John David Ebert Movie Review of Mulholland Drive

[Antibearvirus]

You know what I think? I think this is a interpetation of bullshit. And yet, I like David Lynch, he just went Captain Pretencious here.

But kudos to you dude, at least you got something out of it.

[Ericmann99]

Great Analysis. Unlike some much that is written online about this, and many other films by David Lynch, you don`t reduce it to some sort of brain teaser game. Great insight.

[LoisHaywood]

This review is a spot on analysis of the Marilyn Monroe biographical references. I also feel that this movie reflected her story, even down to the red sheets she once posed on.  Outstanding analysis.

[MrZkinandBonez]

Great analysis. You should check out Rob Ager analysis on this film. He to focuses on the dual identity of Diane as both Betty and Rita in her "dream world".

He also claims that the creepy hobo character in the film represents Dianes self loathing for her failure in her attempts at stardom and for getting Camilla killed.

(PS, the Ager analysis was on youtube a while ago but is now only available on DVD)

[Nowhereman90]

I would really like to hear your opinion about Inland Empire. I just saw it, but i couldnt find many things i like about it... It would be good to hear from someone who enjoyed

[Gunner2012K]

perfect interpretation imo although i'd go a step even further and say that the brunette is in fact her ego self prettier and more successful whereas she represents the spirit self tortured by the success of the ego. Both are 2 sides of the same self.

[flipwiggins]

Very interesting analysis! I was completely thrown and lost the first time I viewed it, and somewhat pissed off at what I believed to be a bunch of nonsense. But then I thought about for some time and came to my own understanding of some scenes. It's quite a poignent, well thought out film and is still hard for me to watch.

[hammertapping]

it is true that great works admit many interpretations

but i find the interpretation advanced here needlessly too complex(& too obsessed with manroe & movies media images etc) &it fails to explain some scenes not included in this upload.

other interpretations are simpler and seems to account for whole of movie . esp the dominant interpretation ; that first part is a fantasy of a broken/failed suicidal actress who may(?) have put a hit on her lover.

great film & great acting,esp by ms watts

[AndyDufresne987]

Good review

[ChesterAsucka]

It's even right here...

5:17 = Dianne

5: 21 = hallucination of Camilla

5:26 = Dianne freaks out that Camilla is not Rita, but instead....

5:40 = Her fantasy version of Camilla is really her "in control" personality, a killer, Betty who mirrors the heartlessness that Dianne feels from Camilla.

[ChesterAsucka]

3 of the 4 characters are 1.Camilla Rhodes is NOT Dianne.Rita & Betty are both created from Dianne's subconscious & are twisted versions of herself. Rita is how Dianne really feels about herself.Her amnesia is actually self denial,but Dianne prefers to see her successful backstabbing ex-lover,Camilla,with her insecurities & guilty murdering conscience instead. Betty is how Dianne would like to see herself, as an in control brilliant actress.Adam's life is chaos in the dream.The opposite's true.

[PirateRandy]

i see it as a dying dream, that everything at the beginning (the first half) happens after she kills herself at the end; that's why she pre-sees herself on the bed and that's why lynch starts the movie moving into a red pillow.

[davethehostage]

Wow, NOBODY has got it yet? It's clearly a statement about the war in Iraq, people. The box the United States, and the key represents the relentless imperialistic lust that plagues our government.

[LeHuyAnh]

What are everybody's thoughts about the theatre scenes? What do they mean?

[lifehigh655]

@LeHuyAnh It's all about it being a dream. That's why they say everything is an illusion or something like that. I think it's Betty's mind slowly coming out of the dream and realizing none of it is real. That's at least my take on it

[navymuret]

@LeHuyAnh The theater scene is where "Betty" starts to awake from the dream of the movie star to what she really is....a failed actress in Hollywood dealing with the guilt that she had her lover killed. The Orbison song, "Crying", is sung in Spanish. The figure in the balcony can represent alot f things, but I think it represents a family member that knew of some sexual abuse Diane suffered as a child but said nothing (reinforced by the audition scene--"Daddy's best friend goes to work"

[LeHuyAnh]

@navymuret Thanks very much for this interpretation. I'll have to watch more of this movie.

[Hgpx79]

Wow!really fucking good analysis!thatswhat i think!my interpretation was not connected with Monroe!brilliant!but why Monroe i wonder?i found just very exciting that david does not explain his film, we can interpret on a 1000 way and that makes it so outstanding and distuinguishing from other films!! Thanks for the interpretation Man!

[evaniv]

i see this film in two parts,the first half being diane's dream of how she wants her life to be

[loaduponc]

clues: note the keys... in the dream sequence it's triangular and in reality sequence, it's a flat key. What can you open w/ a triangle key? nothing! that's fantasy... the flat key.. you can open any door.. that's real.

[loaduponc]

Here's the defintive analysis-in the beginning, the hitman is the driver who fails to kill Camilla. Camilla then winds up in Betty's aunt's apartment. The old lady we see leaving the apartment is probably not the aunt. We know the aunt is dead when Diane reveals at the dinner table. The beginning is real, then when Betty arrives at the apartment, it goes into Diane's dream. Later on when Diane's is in reality, she hires a hitman at the diner, which is the hitman who somehow was at the beginning.

[fame777]

wow ... this guy is not even close . Monroe ????

[ugotpimp]

holy shit that guy is fucking brilliant!! great review.

[Flamsick]

It seems that if we consider Betty/Diane and Rita/Camilla to be the same person, at least one plausible interpretation of the movie falls apart.. I'm coming around to the conclusion that there is no singular, correct interpretation.

"Sweet is the lore that nature brings.

Our meddling intellect

Misshapes the beauteous forms of things.

We murder to dissect." (Alexander Pope)

This movie stimulates thought and conversation. It is a success on THIS level if no other. Art for art's sake!

[rondomand]

@Flamsick I thought that he was saying that Betty, Diane, Rita and Camilla are all the same person... they just symbolise the different emotions......ect? I dont know but thats what I thought he was saying....

[vinson1445]

Great analysis.

[TheSnoozeFox]

i think his films are just over analysed i doubt david lynch trys to comment on society or anything its all open to interpretation that's why i think he never really gives an explanation on what the hell is going on i think they are not meant to have a deep meaning or anything its all just one big mindfuck

[GashisDX]

Diane and Camilla had a relationship, but Camilla didn't love Diane as much. Diane became so angry she hires a hit after the party where Camilla marries Adam. Diane goes to bed and dreams the entire movie sequence, incorporating people at the party into her dream. In her dream, you can tell she hopes the hit doesnt go through. Near the end we see flashbacks of Diane, and then she commits suicide.

[JackKangaroo1]

A very interesting interpretation. I've watched this film several times and found I enjoy it most when I just empty my mind of all efforts to "understand" it and just let the scenes float past like a long dream. There is a strange sense of the surreal in all this and the "cowboy" character is strangely menacing, the sort of thing that pops up in a nightmare. As for electronic celebrity confusing its inhabitants, isn't celebrity what they wanted in the first place? Be careful what you wish for.

[SimplySmashingPro]

so what does this have to do with purgatory?

[electronicmedium]

great review and interpretation of this film. I love the movies where you have to interpret the symbolism. Stanley Kubrick always did that.

[lonsumtravlr]

After my first viewing, I would have been more inclined to agree with your assessment. We're led to believe a lot by filling in from scenes earlier in the film. Lynch plays off of how viewers form preconceptions and then try to put together a story. Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers" worked this way. Mysteries "work" along a set structure with which the reader, who echoes the detective, plays along. But there's no reason really to believe that, for example, Diane killed herself or hired a hitman.

[lonsumtravlr]

After my first viewing, I would have been more inclined to agree with your assessment. We're led to believe a lot by filling in from earlier in the film. Lynch plays off of how viewers form preconceptions and then try to put together a story. Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers" worked this way. Mysteries "work" along a set structure with which the reader, who echoes the detective, plays along. But there's no reason really to believe that, for example, Diane killed herself or hired a hitman.

[jancivil]

what an amazing story that a person can come up with a coherent idea of i,t that does apply to the whole story, but that's probably a wholly original thesis of it and little to do with the author's idea.

[MMlaif]

PS

May you tell me more movies like this one? I mean in mystery part of it

[MMlaif]

thanks man for the review, I admit it. I get fogy in this movie I lost totally my mind for understanding what the fuck is going in this movie.

you clear a lot

thanks again

[inbologna]

you got it all wrong....sorry

[432hrtz]

It felt like watching a dream, what was selencio about and the homeless mans face behind the cafe.

[auerstadt06]

Diane Selwyn was never a success in the film.

[SeamusTV]

when diane gets the hitman at the end i think is where the movie begins, with rita s attempted shooting...

[VFellhn]

Naomi Watts delivered one of the best performances i have ever seen.Makes you wonder how the fuck they choose the winners of the oscars.And she wasnt even nominated.Well the fact that she was not famous at the time is the only reason i find she wasnt even nominated.

[GreyGooseGal]

I thought this was a great review. My opinions are not congruent with the interpretation, but for how many times I have seen this film, I really liked a new perspective. The narrative was focused and to-the-point, and I was very relaxed with the speaker's voice. :)

[WickedLiquid]

Nice review dude. One thing I still don't understand about this movie are two scenes: The scene where the man in the diner talks about his dream and then goes out side and faints from the "creature" that appears. And the scene where the hit-man accidentally shoots a fat woman and is then forced to kill her and the janitor. What the hell was that all about?

[YCTAMdotcom]

@WickedLiquid Assuming the two blonde ladies are the same person (IMO the best theory). In real life, she has already paid the hitman to murder her lover. However, she doesn't really want her dead and is still in love with her. That's why in her dream, that the hitman is incompetant. She hopes he will fail. This also fits in with the other botched assasination attempt.

[YCTAMdotcom]

@WickedLiquid As for the man, I'd like to know as well. She glimpses him into the diner, when she's ordering the hitman. Perhaps the creature represents her guilt or something. I over-think things, but this film does deserve it.

[comoyoko]

How refreshing to see a calm, well thought out, very constructive review/analysis of a great film...without any sarcastic overtones or wise-cracks. I'm subscribing and I hope you continue making these! I'm a big fan of Lynch but you just opened a new door for me. Good work my friend!

[iwannabeyourdog90]

I think at the point where the brunette gets the blond "hair" both women got the peak of their relationship

[Oceloteater]

This is a very intelligent analysis of Mullholland Dr. Although i feel the Marilyn Monroe symbolism is a little too forced, nothing was mentioned of the love, lust and anger from the Diane character towards Camilla. I believe it is a more story of futile love, frustration and guilt. Coupled with the 'mary-sue' like dreams that are eventfully deconstructed by reality. It is a sad tale, but a gripping one at that.

[IAmThePumaMan]

I believe that the bulk of the film is Diane 's dream sequence. After the Jitterbug sequence at the beginning, there is a brief shot of her laying her head down on red satin sheets and the screen fades out as she falls asleep. The last 15-20 minutes of the film, after Naomi Watts wakes up, laying on red satin sheets no less, is reality. This Lynch film is one of the least necessary to read into too deeply. The sum of it's parts make for a satisfying film, without having to decipher symbolism.

[SquirrelRangler]

@IAmThePumaMan This is exactly what I got from it, after watching it a couple of times of course. The first time through I was thoroughly confused but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Really a simple plot and Lynch gives you all the clues, one simply has to pay attention.

[finylvinyl66]

@IAmThePumaMan I've spent a fair amount of time trying

to figure out this film and I think your interpretation is the best of

all I've seen here.

[kungiiii]

Just to point out that there is no purgetory, heaven or any other superstition stuff in lynch movies. First dreaming while in sleep -> remembering past after waking up-> going insane and kill herself. It's just simple story in psychological point of view.

[adgato75]

@kungiiii there is heaven/hell/purgatory in his films. although it is sometimes more similar to kaballah. two obvious examples are the black/white lodge and red room in twin peaks, and major briggs story to bobby of his "mansion" which is a symbol of the "higher self".

[Vexed34]

Thank you for a fine review and for NOT showing the thing behind Winkies. :)

[Zynche]

Everyone has the right for it's own interpretation, but i strongly disagree that the blonde and the brunette are the same person.

[adgato75]

@Zynche i agree , i believe the interpretation that it is dianes dream, and that rita is a version of camille that diane can control and keep close to her.

[lonsumtravlr]

@Zynche Everyone has a right to his or her own interpretation... But there are informed interpretations and uninformed interpretations, just as there are correct and incorrect (though we could be diplomatic and say "guided" and "misguided") opinions. (I used to teach English, so I know wrong opinions.) Not that I'm accusing Mr. Ebert... I think he's working with two of the prevalent theories of the film--the dream/reality and the Hollywood Babylon interpretations--and trying to harmonize them.

[PrincessAhiru]

@Zynche True, this interpretation ignores that Diane has failed as an actress and has romantic feelings for Camilla. I think it especially doesn't agree with the first part of the film. There are so many bad things happening to Adam becauses Diane hates him for marrying Camilla. I don't see how all the little side stories fit in with the Marilyn Monroe interpretation. It's a very interesting thought though.

[ssmroxbiatch]

@PrincessAhiru I agree. It's almost as if Diane is making excuses for Adam casting Camilla by inventing a story where he was forced to.

[PrincessAhiru]

@ssmroxbiatch True, in her fantasy she is the amazing actress and the only reason she didn't get chosen was due to some evil force.

[ssmroxbiatch]

@PrincessAhiru To be fair though, in real life, its possible Camilla only got the part over Diane because she was sleeping with the director. Maybe a real life parallel with this evil force in the dream?

[PrincessAhiru]

@ssmroxbiatch But I also think the big problem was that Camilla actually loved him enough to marry him. That's why in the dream sequence he's such a loser, because Diane feels he doesn't deserve Camilla. I think she blames it more on him instead of realizing that Camilla might use her charms to get ahead in life, as she did with her.

[ssmroxbiatch]

@PrincessAhiru I see where you're coming from. What's your opinion on the idea that Diane only had a relationship with the woman from room 12? I think there's something there.

[PrincessAhiru]

@ssmroxbiatch So she only imagined her relationship with Camilla? Could be... Interesting thought...

[ssmroxbiatch]

@PrincessAhiru It would explain why she had swapped apartments with her. It's as if Diane replaced Camilla with a more obtainable and plain version of Camilla.

[PrincessAhiru]

@ssmroxbiatch Yeah, and in reality it would explain why she still had some of her stuff, maybe they kinda lived toghether and then broke up?

[ssmroxbiatch]

@PrincessAhiru Any idea what the bum behind the diner is meant to represent? or the lady in club silencio? I'm still not sure what they mean.

[PrincessAhiru]

@ssmroxbiatch The singing lady or the transvestite? The bum has the old couple in that paper bag, maybe he also represents some kind of higher power. He appears both in the dream of that guy in the beginning as well as in reality, maybe he also kinda represents crossing over from fiction to reality.

[ssmroxbiatch]

@PrincessAhiru I think I'm gonna stop analysing this. I just love this movie.

[jairaugustosoares]

Fantastic. Fanastic really.

And the fact that the key to the movie is who is watching, the interpretation of who is watching, only makes the movie even more absurdly perfect.

[BadboybillyC]

You are great. Bravo.

[gelbot]

Brilliant. Great interpretation.

[tepporocks]

This was a really wonderful, theoretical analysis of a true modern masterpiece.

I must confess that I hadn't thought of the Marilyn Monroe connection until now, but it makes perfect sense.

If I ever direct a film of my own, John David Ebert is the man I want to do the DVD commentary!

[dmitryx01]

this movie was hilarious when i watched with my sister.

[wyncko]

oh man

you are brilliant mind

[aicfan85]

again..very lit-crit way of reading into the movie..but i don't think the real interpretation is at all as complicated as you say it is.. i think its more like the WIzard of Oz where Dianne dreamed up an idealized world where her lover was a helpless barbie doll while she is on an eventual rize to fame..and the blue box represents waking up into reality..to me the movie is about guilt and lost dreams.

[mushroomleg]

@aicfan85

agreed. this movie is just a morbid version of the wizard of oz... a motif in lynch's work. i just watched mulholland drive last night for the first time in years and goddamn... what a powerful film, man.

[LoveLuckCouture]

exactly, this theory coherently connects the seemingly random repeats from the 'dream' and 'reality' because if the reality happened before the dream, then the dream was constructed by all these things she saw at the party, reality etc. Some examples would be all the names, seeing the guy at winkies, characters, how Coco said 'Call me Coco' and Betty/Diane said 'this is the girl' to the hitman, and in the dream the director kept saying that.

brilliant work, i wish i'd made it!

[MargotVoguey]

A very interesting interpretation - probably the first I've heard that makes any sense, and can be applicable for all aspects of the film. Brilliant.

[buzzrdface]

It takes several viewings and some months of pondering to understand Mulholland Drive: When it first came out, even Kaufman didn't know what to make of it. The acting and visuals are so striking that it didn't need a plot. What other movie can do that?

[ponczek007]

Well done, if you can review lynch you can review anything

[anisblond]

Great review!i love Lynch and Mulholland drive!