"It is all an illusion..."
-Bondar
Red. The primary color. The color of passion. The color of blood. The color of the forbidden. The color of the Devil. In China, red is worn by brides to symbolize prosperity and good fortune. During the two World Wars, the Soviet Army was called the “Red Army” for all the bloodshed they caused. In David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, the color red can be seen throughout the entire movie. Each time we see the color, it is used to make us be conscious of the hidden meanings behind the objects in red.
After the mysterious woman, played by Laura Elena Harring, gets out of the shower, she wraps herself with a red towel. She also wearing red lipstick and sees a picture of Rita Hayworth, the famous actress known for her feisty personality, as well as her red hair, and takes her name. This scene symbolizes that "Rita" has a dangerous secret. She is covering up in a dark red towel mysteriously hiding her true self. She takes her name from the starlet and in turn transforms into a new person, a fantasy of who she really is.
When we first meet Betty, played by Naomi Watts, she is seen wearing a pink sweater. The color pink is a lighter version of red. It represents Betty’s innocence. She has this fairytale dream of her becoming a famous actress. She sees the world through rose colored glasses.
“I'm sorry. I'm just so excited to be here. I mean I just came here from Deep River, Ontario, and now I'm in this dream place. Well, you can imagine how I feel.”-Betty.As the film progresses we learn that she is not what she seems. Her darker side is hidden by her pretty pink sweater.
The Cowboy played by Monty Montgomery, is wearing a red handkerchief in this scene. This symbolizes power. He is in control and telling Adam, played by Justin Theroux, that he needs to do what he is being told by the studio making his film.
“When you see the girl in the picture that was shown to you earlier today, you will say, "this is the girl". The rest of the cast can stay, that's up to you. But that lead girl is "not" up to you. Now you will see me one more time, if you do good. You will see me, two more times, if you do bad. Good night.” - Cowboy.
Adam is also covered in pink paint which indicates his obedient persona vs. the Cowboy’s dominance.
In these two scenes at “Club Silenco” Betty is now wearing a red shirt to show she is the dominate one. She is also infatuated with Rita at this point, and wants to control every movement they both make. The red make up and earring on the singer, Rebekah Del Rio, represents her passion not only in her voice but also for Rita and Betty’s relationship. She can be heard singing, "Crying" and that is what all three women do.
The red smoke behind the “Bum” implies danger, evil and death. This scene of the “Bum” can be interpreted differently depending on how you view the film. To me it symbolizes not only the anger and pain Betty is going through but also her failure to get Rita’s love. The “Bum” is seen at the very end opening Pandora’s Box and in turn killing Betty’s dreams. The red smoke signifies her passionate soul leaving her body.
The color red stood out to me because it’s my favorite color. Red can mean love and death. This film shows us both.
Sources:
Mulholland Drive 2001. Director David Lynch. Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Dan Hedaya. 2002. Universal Studios. DVD.
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