Lost Highway (1997)

Director:

David Lynch

Writers (WGA):

David Lynch (written by) &
Barry Gifford (written by)

Release Date:

21 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

After a bizarre encounter at a party, a jazz saxophonist is framed for the murder of his wife and sent to prison, where he inexplicably morphs into a young mechanic and begins leading a new life.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Videotape | Death | Jazz | Mechanic

Cast

Bill Pullman	...	Fred Madison
Patricia Arquette	...	Renee Madison / Alice Wakefield
John Roselius	...	Al
Louis Eppolito	...	Ed (as Lou Eppolito)
Jenna Maetlind	...	Party Girl
Michael Massee	...	Andy
Robert Blake	...	Mystery Man
Henry Rollins	...	Guard Henry
Michael Shamus Wiles	...	Guard Mike
Mink Stole	...	Forewoman (voice)
Leonard Termo	...	Judge (voice)
Ivory Ocean	...	Guard Ivory
Jack Kehler	...	Guard Johnny Mack
David Byrd	...	Doctor Smordin
Gene Ross	...	Warden Clements

Also Known As:

Lost Highway (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for bizarre violent and sexual content, and for strong language.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Italy:VM14 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Mexico:C | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Poland:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Amargosa Hotel & Opera House, Death Valley Junction, Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

October Films

Trivia:

There are some interesting cars and license plates in the film. The maroon Ford driven by the detectives trailing Peter has a California plate that reads "CKU 2005" and the Tailgater's Thunderbird is "CKV 2005," two custom plates in alphabetical sequence. Other plates that follow an atypical numbering system are: Peter's black Ford "WKB 3103" ' the first detectives' tan Oldsmobile "ULU 0142"; Mr. Eddy's Mercedes Benz "FBA 6100"; and Andy's red Mustang "AYS 5200" None of these is a standard issue California plate.

Quotes:

Al: Do you know what I think?
Ed: What is it? What is it that you think?
Al: There is no such thing as a bad coincidence.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in We Own the Night (2007)

Soundtrack:

Apple of Sodom

I remember an episode of The Simpsons...

...when Homer was sitting at his couch watching "Twin Peaks", during a scene where a man was waltzing with a horse under a tree with a traffic light swinging from a branch. The words "That's some damn good coffee you got here in Twin Peaks. And some damn good cherry pie" accompany this scene. Befuddled, Homer says "Brilliant! I have no idea of what's going on". This statement perfectly reflects how I felt about "Lost Highway"; I really liked the film, even if my reaction throughout was "what the f**k?". The trick to understanding a David Lynch film isn't to try and decipher each individual scene, but rather to try and find out what the 'message' of the film is, or what Lynch is trying to say, and see how this message fits in with each scene. This is what made "Lost Highway" so much fun. It's undeniably one of the most terminally wierd films I've ever seen (maybe even more so than Eraserhead), whether you get it or not, but it's so deliciously cryptic and bizarre that you can't stop watching. At the end, you'll wish Lynch was sitting beside you so you could ask him "what happened", but what you made of it is probably the right answer.

The one thing I thought was a little off with "Lost Highway" was it's overall 'MTV-ish' feel, with it's guest appearance from Marilyn Manson and it's soundtrack including Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails, at times I just thought that maybe Lynch was just making a really wierd video clip the MTV kids will eat up. Still, I rate this film an 8/10. Not Lynch's best, though (that'd be Blue Velvet, though I can't wait for Mulholland Drive").