I almost wish we could post spoilers. There is a fairly common theory about what is happening on Mulholland Drive and you can find youtube explanations of it but I have a different theory that I have never seen anyone post before and it makes a lot more sense to me and I think is supported by evidence in the film. Lynch himself just said that Mulholland Drive is supposed to be interepreted as whatever the viewer interprets or something to that effect.
im really curious to hear what your interpreatation is, you can post it here im sure as long as you use spoiler tags I dont think it'd be an issue
after watching Mulholland Drive yesterday, to me it seemed like:
Spoiler
the stuff that happens at the end of the movie is the reality, Diane ordered a hit on Camilla and has her killed, Diane regrets this decision and before she kills herself she imagines reality based on how she'd ideally like it to be, starting with Camilla/Rita escaping the assassination that she ordred on her, then they meet, they work together to solve the mystery of Ritas lost memories, they fall in love etc and Diane repurposed real people from her life (the characters at the end of the movie) and used them in different ways in her made up reality with Rita. Im not sure what to think about the old couple at the end that go after Diane, the monster/homeless man in the alley, the box or the key though...
but damn this movie is a mind **** of the highest caliber
I don't know how to do spoiler tabs but your theory is the one (or a variation of it) that I see most often but I don't think it is quite right. If you can coach me up on how to do spoiler tab I can do that otherwise I could send you a PM with my theory, but it would be pretty long.
What I can say here to preface my theory is that David Lynch's favorite movie is "Sunset Boulevard" (start right there, with the name of the movie "Sunset Boulevard" and "Mulholland Drive") from 1950 with a older washed up actress and theme on the decadence of Hollywood. A couple of homages to Sunset Boulevard in Mulholland drive include when Betty first gets to Hollywood there is Norma Desmond's car from Sunset parked behind the gate and the restaurant in Mulholland Drive is called "Winkies on Sunset Boulevard" for example.
Some of the great movie quotes come from Sunset Boulevard such as "Tell Mr. Demille I'm ready for my close up now" and when told "you used to be big" Norma Desmond said "I am big darling, it's the pictures that got small"
I don't know how to do spoiler tabs but your theory is the one (or a variation of it) that I see most often but I don't think it is quite right. If you can coach me up on how to do spoiler tab I can do that otherwise I could send you a PM with my theory, but it would be pretty long.
What I can say here to preface my theory is that David Lynch's favorite movie is "Sunset Boulevard" (start right there, with the name of the movie "Sunset Boulevard" and "Mulholland Drive") from 1950 told from the prospective of a dead man with a crazy actress and theme on the decadence of Hollywood.
Some of the great movie quotes come from Sunset Boulevard such as "Tell Mr. Demille I'm ready for my close up now" and when told "you used to be big" Norma Desmond said "I am big darling, it's the pictures that got small"
hmmm very interesting, im intrigued!
so to do a spoiler just copy and paste the text
at the very end of the text type [/spoiler] at the beginning of the text add [spoiler]
As I mentioned Sunset Boulevard is Lynch's favorite movie and is really an indictment of Hollywood chewing people up and spitting them out and Mulholland drive is the same theme. To me it is fairly obvious that Betty and Rita are both aspects of Diane Renwyn. I don't buy into the idea that Diane hired a hitman to kill a lover. Betty and Rita have a blue key and a blue box (more on this later). We see Diane as an aging and either failed or hasbeen actress. When they show Betty she is young and idealistic and all of the scenes appear to be retro. I think this is young Diane. She imagines Betty as a fantastic actress that should get the part based on her acting but then Carmilla/Rita gets the part by sleeping with the director. It is said that Betty meets Carmilla while auditioning for this movie, I believe this is where Betty starts using sex to get parts which "creates" the Rita/Carmilla persona. Remember when Rita shows up at Bettys place she has no memory of before, it is as if she didn't exist and I think this is because she didn't exist before Betty started using sex to get parts. I think Betty's jealousy of Carmilla and the director is that the director only wanted her for famous actress and didn't care about the "Betty" part of her. I believe the Diner is her visualization of what Hollywood would be. You see two men in the diner, the one telling of his dream I think is Diane's inner self as he says "I wanted to come here, to THIS diner" and the other man is her logical self. The first man is nervous and fearing failure. The other says let's go out and see, but then the hobo (failure) jumps up and the dream dies. Notice when both men get up from the table one plate is eaten and the other is untouched and conversely one glass of juice is drank and the other is full, a perfect dicotomy. Also in the Diner you notice young Betty sees the waitress as named "Diane" and Diane sees the waitress as "Betty" and to me the most obvious part about Betty/Rita/Carmilla/Diane being the same girl is when they see the Diane name tag on the waitress card and Rita says "I think I'm Diane Selwyn" and they call Diane's number and Betty says "Weird calling yourself, but she is calling for Rita theoretically", and then they search for her together and find her dead and had been for some time. I think old and depressed Diane is full of despair and regret about sleeping with directors and wants to kill or get rid of that part of her life and in her mind she talks to the hitman and he says he will do it and she will see a blue key when it is done and she asks what it opens and he laughs. Now at the end of the part where Rita finds a blue key in her purse and Betty finds a blue box when the get home Betty disappears and Rita opens the box (death, abyss) and when she does it just falls to the floor empty and Rita disappears. I think it is the realization of the fact they are the same person and have committed suicide. I think the old people are likely Betty's parents who are excited and happy for her when she is young but must have since died because when she sees them again they are tiny and crawling out of what I will call "the oblivion box" and then are antagonistic towards her as she imagines them ashamed and she commits suicide. Finally the cowboy. I believe the cowboy is fate or death. He tells the director when Betty is going for the part if he does it right he will see him only once more, but if he does it wrong he will see him twice. I think he meant if he gave Diane/Betty the part because she deserved it and was a good actress she would die only once, if he made her sleep with him to get the part she would die twice with each persona. Now with this theory I don't know if it is a dream situation before the suicide, or a purgatory situation after suicide or just a representation but all of those problems exist for the hired a hitman to kill the lover theory as well. I think the reason Rita had the key is because Rita is the part that Diane wanted dead and she wanted to be Betty again. I think the point of the singers on tape and the "Silencio" at the end is just that Hollywood is all fake and she is dead at the end
I would have liked to go a lot deeper into my theory and there is a lot more to it but this is pretty long as it is.
As I mentioned Sunset Boulevard is Lynch's favorite movie and is really an indictment of Hollywood chewing people up and spitting them out and Mulholland drive is the same theme. To me it is fairly obvious that Betty and Rita are both aspects of Diane Renwyn. I don't buy into the idea that Diane hired a hitman to kill a lover. Betty and Rita have a blue key and a blue box (more on this later). We see Diane as an aging and either failed or hasbeen actress. When they show Betty she is young and idealistic and all of the scenes appear to be retro. I think this is young Diane. She imagines Betty as a fantastic actress that should get the part based on her acting but then Carmilla/Rita gets the part by sleeping with the director. It is said that Betty meets Carmilla while auditioning for this movie, I believe this is where Betty starts using sex to get parts which "creates" the Rita/Carmilla persona. Remember when Rita shows up at Bettys place she has no memory of before, it is as if she didn't exist and I think this is because she didn't exist before Betty started using sex to get parts. I think Betty's jealousy of Carmilla and the director is that the director only wanted her for famous actress and didn't care about the "Betty" part of her. I believe the Diner is her visualization of what Hollywood would be. You see two men in the diner, the one telling of his dream I think is Diane's inner self as he says "I wanted to come here, to THIS diner" and the other man is her logical self. The first man is nervous and fearing failure. The other says let's go out and see, but then the hobo (failure) jumps up and the dream dies. Notice when both men get up from the table one plate is eaten and the other is untouched and conversely one glass of juice is drank and the other is full, a perfect dicotomy. Also in the Diner you notice young Betty sees the waitress as named "Diane" and Diane sees the waitress as "Betty" and to me the most obvious part about Betty/Rita/Carmilla/Diane being the same girl is when they see the Diane name tag on the waitress card and Rita says "I think I'm Diane Selwyn" and they call Diane's number and Betty says "Weird calling yourself, but she is calling for Rita theoretically", and then they search for her together and find her dead and had been for some time. I think old and depressed Diane is full of despair and regret about sleeping with directors and wants to kill or get rid of that part of her life and in her mind she talks to the hitman and he says he will do it and she will see a blue key when it is done and she asks what it opens and he laughs. Now at the end of the part where Rita finds a blue key in her purse and Betty finds a blue box when the get home Betty disappears and Rita opens the box (death, abyss) and when she does it just falls to the floor empty and Rita disappears. I think it is the realization of the fact they are the same person and have committed suicide. I think the old people are likely Betty's parents who are excited and happy for her when she is young but must have since died because when she sees them again they are tiny and crawling out of what I will call "the oblivion box" and then are antagonistic towards her as she imagines them ashamed and she commits suicide. Finally the cowboy. I believe the cowboy is fate or death. He tells the director when Betty is going for the part if he does it right he will see him only once more, but if he does it wrong he will see him twice. I think he meant if he gave Diane/Betty the part because she deserved it and was a good actress she would die only once, if he made her sleep with him to get the part she would die twice with each persona. Now with this theory I don't know if it is a dream situation before the suicide, or a purgatory situation after suicide or just a representation but all of those problems exist for the hired a hitman to kill the lover theory as well. I think the reason Rita had the key is because Rita is the part that Diane wanted dead and she wanted to be Betty again. I think the point of the singers on tape and the "Silencio" at the end is just that Hollywood is all fake and she is dead at the end
I would have liked to go a lot deeper into my theory and there is a lot more to it but this is pretty long as it is.
That was a great read, very interesting and I think you are definitely on to something here, especially with the old school 50's hollywood stuff as I also got that impression. Movies like this that are completely open to interpretation are the funnest movies, ill be thinking about your theory and others every time I rewatch this movie, which I think will be quite often because movies like this never get boring as there is always something new to discover or new interpretations to dig into, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts
I've reviewed this movie before here, but I watched it again w/ my 2 teens today & was just gob smacked again. Not only is this my favorite zombie film, it's in my top 5 favorite films of all time. The human interaction in Train just blows my mind & I found myself sobbing like a baby again, during the movie's final 10 minutes. Just fantastic! & I'm dreading the American remake!
I've reviewed this movie before here, but I watched it again w/ my 2 teens today & was just gob smacked again. Not only is this my favorite zombie film, it's in my top 5 favorite films of all time. The human interaction in Train just blows my mind & I found myself sobbing like a baby again, during the movie's final 10 minutes. Just fantastic! & I'm dreading the American remake!
Wow! All the reviews here are what put this on my watch list but your score just bumped it to the top.
