.
arunsridaran 2 years ago
The Cowboy is a non-entity, more of an ethereal being of malevolence. I have this theory that the Cowboy may actually be the Naomi Watts character's personified ego basically saying that if she does get what she wants, which is the part in the movie there will be deadly consequences. The Cowboy is actually very similar to Robert Blake's Mystery Man character in Lost Highway. Frank, from Blue Velvet is flesh and blood and needs no influence from the "spirit realm" to magnify his psychosis.
kalimaganeshshivan 2 years ago 3
that what a very philosophical comment! ;-)
fitnessfreaky 2 years ago
Thank you.
kalimaganeshshivan 2 years ago
I love this part ! I don't know why! I'm crazy about it! I memorized every single dialog in this part!!
and I love that cowboy!!!!
really something! Ohhhh Fuuuck!
siavash2c 2 years ago
i love that fucking cowboy
creepiecrawll 2 years ago 4
Definitely!!!
That lead girl is NOT up to you! (wonderful language and expression everything is amazing in this dialog!!!)
Fuck yeah!!
siavash2c 2 years ago
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." Twain wrote this as a "notice" in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
I post this in response to the comments relating to Lynch's own statements that that so much shouldn't be made of his films.
johnnylunchbox 2 years ago
This is going to sound very sad, please don't make fun of me for being so stupid, but is that true of the inscription.
josbusfield 2 years ago
****** Spoiler********* Dont forget that Diane is all the characters in her dream world. So this is part of Diane's psyche talking to the Cowboy.
Silvertrine 2 years ago 3
One of countless remarkable scenes from this truly terrifying film. David Lynch is brilliant, and MULHOLLAND DRIVE rules. Nothing like it ....
Silencio ..... silencio.
raiderdan05 2 years ago 6
The cowboy to me represents a kind of moral choice the director has to make - I feel he is a cowboy as that archetypal character perfectly symbolises the battle between good and evil (the Old West) and that is the decision the director has to make here.
FBooth 2 years ago
i love the cowboy's tone and accent.....so intruiging.
btw, the cowboy has his eyebrows shaved off...did anybody notice it ?....y is that ?
arunsridaran 2 years ago
Indeed, I read somewhere that they shaved his eyebrows to make him look less intimidating.
Netalies 2 years ago
thats what makes it creepy. the shaved off eyebrows in combination with the akward scene makes it even more creppy
marker853 2 years ago 3
Maybe to be as simple and direct as possible like the way he talks.
siavash2c 2 years ago
Greatest scene for any movie
josbusfield 2 years ago
I am completely mixed up with this scene
alireza11536 2 years ago
OK, here's my question: Why would the director see the cowboy two more times if he "did bad."
What happens on the second meeting that couldn't have just as easily happened the first meeting (which was going to proceed regardless of whether the director "did good" or "did bad")?
If I were the director, I would have asked... It's always good to solicit clarification on details like that.
GlobeeCat 2 years ago
Probably there is one time that cant be avoid even by the cowboy - lets say some reunion or something, witneses involved.. Second time is the killing.
2181190 2 years ago 3
Lynch is all about mood and psychology. I think the sheer ambiguity of it generates tension for the audience. Something like what I've heard Hitchcock say about a death scene out of the viewers sight, say behind a closed door, but still heard, is more terrifying than seeing the actual death scene.
siradam575 2 years ago
you are too busy being a smart alec.
Manthing32 2 years ago
Lynch is a genius : )
DeadEyeMorgan 2 years ago
The cliche cowboy and cliche gangsters earlier, the cliche of the perfect iconic actress...I interpreted that much as being a commentary on how two dimensional Hollywood can appear from the outside.
Iskalla 2 years ago
I can't remember -- does he see him one or two more times? I saw this so long ago, I don't remember anymore.
Genius scene, though!
TomFromJersey 2 years ago
Three.
teamwounder 2 years ago
Wow - what does that mean?
TomFromJersey 2 years ago
"Wow - what does that mean?"
What, the "three" part?
Well obviously it's an answer to your question "does he see him one or two more times?"
Three is the number that follows numbers one and two, meaning three.
taistelutomaatti 2 years ago
Nope, we see the cowboy two more times. Once when he wakes Naomi Watts character from her dream, and also once at the party. As he predicts here in her dream two times is bad, and we know what happens then in the end.
Buyandsee 2 years ago
This 'cowboy' seems to bear an uncanny resemblance to another figure that used to haunt the same Hollywood hills, Max Hardcore, the porn producer.. And it would certainly fit with certain themes and motifs that recur through the film. The destruction of women, under the glare of the sun and flashbulbs of the 'starmaking' capital.
williamofockam 2 years ago 3
lynch is a god.
kevjo66 2 years ago
freak of nature cowboy!
blackeyedpeasband 2 years ago
"well stop for a little second". Classic. I'll bet he ad libbed that.
falconflyer34 2 years ago
i dont think lynch wants anyone ad libbing anything
qben9354 2 years ago
Every thing the Cowboy says sounds like there's some hidden pretext to it lol
He's such a simple character but he really makes the most of his screentime.
Bluehawk2008 2 years ago
Yeah Lynch is a master of that. Check out the Andy's Party clip from Lost Highway. If you can successfully pull that shit with someone at a party, he'll be talking about you for years!
ummagumma00 2 years ago
watch twin peaks and see that the cowboy says almost the same like the giant who helps agent cooper (season 2 episode 1 or 2 can't remember)
sicanite 2 years ago
This film is confusing, challenging, and ultimately brilliant -- but don't ask me to explain why.
It's simply Lynch at his best, providing individual scenes like this that tend to scare the s--- out of you. The is hands down the most unusual and captivating film of the past 10 years.
raiderdan05 2 years ago 4
Perfectly put.
I think that that film is also Lynch's best to potray love in a healthy way, as Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks showed us love in a sick and twisted way. Wild at Heart is also a good potrayal of love.
darkphoenix474 2 years ago
probably my favorite bit of dialogue in a movie. cheers for posting
WorldVenturesZack 2 years ago
anyone notice the color schemes in this movie, the red dress blue box and key pink paint
Joefonzgoldenarms 2 years ago 2
we all need the cowboy
lizzyaknt 3 years ago 6
Brilliant is all i have to say, ive never really understanded his even tho i have many theories, thus i came to a conclusion of my own a while ago, i decided to just watch and enjoy all the great scenes and not think about the plot at all, this scene for example is just so damn entertaining as the most in his movies.
ambient444 3 years ago
"If you do good, you'll see me one more time. If you do bad, you'll see me two more times."
Oh man, a lot could be said about that line.
OnVanBuren 3 years ago 5
David Lynch can derive such menace from such simplicity.
corporatewarrior 3 years ago 5
Can someone tell me what that means?? What does he mean one time if you do good or two more times if you do bad??
And doesn't the other gentleman look a little like Johnny Knoxville?
JacobofOklahoma 2 years ago
It's obviously a veiled threat. As if to say, you'll see me at the movie screening no matter what, but if you don't do as we say I'll pay another visit . . .
Snootwaller 2 years ago
That's pretty badass.
JacobofOklahoma 2 years ago
You'll need to watch the film to understand that line - believe me - it's worth it!
parkender 2 years ago
I've seen the movie recently twice. I just didn't understand the one time, two times part. But I understand it now.
JacobofOklahoma 2 years ago
Yeah, he só looks like Johnny Knoxville, he reminded me of him every time I watched this movie.
Absurd scene, bizar movie, but great.
Daphuhnuh 2 years ago
oooo Justin is HOT!!
not even a freaky no-eyebrow'd cowboy can take away his hotness!
101NiNJA010 3 years ago 2
[creepy silence]
"Beautiful evening..." HAHAHAHAAAA!
I looked at this clip just to hear that comment again.
Aflammox 3 years ago
I'm going to change my smart-alec ways RIGHT NOW.
oceanic1 3 years ago 11
Man, it's STILL creepy as all Hell...
MIsguidedarCHAngEL 3 years ago 5
My opinion on the cowboy is that he's the devil, controlling a person. I don't know what it is..the whole "meeting in a corral" thing gave me that feel, and the eerie light turning on, and his controlling, but elusive way of speaking. He has the guy in his back pocket, utterly..
This is why I'd love to study these movies in school, so much can be learned from each character, each scene, each subject, Each film!
cooley12 3 years ago
I love the tension in this scene. The way the cowboy talks to the director reminds me of the tone a teacher takes when trying to deal with a troublesome student. The cowboy's eyes are almost completely black and his questions seem to see right through the director. Also, the cowboy's calm makes this scene eerie...
theclassicpenguin 3 years ago 2
Effin classic. I disliked this film, but this scene is worth watching the rest of it for.
giggan1 3 years ago
this guy didn't have any eyebrows, just like the mystery man in lost highway
hungh0rse 3 years ago 4
This is a good scene. The cowboy didn't have any eyebrows. That made me think he was some kind of demon or something; one of lynch's supernormal characters like the mystery man in lost highway. The man in the planet. The lady in the radiator. etc.
KKelvin60 3 years ago 5
I don't know who wrote this dialogue but it's fantastic. The cowboy's phrasing is so strange.
JohnR22926 3 years ago 2
the Movie was Wriiten by Mr. Lynch
donneric 3 years ago
Lynch really does have a touch of genius.
I just finished watching Eraserhead which was reaaally weird. I made the surrealistic scenes in Mulholland Drive look normal by comparison.
Good movie to watch though, if you like Jack Nance (once of Lynch's regulars). It was made in 1977 and you have a very young Nance in the title role.
JohnR22926 3 years ago
true good film the first of David's movies I saw was Blue Velvet and I was shaking but i was hooked and yea Eraserhead is an excellent film
donneric 3 years ago
The cowboy conveys not only a sense of something ominous but also a certain sadism. It's actually a very scary scene.
fscxxx 3 years ago 2
hahaha wiseass
pungsv3tt 3 years ago
you'll see me once if you do good.
you'll see me twice if you do bad.
________________________________
we see him twice, kesher see's him once.
the film's about hollywood as a system, rather than a literal narative.
play by the rules dictated by the studio, you do good.
diane elms/betty selwyn is the talent overlooked by blind studio chiefs.
in my opinion
jonny6767 3 years ago 2
I guess this is very true. It's what this movie is actually about.
BTW, the director resembles young Wim Wenders...
Leibo07 3 years ago
its genious!!!wh
artbasss 3 years ago
Hey all, thanks for the responses to the cowboy question, what I still never got though, was why is the cowboy watching her kill herself at the end of the film? And I still don't understand what he means about the one time or two times thing.
xraycat30 3 years ago
"Hey pretty girl. Time to wake up."
He's actually not in the room when Diane kills herself. He's in the bedroom after Diane had Camilla killed.
I saw the Cowboy as a dark angel. (Someone else called him a demon. I actually thought he was the devil the first time I watched this movie.) It seems like he's always around, and is in control, of the darker side of Hollywood.
tiger22miller 3 years ago
fucking excellent film
donneric 3 years ago 2
Alright Lynch fans. I feel like I "get" this movie...most of it is lived in the Watt's charators fantasies. Most of it is not supposed to be really happening, but she is fantasizing about this life that she'll never have, but what the hell is the cowboy character? I mean, what is he? Theories? This scene, like so many in the film are only this deluded woman's fantisies...so what is this character??? ????
xraycat30 3 years ago
Well now, here's a man who wants to get right down to it. Kinda anxious to get to it, are ya?
VooWa24 3 years ago 2
I see him as a dark angle.
tiger22miller 3 years ago
Sorry, make that "dark angel".
tiger22miller 3 years ago
The cowbay was a real person in reality. In reality the cowboy was simply some dude dressed is western garb at the dinner party where Adam (director character) announces to his guests that he and Rita are getting married. Diane, catches a glimpse of this guy in the western garb as he's moving about the party. This man, perhaps because he was dressed so out of place at that party, enters her subconscience. He shows up in her dream as this mysterious behind the scenes Hollywood string puller.
az1jeff 3 years ago 6
thank you...awesome comment and I didn't pick that up. You're the first person who explained that and that sounds right...thanks
xraycat30 3 years ago
Good interpretation. I think Lynch is having fun setting up the perfect "mind fuck" scene.
On first viewing, you're expecting the guy to beat Adam up. But Lynch sustains the tension in a non-violent way, through spoken words, mood, visuals, and the stark contrast in personal styles.
Adam is supposed to be urbane, the cowboy straight-talking and plain. Adam wears glasses, the cowboy a stereotypical hat. Adam is passive; the cowboy aggressive with his leading questions ("what did I say?").
VooWa24 3 years ago
I'd guess that Lynch modelled the cowboy's mannerisms and speech after Ross Perot.
VooWa24 3 years ago
I heard a theory he is a demon
theguy134151 3 years ago
No, you posters are not thinking. You're too busy being a smart aleck to be thinking. Now I want you to think, and stop being a smart aleck. Can you try that for me?
VooWa24 3 years ago 3
Look. Where's this going? What do you want me to do?
jk2shade 3 years ago
There's sometimes a buggy. How many drivers does a....no, never mind. You must be a person who does not care about the good life.
VooWa24 3 years ago
The cowboy is Michael Gira's doppleganger. Shorter but his doppleganger.
swans1997 3 years ago
My favorite part of the whole movie:
Adam - "I agree with what you said...truly."
Cowboy - "What'd I say?"
cwmal 4 years ago
This is my 2nd favorite scene from this movie! I love justin's glasses too.. they are actually his personal glasses that Lynch allowed him to wear
"You will see me one more time if you do good - you'll see me two more times if you do bad"
michalrytel 4 years ago
Notice, the cowboy seems to appear (and then disappear same way) out of nothing. Suddenly he's there.
Leibo07 4 years ago
the cowboy looks exactly like my music teacher...creepy oO
Loudfasthate 4 years ago 2
Yes, that's eery! Just watch out, Kumpel.
Leibo07 4 years ago
Ma parodie de Mulholland Drive est sur ma page =0)
LeDocteurLA 4 years ago
You see hime twice after this part in the movie. (HOLY HELL I LOVE THIS MOVIE). Once at the party (which occurs in "real life"), and once more after he tries to wake Noami Watt's character up (which I believe is after her suicide/in her "dream")
jlkmeyer 4 years ago
REALLY??? TWICE after THIS scene?? I completely missed out on that one, then.
Then that would mean, that the director screwed up?
Leibo07 4 years ago
The cowboy says "you'll see me one more time if you do good, you'll see me two more times if you do bad... goodnight."
thephenom70 4 years ago
The audience and the director(I think he saw him) saw the Cowboy once more near the end of the movie at the party. Remember he said you'll see him once if he did good, twice if he did bad...or something along those lines. Freaky scene.
beerbaron4life 4 years ago
Yes exactly, you can see him shortly at the end at the director's party. So just one more freaking time. So the director did what he had to do...
Of course the movie is (too) a critique of Hollywood & moviebusiness. By the way, that director guy resembles Wim Wenders a lot, right?
Leibo07 4 years ago
i don't recall the director seeing the cowboy any more at all? is that how it went or am i dreaming?
oogrooq 4 years ago
Yes at least one more time. But jlkmeyer here, says TWO more times...Was totally unaware of...??? Holy hell, indeed, makes me feel stupid or blind.
Leibo07 4 years ago
only from the mind of lynch.
renorelik 4 years ago
This has got to be one of my favorite scenes in any movie. I think part of what makes it so good is that there is nothing physically about the cowboy at all to make him intimidating. His clothes are ridiculous, he's small, and his voice is not that deep. And still, based on dialogue alone, he is totally intimidating. That is awesome writing!
smgronholz 4 years ago 7
its his confidence. he talks with a demanding calm. makes you think "what is this guy capable of, or who is he connected to? and not ONCE does he take his eyes and concentration off Kesher (Theroux).
ronniepooch 4 years ago
Evil people have a tendency to look ridiculous in order to persuade people to laugh at them so that they can justify the evil things they like to inflict. It's like bait.
sneakingtrain 2 years ago
After the cowboy tells the director, Alan
"stop for a litle second and think about it - can you do that for me?" Alan snickers and then suppresses his laugh. When the camera cuts back to the Cowboy, you can see the actor almost lose it and start cracking up - but he catches himself and finishes the scene. Great stuff!
jlmurrel 4 years ago 2
Yeah, you're totally right. Awesome.
smgronholz 4 years ago
I saw The Cowboy's jaw-working as being a symptom of barely controlled anger, myself. Really freaked me out the first time I noticed it.
evilnotbadpotato 3 years ago
You're all wrong! Cowboy is delighted at seeing Alan's snigger because his job of killing him will now be justified in his mind should he have to do it, and he is suppressing this delight to a smirk. This emphasise the evil and sadistic nature of the Cowboy making him even more sinister. Lynch would never let an accidental smirk in his film, especially on such a tense scene. Brilliant stuff!
sneakingtrain 2 years ago
Imagine a conversation between the Cowboy and the Mystery Man from Lost Highway.
luckyyoungturk 4 years ago 3
Impossible!!!
jelirestri 4 years ago
We'v met before haven't we?
Where is it you think we met?
At your corral, don't you remember?
You're to busy being a smart alek to be
meeting me.
Glassfiction 3 years ago 3
LOL. That's great. I just finished watching that scene, too.
mcauffart 2 years ago
Give IT back!!!!!!!
BonnieCastle1986 4 years ago
In terms of scariness, this movie has nothing on the last episode of Twin Peaks.
But it's more beautiful than Twin Peaks in my opinion!
rbarreira2 4 years ago
great scene.
sio1403 4 years ago
best scene
stealthneo 4 years ago
"You'll see me two more times if you do bad. Goodnight." HOLY CRAP I LOVE THIS MOVIE I TELL YA WHAT I'M GONNA WATCH IT AGAIN RIGHT NOW.
sowhatfilms 4 years ago
If theres a line i don't understand in this film i'ts "there's sometimes a buggy"...
ExMachine 4 years ago
There's sometimes a buggy is him making a very awkward analogy. A buggy being like...something a cowboy would drive, Wild west buggy. His point is, he's driving the buggy. He is dominating the conversation. The director guy will not.
horseheadbusinessman 4 years ago 3
That's one of the highlights of his speech, the way he says it is so natural but so alien to us, we immediately know how different he is just from one small analogy.
kumbayasid 4 years ago 2
Lynch plagiarizes my dreams.
horseheadbusinessman 4 years ago
Lynch reads your dreams and makes them beautiful. He's giving the world what we enjoy so much.
kumbayasid 4 years ago
you wish
seandunx 4 years ago
exactly, who's driving the buggy, making the decisions? your reason? (i see adam *also* as the reason/head of diane, 'this is the girl'.) well no, most of the decisions humans make are deeply emotional, and the comboy represents the power of our deepest desires or grieves. although adam may think it's his own choice to pick camilla rhodes and diane can say the decision to kill camilla is completely reasonable. but it's not because diane regrets it at the end and so does adam at the audition.
sjohnsjakie 2 years ago
yes, your thinking in the right direction. the way i see it is, the cowboy resembles peoples deepest line between fail & success. he's like the pure logic we think over in our heads when challenged with a large decision to make. now also think about when the light came on, when adam stepped into that area with the cowboy, (logic&deeper thought) I belive the light bulb is a sign of thinking going on(bulb over head=idea). so think back to the other appearances of the cowboy.
SavageSilencer 2 years ago
I think people read too much into Lynch films. He's just an odd guy who makes weird movies to entertain us. He's even admitted there's no deeper meaning to his movies. That being said, I do like your analysis.
falconflyer34 2 years ago
sometimes i think people read too little.
there are always ideas and meanings to scenes and characters that are going to remain up for debate, but this movie in particular does indeed have a very definite plot.
countturrack 2 years ago
the fact that lynch has apparently confirmed that there's no deeper meaning, is even more intriguing...
cineasta71 2 years ago
actually I think it's very funny
zenex4 4 years ago
I think BOB from Twin Peaks is scary. This guy is relatively tame. Certainly didn't give me any nightmares.
jlkmeyer 4 years ago
you're too busy being a smart aleck for this to give you nightmares.
smegghiggins 4 years ago 8
The cowboy is a demon.
fatclown1984 4 years ago
The place of the skull.
BoyintheMachine 4 years ago
Where Jesus was crucified!
smgronholz 4 years ago
This guy scares the fucking shite out of me.
8caulfield 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
shut the f up gollum bitch
5465435 4 years ago