Originally filmed in 1999 on a budget of $8 million as a made-for-TV pilot, new scenes were filmed one year later on a $7 million budget given by the French film studio Studio Canal to wrap up the open ending which had been left unresolved in the original version so that a TV series could follow.
The limo that transports Rita/Camilla Rhodes has the license plate 2GAT123. The same California license plate also appears in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), L.A. Story (1991), Traffic (2000), Pay It Forward (2000), "Two and a Half Men" (2003), S.W.A.T. (2003), Go (1999) and Crazy/Beautiful (2001).
When Rita and Betty go to the Sierra Bonita apartment complex, the name next to #17 is L.J. DeRosa - a member of the art department on the film, Laura J. DeRosa.
Betty Claims to be from Deep River, Ontario. This is the name of the apartments in Blue Velvet (1986), another David Lynch film.
David Lynch's 10 Clues to Unlocking This Thriller:Pay particular attention in the beginning of the film: at least two clues are revealed before the credits.Notice appearances of the red lampshade.Can you hear the title of the film that Adam Kesher is auditioning actresses for? Is it mentioned again?An accident is a terrible event... notice the location of the accident.Who gives a key, and why?Notice the robe, the ashtray, the coffee cup.What is felt, realized and gathered at the club Silencio?Did talent alone help Camilla?Notice the occurrences surrounding the man behind Winkies.Where is Aunt Ruth?
Lynch cast TV soap actresses for many of the female roles. By coincidence, 'Naomi Watts (I)' (Diane/Betty), Melissa George (Camilla Rhodes), and Elizabeth Lackey (Carol) were all in the Australian series "Home and Away" (1988).
The film is dedicated to Jennifer Syme, a young actress whose story is startlingly similar to that of the character of Betty - but who in fact died after the bulk of the film was completed.
Cameo: [Angelo Badalamenti] the soundtrack composer appears as the espresso-drinking movie exec at the beginning of the film.
Cameo: [Cori Glazer] the script supervisor is playing the blue-haired lady.
Cameo: [Charles Croughwell] the stunt coordinator is playing the vacuum man.
The Region 1 DVD of the movie does not feature "chapters"; attempting to "skip" to the next scene or chapter takes you to the "DVD" logo animation at the very end of the movie after all the credits and ratings and so forth. Director David Lynch requested this himself, as he has done on previous releases, such as The Straight Story (1999). By allowing the film to be on one chapter, Lynch believes people will be more inclined to view the feature in one sitting, as intended. Robert Zemeckis also used this idea on his laserdisc release of Forrest Gump (1994).
The set of reels that was distributed to the movie theaters included a note from David Lynch himself giving special instructions to the projectionists. Specifically, he didn't want the movie to be centered vertically on the screen but rather to "allow more overhead" as the term in projectionist's slang, that is to let the top part of the frame be more visible than the bottom part.
On the way to audition for her part as Camilla Rhodes/Rita, Laura Harring was in a minor car accident.
Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2001 (#01)
Adam Kesher smashing the producers' car windshield in with a golf club is a reference to the famous 1994 incident where Jack Nicholson did the same. Nicholson's nickname is "Mulholland Man".
During the scene in the corral, the Cowboy has no eyebrows. This was done to give the character a more subtle, disturbing appearance.
Although commonly mistaken for "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Jan Vermeer, the painting inside the apartment of Betty's aunt is actually a painting by Guido Reni entitled "Beatrice Cenci".
Ann Miller's last full length movie.
Cowboy:
When you see the girl in the picture that was shown to you earlier today, you will say, "this is the girl". The rest of the cast can stay, that's up to you. But that lead girl is "not" up to you. Now you will see me one more time, if you do good. You will see me, two more times, if you do bad. Good night.
Betty Elms:
[after kissing Rita] Have you ever done this before?
Rita:
I don't know. Have you?
Betty Elms:
I want to with you.
[last lines]
Blue-Haired Lady:
Silencio...
Luigi Castigliane:
This is the girl!
Adam Kesher:
Hey, that girl is not in my film!
Vincenzo Castiliane:
It's no longer your film.
Betty Elms:
It's strange calling yourself.
Betty Elms:
She's letting me stay here while she's working on a movie that's being made in Canada. But I guess you already know that. Well, I couldn't afford a place like this in a million years... unless, of course, I'm discovered and become a movie star. Of course, I'd rather be known as a great actress than a movie star. But, you know, sometimes people end up being both. So that is, I guess you'd say, sort of why I came here.
[pause]
Betty Elms:
I'm sorry. I'm just so excited to be here. I mean I just came here from Deep River, Ontario, and now I'm in this dream place. Well, you can imagine how I feel.
Coco Lenoix:
You know, there was a man that lived here once that had a prize-fighting kangaroo. Well, you just wouldn't believe what that kangaroo did to this courtyard!
[Adam catches his wife Lorraine in bed with Gene Clean]
Gene:
Just forget you ever saw it. It's better that way.
Cynthia:
You're broke.
Adam Kesher:
But I'm not broke!
Cynthia:
I know, but you're broke. Where are you?
Dan:
I just wanted to come here.
Herb:
To Winkie's?
Dan:
This Winkie's.
Herb:
Okay, why this Winkie's?
Dan:
It's kind of embarrassing.
Herb:
Go ahead.
Dan:
I had a dream about this place.
Herb:
Oh, boy.
Dan:
See what I mean?
Herb:
Okay, so you had a dream about this place. Tell me.
Dan:
Well, it's the second one I've had, but they're both the same. They start out that I'm in here, but it's not day or night. It's kind of half-night, you know? But it looks just like this, except for the light. And
[shaking his head]
Dan:
I'm scared like I can't tell you. Of all people, you're standing right over there, by that counter. You're in both dreams and you're scared. I get even more frightened when I see how afraid you are and then I realize what it is. There's a man... in back of this place. He's the one who's doing it. I can see him through the wall. I can see his face. I hope that I never see that face, ever, outside of a dream.
[He looks down and shakes his head again, clearly terrified of the memory, and sniffs, as though close to tears]
Dan:
[Herb cocks his head, waiting for more. The music becomes increasingly ominous]
Dan:
That's it.
Herb:
So, you came to see if he's out there.
Dan:
[leans in] To get rid of this god-awful feeling.
Herb:
[nodding] Right, then.
[Herb rises and goes to pay the bill at the counter. Dan turns and looks, and his terror increases as he sees Herb standing in the same location as in his nightmare. Dan turns back to his uneaten breakfast, then turns again to see Herb say silently, "C'mon." They exit to investigate the back of the Winkie's restaurant]
[first lines]
Betty Elms:
Oh! I can't believe it!
Cowboy:
A man's attitude... a man's attitude goes some ways. The way his life will be. Is that somethin' you agree with?
Adam Kesher:
Sure.
Cowboy:
Now... did you answer cause you thought that's what I wanted to hear, or did you think about what I said and answer cause you truly believe that to be right?
Adam Kesher:
I agree with what you said, truthfully.
Cowboy:
What'd I say?
Adam Kesher:
Uh... that a man's attitude determines, to a large extent, how his life will be.
Cowboy:
So since you agree, you must be someone who does not care about the good life.
Cowboy:
Well, just stop for a little second and think about it. Will ya do that for me?
Adam Kesher:
[sarcastic tone] Okay, I'm thinking.
Cowboy:
No, you're not thinkin'. You're too busy being a smart aleck to be thinkin'. Now I want ya to "think" and stop bein' a smart aleck. Can ya try that for me?
Betty Elms:
[looking around to see her bags missing] My bags!
Cab Driver at LAX:
[from the curb, with Betty's bags] Where to?
Betty Elms:
[smiling] 1612 Havenhurst!
Coco Lenoix:
Wilkins! Wilkins! If that damn dog craps in the courtyard one more time, I'm just gonna bake his little butt for breakfast!
Gene:
[after punching Adam] That ain't no way to treat your wife, buddy. I don't care what she's done.
Diane Selwyn:
You want me to make this easy for you? No fucking way! It's not gonna be. It's not easy for me!
Rita:
Good night, sweet Betty.
Cowboy:
Hey, pretty girl, time to wake up.
Cowboy:
There's sometimes a buggy. How many drivers does a buggy have?
Adam Kesher:
One.
Cowboy:
So, let's just say I'm driving this buggy. And, if you fix your attitude, you can ride along with me.
Robert Smith:
Good afternoon, Mr. Roque. Her name is Camilla Rhodes. The director doesn't want her. Do you want him replaced? I know they said...
[pause]
Mr. Roque:
Then...
Robert Smith:
Then that means we should...
[pause]
Mr. Roque:
Yes?
Robert Smith:
Shut everything down.
[pause]
Robert Smith:
Is that something that...
[pause]
Robert Smith:
You want us to shut everything down?
[pause]
Robert Smith:
Then we'll shut everything down.
Betty Elms:
[opens door] Yes? May I help you?
Louise Bonner:
Someone is in trouble. Who are you? What are you doing in Ruth's apartment?
Betty Elms:
She's letting me stay here. I'm her niece. My name's Betty.
Louise Bonner:
No, it's not. That's not what she said. Someone is in trouble. Something bad is happening!
Bob Brooker:
It's not a contest... the two of them... with themselves... So don't play it for real until it gets real.
Betty Elms:
OK.
Jimmy 'Woody' Katz:
What's your name?
Betty Elms:
Betty.
Jimmy 'Woody' Katz:
Yeah, Betty, look, you don't rush it. I don't rush it.
Linney James:
Don't get me wrong. I love Wally. I ought to. I was married to him for 10 years. And I love actors, all actors. We just get a little catty sometimes.
[At the club Silencio]
Bondar:
No hay banda! There is no band. It is all an illusion...
Betty:
Mulholland Drive?
Rita:
That's where I was going!
Adam Kesher:
What's going on Cynthia?
Cynthia:
It's been a very strange day.
Adam Kesher:
And getting stranger.
Coco Lenoix:
Honey, you're a good kid, but what you're telling me is a load of horse puckey. Even though it comes from a good place.
Betty Elms:
It'll be just like in the movies. Pretending to be somebody else.
Betty Elms:
I hate you. I hate us both.
Cowboy:
Howdy.
Adam Kesher:
Howdy to you.
Cowboy:
Beautiful evening.
Adam Kesher:
Yeah.
Cowboy:
Sure wanna thank you for coming all the way up here to see me from that nice little hotel downtown.
Adam Kesher:
No problem. What's on your mind?
Cowboy:
Well, now. Here's a man who wants to get right down to it. Kind of anxious to get to it, are you?
[Diane is about to give the hitman his money]
Joe Messing:
Now, once you hand that over to me, it's a done deal. Are you sure you want this?
Diane Selwyn:
More than anything in this world.
Cynthia:
Do you know somebody called "the Cowboy"?
Adam Kesher:
The Cowboy?
Cynthia:
Yeah, the Cowboy. This guy, the Cowboy, wants to see you. Jason said he thought it'd be a good idea.
Adam Kesher:
Oh, Jason thought it'd be a good idea for me to see the Cowboy. Well, should I wear my ten-gallon hat and my six-shooters?
Gene:
[while Adam is taking out the jewellery]
[his wife is shouting]
Gene:
He might be upset.
[first lines]
Rita:
What are you doing? We don't stop here.
Betty Elms:
Don't drink all the coke!
Jimmy 'Woody' Katz:
Acting is reacting.
Irene:
Well, it's time to say good-bye, Betty. It's been so nice traveling with you.
Betty Elms:
Thank you, Irene. I was so excited and nervous. It was sure great to have you to talk to.
Irene:
Remember, I'll be watching for you on the big screen.
Betty Elms:
[smiling] Okay, Irene. Won't that be the day?
Irene:
Good luck, Betty dear. Take care of yourself. And be careful.
Betty Elms:
I will. Thanks again.
Irene:
Okay, dear.
Irene's Companion at Airport:
Betty, it was so nice meeting you. All the luck in the world.
Betty Elms:
Thank you.
Ryan Acker:
You booze, you lose.
Crew or equipment visible: During the long tracking shot of the mob goon (Kenny) entering the director's house, a crew member is reflected in the window.
Continuity: The Taurus that crashes into the limo at the beginning of the movie is seen soaring down the road with lots of people in it, two of them hanging out of the sunroof. At the instant of the impact between the two cars there are no people out of the sunroof - as a matter of fact there is nobody in the car.
Continuity: Right after Betty is talking to her aunt, she walks into the bedroom to confront Rita. Rita is sitting at the foot of the bed and there is no towel to her right. The camera cuts back to Betty and when it shows Rita again, there is a red towel on the bed beside her. Also, the pillows seem to have moved against the earlier front-view shot.
Continuity: When Luigi Castigliane slides the envelope with the photo of Camilla Rhodes down the conference table, the flap on the envelope is up when it leaves Luigi's hand, but the flap is down when the envelope arrives at the other end of the table and is retrieved by Ray and Mr. Darby.
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Betty is using the pay phone outside Winkie's, the touch tones are audible before she touches the keypad.
Crew or equipment visible: When Adam Kesher leaves the meeting to smash the limo's windows, the crew is reflected in the window across the street, pushing the cameraman and dolly.
Continuity: When Betty arrives at her audition her necklace isn't showing, but when we see her again her necklace is right there.
Continuity: Betty takes the hat out of the box and holds it. After Rita puts her bag with the money in the box, we see Betty lifting the hat from the bed and putting it inside the box, although it should still be in her hands.
Continuity: At LA Airport, Betty waves at the old couple, while in the background the cab driver opens the trunk and starts to load in the bags. In the next shot, we see Betty turning to him the trunk is still closed and the driver holds the bags.
Continuity: After Joe shoots Ed, we see an unstained "Italia" poster on the right. Then Joe returns with fat lady and the poster is smudged with blood.
Continuity: When Betty and Rita return from Club Silencio, we see Betty opening her purse when passing through the living room. When she enters the bedroom her purse it still closed.
Continuity: When they hide the purse with the money and the key in the round hatbox, Betty places the hat on top and then puts the box in the closet. When they retrieve the purse after returning from the Club Silencio, the hat isn't there.
Crew or equipment visible: In the shot of the dark colored car with the two men in suits driving by the apartment complex right before Betty Elms leaves for her audition (1:13:23), for a moment the top of the camera is reflected in the bottom part of the car's rear window.
Continuity: As they begin to leave Winkies, the camera shows a plate of food and two brown mugs on their table. The camera then cuts to a long shot showing the two heading toward the door, their table in full view - without the plate of food.
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene were the detectives talk about finding the gun in the back of the limo, they call the limo a "Caddy" when in fact the limo is actually a late 1980's Lincoln Town Car Stretch Limo.
References
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Gilda (1946)
Notorious (1946)
- the way ingrid bergman meets her husband's mother
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
A Star Is Born (1954)
Diaboliques, Les (1955)
The Big Knife (1955)
Vertigo (1958)
Mon oncle (1958)
- worker carrying red pipe during Pink's Hot Dog Stand scene
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
8½ (1963)
Mépris, Le (1963)
- "silencio" said in the end of both movies
The Oscar (1966)
Persona (1966)
- the scene just before the nude scene between actresses comes from that
Blowup (1966)
Belle de jour (1967)
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)
The Godfather (1972)
The Stepford Wives (1975)
Track of the Moon Beast (1976)
3 Women (1977)
The Shining (1980)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Hellraiser (1987)
Santa sangre (1989)
"Dekalog" (1989)
"Twin Peaks" (1990)
Jacob's Ladder (1990/I)
Barton Fink (1991)
Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Lost Highway (1997)
Sweet Jane (1998)
Crazy in Alabama (1999)
- Both tell the story of a woman who tries to make it in Hollywood. Both have a murder. Both involve a box for hats hiding a clue to the crimes that have been commited.
Fight Club (1999)
Body Shots (1999)
Referenced in
Rabbits (2002)
- The pink bathrobe worn by Naomi Watts is the same she wore in Mulholland Dr. Also all three actors of Rabbits are also starring in MD.
Femme Fatale (2002)
Demonlover (2002)
S1m0ne (2002)
Adaptation. (2002)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
- Spielberg borrowed painting
Watching the Alien (2003) (V)
- mentioned once
Swimming Pool (2003)
- 2 shots: the first of Julia waking up, directly followed by her making coffee at the kitchen sink are taken straight from the scene in Mulholland where Diane wakes in her apartment.
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
- 1. Scene at the beginning when G. Rush comes home and sees the van of the adulterer. 2. Next scene when the fast car drives by (with RR & his girlfriend).
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003) (V)
- one-sheet poster displayed
The Year of the Rat (2003) (V)
- Kristin Cloke references the film in an interview situation
Red Cockroaches (2003)
- Often mentioned in reviews
Cabin Fever: Beneath the Skin (2004) (V)
- mentionned once by Eli Roth
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004)
- The floor shown in the opening scene, interwoven with images spoofing Lost Highway and typical Lynchian motives mentioned by the narrator.
A Conversation with Quentin Tarantino & Scott Spiegel (2004) (V)
- This movie gets mentioned.
Film Geek (2005)
- on shelf in video store
Crescendo (2005)
- duality and character's name Diana
50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV)
- Makes the countdown, is talked about.
Inland Empire (2006)
- The end credit sequence features characters from Mulholland Dr.
Featured in
Celluloid Dreams (2002)
The 2002 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2002) (TV)
- clips
The 74th Annual Academy Awards (2002) (TV)
"SexTV: SexTV's Most Memorable Moments in Masturbation History (#7.20)" (2005)
- Clip from show is used in this episode.
The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)
- excerpt in movie
50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV)
- Clips shown.
Spoofed in
My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005)
- Guy walking down the street sees and says 'hey' to hot lesbians, creepy cowboy, and a filthy mysterious bum