MAGICIAN wrote:There are numerous, subtle connections between MD and Hitchcock's 'Shadow Of A Doubt', including a dance scene planted in the intro. The thing that is most striking is the likeness between the two female leads, (Naomi Watts and Teresa Wright). Not only are their faces very similar, but Wright's character 'Charlie' has that innocent, naive, excitable character that preempts Betty Elms (compare Betty's early scenes with Charlie's early scenes in which she eagerly awaits her uncle's arrival).

Just watched Shadow of a Doubt and totally agree with you:

• The opening dancing sequence: Couples dancing to a tune called 'The Merry Widow Waltz', a clue towards the protagonist's identity. Hitchcock uses that scene again later in a pivotal moment, when Charlotte learns about the truth in the library, leaving her devastated. I can see how that influenced the haunting jitterbug opening of MD.
• The striking similarities between young Charlie and Betty as you described
• The two detectives looking for Charlie: The landlady in the beginning echoes Cookie/the lamp lady when she talks about the two detectives dropping by, asking questions about her lodger. There's a similar noir element in Sunset Blvd.
• The blackmailing: Anybody see the parallels to the audition scene in MD, where the older man (dad's best friend) threatens the young girl to keep quiet about their little secret so nobody's reputation gets hurt? Adding to that, uncle & niece had some awkward intimate moments in the first part of the movie.

Btw, Chan-wook Park's film Stoker (2013) is going to be the next popular entry on the SOAD reference list.

Yes, there do seem to be some dark intimations to the uncle and niece's relationship. It's not spelled out, but it does seem awkward. I believe this film was a massive influence on Lynch. Compare it to Blue Velvet. It's that same small town American mentality engulfed in darkness. The duality of good and evil within the protagonist or their surrogates.

I finally got around to watching The Woman In The Window (1944). It was mentioned a film that Lynch used/referenced for MD years and years ago. After watching the film, the connections are just not strong enough to merit serious consideration. The connections:

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I wouldn't consider The Woman In The Window an influence on Lynch either. The strongest link for me is the casting of waking life characters in the protagonist's dream, with all of them playing different roles (compare Coco & Luigi in MD). Same happens in The Wizard of Oz, albeit without the surprise factor.

Although, the bit about the waiter reminds me of Twin Peaks Season 2 Episode 1.

MD-ish cameo of Rebekah del Rio in Southland Tales

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Adding to it, here's Richard Kelly, director of Donnie Darko and Southland Tales, expressing his appreciation for MD

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C'mon people, the ending of Sleuth: Crime committed, main character in tears with revolver in his hand, police pounding at the front door. Flashes of blue light from the Police car. Curtains falling. Silencio...

From Episode 1, Season 5 of Breaking Bad.

(spoilered as could be argued to contain a *mild* spoiler)

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Finally got around to watching Sylvia (1965), the movie said to have been referenced in MD.

A swift, spoilerless rundown of the plot:
A wealthy older man of the L.A. area wants to find out about the background of his young fiancée, Sylvia, so he hires a private detective to investigate. As the P.I. encounters people from Sylvia's past, the stories that they tell him are the flashback elements of the film.


The parallels to Diane's storyline were neatly summarized by Allan Shaw here:
http://mulholland-drive.net/studies/syl ... h.htm#west

Additional observations:
Born Sylvia Karokee (I didn't quite catch her surname), our heroine leaves Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of around 15, the very night she was raped by her step-dad. Sylvia joins up with a clergyman and they move to Mexico (our Lady of Guadalupe?). Later she comes to stay at Southern California under the assumed name of Sylvia West. During that time she starts working as a call girl and closely befriend two brunette woman older than herself (Camilla as Diane's pimp?), but no lesbian relationship is implied. Sylvia's passion lies in books which gave her comfort during the harsh times in the prostitution business. Like Diane's pursue of an acting career, poetry is Sylvia's hope and way of escaping her circumstances.
We get to visit two familiar sets of Los Angeles. First a shot of LAX where the private eye exits the terminal and leaves in a taxi. Second is a not so short scene at an unnamed hot dog stand similar to Pink's.


All in all, the connections are there but are they conclusive? I'd say no. The film is not that well known and if you ask me not worth hinting at (6/10). But what do I know? Lynch apparently enjoyed and referenced "Mon Oncle", a film I couldn't sit through.

Thanks Bob for reviewing this, very interesting to hear your thoughts.

I really want to watch it now but I can't find a copy on ebay or amazon or even a torrent. Where did we find it? Can you direct us to a source?

I got mine from http://shop.vendio.com/pressplayhouse/i ... index.html
But the copy is of rather poor quality (see screenshots).

According to a post on IMDB, a superior transfer is available at http://www.ioffer.com/i/dvd-sylvia-carr ... -469262500

Go for it, I'd love to hear more opinions.

one of the first reviews of MD I ever read was the one on The Modern World (here: http://www.themodernword.com/mulholland_drive.html). The main literary influences the author picks up are from Joyce and Pychon. In particular the 2 books that are singled out are:
Finnegans Wake (Joyce)
The Crying of Lot 49 (pychon)

note that these are just influences rather than direct references. I plan to read both when I find the time.

Looks like some really nice cinematography. I'd love to watch it. And the actress' name is Carroll, but she looks like blonde Camilla, and brunette Camilla is the girl who got to play Sylvia North. Strange, strange.

woolfspersona wrote:and brunette Camilla is the girl who got to play Sylvia North. Strange, strange.

Strange indeed. Also see this comment on our website

"Sylvia North was somehow associated with Canada, just as Diane is. In that case the question remains as to why clearly Hispanic Camilla was cast in the role. And even if Sylvia North isn't supposed to be Canadian, there is still the question as to why two actresses as dissimilar as Diane and Camilla (one Hispanic, one Canadian) both ended up auditioning for the role. We're talking about a movie where the background of the protagonist is supposed to be known, at least to some degree.
Lynch is keenly aware of the history and the business of Hollywood. One of the irony of Hollywood is that film roles don't always go (understatement) to those best suited for them". - (jro0)

Bob wrote:Strange indeed. Also see this comment on our website

"Sylvia North was somehow associated with Canada, just as Diane is. In that case the question remains as to why clearly Hispanic Camilla was cast in the role. And even if Sylvia North isn't supposed to be Canadian, there is still the question as to why two actresses as dissimilar as Diane and Camilla (one Hispanic, one Canadian) both ended up auditioning for the role. We're talking about a movie where the background of the protagonist is supposed to be known, at least to some degree.
Lynch is keenly aware of the history and the business of Hollywood. One of the irony of Hollywood is that film roles don't always go (understatement) to those best suited for them". - (jro0)

I wonder if there could be a thematic or symbolic connection between blonde Diane and brunette Camilla and the Sylvia North Story, and blonde Laura Palmer and brunette Ronette Pulaski in the woods of Twin Peaks (a "sylvan north" story)...

Especially since we see characters in the audience at Club Silencio that do bear a striking resemblance to them (though, unlike some folks, I don't think they're actually the same actresses; just similar types).