In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Mulholland Drive, we look at important motifs that help us understand the film.
Cast
- Naomi Watts – Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn
- Laura Harring – Rita/Camilla Rhodes
- Justin Theroux – Adam Kesher
- Ann Miller – Coco
- Mark Pellegrino – Joe
- Robert Forster – Detective McKnight
- Brent Briscoe – Detective Domgaard
- Dan Hedaya – Vincenzo Castigliane
- Angelo Badalamenti – Luigi Castigliane
- Michael J. Anderson – Mr. Roque
- Bonnie Aarons – Bum
- Monty Montgomery – The Cowboy
- Melissa George – Camilla Rhodes
- Billy Ray Cyrus – Gene
- Patrick Fischler – Dan
Important motifs in Mulholland Drive
Hollywood
Lynch cites Sunset Boulevard—a movie about a delusional woman in Hollywood who commits a murder after losing her mind—as a huge inspiration for the Mulholland Drive. In many ways, Lynch is updating that classic film’s damning commentary about the Hollywood Dream and the adverse affect it can have on aspiring actors.
There are several other references to the unforgiving nature of Hollywood. Lynch names Camilla’s character “Rita” in the dream sequence. This is a reference to the actress Rita Hayworth, who also had a contentious relationship with Hollywood. Also, the movie is called Mulholland Drive, which is a famous road in California where many famous people have lived and many people have died in car crashes.
Read more about the references to Sunset Boulevard here and Rita Hayworth here, and the meaning behind the title of the movie here.
Red & Blue
There are two colors you’ll see consistently throughout the film: red and blue. In Mulholland Drive, red is often associated with fantasy and the promise of Hollywood, while blue represents reality and your failed dreams. Pay attention to the characters and situations associated with those colors. Those instances tell us a lot about Betty and the trajectory of her journey.
The most notable instance of color blue as a motif is the blue key, which serves as the pathway between fiction and reality. At some point, Diane must confront her reality and the terrible decisions she’s made. While a striking use of red is the red pillow and red lampshade, which both rest in Diane’s room. The pillow is where she lays down to have her dream, and her
Read more about the use of red here, and the use of blue here.
Multiple Identities
By the end of the movie, several characters will have swapped names, roles, and identities. These shifts tell us something about each of the characters (specifically Betty) and the movie’s main commentary on the “dream” associated with Hollywood—a place where actors regularly pretend to be people they aren’t. To deal with the trauma of missing out on her Hollywood dreams, Betty herself dreams a life where she can make it as an actress and save Rita at the same time. It’s a fantasy life she wishes to escape into—but that’s not reality. Her real life and fantasy life blend together, just like a movie.
Read more about the characters’ multiple identities here.
The Monster Behind the Dumpster/The Homeless Person
Early on in the movie, there’s a terrifying sequence that involves a homeless person/monster that lives behind the dumpster at Winkie’s. Notice how their introductory scene is associated with nightmares. As we’ll eventually discover, most of the movie we’re watching is a dream that, in the end, becomes a nightmare. As this character continues to pop up throughout the movie, they will come to represent the separation of dreams (aka the promise of the “Hollywood Dream”) from nightmares (aka the reality of the “Hollywood Dream”).
Read more about the homeless person and what they represent here.
What are your thoughts?
Are there more motifs you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide for Mulholland Drive? Leave your thoughts below and we’ll consider them for the guide.
Write a response