I could have sworn there was a thread here about how Mulholland Drive and The Wizard of Oz share similarities, but for the life of me I can't find it. I want to share similarities between Mulholland Drive and the story of Oz written by Baum. I must admit that I haven't seen the film in many, many years and wouldn't serve well to compare MD to the film.
By the way, the book can be read online at the Library of Congress here:
http://read.gov/books/pageturner/2006gen32405/#page/1/mode/1up
Here are some things I'd like to share regarding the story. It's just for fun and for those who have not read it. The book differs from the film in many ways. From the FAQ section on IMDb's site for the film 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz':
Was Dorothy's time in Oz a dream?
In Baum's books, Oz is no dream. By contrast, the movie makes it clear that Dorothy dreamt the whole thing up. Of course, children of all ages refuse to accept that the vivid, colorful Oz is a dream, while the dull sepia-toned Kansas is reality. Audiences of the day were leery of fantasy and demanded this cop-out.
So in the story, Dorothy was not dreaming. She actually went to a place called Oz.
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I'll start with The Wizard. He saw each member of Dorothy's party separately. He granted each an audience, one per day, and he started with Dorothy. With each member of the group, he appeared as something different. A huge head with no limbs or body, a beautiful lady, a horrifying beast and a great ball of fire.
Sounds kinda familiar. Think of the many wigs and costumes found in Aunt Ruth's apartment.
For Dorothy, he appeared as a HUGE head...no body, no limbs...just a huge head.
Sounds kinda familiar. Mr. Roque. DL took care to make sure that Mr Roque's head seemed disproportionately smaller than his body (a body that couldn't move).
The Wizard turns out to be a man, a man from Dorothy's country, who landed in Oz by accident just like she did. He also arrived via the sky, giving everyone in Oz the notion that he was magical. He played along. He used illusions to make everyone think he was a powerful Wizard. The illusion was either a costume he wore or a contraption he built. He would throw his voice at contraptions, for he was a ventriloquist. Sometimes he would just throw his voice at the throne and tell everyone he was invisible.
For fear of being found out, he shuts himself up in his castle and very, very rarely holds an audience. Even his own personal guard has never ventured into his throne room. The guard has never ventured farther than the doorway.
Sounds kinda familiar. Think of Roque. Later, it kinda appears to be Diane's existence. She shuts herself in and doesn't answer the door.
Keeping up the illusion is tedious work and has made him a prisoner of the glorious castle he built. And now a few know his secret. He is old, tired, lonely and no longer wishes to rule the people of Oz. He wants to go home, just as badly as Dorothy, and return to his simple life in the circus. Even if it means abandoning the people who depend on him.
Sounds kinda familiar. Adam says he's going home.
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The Wizard made everyone, every inhabitant and every visitor (including Toto), wear glasses with green lenses. The glasses were locked and could not be removed while you were in the city. And, of course, the green lenses gave everything in Emerald City a green appearance.
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The Wizard is discovered to be simply a man when Toto accidentally (he was startled by the Lion's angry roar) knocks over a folded screen, which the man was hiding behind, in a corner of the throne room.
"There's a man in back of this place. He's the one who's doing it. I can see him through the wall." The only instances I can remember/think of where we see through walls are Mr. Roque's room and mirrors.
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The Wicked Witch of the West has only one eye. This eye is so powerful that it sees most everything and acts much like a telescope.
I remember seeing a telescope in Ed's office. I think there may be a small one on the bookshelf in Aunt Ruth's apartment.
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TWWotW is so wicked that when Toto bites her, she does not bleed.
We see no blood when Diane shoots herself.
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TWWotW took Lion prisoner to make him act as a horse to pull her carriage, simply because it would amuse her.
I'll leave this comparison alone for now. :)
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TWWotW tried to get the Lion to comply with her wishes by starving him...breaking his will. Dorothy snuck him food.
Makes me wonder about the corpse.
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TWWotW keeps the Yellow Winkies in bondage, to do her will, using fear.
We see a Yellow Winkie cameo outside of Winkie's during the Dan scene with Herb.
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TWWotW studies Dorothy's eyes and sees that she is an innocent, gentle soul who does not realize the power within the shoes she wears.
We see Betty and Rita share a gaze in Aunt Ruth's bedroom (as Rita opens her handbag). We see Betty and Louise share a gaze. We also see Betty and Adam share a gaze (during auditions). The common denominator is Betty.
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TWWotW became a brown, fluid mess after she melted.
Reminds me of Luigi's espresso, after he spit it out.
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TWWotW had a beautiful castle.
I don't know why, but I expected her castle to be ugly or frightening. Just like she was. But it wasn't. Not sure if it is relevant. :)
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The death of TWWotW frees the Yellow Winkies from bondage. To show their appreciation, they give Dorothy a yellow bracelet adorned with diamonds.
This reminds me of the corpse, who wears a yellow bracelet.
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In order to trick Dorothy into giving her the magical silver shoes, TWWotW placed a heavy, metal bar in the middle of a room. She then made it invisible so that Dorothy would trip over it. Dorothy did trip over it and this caused one of her shoes to fly off.
I think it's possible that the blue box was not seen until Club Silencio because it had been made invisible (please see my 'Sierra Bonita lights' thread for more info). Maybe the missing bowl of peppers on Aunt Ruth's table was a 'test' of this trick.
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Strangely enough, TWWotW is afraid of the dark. This is why she never tries to steal Dorothy's shoes while Dorothy sleeps. The only other time Dorothy removes her shoes is during her bath. We all know why TWWotW is afraid to steal them then.
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There is a yellow cap whose magical powers allow the wearer to call on the Winged Monkeys 3 times.
This reminds me of Rita's blonde wig.
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Dorothy does not encounter Glinda until the end of the story. She is a redhead and is adorned with rubies. She is the Witch of the South. She was not one who withheld valuable info from Dorothy regarding the shoes, as portrayed in the film.
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Like Dorothy and The Wizard, Betty arrives via the air.
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The land of the Munchkins is blue. It is in the east and, until Dorothy came, was ruled by the Wicked Witch of the East.
The land of the Yellow Winkies is yellow. It is in the west and, until Dorothy came, was ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West.
The land of the Quadlings is red. It is in the south and ruled by the Witch of the South, Glinda.
The land to the north is a mystery (no description is relayed in the story), but it is ruled by the Witch of the North. She is old, has white hair and wears a white dress that is adorned with little stars that glisten in the sun like diamonds. She is the first witch Dorothy encounters upon her arrival in Oz.
The Emerald City of Oz is green. It is in the center of the other four regions and is ruled by The Wizard of Oz.
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There is a gatekeeper to Emerald City. He resides within the wall surrounding it. Once he fits you with green glasses, he retrieves the big golden key (which he keeps on a peg in the wall) and opens the gate to the city. You pass through a portal and into the streets.
This makes me think of not only Coco, but Ed. Ed had keys hanging from a peg in the wall in his office. And they pass through a portal at Sierra Bonita.
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No animals are seen in the Emerald City, but they allow Toto inside. (He must also wear the green glasses)
"You don't have any pets, do you? Well, they're allowed...I just don't like them here for obvious reasons."


