The real Mulholland inspired Roman Polanski's 1974 film Chinatown, which starred Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston (who played the Mulholland character) and was based on a Robert Towne (Parallax View, Firm, Mission Impossible) screenplay.
Mulholland's birthdate? 9/11/1855.
The film pretends to be a standard mystery: a would-be starlet named Betty (played by Naomi Watts) arrives in Hollywood to house-sit for her aunt, only to find a beautiful and mysterious brunette named Rita (played by Laura Harring) who is suffering from amnesia. Rita is looking for clues to her own identity, which leads she and Betty to an apartment of a woman who has committed suicide.
Mulholland's birthdate? 9/11/1855.
The film pretends to be a standard mystery: a would-be starlet named Betty (played by Naomi Watts) arrives in Hollywood to house-sit for her aunt, only to find a beautiful and mysterious brunette named Rita (played by Laura Harring) who is suffering from amnesia. Rita is looking for clues to her own identity, which leads she and Betty to an apartment of a woman who has committed suicide.
Halfway through the film, Rita vanishes and a totally different story begins. Watts now plays a failed actress named Diane Selwyn, who was scorned by her glamorous but sadistic lover Camilla (played by Harring), who humiliates Diane by taking her to a party celebrating her engagement to Adam Kesher.
Throughout the film there are seemingly disconnected subplots: a man who dreams of a demon living in a restaurant parking lot, a film director (with the Kabbalist-sounding name Adam Kesher) threatened by a crime boss, and an idiotic hitman, played by Lucifer himself.
Also sprinkled throughout are some old school Hollywood icons: Chad Everett, Lee Grant, Robert Forster, Ann Miller. Michael J Anderson (Twin Peaks, Carnivale, X-Files) also makes an enigmatic appearance, as does Robert Towne's daughter Katharine (whose brief role burns through the screen in manic pixie dream-logic-girl mode).
These turns by old-time stars are all too appropriate given that the film marks the final and irrevocable death of the Classic Era of Hollywood.
So if you haven't watched Mulholland Dr yet, do so before Saturday at 6 PM ET.
Why?
Because Mulholland Dr will be the subject of an epic Secret Sun Institute livestream on that day and time. We'll even touch on a little Lost Highway, Inland Empire -- and of course -- Twin Peaks.
This is all part of the syllabus as we've been discussing the power of dreaming during times of crisis, a process well-recorded throughout history, even in the Bible itself.
And who better to bring into the conversation than the Mozart of Dream Logic himself, Mr. David Lynch? That's right; no one.
click on the Moon for details
So click on that big ol' Moon there and enroll for the fall semester. For as little as three bucks a month you can get access to more high-density esoteric edutainment than you can shake a stick at.
Including full access to our epic weekend livestreams!
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And do not forget that the final word on superhero culture is now available!
The Spandex Files is 280 action-packed (and lavishly illustrated) pages of information and edutainment, filled with the chills, spills and laughs you've come to expect from your pal here at The Secret Sun!
The Spandex Files has a painstakingly-curated mix of out-of-print articles from classic comic fanzines, revised and expanded Secret Sun classics, and several never-before-published pieces as well!
The Spandex Files is my final farewell to comic books and superheroes, both of which defined my life and career for so very long. There's a special emphasis on superhero and comic book-inspired movies, as well as several pieces on Alan Moore and - of course - Jack Kirby!
The Spandex Files is available in paperback and hardcover!
I'm also offering a free goodie-bag featuring personally-autographed labels and lots of other surprises for Secret Sun Institute students on demand!
I'll be promoting The Spandex Files at a number of outlets in the coming weeks and sneaking in a couple Spandex-related surprises here and at the SSI!
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