Best of the Decade

[NickAdams]

It's official, the general consensious is that Mulholland Drive is the best film of the decade. Yays! It truly is David Lynch's masterpiece and probably, IMHO, the most immersive dream-film since Bunuel's L'Age D'or. Now that may be somewhat of an overstatment, but it certainly is the greatest work of cinematic surrealism since the likes of Fellini and Bunuel.

The one thing that keeps it from being pure surrealism, for me at least, is the last third in which Betty becomes Diane. But, Lynch never confirmed this interpretation and the film may be a little more complex than that. What's interesting though is that if surrealism is the dream of reality then Mulholland Drive is the dream of cinema (surcinemaism?). I just think it's wonderful (wundervoll!) how Lynch took cinematic cliches/camp and turned it into dream symbolism (intentionally or unintentionally, of course).

[DanielBenoit]

The one thing that keeps it from being pure surrealism, for me at least, is the last third in which Betty becomes Diane. But, Lynch never confirmed this interpretation and the film may be a little more complex than that. What's interesting though is that if surrealism is the dream of reality then Mulholland Drive is the dream of cinema (surcinemaism?). I just think it's wonderful (wundervoll!) how Lynch took cinematic cliches/camp and turned it into dream symbolism (intentionally or unintentionally, of course).

Usually Lynch in his past films self-consciously used camp or satirical pastiche, but sometimes to an indulgent extent (Wild at Heart). But Mulholland Drive achieves that tone perfectly and as a result becomes more surreal due to its self-conscious artificiality.

Also the meta-cinematic surrealism of the film (that's the word ) is great because it, as you said, becomes not a dream of reality, but a dream of movies.

I once had a perfect theory about the final third of the film, but I've now forgotten, having not seen it for a bit of a while.

I suppose the aspect I liked most was the love story between Betty and Rita. Lynch treats it with passion and yet with surreal silent emotion.

Such a great film.

[DanielBenoit]

Once again, I change my mind. Synecodoche, New York is now the number three movie of the decade.