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Did he not have any toys as a child?
Part of a slinky. He straightened it.



Now that I have totally unintentionally brought the conversation around to a film that appeared over 20 places ago...

Mulholland Drive's main structure almost exactly mirrors The Wizard of Oz but in a much more complex and decidedly more warped fashion. In The Wizard of Oz, it is pretty much directly inferred that various facets of Dorothy's psyche are personified by the companions she meets along the way. Her dream state experience is populated by representations of her heart, her mind, etc.

Mulholland Drive functions in the same way, but instead of a weather event knocking out the protagonist, our girl in trouble in Mulholland Drive has experienced a psychotic break after a sustained campaign of abuse by the Hollywood machine. People and objects at the scene of the "accident" - the elite party she was attending when the break occurred - are recast in a phantasmagoria of psychosis and nightmarish fever dreams in the period of time leading up to her suicide. Other characters, like the filthy witch-woman behind Winkies, could represent various aspects of her shattered mental state etc., while other objects like the key left by the hitman, and the coffee cup that says SOS on it are transformed into skewed, bizarre dream-objects like the blue box and key and the wild-eyed mobster that screams "HELP ME" after his companion is given a bad cup of espresso.

The similarities don't end there, with Betty's arrival at the airport, with her stepping out into a wonderland of bright promise mirroring Dorothy's arrival in Oz, or the fact that both Dorothy and Betty's anchor in reality is their Aunt.

On a personal level for Lynch, his disdain for Hollywood, and specifically the seedy underbelly of Hollywood, is on full display here. After all, Mulholland Drive is the road that runs directly beneath the Hollywood sign...

That's it for now, as I am sure several MoFo vets are collectively rolling their eyes after being subjected to yet another half-baked post about Mulholland Drive from yours truly!
That's how I understood the movie as well - I'll freely admit that I consulted a FAQ or two after watching it to enhance that understanding - but I did not know about all of those The Wizard of Oz connections until now. They're definitely more subtle than the incredibly blatant ones in Wild at Heart, my favorite being the Munchkin-voiced Freddie Jones talking about pigeons, of course:



You veteran MoFo's may be sick and tired of this stuff, but in the words of Barney Gumble, "hook it to my veins!"



A system of cells interlinked
That's how I understood the movie as well - I'll freely admit that I consulted a FAQ or two after watching it to enhance that understanding - but I did not know about all of those The Wizard of Oz connections until now. They're definitely more subtle than the incredibly blatant ones in Wild at Heart, my favorite being the Munchkin-voiced Freddie Jones talking about pigeons, of course:



You veteran MoFo's may be sick and tired of this stuff, but in the words of Barney Gumble, "hook it to my veins!"
Oh, I can prattle on about Mulholland Dr. ad nauseum, but I used to be pretty obsessed with it about a decade ago, and probably brought it up one too many times back then. That said, there are a couple of MD threads worth scanning, as I remember several interesting posts about the film from past and current members.
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



I really need to watch The Godfather II again. In all my years I've only seen it twice and it's been quite a while since the last time.

The Wizard of Oz was the first movie I loved and I can still remember watching it as a child on a 12" B&W TV. I still love it, but every time I think of it, I think of an incident from a few years ago. I used to work for an escort agency as a driver/security for the girls. One of the girls I would regularly work with was interested in movies and she would get recommendations from me, and often watch them on her laptop in my car. She liked very lighthearted movies and had hardly seen anything. One of the movies I told her to watch was The Wizard of Oz. One late night she came out of a hotel and got back into my car while I was parked in the lot. We didn't have another appointment scheduled so I took a nap while she put it on. Some time later she woke me up frantically and I saw we were surrounded by the police with their lights in our faces. She was terrified and I was groggy. We rolled the windows down and they started questioning us, asking what we were doing there. I told them we were watching The Wizard of Oz. They laughed and told the other officers who were there what I said. I remember yelling out the window, "she's never seen it!", and I held up the laptop as proof. Of course they knew why we were there and I knew they knew, but they seemed to get a kick out of it, and after a few minutes they let us go. I probably should have voted for it since Dorothy and Toto may very well have saved us a night in the slammer. I'm at least glad it made the countdown, but now when I think of The Wizard of Oz, instead of sweet childhood memories, I think of blue lights and hookers.



A system of cells interlinked
when I think of The Wizard of Oz, instead of sweet childhood memories, I think of blue lights and hookers.
This should be your sig...



I love Wizard of Oz. I honestly think “how can you not?” cause it’s just so nice and warm and wonderful. I mean, all this innocence and all this cuteness and family-vibe... if there ever was a film to completely earn its endearing innocence it would be this film. Even after all these years it’s as wonderful as ever!

As for Godfather Part II I have mixed emotions toward it. On one hand, I think it’s a beautiful piece of cinema. Very admirable and impressive work that pulls even more out of the universe. However, it took me like 3-4 watches for it to finally win me over. And with my last revisit, it dropped a bit for me, though still at a high grade from me.

It’s just... the first film can easily exist without the sequel. Afraid of sounding like a complete idiot, the sequel is “unnecessary”. It brings in new characters as plot devices so it can expand on the stories and characters. One could say every sequel is like that, sure, but it just doesn’t feel as much as a continuation to me, as it feels like an expanded and extended chapter.

The first film felt closed already, it’s not like things were left hanging that much for the sequel to pick up. The sequel creates most of its stories and conflicts within the movie - not necessarily building directly from elements from the first. I know the book includes it all, but the films are different. Don Ciccio... Don Fanucci... it starts and stops with Part II. The same with Michael’s friend turned enemy that he does business with throughout. I forgot the name. But I would have loved a tighter connection than just “expanded storytelling”. Don’t know if I’m even making sense here... Part II is beloved for a reason, so I’m in the minority no matter what.

But yeah, orf course you get some great scenes with great actors and it’s all well made, but one already knew Michael’s doom at the end of the first film. It’s clear where things would go. And using 200 minutes showing that doesn’t bring me as much joy as the first film. I also liked the mystery surrounding The Don and the way Brando played him. So I didn’t necessarily need to see his backstory or know why his name is Corleone. De Niro is great of course, but yeah...

I don’t know... it’s a tough one. Very high quality work it sure is, but I’m not in love with it the way I am with the brilliant first film.



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Registered User
Now that I have totally unintentionally brought the conversation around to a film that appeared over 20 places ago...

Mulholland Dr.'s main structure almost exactly mirrors The Wizard of Oz but in a much more complex and decidedly more warped fashion. In The Wizard of Oz, it is pretty much directly inferred that various facets of Dorothy's psyche are personified by the companions she meets along the way. Her dream state experience is populated by representations of her heart, her mind, etc.

Mulholland Dr. functions in the same way, but instead of a weather event knocking out the protagonist, our girl in trouble in Mulholland Dr. has experienced a psychotic break after a sustained campaign of abuse by the Hollywood machine. People and objects at the scene of the "accident" - the elite party she was attending when the break occurred - are recast in a phantasmagoria of psychosis and nightmarish fever dreams in the period of time leading up to her suicide. Other characters, like the filthy witch-woman behind Winkies, could represent various aspects of her shattered mental state etc., while other objects like the key left by the hitman, and the coffee cup that says SOS on it are transformed into skewed, bizarre dream-objects like the blue box and key and the wild-eyed mobster that screams "HELP ME" after his companion is given a bad cup of espresso.

The similarities don't end there, with Betty's arrival at the airport, with her stepping out into a wonderland of bright promise mirroring Dorothy's arrival in Oz, or the fact that both Dorothy and Betty's anchor in reality is their Aunt.

On a personal level for Lynch, his disdain for Hollywood, and specifically the seedy underbelly of Hollywood, is on full display here. After all, Mulholland Dr. is the road that runs directly beneath the Hollywood sign...

That's it for now, as I am sure several MoFo vets are collectively rolling their eyes after being subjected to yet another half-baked post about Mulholland Dr. from yours truly!
This is a great analysis, thanks for sharing. Worth noting is that I heard Lynch say his favorite film of all time was Sunset Boulevard, which I also think was a significant influence on Mullholland Drive.



A system of cells interlinked
This is a great analysis, thanks for sharing. Worth noting is that I heard Lynch say his favorite film of all time was Sunset Boulevard, which I also think was a significant influence on Mullholland Drive.
Sure does. If I had to distill the main influences for MD down to three films, it would be The Wizard of Oz, Sunset Blvd., and Persona. Lynch has a few direct queues to Sunset Blvd. in theme, visuals, and even audio, and I am sure the similarities to Persona are pretty clear, including the shot he lifts with the combined faces.



Tomorrow's hint:

Plead with the judge
For mercy deserved
"If I could do it again..."
And ask for time served

Don't lose your patience
Don't try to flee
Don't try to escape
Or get off scot-free

Don't sink to the bottom
Don't fall to the ground
Don't drink the water
And don't miss the sound

Keep trying to change things
But preserve your existence
Trust all your doctors
But not their assistants



. .The Shawshank Redemption

. . . . . . . . . . . .and

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest



Tomorrow's hint:

Plead with the judge
For mercy deserved
"If I could do it again..."
And ask for time served

Don't lose your patience
Don't try to flee
Don't try to escape
Or get off scot-free

Don't sink to the bottom
Don't fall to the ground
Don't drink the water
And don't miss the sound

Keep trying to change things
But preserve your existence
Trust all your doctors
But not their assistants
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and La La Land?

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



A system of cells interlinked
Most certainly The Shawshank Redemption...

The second film...yea...Chyp and Holden's guess of Cuckoo's Nest fits.... I will go with that.



Tomorrow's hint:

Plead with the judge
For mercy deserved
"If I could do it again..."
And ask for time served

Don't lose your patience
Don't try to flee
Don't try to escape
Or get off scot-free

Don't sink to the bottom
Don't fall to the ground
Don't drink the water
And don't miss the sound

Keep trying to change things
But preserve your existence
Trust all your doctors
But not their assistants
Shawshank and Cuckoo's Nest
__________________
Moviefan1988's Favorite Movies
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...?t=67103<br />

Welcome to the Dance: My Favorite 20 High School Movies
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...02#post2413502



Just in case the hint proves to be ever so slightly inaccurate (as if that would ever happen) I'll offer the alternatives of:

. . . . . Jaws

. . . . . .and

Some Like It Hot
. . . . . .



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Ed, you're gonna love Rear Window !
It's almost embarrassing the amount of top echelon Hitchcock films I HAVEN'T seen
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



The Adventure Starts Here!
Am I reading this right - you only gave this to Yoda in 2013?
If I am then the young feller has certainly come on leaps and bounds since then
He's a fast learner.
Once he gets started.



The Adventure Starts Here!
Tomorrow's hint:

Plead with the judge
For mercy deserved
"If I could do it again..."
And ask for time served

Don't lose your patience
Don't try to flee
Don't try to escape
Or get off scot-free

Don't sink to the bottom
Don't fall to the ground
Don't drink the water
And don't miss the sound

Keep trying to change things
But preserve your existence
Trust all your doctors
But not their assistants
INCEPTION!
No, wait...

Without reading other guesses...

Shawshank Redemption
and
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest