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Mulholland Drive
(film)
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with the 1996 film Mulholland Falls.
Mulholland Drive
Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Lynch
Written by David Lynch
Produced by Mary Sweeney

Alain Sarde
Neal Edelstein
Michael Polaire
Tony Krantz
Starring Justin Theroux

Naomi Watts
Laura Harring
Ann Miller
Robert Forster
Cinematograp Peter Deming

hy
Edited by Mary Sweeney
Music by Angelo Badalamenti
Production Les Films Alain Sarde

Asymmetrical
Productions
companies Babbo Inc.
[1]
Le Studio Canal+
The Picture Factory
Distributed by Universal Pictures

(United States;
through Universal
[a]
Focus)
BAC Distribution
(France)
Release dates May 16, 2001

(Cannes)
October 12, 2001
(United States)
November 21, 2001
(France)
Running time [12]

146 minutes
Countries [6][1]
United States
[6][1]
France
Language English
Budget [13]
$15 million
Box office [14]

$20.1 million
Mulholland Drive (stylized as Mulholland Dr.) is a 2001 surrealist mystery film written
and directed by David Lynch, and starring Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts, Laura Harring,
Ann Miller, and Robert Forster. It tells the story of an aspiring actress named Betty Elms
(Watts), newly arrived in Los Angeles, who meets and befriends an amnesiac woman
(Harring) recovering from a car accident. The story follows several other vignettes and
characters, including a Hollywood film director (Theroux).
The American-French co-production was originally conceived as a television pilot, and a

large portion of the film was shot in 1999 with Lynch's plan to keep it open-ended for a
potential series. After viewing Lynch's cut, however, television executives rejected it.
Lynch then provided an ending to the project, making it a feature film. The half-pilot,
half-feature result, along with Lynch's characteristic surrealist style, has left the general
meaning of the film's events open to interpretation. Lynch has declined to offer an
explanation of his intentions for the narrative, leaving audiences, critics, and cast
members to speculate on what it means. He gave the film the tagline "A love story in the
city of dreams".
Mulholland Drive earned Lynch the Prix de la mise en scène (Best Director Award) at
the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, sharing the prize with Joel Coen for The Man Who
Wasn't There. Lynch also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. The
film boosted Watts' Hollywood profile considerably, and was the last feature film to star
veteran Hollywood actress Ann Miller.
Mulholland Drive is often regarded as one of Lynch's finest works and as one of the
greatest films of all time. It was ranked 8th in the 2022 Sight & Sound critics' poll of the
best films ever made and topped a 2016 BBC poll of the best films since 2000.
Plot[edit]
A woman is about to be shot by her limousine chauffeur on Mulholland Drive, but is
saved when a car crashes into them. The woman is the sole survivor but is dazed, and
hides in an apartment when the occupant leaves with suitcases. Aspiring actress Betty
Elms from Deep River, Ontario arrives at the apartment, loaned by her aunt, and finds
the woman. The woman confides she has amnesia and is in danger, and dons the
name "Rita" from a Gilda poster. The two discover a large quantity of cash and a blue
key in Rita's purse.
At a Winkie's diner, a man tells his companion about his recurring nightmare of the
restaurant, saying it is caused by a horrific figure hiding in the alley behind. Noticing
similarities to his nightmare, the man and his companion investigate behind the diner.
The figure appears, causing the man to collapse in shock.
Director Adam Kesher is threatened by mobsters, who want him to cast unknown
actress Camilla Rhodes as his film lead. When Kesher refuses, the mobsters remove
his line of credit and the studio shuts down production. Kesher discovers his wife's
infidelity, and is kicked out of their home by her lover. Kesher is pressured to meet a
cowboy, who strongly urges him to cast Camilla for his own good. Elsewhere, a
bungling hitman leaves three people dead in an attempt to steal a book of phone
numbers.
While at Winkie's investigating Rita's identity, the waitress's nametag causes Rita to
remember the name "Diane Selwyn"; they call Diane's number, but there is no answer.
Betty leaves Rita to attend an audition, and is shown around by a casting agent. Betty
enters Adam's soundstage, where he is auditioning for The Sylvia North Story. Betty
and Adam lock eyes, but Betty flees the set after recalling her promise to meet Rita.
Adam casts Camilla Rhodes at her audition, to the delight of the studio.
Betty and Rita go to Diane Selwyn's apartment complex, but the occupant explains she
is Diane's neighbor and they recently swapped apartments. Breaking into Diane's new
apartment, Betty and Rita discover a woman's decomposing corpse, horrifying Rita. Rita
emotionally attempts to cut her hair off, but Betty persuades her to don a blonde wig
similar to Betty's own hairstyle. Later that night, the two have sex. At 2 a.m., Rita
awakens from a nightmare while chanting "Silencio" and insists that the two go to Club
Silencio.
At Club Silencio, the emcee explains that everything is an illusion, and the women soon
cry to Rebekah del Rio's Spanish rendition of "Crying"; the performer collapses but the
singing continues, revealing audio to be a playback recording. Betty discovers a blue
box matching the key in her purse, and the two women return home. Rita retrieves the
key, but finds Betty has vanished; unlocking the box, Rita vanishes too and the box falls
to the floor. The apartment owner, seen leaving in the opening, investigates the noise
but finds nothing.
Diane Selwyn, a depressed and struggling actress resembling Betty, awakens in the
apartment Betty and Rita investigated. Diane's neighbor shows up to claim her old
possessions, and warns that detectives have asked for Diane's whereabouts. Diane has
fantasies about her past relationship with Camilla Rhodes, a successful actress who
looks like Rita. Despite Diane's investment in the relationship, Camilla breaks up with
Diane.
At Camilla's behest, Diane attends a party at Adam's house on Mulholland Drive. Diane
explains to the partygoers, who all resemble people seen previously, that she moved
from Canada after inheriting cash from her aunt. Diane met Camilla on The Sylvia North
Story, and they became friends despite Diane losing the leading role to her. Camilla
kisses and whispers about Diane to the "Camilla Rhodes" Adam cast earlier, angering
Diane. Adam and Camilla prepare to make a joint announcement (suggesting they are
getting married) as Diane shakes with rage.
At Winkie's, Diane meets the hitman and hires him to kill Camilla. He says that he will
leave a blue key to signal completion. In her apartment, a traumatized Diane stares at
the blue key on her coffee table. Terrorised by hallucinations, Diane runs into her room
and shoots herself. At Club Silencio, a blue-haired woman whispers "Silencio".

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Mulholland Drive

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with the 1996 film Mulholland Falls.

Directed by David Lynch

Written by David Lynch

Produced by Mary Sweeney

Starring Justin Theroux

Cinematograp Peter Deming

Edited by Mary Sweeney

Music by Angelo Badalamenti

Production Les Films Alain Sarde

Distributed by Universal Pictures

Release dates May 16, 2001

Running time [12]

Box office [14]

The American-French co-production was originally conceived as a television pilot, and a

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