I love _Lost Highway._ I think it's an underappreciated masterpiece. While it is less emotionally resonant than _Mulholland Drive,_ I think the intent was a bit different. It's more of a think piece than a character piece.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE is a more polished, well-presented film than LOST HIGHWAY. However, if you ask me which one I prefer more, I could go either way. LOST HIGHWAY establishes an eerie grimness from the first shot and never relinquishes that grimness at any point. The "mystery man" (Robert Blake) is one of the coolest characters that Lynch ever created. The movie brilliantly taps into the fears and desires of the subconscious. That said, MULHOLLAND DRIVE is a masterpiece in its own right. It's difficult to rank Lynch films against one another.
Love this review. Very deep analysis of one of the most obscure films of the '90s. What I also love about 'Lost Highway' is that it features Richard Pryor in one of his last acting roles. Who would of ever imagined "David Lynch" and "Richard Pryor" two legends in one project? 'Lost Highway' is definitely worth watching. Soundtrack is a dream too.
I like your analytic points on the relationship between reality and fantasy. I've never looked at this film from the perspective of fantasy being the toxic realm of existence that has been built (to a partial extent) by cinema itself. It honestly provides a very meta self-commentary that I never picked up on. Of course escapism is a major theme, but I never noticed how Lynch interweaves this statement on how movies create and explore certain unrealistic desires and expectations within the modern mass consciousness. In this way, I definitely see how you would compare this film to Mulholland Drive, as it takes this theme and amplifies it to a more extreme degree (I mean...the entire film takes place in Hollywood). It's such a unique style of telling a story. To have the narrative flow in and out of reality in a way that is extremely unapologetic and subtle enough to not even notice when it happens.
Having watched this the movie felt like an art piece Artistic Horror movie almost like a Foreign movie. This film felt like at base value the story of a man and boy whose life was destroyed by falling in love with the wrong woman that could never work out. This movie is created specifically as an art piece for the viewer to draw any conclusion the viewer feels like he or she is getting from it. You could read this movie as an older man played by Bill Pullman being destroyed by his relationship pain which drives him to kill, so he then creates a fantasy world of a younger man who despite living in a fantasy world is still destroyed by the same woman just in another form. Or you can read the film as the young man is the real one and the older one is his fantasy world in some way shape or form or even if you wanted you can go full supernatural and just see it as the Bill Pullman character was reincarnated as another man who yet again was destroyed in his new life by another woman played by the same actress. You can have multiple different readings of this one from what the concepts are telling you from an artistic point of view. Personally, I found this to be a good solid artistic Horror piece character study of a Male character and the inner workings of his mind. I liked this one and found the soundtrack great lol. Not David Lynch's best film but one of his most interesting ones in my opinion.
This is a brilliant review. Toward the begining I felt slightly irritated by your comments on Lost Highway, but your persuasion is on the mark and by the end I had to agree. I still love the movie though lol I think maybe the removed and cold, or even objectified and sterotyped character element youre criticizing has been a part of what I love in the film though. at least for me it emphasizes Fred's emptiness and desperation in his disordered mind as it shatters, and fitfully (and unsuccessfully) reassembles into a story he can accept, so we as the viewer are maybe looking at the story through his distorted lens more than being outside observers.
I love all of his movies, and Lost Highway is probably my favorite. The whole mood of this film is unforgettable . I think Mr.Lynch created a masterpiece with this film. Just my opinion. Bob. G
I actually saw the character of Renee to be far more innocent than Alice. I feel like it was Fred's insecurities that made Renee seem evil. I also believe the mystery man played by Robert Blake was a representation of evil, hence why he said Fred let him in his house and he doesn't go where he's not wanted. Remember, Fred saw the mystery man's face on Renee's face. For all we know she wasn't even at the club with Andy but Fred just imagined seeing her because he needed more reason to think she was cheating on him. He needed to see her as evil to justify killing her, even though he was in denial about killing her until the very end. Alice was the version of Renee Fred imagined her to be and in his mind, it was Mr Eddie's fault, an antagonist he created in his mind to avoid pointing the finger at himself, that Alice / Renee turned out to be the way she was because of what he was doing to her.
I only watched this last night, and I was very happy to find you have done a review on this, such a stunning film, I cannot believe I have only just discovered it, I can see this film being so rewatchable, only to find new layers with each viewing, the blurring of reality and surrealism expressed in this film, Is what 'Joker' wished it could be.
Absolutely agree with your review here. For years I've called it the rough draft of Mulholland Dr. Very cool to hear you express it in those exact same words.
For me Lost Highway isn't about Fred trying to escape from his reality but to escape from his identity. He is unable to take responsibility for his actions so he literally transforms into someone else completely opposite of himself in order to hide from his unhealthy thoughts and feelings, the shame and the fear the that conquer his mind.
Nice review. I feel the same about this movie and Mulholland Drive. Mulholland Drive encapsulates vibe that permeates everything in LA. An underbelly glow that must be watched with a cautious eye. Have a G 1
Finally a (short) review on Lost Highway I can sympathize with. Most I have watched didn't seem to make much sense, but your view of it I like. I agree with you that LH seems like a raw sketch for MD, but I don't want to sell the movie short. I find it an amazing movie, which lacks the substantive levels of MD and Inland Empire. I see these three movies as a trilogy concerning themes and structure, whereby I clearly see a trend towards complexity in both. I say IE is surely his most satisfying realized film and I have to say to me the most beautiful film I've ever seen.
This is one of the best reviews I've watched in a long time, you were incredibly well spoken and has shown a great knowledge of cinema overall. Just gained a sub
I honestly don't understand why you haven't reviewed a single movie by Tarkovsky yet. He should be right up your alley. And as a cinephile who loves complex and sumptuous movies his works are definately a must see.
Tarkovsky deserves a lot of time and contemplation, which I do not have an abundance of lately. I review things that I can do quickly when I am busy. I am not a full-time critic. This is a hobby. I have a full-time job and a life that keeps me busy. Over the holidays when I really have time to delve into it, I will review some Tarkovsky films that I've been wanting to get around to.
Funny you'd say that, cause Mirror actually IS my favourite movie. I'm a sucker for beautiful and thought-provoking imagery and this movie is stunning and bewildering from beginning to end.
@@ChaosReigns45 For sure. As surreal as Eraserhead is in presentation most people can agree on what it's about plot-wise. The same can't be said of INLAND EMPIRE because its plot is damn near incomprehensible.
@@FirstPlace97 I wouldn't go so far as to make that claim, seeing as there are a LOT of strange movies out there and quantifying how "bizarre" something is can be very subjective. Amongst Lynch's filmography I think it's no competition though.
Lynch is the master surrealist. There may not be anyone as weird as he. Unlike Mulholland Drive, there is not a semblance of knowing what's going on in Inland Empire, but I can't stop watching.
2001 is one of my favourite films, it's a complete meditative transcendental experience, almost psychedelic. I watch every New Year's day without fail as my 'birth' into a new year. Anyone that calls this film boring or like a postcard has not put themselves into the right frame of mind for it. 2001 gives back what you put into it. A great review, and your thoughts very much mirror mine. I saw at IMAX few years back, that was mind-blowing. Left on my bucket list is to watch it on a Cinerama screen.
I like your take on it. I always thought LH & MD were revenge dreams? Also in both, there is a point where both characters are put to sleep. Then the craziness begins. In LH the prison doctor gives Fred a pill and says now you will sleep. And in MD I think the cowboy says something about her sleeping? I love both films and you are correct they are very similar. I play the tail-gate driver in LH. Cheers GT
Your level of awareness gives me a bit of relief in the light of humanity deserving the possibility of knowledge in which we were gifted. And your insight aids my appreciation of Lynch's 'masterful mirage' significantly, much love and gratitude 🖤✌ (Ps/aka thanks for the blueprint for my currently ketamined-mind lbvs)
This was a great review. I think the movie is pretty much explained in the beginning when he is talking to detectives. “ I like to remember things the way I want to, not the way they happen “I probably butchered that quote. But it’s very telling of the movie to come.
You arethe only person who reviews all my favorite films, and some films that nobody execpt for true lovers of cinema have seen, such as koyaanisqatsi. PS You should review La Jetee if you haven't already.
I fully agree with you. Lost highway and Mulholland Drive are honestly Lynch's best films. I can't put decide on which one because both are masterpieces in their own way. From a musicians point of view, the soundtrack is perfect and possibly the best motion picture soundtrack ever. Especially since I just watched the 4k remaster from Janus films/criterion in theater recently
Wonderfully reviewed. I find that Lost Highway is the David Lynch film I seem to return to the most. And not because I think that it is his best work, I actually think that it's the films' unrealized emotion and development that keeps me coming back. Many of Lynch's films hold such a deep emotional importance to me. And that emotion can gradually deteriorate with each viewing. Due to the way that Lost Highway is designed, it feels more like an exploration than a journey. There are loads of meticulously placed details which can serve as building bricks for many interpretations. And from what I see, that's where most of the meat of Lost Highway is. I like how David Lynch's films almost defy the connotation of a dream, I think that it is very inaccurate for dreams to be generally presented as the perfect incarnations of ones' mind or reality. Dreams are moreso explorations, they're mostly concerned with having you face areas which you'd find obnoxious or mundane. The dream will go as far as possible without potentially terrifying you or satisfying your possibilities. Because once you find those areas, you're less likely to feel them again in the same form. And it seems that that's how Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, and Twin Peaks The Return seem to operate. I think that they all work as dreams and explorations of what we want from a film or a show, never going far until it needs to be.
I made the mistake of originally seeing this directly after Mulholland Drive, and it just seemed like a less developed, less realised version. I didn't rewatch it until a few months ago, and now it might now be my favourite David Lynch film. Conversely, my estimation of Mulholland Drive went down on rewatching it shortly thereafter. Funny how that works! As a newcomer to this channel, I'm thrilled to see so many of my favourite films reviewed here - Lynch & Kubrick's work (Barry Lyndon ftw!), There Will Be Blood, Koyaanisqatsi - and pleased to see a generally similar interest in films. As a fellow admirer of Lynch, I'd love to see a video dedicated to the 3rd season of Twin Peaks, assuming you've seen it, considering that it's basically an ~18hr long Lynch film. It's been over a year since it ended but it's still reverberating in my mind, certain imagery still resurfacing on a regular basis, intoxicating & potent as ever. I've not experienced a trip quite like it before or since. Also, I noticed you haven't got Werner Herzog here. For what it's worth I'd recommend Nosferatu the Vampyre, Aguirre: Wrath of God and Stroszek if you haven't seen them already. His films possess a powerful, meditative, hypnotic strangeness that I love, which reminds me somewhat of Lynch. Quite different in execution, but similar in effect. Heart of Glass is another one of his films that sticks in my mind, though not as enjoyable as the others, it most clearly portrays his defining essence.
Your analysis of the relationship between fantasy and reality in Lynch's work really reminds me of my favorite book on Lynch, The Impossible David Lynch by Todd McGowan. It's so incredibly informative and illuminating and completely transformed my understanding of Lynch's work. If you haven't read it, you should really check it out, I think you're already intuiting a lot of the points that he makes in the book and it might help you explore them further and understand them even more deeply! :-) On another note, do you have any plans to review Twin Peaks: The Return eventually? I love these review videos you make and would absolutely love to hear you talk about the new season. Thanks for all you do!
I feel like such a dork for liking Lost Highway more than Mulholland Drive. I’ve seen both repeatedly and Lost Highway always comes back to me in a way that Mulholland Drive doesn’t... I think Mulholland Drive feels like something that’s easy to deconstruct while Lost Highway always has something mysterious to it no matter how much I deconstruct.
James Schultz Could be that late praise, I like that argument... but I still think there are legitimate reasons for liking Mulholland Drive more. As much as I love Patricia Arquette, I think Naomi Watts outperforms her, maybe just because she has a more complicated character. I wish I could’ve seen any of those films that way. Best screening I got of Mulholland Drive was in a class room at film school. It was kinda great though. An audience full of students, some social lubricant and a discussion afterwards.
I rented Lost Highway because of a recommendation from a friend. I found the characters devoid of ambition. Not one character had any desire beyond hierarchy, immediate survival, and sex. There wasn't a single character I could cheer for in this movie. The main characters Sax player / Pete were shells of other men of their era but not complete. Both men did have great ears for noise and pitch. I just don't see the leap to murder. One guy is a Saxophone player who got his own house and recording studio in the 90s and the other has a girlfriend that loves him is loyal and keeps his secrets. Why would either go so far as murder? They did not enjoy violence neither did they work up to it. It was written in. I was disappointed by this movie.
@@BrianRussell-b4i I shared my opinion and you called my taste Disney or pedestrian? I posit that the story paints men as narrow-minded, obsessed, and cavalier murderers. I did not ask for your immature insults about my taste in media. Just because I did not enjoy it as others do doesn't mean you get to insult me.
Hi Maggie, I'm new to your channel having just subscribed today. I've spent some time viewing several of your videos which I find to be well conceived & effectively executed. Congratulations on your longevity & stamina as well. I've been using TH-cam almost as long as you've been posting videos but it's taken all that time to finally discover your work. You express your thoughts and opinions in a concise cogent manner that fully explains your rationale. I admire your clarity. My own particular favorite of Lynch's films is 'The Elephant Man'. For me the best scene comes when Merrick tells Dr. Treves not to worry (feel guilty) about his not having done enough to help / protect him from the cruelty of tormentors. Merrick insists that Treves was a good friend / provider despite all he suffered / endured. Merrick truly understood what it means to love / forgive your neighbor. I also appreciate the way you see a complementary relationship between music & film. Elmer Bernstein sets an excellent example with 'To Kill A Mockingbird'; such splendor for the heart & soul: | th-cam.com/video/_t98LWNwUhI/w-d-xo.html | Maggie, I didn't see the film 'One-Eyed Jacks' in your catalogue. Perhaps you'll review it? Sam Peckinpah’s original version of the screenplay for ‘One-Eyed Jacks,’ Marlon Brando’s only directorial effort | cinephiliabeyond.org/sam-peckinpahs-original-version-screenplay-one-eyed-jacks-marlon-brandos-directorial-effort/ | We all have our ordained purpose. Often times that involves sharing the weight. Thank you for being there.
I agree with your analysis wholly. I saw this movie as a teenager and didn't get it, after dating women and getting engaged as an adult... here, London Grammar: "You realize again you chased an idea Heeled an Earth behind some broken creature. Maybe, she loves you, but I'm just a preacher. "Non-beliervers!" cryin,' 'Don't believe her!' " ... "She'll tell you lies and say it doesn't matter."
Excellent review as always, specially when discussing one of the best directors ever, David Lynch the creator of psychogenic fugue, and some of the best and most interesting movies ever made like Lost Highway
My mom took me to see this when I was 11 cause we both liked the soundtrack. I was confused, scared and bored all at once. This reminds me I should probably rewatch it as an adult. Thanks TH-cam algorithm.
Your review made me feel a lot better about my opinion on the film. I liked a lot of the scenes but for there was a lot of it that felt like it didn't really know what it was. I think I'd enjoy a second watching better.
Great review, as always! I find an interesting parallel between Mystery Man and Lloyd, the bartender from Shining, as well as Bob from TP and Jack Torrance.
I'm not one to really ascribe to either the psychological or dream interpretation of Lynch movies. It seems to me that most, if not all of them center only two things: alternate realities, and evil spirits. Now, I suppose if you listen to Crowley, you could say that evil spirits are only part of one's unconscious psyche. But, I honestly don't think that explanation really holds up, and that same uncertainty is present throughout Lynch's films. Everything from Twin Peaks to Inland Empire involves some sort of otherworldly character. And these characters share certain attributes. For example, when Leland talks about meeting BOB in a dream and 'letting him in'. In this movie we actually see this process happen, between Mystery Man and Fred. In M.D. There's the Cowboy and the Bum. In Inland Empire there's The Phantom. All of these evil spirits, with the ability to possess people (Lynch has made comments about reading the 'Legion' part of the bible, to that effect). This honestly makes me wonder about Blue Velvet. One might look at Hopper's performance after watching Lynch's later films and conclude that his character may have been possessed by a murderous spirit like BOB, but here we only get to see it from the outside.
Excellent review, thank you. I got to see the movie when it came out, it was a blast, an improvement over the previous movie ( wild at heart) and then it was obviously David lynch, s best so far.No one could imagine what was to come later, so there were several best David lynch movies at different times along his career.
I have seen both Lost Highway & Mulholland Drive but my brain somehow mixed them-up. I'll have to watch them both & still have to finish the new Twin Peaks episodes too.
Wasn't Fred once a man who won this woman's heart? He's a successful musician. A man she (at surface level) loved and admired enough to marry. Eventually he suspects infidelity. Suspicions that are given credence due to her past. He met her under shady circumstances....that don't be-front him until he realizes what he knew all along. (Milk was a bad choice).
Mulholland Drive was made from the pieces of a blown pilot for a TV show and strongly criticizes power structures in Hollywood - completely different from Lost Highway in so many ways, from genesis to subject matter and underlying themes, so I have to reject your comparison and resulting conlusions. But I still love what you have to say about Lost Highway itself. Lost Highway was my introduction to Lynch and is still one of my favorite movies ever. Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette deliver the best performances of their careers and the way music is utilized in this movie to deconstruct reality is absolutely fascinating and among the most outstanding examples of music in film ever. Imo this was Lynch's theatrical peak. Mulholland Drive is almost as good and more compatible with regular audiences, but although MD as well as Inland Empire were created from its DNA, imo they don't quite reach the dark creative genius of Lost Highway. Still, this is not meant as negative critizism at all. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the movie! There are a lot of people on youtube talking about film, but only few dare to deal with Lynch and even less have something meaningful to say. You surely have. So glad to have come across this. Thank you very much!
the fact MD was made from a pilot is totally irrelevant since Lynch did an amazing job using these pieces perfectly. This masterpiece is very consistent and logical, so doesnt matter if it should've been a pilot, a series or a film
When I first saw the movie like 12 years ago, I had no clue what was going on. Not just because of me not being a native english spealer but I didn't know what was going on.
It’s so weird for me to watch somebody who loves films in a way that’s so similar to the way I love them, but values radically different things in them from what I value.
You should've put some footage to show what you mean in most of those cases in your review. I don't know if all your vids are like that but you should consider adding that to your repertoire. Oh yes, other than that, good work, of course.
Called Twin Peaks "accessible" - as if Fire Walk With Me & The Return don't exist hahahaha - in terms of the first 2 seasons I absolutely agree that it's very much toned down Lynch though
As a fellow Lynch fan, I agree with most of your assessment on Lost Highway...I did a video a few years back breaking it down, and came to many of the same conclusions. The more recent third season of Twin Peaks has some similar themes, as well, particularly in the area of chasing the impossible dream. I do think, though, that this film is the purer example of his deconstructionist approach, as Mulholland Drive began as one thing and was ultimately reverse-engineered into something different. MY take on it is here, if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/ohwqgQO5gxo/w-d-xo.html
Great channel and analysis, but I disagree on what the desert love scene is actually portraying. Imo the scene shows a young man experiencing love and lust for the first time. A special out of body experience. And this experience is what many chase all their life after. Trying to find first live again. It shows Pete as a young man and by the end he is old. As she tells him you will never truly have me or love. Love lost and a life spent chasing your desires. Also dealing with disappointment or rejection.
*Does David Lynch's storytelling have the same clinical "coldness" as that of Stanley Kubrick?* Lynchian plotlines are definitely more subjective and, therefore, "crazier" : but I can't tell if there's supposed to be pathos or not... *like you said, "there's something slightly removed and cold about it".* Because it's like looking at and "understanding" a mental patient.
This movie is unfortunately a pretentious mess. Abstract and surrealism in filmmaking is fine (to a degree), but if you don’t have any pegs to hang the meaning behind images on the screen on, then it comes across as meaningless. Every review and deconstruction of this film tends to be so different that everyone seemingly projects their own ideas about nearly every aspect of the film onto what is really a chaotic canvas (which is fine for a Jackson Pollock painting, but for a series of frames which purpose is to form a narrative, it’s not). I love films that plays with chronology and spacial inconsistencies, symbolism and double meanings, but there are some rules that you cannot break if you decide to do this. One example is character motivations, which is a complete mess in this movie. The characters behave in ways that not only makes it seem like they completely forgot what happened in the previous scene, but doesn’t even match the personality traits they’ve portrayed earlier on in the movie. If this was the work of a group of film students, their professor would give them a B minus for great technical ability and a strong sense of visual artistry, but lacking in a coherent storyline and using abstraction for abstraction’s sake rather than a tool for visualizing their ideas. I know, I know, everything I just said proves I “just don’t get it” (the decades old tried and tested retort from the avant-garde of the avant-garde film movement). I’m cool with that.
Nah it's not like you don't get it, it's just that any opinion that unironically uses the word pretentious and complains that a surrealist filmmaker doesn't explain the surrealism making it pointless and then uses film school as a counterexample as if it was meant to prove a point is pretty dumb, i didn't get the movie eiher back then but i sure as shit knew better than coming up with this nonsense to feeling justified in not liking it
Lost Highway has aged very well. I like it more and more every time I watch it. It has become one of my favorite Lynch films.
It has aged well. The only problem with it is the size of the mobile phone which fixes it in the mid 1990s. The rest of the film could be any time.
The September 11th Attacks dated lots of 90s media. Lost Highway feels different somehow.
I love _Lost Highway._ I think it's an underappreciated masterpiece. While it is less emotionally resonant than _Mulholland Drive,_ I think the intent was a bit different. It's more of a think piece than a character piece.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE is a more polished, well-presented film than LOST HIGHWAY. However, if you ask me which one I prefer more, I could go either way. LOST HIGHWAY establishes an eerie grimness from the first shot and never relinquishes that grimness at any point. The "mystery man" (Robert Blake) is one of the coolest characters that Lynch ever created. The movie brilliantly taps into the fears and desires of the subconscious. That said, MULHOLLAND DRIVE is a masterpiece in its own right. It's difficult to rank Lynch films against one another.
Love this review. Very deep analysis of one of the most obscure films of the '90s. What I also love about 'Lost Highway' is that it features Richard Pryor in one of his last acting roles. Who would of ever imagined "David Lynch" and "Richard Pryor" two legends in one project? 'Lost Highway' is definitely worth watching. Soundtrack is a dream too.
This movie was a trip and the soundtrack was awesome!
yea dude i bought the soundtrack before i saw the movie back when they came out , along w/ the crow my favorite soundtracks
Definitely one of the overall greatest soundtracks ever
@@st3v3h4py yeah prob cause he took actual songs by a band known for its world building
One hell of a soundtrack for sure! David Bowie, Lou Reed, This Mortal Coil, Rammstein, Smashing Pumpkins, Angelo Badalamenti, I mean damn!!!!
Last action hero will always be no1 soundtrack but it was a good soundtrack.
The tailgating scene is hands-down the funniest scene Lynch has ever done. "Lost Highway" is almost worth it for that scene alone.
I like your analytic points on the relationship between reality and fantasy. I've never looked at this film from the perspective of fantasy being the toxic realm of existence that has been built (to a partial extent) by cinema itself. It honestly provides a very meta self-commentary that I never picked up on. Of course escapism is a major theme, but I never noticed how Lynch interweaves this statement on how movies create and explore certain unrealistic desires and expectations within the modern mass consciousness. In this way, I definitely see how you would compare this film to Mulholland Drive, as it takes this theme and amplifies it to a more extreme degree (I mean...the entire film takes place in Hollywood). It's such a unique style of telling a story. To have the narrative flow in and out of reality in a way that is extremely unapologetic and subtle enough to not even notice when it happens.
Also, Lost Highway marks the last cinematic performance of the great Richard Pryor.
Having watched this the movie felt like an art piece Artistic Horror movie almost like a Foreign movie. This film felt like at base value the story of a man and boy whose life was destroyed by falling in love with the wrong woman that could never work out. This movie is created specifically as an art piece for the viewer to draw any conclusion the viewer feels like he or she is getting from it. You could read this movie as an older man played by Bill Pullman being destroyed by his relationship pain which drives him to kill, so he then creates a fantasy world of a younger man who despite living in a fantasy world is still destroyed by the same woman just in another form. Or you can read the film as the young man is the real one and the older one is his fantasy world in some way shape or form or even if you wanted you can go full supernatural and just see it as the Bill Pullman character was reincarnated as another man who yet again was destroyed in his new life by another woman played by the same actress. You can have multiple different readings of this one from what the concepts are telling you from an artistic point of view. Personally, I found this to be a good solid artistic Horror piece character study of a Male character and the inner workings of his mind. I liked this one and found the soundtrack great lol. Not David Lynch's best film but one of his most interesting ones in my opinion.
This is a brilliant review. Toward the begining I felt slightly irritated by your comments on Lost Highway, but your persuasion is on the mark and by the end I had to agree. I still love the movie though lol
I think maybe the removed and cold, or even objectified and sterotyped character element youre criticizing has been a part of what I love in the film though. at least for me it emphasizes Fred's emptiness and desperation in his disordered mind as it shatters, and fitfully (and unsuccessfully) reassembles into a story he can accept, so we as the viewer are maybe looking at the story through his distorted lens more than being outside observers.
I love all of his movies, and Lost Highway is probably my favorite. The whole mood of this film is unforgettable . I think Mr.Lynch created a masterpiece with this film. Just my opinion. Bob. G
I actually saw the character of Renee to be far more innocent than Alice. I feel like it was Fred's insecurities that made Renee seem evil. I also believe the mystery man played by Robert Blake was a representation of evil, hence why he said Fred let him in his house and he doesn't go where he's not wanted. Remember, Fred saw the mystery man's face on Renee's face. For all we know she wasn't even at the club with Andy but Fred just imagined seeing her because he needed more reason to think she was cheating on him. He needed to see her as evil to justify killing her, even though he was in denial about killing her until the very end. Alice was the version of Renee Fred imagined her to be and in his mind, it was Mr Eddie's fault, an antagonist he created in his mind to avoid pointing the finger at himself, that Alice / Renee turned out to be the way she was because of what he was doing to her.
I only watched this last night, and I was very happy to find you have done a review on this, such a stunning film, I cannot believe I have only just discovered it, I can see this film being so rewatchable, only to find new layers with each viewing, the blurring of reality and surrealism expressed in this film, Is what 'Joker' wished it could be.
Lost Highway is amazing. Every Lynch film is awesome but Lost Highway is my favorite. Such a dark and frightening yet beautifully terrifying film.
Absolutely agree with your review here. For years I've called it the rough draft of Mulholland Dr. Very cool to hear you express it in those exact same words.
For me Lost Highway isn't about Fred trying to escape from his reality but to escape from his identity. He is unable to take responsibility for his actions so he literally transforms into someone else completely opposite of himself in order to hide from his unhealthy thoughts and feelings, the shame and the fear the that conquer his mind.
Nice review. I feel the same about this movie and Mulholland Drive.
Mulholland Drive encapsulates vibe that permeates everything in LA. An underbelly glow that must be watched with a cautious eye. Have a G 1
Finally a (short) review on Lost Highway I can sympathize with. Most I have watched didn't seem to make much sense, but your view of it I like. I agree with you that LH seems like a raw sketch for MD, but I don't want to sell the movie short. I find it an amazing movie, which lacks the substantive levels of MD and Inland Empire. I see these three movies as a trilogy concerning themes and structure, whereby I clearly see a trend towards complexity in both. I say IE is surely his most satisfying realized film and I have to say to me the most beautiful film I've ever seen.
This is one of the best reviews I've watched in a long time, you were incredibly well spoken and has shown a great knowledge of cinema overall. Just gained a sub
Just when i had given up I see you reviewed this crazy, haunting, amazing, and nightmarish movie.
Inland Empire is my favorite David Lynch film. A very emotional journey that I can watch over and over and still find something new. Great film.
I honestly don't understand why you haven't reviewed a single movie by Tarkovsky yet. He should be right up your alley. And as a cinephile who loves complex and sumptuous movies his works are definately a must see.
Tarkovsky deserves a lot of time and contemplation, which I do not have an abundance of lately. I review things that I can do quickly when I am busy. I am not a full-time critic. This is a hobby. I have a full-time job and a life that keeps me busy. Over the holidays when I really have time to delve into it, I will review some Tarkovsky films that I've been wanting to get around to.
I see. In that case I'm looking forward to those in depth reviews, cause I'm a fan of both his and your work. Thanks for the quick reply. : )
"Mirror" is like a poem in images, it's just gorgeous. One of my all time favourite films.
Funny you'd say that, cause Mirror actually IS my favourite movie. I'm a sucker for beautiful and thought-provoking imagery and this movie is stunning and bewildering from beginning to end.
@@deepfocuslens : Lookin' forward. Kudos to all the effort u put into ur reviews. Top stuff reely. Cheers! :)
You should review INLAND EMPIRE (2006). An underappreciated gem in Lynch's filmography. A tricky one but well worth the watch imo.
Yeah it's his heaviest film, even more abstract than Eraserhead.
@@ChaosReigns45 For sure. As surreal as Eraserhead is in presentation most people can agree on what it's about plot-wise. The same can't be said of INLAND EMPIRE because its plot is damn near incomprehensible.
Inland Empire is by far the most bizzare movie ever made, and that's really saying something because Lynch made Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive.
@@FirstPlace97 I wouldn't go so far as to make that claim, seeing as there are a LOT of strange movies out there and quantifying how "bizarre" something is can be very subjective. Amongst Lynch's filmography I think it's no competition though.
Lynch is the master surrealist. There may not be anyone as weird as he. Unlike Mulholland Drive, there is not a semblance of knowing what's going on in Inland Empire, but I can't stop watching.
2001 is one of my favourite films, it's a complete meditative transcendental experience, almost psychedelic. I watch every New Year's day without fail as my 'birth' into a new year. Anyone that calls this film boring or like a postcard has not put themselves into the right frame of mind for it. 2001 gives back what you put into it. A great review, and your thoughts very much mirror mine. I saw at IMAX few years back, that was mind-blowing. Left on my bucket list is to watch it on a Cinerama screen.
You should review twin peaks the return
I've loved this movie since opening night in '97. It is great to hear your analysis
It came out in '96
I like your take on it. I always thought LH & MD were revenge dreams? Also in both, there is a point where both characters are put to sleep. Then the craziness begins. In LH the prison doctor gives Fred a pill and says now you will sleep. And in MD I think the cowboy says something about her sleeping? I love both films and you are correct they are very similar. I play the tail-gate driver in LH. Cheers GT
Was a great scene! Hilarious and terrifying all in one.
Your level of awareness gives me a bit of relief in the light of humanity deserving the possibility of knowledge in which we were gifted.
And your insight aids my appreciation of Lynch's 'masterful mirage' significantly, much love and gratitude 🖤✌
(Ps/aka thanks for the blueprint for my currently ketamined-mind lbvs)
This was a great review. I think the movie is pretty much explained in the beginning when he is talking to detectives. “ I like to remember things the way I want to, not the way they happen “I probably butchered that quote. But it’s very telling of the movie to come.
Yes, the best films are open to interpretation especially the ending. Sums it up beautifully.
You arethe only person who reviews all my favorite films, and some films that nobody execpt for true lovers of cinema have seen, such as koyaanisqatsi. PS You should review La Jetee if you haven't already.
I fully agree with you. Lost highway and Mulholland Drive are honestly Lynch's best films. I can't put decide on which one because both are masterpieces in their own way. From a musicians point of view, the soundtrack is perfect and possibly the best motion picture soundtrack ever. Especially since I just watched the 4k remaster from Janus films/criterion in theater recently
i love how everyone interpret this film in different ways
i like it more than blue velvet. the sound track is incredible
Just watched the Criterion rerelease and Lost Highway aged like fine wine. Now my favorite Lynch film.
Wonderfully reviewed. I find that Lost Highway is the David Lynch film I seem to return to the most. And not because I think that it is his best work, I actually think that it's the films' unrealized emotion and development that keeps me coming back.
Many of Lynch's films hold such a deep emotional importance to me. And that emotion can gradually deteriorate with each viewing. Due to the way that Lost Highway is designed, it feels more like an exploration than a journey. There are loads of meticulously placed details which can serve as building bricks for many interpretations. And from what I see, that's where most of the meat of Lost Highway is.
I like how David Lynch's films almost defy the connotation of a dream, I think that it is very inaccurate for dreams to be generally presented as the perfect incarnations of ones' mind or reality. Dreams are moreso explorations, they're mostly concerned with having you face areas which you'd find obnoxious or mundane. The dream will go as far as possible without potentially terrifying you or satisfying your possibilities. Because once you find those areas, you're less likely to feel them again in the same form. And it seems that that's how Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, and Twin Peaks The Return seem to operate. I think that they all work as dreams and explorations of what we want from a film or a show, never going far until it needs to be.
Mulholland Drive to me brings the same emotions with every viewing.
Really nice to see the younger generation see these amazing films. Very good review. Thanks.
David Lynch, Spokane Washington. Classy, sexy, atmospheric, abstract, scary with gorgeous cars. One of my favorites.
I made the mistake of originally seeing this directly after Mulholland Drive, and it just seemed like a less developed, less realised version.
I didn't rewatch it until a few months ago, and now it might now be my favourite David Lynch film. Conversely, my estimation of Mulholland Drive went down on rewatching it shortly thereafter. Funny how that works!
As a newcomer to this channel, I'm thrilled to see so many of my favourite films reviewed here - Lynch & Kubrick's work (Barry Lyndon ftw!), There Will Be Blood, Koyaanisqatsi - and pleased to see a generally similar interest in films.
As a fellow admirer of Lynch, I'd love to see a video dedicated to the 3rd season of Twin Peaks, assuming you've seen it, considering that it's basically an ~18hr long Lynch film. It's been over a year since it ended but it's still reverberating in my mind, certain imagery still resurfacing on a regular basis, intoxicating & potent as ever. I've not experienced a trip quite like it before or since.
Also, I noticed you haven't got Werner Herzog here. For what it's worth I'd recommend Nosferatu the Vampyre, Aguirre: Wrath of God and Stroszek if you haven't seen them already. His films possess a powerful, meditative, hypnotic strangeness that I love, which reminds me somewhat of Lynch. Quite different in execution, but similar in effect. Heart of Glass is another one of his films that sticks in my mind, though not as enjoyable as the others, it most clearly portrays his defining essence.
Your analysis of the relationship between fantasy and reality in Lynch's work really reminds me of my favorite book on Lynch, The Impossible David Lynch by Todd McGowan. It's so incredibly informative and illuminating and completely transformed my understanding of Lynch's work. If you haven't read it, you should really check it out, I think you're already intuiting a lot of the points that he makes in the book and it might help you explore them further and understand them even more deeply! :-)
On another note, do you have any plans to review Twin Peaks: The Return eventually? I love these review videos you make and would absolutely love to hear you talk about the new season. Thanks for all you do!
It's the most disturbing film I ever saw. Had to put the light on to sleep afterwards.
I feel like such a dork for liking Lost Highway more than Mulholland Drive. I’ve seen both repeatedly and Lost Highway always comes back to me in a way that Mulholland Drive doesn’t... I think Mulholland Drive feels like something that’s easy to deconstruct while Lost Highway always has something mysterious to it no matter how much I deconstruct.
James Schultz Could be that late praise, I like that argument... but I still think there are legitimate reasons for liking Mulholland Drive more. As much as I love Patricia Arquette, I think Naomi Watts outperforms her, maybe just because she has a more complicated character.
I wish I could’ve seen any of those films that way. Best screening I got of Mulholland Drive was in a class room at film school. It was kinda great though. An audience full of students, some social lubricant and a discussion afterwards.
super movie great work . david lynch underrated big director .
Underrated by whom ?
Excellent review and thoughts on the film. Thanks for posting! Took me years to "understand" this film and it gets better with every viewing.
I rented Lost Highway because of a recommendation from a friend. I found the characters devoid of ambition. Not one character had any desire beyond hierarchy, immediate survival, and sex. There wasn't a single character I could cheer for in this movie. The main characters Sax player / Pete were shells of other men of their era but not complete. Both men did have great ears for noise and pitch. I just don't see the leap to murder. One guy is a Saxophone player who got his own house and recording studio in the 90s and the other has a girlfriend that loves him is loyal and keeps his secrets. Why would either go so far as murder? They did not enjoy violence neither did they work up to it. It was written in. I was disappointed by this movie.
What you described IS exactly the point of the movie.
Maybe ya need to stick to Disney films.
@@BrianRussell-b4i I shared my opinion and you called my taste Disney or pedestrian? I posit that the story paints men as narrow-minded, obsessed, and cavalier murderers. I did not ask for your immature insults about my taste in media. Just because I did not enjoy it as others do doesn't mean you get to insult me.
I find your verbal skills admirable. Knowledgeable and fluent 👍🏻
Hi Maggie, I'm new to your channel having just subscribed today. I've spent some time viewing several of your videos which I find to be well conceived & effectively executed. Congratulations on your longevity & stamina as well. I've been using TH-cam almost as long as you've been posting videos but it's taken all that time to finally discover your work. You express your thoughts and opinions in a concise cogent manner that fully explains your rationale. I admire your clarity.
My own particular favorite of Lynch's films is 'The Elephant Man'. For me the best scene comes when Merrick tells Dr. Treves not to worry (feel guilty) about his not having done enough to help / protect him from the cruelty of tormentors. Merrick insists that Treves was a good friend / provider despite all he suffered / endured. Merrick truly understood what it means to love / forgive your neighbor.
I also appreciate the way you see a complementary relationship between music & film. Elmer Bernstein sets an excellent example with 'To Kill A Mockingbird'; such splendor for the heart & soul:
| th-cam.com/video/_t98LWNwUhI/w-d-xo.html |
Maggie, I didn't see the film 'One-Eyed Jacks' in your catalogue. Perhaps you'll review it?
Sam Peckinpah’s original version of the screenplay for ‘One-Eyed Jacks,’ Marlon Brando’s only directorial effort
| cinephiliabeyond.org/sam-peckinpahs-original-version-screenplay-one-eyed-jacks-marlon-brandos-directorial-effort/ |
We all have our ordained purpose. Often times that involves sharing the weight. Thank you for being there.
I agree with your analysis wholly. I saw this movie as a teenager and didn't get it, after dating women and getting engaged as an adult... here, London Grammar:
"You realize again you chased an idea
Heeled an Earth behind some broken creature.
Maybe, she loves you, but I'm just a preacher.
"Non-beliervers!" cryin,' 'Don't believe her!' "
...
"She'll tell you lies and say it doesn't matter."
Excellent review as always, specially when discussing one of the best directors ever, David Lynch the creator of psychogenic fugue, and some of the best and most interesting movies ever made like Lost Highway
My mom took me to see this when I was 11 cause we both liked the soundtrack. I was confused, scared and bored all at once. This reminds me I should probably rewatch it as an adult. Thanks TH-cam algorithm.
Your review made me feel a lot better about my opinion on the film. I liked a lot of the scenes but for there was a lot of it that felt like it didn't really know what it was. I think I'd enjoy a second watching better.
Great review, as always! I find an interesting parallel between Mystery Man and Lloyd, the bartender from Shining, as well as Bob from TP and Jack Torrance.
I'm not one to really ascribe to either the psychological or dream interpretation of Lynch movies. It seems to me that most, if not all of them center only two things: alternate realities, and evil spirits. Now, I suppose if you listen to Crowley, you could say that evil spirits are only part of one's unconscious psyche. But, I honestly don't think that explanation really holds up, and that same uncertainty is present throughout Lynch's films. Everything from Twin Peaks to Inland Empire involves some sort of otherworldly character. And these characters share certain attributes. For example, when Leland talks about meeting BOB in a dream and 'letting him in'. In this movie we actually see this process happen, between Mystery Man and Fred. In M.D. There's the Cowboy and the Bum. In Inland Empire there's The Phantom. All of these evil spirits, with the ability to possess people (Lynch has made comments about reading the 'Legion' part of the bible, to that effect). This honestly makes me wonder about Blue Velvet. One might look at Hopper's performance after watching Lynch's later films and conclude that his character may have been possessed by a murderous spirit like BOB, but here we only get to see it from the outside.
Excellent review, thank you. I got to see the movie when it came out, it was a blast, an improvement over the previous movie ( wild at heart) and then it was obviously David lynch, s best so far.No one could imagine what was to come later, so there were several best David lynch movies at different times along his career.
My favorite Lynch film. It`s so dark, and it takes you places.
I have seen both Lost Highway & Mulholland Drive but my brain somehow mixed them-up. I'll have to watch them both & still have to finish the new Twin Peaks episodes too.
Wasn't Fred once a man who won this woman's heart? He's a successful musician. A man she (at surface level) loved and admired enough to marry. Eventually he suspects infidelity. Suspicions that are given credence due to her past. He met her under shady circumstances....that don't be-front him until he realizes what he knew all along. (Milk was a bad choice).
Great, I really liked the analysis you did. You earned a new subscriber and a well-deserved like. 😊🎥
Great review. This one always felt like his darkest work to me..
Mulholland Drive was made from the pieces of a blown pilot for a TV show and strongly criticizes power structures in Hollywood - completely different from Lost Highway in so many ways, from genesis to subject matter and underlying themes, so I have to reject your comparison and resulting conlusions. But I still love what you have to say about Lost Highway itself. Lost Highway was my introduction to Lynch and is still one of my favorite movies ever. Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette deliver the best performances of their careers and the way music is utilized in this movie to deconstruct reality is absolutely fascinating and among the most outstanding examples of music in film ever. Imo this was Lynch's theatrical peak. Mulholland Drive is almost as good and more compatible with regular audiences, but although MD as well as Inland Empire were created from its DNA, imo they don't quite reach the dark creative genius of Lost Highway. Still, this is not meant as negative critizism at all. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the movie! There are a lot of people on youtube talking about film, but only few dare to deal with Lynch and even less have something meaningful to say. You surely have. So glad to have come across this. Thank you very much!
Mulholland Drive is a million times better than Lost Highway, is just not as bad as some people say.
the fact MD was made from a pilot is totally irrelevant since Lynch did an amazing job using these pieces perfectly. This masterpiece is very consistent and logical, so doesnt matter if it should've been a pilot, a series or a film
When I first saw the movie like 12 years ago, I had no clue what was going on. Not just because of me not being a native english spealer but I didn't know what was going on.
Ello! I love the way you talk about film. very enthusiastic and you know what youre talking about. Can you do a review for Green Room?
I remember reading that LH was hell, MD purgatory and IE heaven.
baxtermaxtor if Inland Empire is heaven, we're fucked. Of all Lynch Films, that one fucked me up the most
One of the best reviews I’ve seen.. Magnificent!
It’s so weird for me to watch somebody who loves films in a way that’s so similar to the way I love them, but values radically different things in them from what I value.
Lost Highway is way better than Mulholland Drive. Mulholland Drivebored me to tears but this movie fascinated me.
Your analysis was refreshing.
You are a fantastic reviewer. This was great!
You should've put some footage to show what you mean in most of those cases in your review. I don't know if all your vids are like that but you should consider adding that to your repertoire. Oh yes, other than that, good work, of course.
Called Twin Peaks "accessible" - as if Fire Walk With Me & The Return don't exist hahahaha - in terms of the first 2 seasons I absolutely agree that it's very much toned down Lynch though
As a fellow Lynch fan, I agree with most of your assessment on Lost Highway...I did a video a few years back breaking it down, and came to many of the same conclusions. The more recent third season of Twin Peaks has some similar themes, as well, particularly in the area of chasing the impossible dream. I do think, though, that this film is the purer example of his deconstructionist approach, as Mulholland Drive began as one thing and was ultimately reverse-engineered into something different. MY take on it is here, if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/ohwqgQO5gxo/w-d-xo.html
I soo agree when you compare Mulholland to this...
This movie was something to talk about over the dinner table.
Had a terrible dream where you reviewed Venom. Do Reflections in a Golden Eye next.
Great channel and analysis, but I disagree on what the desert love scene is actually portraying. Imo the scene shows a young man experiencing love and lust for the first time. A special out of body experience. And this experience is what many chase all their life after. Trying to find first live again. It shows Pete as a young man and by the end he is old. As she tells him you will never truly have me or love. Love lost and a life spent chasing your desires. Also dealing with disappointment or rejection.
*Does David Lynch's storytelling have the same clinical "coldness" as that of Stanley Kubrick?*
Lynchian plotlines are definitely more subjective and, therefore, "crazier" : but I can't tell if there's supposed to be pathos or not... *like you said, "there's something slightly removed and cold about it".*
Because it's like looking at and "understanding" a mental patient.
Don't forget that Lynch also made the deeply moving "The Elephant Man", and the charming, rambling "The Straight Story".
Have you reviewed, The Elephant Man? I say it is his best film, hands down.
I love the Road Rage scene. I hate when people tailgate me.
I'll certainly, check, it, out
Plus, it has a bangin' soundtrack!
Review Mandy please.
Great essay 😊 thank you 🙏
great movie directed by david lynch,make me scared the lot of the time.this horror movie is a classic to movie, and he was pleausure to watch😨
this is a good analysis....but wild at heart > mulholland drive by a longshot imo
Why did Blue Velvet resonate more with you than Lost Highway?
Yeah, you'll never have me. Crushes me.
Get stoned and watch his stuff and it’s such an experience.
i have 3 films for you to take a look at .The Tiger an Old Hunters Tale.i saw the devil.the wailing.
amazing review thank you
Do a Twin Peaks review next!!!
thank you!!! Now i can say i at least understood parts of the movie hahhaha Lynch you are crazy
Please Review Eraserhead 1977
great soundtrack smashing pumpkins eye
Do you have a letterboxd account?
my innate desires are robert blake in grandpa al lewis makeup and vhs camcorders
Being that you love the more Lynchian Surrealist films, You're probably not the biggest fan of A STRAIGHT STORY, huh?
It's been a loooong time since I've seen it. I'd need to revisit it.
I hate tailgaters too !
Dislike the movie, love the soundtrack. Treznor killed it.
Great insight.
This movie is unfortunately a pretentious mess. Abstract and surrealism in filmmaking is fine (to a degree), but if you don’t have any pegs to hang the meaning behind images on the screen on, then it comes across as meaningless.
Every review and deconstruction of this film tends to be so different that everyone seemingly projects their own ideas about nearly every aspect of the film onto what is really a chaotic canvas (which is fine for a Jackson Pollock painting, but for a series of frames which purpose is to form a narrative, it’s not).
I love films that plays with chronology and spacial inconsistencies, symbolism and double meanings, but there are some rules that you cannot break if you decide to do this. One example is character motivations, which is a complete mess in this movie. The characters behave in ways that not only makes it seem like they completely forgot what happened in the previous scene, but doesn’t even match the personality traits they’ve portrayed earlier on in the movie.
If this was the work of a group of film students, their professor would give them a B minus for great technical ability and a strong sense of visual artistry, but lacking in a coherent storyline and using abstraction for abstraction’s sake rather than a tool for visualizing their ideas.
I know, I know, everything I just said proves I “just don’t get it” (the decades old tried and tested retort from the avant-garde of the avant-garde film movement). I’m cool with that.
Nah it's not like you don't get it, it's just that any opinion that unironically uses the word pretentious and complains that a surrealist filmmaker doesn't explain the surrealism making it pointless and then uses film school as a counterexample as if it was meant to prove a point is pretty dumb, i didn't get the movie eiher back then but i sure as shit knew better than coming up with this nonsense to feeling justified in not liking it
@@bloodorange6713 Takes one to know one, I guess.