Mullholland Dr.

David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. is a cinematic rollercoaster ride that unveils the true darkness and complexities of Hollywood, and its sometimes traumatic influence on even the brightest and cleanest young women that pursue stardom under its bright city lights. Firstly, it reveals to the audience the terrible truth that lies in the need to know people in high positions to get a head in show biz. Also, it unveils the traumatic influence the pursuit of a dream, can have on a young women. Finally, the amnesia that over takes an actress is symbolic of the veil that is pulled over an individual entering Hollywood and the transitions they undergo as they follow their dream. Mulholland Dr. allows audiences everywhere an insight into the void of Hollywood and its influence on many.
One aspect of the chaotic plot line contained within Mulholland Dr. is a young director’s determination to control the actors that are placed within his movie. This becomes a challenge when he is told that he must put an actress by the name of Camilla Rhodes in his film. Despite his interest in several other actresses that he would like to consider for the part, he is forced to use Camilla if he wishes to continue to make the film. The mob’s influence on the studio creating the project shows the audience the complexity involved in knowing the right people to advance in the business. When considering a job in Hollywood, how far you get is based on who you know, and where they can get you.
A young actress by the name of Dianne Selwyn undergoes a change of psyche when she becomes enveloped in the life of a struggling Hollywood actress. The darkness of Hollywood causes her to become schizophrenic, and create a bizarre reality where she is the star of a real life adventure, and her dream of being an actress is an easy accomplishment. She also becomes unbelievably manipulative, and relies on a love connection with Camilla Rhodes to get into a few small roles in Camilla’s movies. She then turns on Camilla when Camilla falls for the director and tells her that their romance has to stop. When the thought of losing her only break approaches her, she turns murderous and before she can hire someone to take out Camilla she is destroyed by her own mental issues.
When “Rita” is the victim of a car accident she is overcome by an overwhelming amnesia that catapults her on a journey to discover her identity and role in a bizarre grouping of a bag of cash, a strange blue key, and a mysterious club. Her amnesia and journey are symbolic of the veil that a glamorous life can pull over an individual’s eyes. Hollywood gives any who try the slim chance of becoming a star. This taste of stardom changes all and puts them on a path towards changing themselves to become mirror images of society’s perfect people. Rita’s very amnesia is a symbol of the way individuals can forget who they truly are in the pursuit of stardom, while they whittle themselves into society’s perfect image of beach bodies and spray tans.
David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr., is a cinematic masterpiece that allows all audiences to see the complexities and struggles within the life of an aspiring actor. The only way to advance in show business is to know the right people who can get you the right roles. Also, the amnesia that overcomes Rita is a perfect symbol of the veil pursuing a career in acting can pull over anyone’s eyes. Finally, the change that transforms Dianne from a clean cut girl into a dangerous falling star is a clear example of the affect the Hollywood life can have on people. Mulholland Dr. could easily be seen as Lynch’s warning to anyone entering the business, beware of the roles you put on to get ahead, because it just may cost you your identity.

Mulholland Dr. Dir. David Lynch. Perf. Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, and Justin Theroux.
Asymmetrical Productions and The Picture Factory, 2001. DVD.

Authorship of a Writer

Although the film theory of authorship is quite frequently related to the director or producer of a project, Kevin Williamson is a screenwriter that clearly makes his mark on every word or line he sows into the scene. First of all, Williamson’s films are nearly always centered on teenagers. Also, his films always follow the teens while they are going through some form of a life struggle. In addition to these two things, Williamson’s films always contain the pivotal moment in which the innocence of the characters is lost. Kevin Williamson’s focus on teenage characters allows him to connect with an audience that is rapidly taking control of the world of pop culture.
Williamson has been extremely successful because he focuses on the same thing project after project, and that is the teenage persona. Firstly, he prays on the fears of teens that are the target of a serial killer in the “Scream” horror series. Also, he took millions of viewers through the tangled and complex minds of growing teens in the popular television drama “Dawson’s Creek”. In addition to these two things, he brings the concept of college and achieving something outside of high school to the screen in “Teaching Mrs. Tingle”. A film who’s antagonist is the fearful Mrs. Tingle, the only thing standing in between the film’s main characters and their futures. These are just a few examples of Williamson’s genius that have made it to the small and large screen.
Kevin Williamson’s screenplays always revolve around the main characters’ life struggles that they either succeed or fail at overcoming. In “Scream”, the main character Sidney Prescott has to face the mysteries of her mother’s past that are causing the death of her friends and loved ones around her. In “Dawson’s Creek”, the main characters must face the challenges of high school and college afterwards. They face emerging hormones and unwavering adolescence while making their various life choices. Finally, in “Teaching Mrs. Tingle”, the main character faces the consequences of a cheating scam while attempting to get into potential colleges, which leads to a confrontation causing her to overcome the teacher bent on keeping her in her small home town for life. Williamson’s screenplays always contain issues that all teens come to grip with at some point on their journey towards adulthood.
Evident in all of Williamson’s works is the crucial moment in a teen’s life when they lose the innocence of childhood. In “Scream”, the unavoidable path Sidney is thrust upon after the death of her mother leads her to the point where she has to face her mother’s killers and in the end kill them. “Dawson’s Creek” finds the loss of its main characters’ innocence through the exploration of their maturity and sexuality. Finally, the main character Leigh Ann Watson losses her innocence when she succumbs to her manipulative teacher and breaks whatever rules necessary to get the A in “Teaching Mrs. Tingle”. In all of Williamson’s works, there comes a time where lives of his characters stop being so “cookie cutter”, and start getting complex.

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My Film Experience

You are approaching the auditorium, and you are shuddering with the excitement of seeing a new film. After the tearing of a freshly printed ticket fills your ears, you find yourself sitting in a soft cushioned chair as you plunge your hand into a bucket of freshly popped corn. After a rather long reel of upcoming attractions the film begins. Film isn’t just a collection of scenes strung together for the consumer’s entertainment. Film is an experience, and more importantly an escape. It is an opportunity for the audience to feel the ever growing span of human emotion and experience.
Film has provided me with an escape from everyday reality that is essential for anyone encountering a stressful situation or life struggle. They allow you to experience the most luxurious and daring adventure, while showing you how people react to life around them. In addition to adventure, film captures raw human emotion and forces the audience to feel. I first encountered this in Air Bud, the first film I ever saw in a theater. When pairing it with the real-life issue I faced in losing a friend, it revealed to me a character that mirrored everything I was facing. Although I didn’t receive a happy ending reunion in my life, the film gave me the experience of achieving just that. Another film that helped me through a difficult time in my life was The Breakfast Club. When faced with insecurities, it revealed to me that all teens face the dilemma of deciding who they are and where they fit in to the grand scheme of life. Cinema captures everything that drives us in our lives and translates it into fantastic storytelling that transcends the boundaries of all generations.
My absolute favorite genres are action adventure, comedy, and horror. Bruce Willis’s Die Hard series was the best combination of heart pounding suspense and action. More recently the Transformers film series and Avatar have caught my favorite nod. I love comedies such as Billy Madison and Brendan Fraser’s Airheads. However, The Hangover is arguably the best movie from the comedy genre of all time. Last but not least, Wes Craven’s Scream series is my all time favorite horror film series. I love the feeling horror movies provide while sitting in a dark room and having chills move up and down your spine. Growing up, no matter how many times I would change the channel or shut the movie off, I would always go back to the movie and finish it. The suspense, chill, and gore always find a way to pull me back in. Although I could choose several films to take the positions of my favorites of all time, cinema evolves as humanity does, and it is for that reason that I am always looking for a new favorite.