Analysis of Mulholland Drive Opening

Mulholland Drive (David Lynch) Analysis
opening scene

Mullholland Drive begins with reverse block revealing the main titles. These titles are : ALAIN SARDE PRESENTS; A LES FILMS ALAIN SARDE/ASYMMETRICAL PRODUCTION; A FILM BY DAVID LYNCH.
The capitalised effect shows that these people were important for the production of the movie. Fans of the directors (David Lynch) previous work would recognise the artistic way in which he directs.

A fade up to reveal a purple glow background and close up of black figured shadows dancing. This fade begins at the same time as incidental music begins. The music is light and delicate with only several piano notes playing repetitively. The figures are shown in a close up and everything is slowed down. This gives the idea of intimatcy between these dancers.

After several seconds of this the music takes a sharp turn adding in instruments such as Drums, Saxophone, Upright Bass, Trombone and Trumpet. These extra intruments are followed by a long/wide shot revealing that the shadows were swing dancing. There is now many more couple and the image in clear filled with colour. However the one colour which is shown more striking and virbant is red. This could connote passion and lust or even danger. As the pace of the music speads up more and more dancers are added in. They are portayed at different lengths of the camera. Some are shown in an extreme close up so the viewers can only see there feet. Some are shown in a long shot and are shown much smaller than the others. This demonstates overlapping editing technique creating a busy and hysterical envirment of the 1940'S. It almost puts the viewer into an awkard postion as they do not understand what it is they are actually watching and why all these crazy up in air dance sequences are happening.

A white, almost transparent image appears over the dancers. It moves around the screen uncontrollable covering different areas. Soon the image solidify's revealing three people staring up towards what seems to be a light, cheering and clapping is added in on top of the music. This creates an idea of the viewers that these three people are famous. The imagery of it being transparent could suggest that all fame is fake and just controlled by other with higher power. The idea of the transparents image moving around the screen shows that they are not in control.

The swing dance music increases into a crescendo, from there the music fades out and the applause increases. The three figures dissapear to leave the younger girl by herself. This could connote that she has made it into the industry. On contradictory level, the transparents and white affect could connote purity, as if she hasent been damaged by the industry yet. Fame is her dream and this is showing the viwers that she is looking up towards her dream.


The transparents image continues on into the next scene overlaying ontop of the red blurredness. This connotes to the audeicne that the two extra people in the trio are of importance to the accomplishments of this young girls life/ dream.

The purple background dissapears along with the esamble of dancers, leaving a red image. The ghost like figure of the girl remains for a short second and dissapears aswell. As a viewer we are left with a point of view shot and a person looking down at red silk. This person could be the main girl we had just previously seen. The applause is replaced with non diegteic gushing sounds, these souds fade into a diagetic heavy breathing. This creates a creepy and confusing state of tension for the viewer. The extract just whitnessed beforehand jusxtaposes the present image; suggesting that is the previous extract created a  more warm and happy feeling, with its bright and virbant colours and quick pace chaos. Then this extract juxtaposes that, through slow close up camera pans acorss a bed and slow detailed breaths. Connoting thst somethign dangerous happenend. The red colour may demonsrate danger. The close up shots create anticipating, nerve racking tension.
The camera hovers over the pillow for a slight moment as the breathing contrunies then proceeds to zoom into the pillow, then a fade to darkness.

Within the pitch black darkness, a softer version of the non diagetic sounds of gushing come back, over lapping this is a droning sound of one deep note. This droning sound adds to the negative atomsphere previously created by all of the representation of suspence and danger. Out of the darkness reveals a road sign which reads "MULHOLLAND DR." This reveals to the audience more infomaton about the film, drawing them in bit by bit. The camera is getting loser and closer to the road sign but in the way its presented its connotes that they are in a car. who is untellable and makes a viewer want to carry on watching to unlock all the mysteries.

MULHOLLAND DR.

JUSTIN THEROUX

NAOMI WATTS

LAURA ELENA HARRING

ANN MULER

DAN HEDAYA

MARK PELLE GRINO

BRENT BRISCOE

AND

ROBERT FARSTEB

MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY

ANGELO BADALAMENTI

EDITED BY

MARY SWEENY

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

JACK FISK

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

PETRE DEMING,A.S.C

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

PIERRE EDELMAN

PRODUCED BY

 MARY SWEENEY      ALAIN SARDE

NEAL EDELSTEIN

MICHAEL POLAIRE

TONY KRANTZ

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY DAVID LYNCH