Lost Highway (1997)

Director:

David Lynch

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

21 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | 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:

Richard Pryor's last feature film appearance.

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:

Featured in The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)

Soundtrack:

Apple of Sodom

Possibly the strangest film ever made.

The thing that's great about Lost Highway is there is no absolute solution to the events in the film, everything about the film is open to interpretation and after you watch it you either need to thing and talk about it for a couple of hours or watch it again. In Mulholland Drive, people say that it needs to be watched twice to be fully understood. Lost highway needs to be watched about 3 or 4 time to be slightly understood and will probably never be fully understood. All the clues are there in the film but to include all of them to make sense is very difficult. However it is very rewarding to try and find out the meaning of Lost Highway.

Although it is described as a modern film-noir, it's more inspired by Alfred Hitchcock. The use of music to increase the suspense of the film is used a lot here and in many Hitchcock films such as Psycho. Even if you cant work out what it is about, it is still a very tense thriller.

Final Score – 10/10