Lost Highway starring Bill Pullman,
Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake,
Patricia Arquette
I Like To Remember Things My Own Way. How I Remembered Them, Not Necessarily
The Way They Happened
Plot is a meaningless term when trying to describe Lost Highway. Here,
more or less, is what happens: A noise-jazz saxophonist (Bill Pullman)
suspects his wife (Patricia Arquette) of infidelity. Meanwhile, someone is
breaking into their house and videotaping them while they sleep. The wife
is murdered and Pullman is convicted of the crime. Then, in prison, he
transmogrifies into a young mechanic (Balthazar Getty) who is
subsequently released, since, after all, hes not the guy they convicted.
Getty goes back to his life and meets a local gangsters moll, who happens
to be played by Patricia Arquette... but none of this has much to do with
what the movie is really about. Dreams are what intrigues director David
Lynch. Not friendly, happy dreams; his dreams whisper that what we think
is real is just something we made up, something to keep ourselves from
falling into chaos. Characters are fragments. Events ha ppen not because
they make sense, but because deep down we want these things to
happen. Of course, in Lynchs dreams, as in our waking lives, getting what
we want is not always pleasant. In the movies best moments, you really
have no idea what youre seeing. The screen is a big rectangle of color and
shadow, but what it represents, well, it could be anything. And yet, in those
moments, youve been given just enough hints of place, character, and
story that these elusive images elicit a genuine dread, a sense that you
might not want to see this, yet you cant look away; a sense that we are
living on borrowed time, that something is fiercely askew in our psyches.
As a whole, Lost Highway is a failure: much of it is padded, gratuitous, and
indulgent and pointless c ameos bog down an already sluggish narrative.
Yet within that failure are moments worth more than the entirety of most
successful movies. --Bret Fetzer
Lost Highway was definitely an experimental film, there was no straight
narrative and it is guaranteed to confuse the audience, however this film
was also brilliant and a genius piece of work by David Lynch. It was
genuinely before its time, and is in most respects still way ahead of the
pack. Much has been said before about the impenetrable nature of Lost
Highways story. And while it is not an easy film at times, there is a strong
narrative which makes sense if you engage with it. However even if you
dont fully get it, Lost Highway is still so rich and you get to see something
different each time you watch it.
One of the few films I can think of which is actually just as enjoyable if you
dont know whats going on. The tone achieved by Lynch in the opening 4 0
minutes is awesome and remains just about the best sequence in cinema
of recent times. This is a film where all the elements are alive for the
viewer. The sound design is meticulously throughout to help build the
mood and every single shot is just gorgeously framed, the whole film has
this nightmarish quality to it, like it was some kind of bad dream. I would
probably compare it with Eraser Head even though both films were
different and one was shot in black and white, they both had this bizarre
and surreal atmosphere while this film wasnt a horror film it still had a few
violent and disturbing moments. The three leads are terrific, and re-
watching this edition I continue to be surprised that Balthazaar Getty hasnt
broken through since.
This was probably my favorite Lynch film next to Blue Velvet as it has
plenty of his usual directorial flourishes and also a killer soundtrack with
lots of great artists like Marylin Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Lou
Reed, Smashing Pumpkins (before they started sucking) and the musical
score done by Angelo Badalamenti was truly amazing and haunting at the
same time, make sure that you get the soundtrack. The story of Lost
Highway focuses around a middle-aged saxophone player named Fred
Madison played by Bill Pullman. Fred is accused, under mysterious
circumstances of murdering his wife Renee Madison (Patricia Arquette).
Whilst on death row, Freds identity distorts and he manifests into a young
man named Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty), leading a completely different
life. When Pete is released from prison, Pete and Freds lives begin to
cross, morphing and flowing into and out of each other until ultimately only
one identity remains.
Bill Pullman is excellent in Lost Highway, and really manages to delve
deep inside the character creating a really enigmatic and believable Fred
Madison. Patricia Arquettes two contrasting characters are played
brilliantly with great expertise, and Balthazar Getty plays Pete superbly
(despite claims that throughout the making of the film he was constantly
undermining Lynch and making fun of his accent). Also watch out for
Robert Blakes creepy and sinister character, who exactly is this man and
why does he have this demonic laugh?, youll have to watch the film to find
out. Typical Lynchian imagery abounds and once you work out what the
hell is going on youll want to watch it again and again to explore all the
nuances of Freds never-ending attempt to escape from the truth. If you
love bizarre, surreal and ambiguous films that are well-crafted, sinister and
wonderfully acted, then I highly recommend you go and buy this film.
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
Lost Highway starring Bill Pullman, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake, Patricia Arquette - 5
Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price!