Lost Highway

Lost Highway (drama, mystery, thriller)Directed by David LynchStarring Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty and Robert LoggiaConcorde Video | 1997 | 135 min | Rated FSK-16 | Released May 05, 2011Video:Video codec: MPEG-4 AVCVideo resolution: 1080pAspect ratio: 2.35:1Audio:English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1Subtitles:German (optional)Disc:Single 50GB Blu-ray DiscThis review refers to the German Blu-ray version.***Spoilers within***The Film 4.5/5The DVD release from Universal Studios claims a 2 hour 25 minute running time, but that's actually a printing error. Both that and this Blu-ray version clock in at 2 hours 15 minutes. All of the original DVD scenes are intact.David Lynch is my favorite director, although Quentin Tarantino isn't far behind. Lynch appeals so much because his films create worlds with a distinct feel. He's very precise and chooses the exact sound or image needed to complete his vision. When I watch Mulholland Dr. or Blue Velvet, my normal world ceases to exist; it's pure escapism. For that reason, I chose to import Lost Highway from Germany. Who knows when we'll see a North American release?All of Lynch's films are challenging. He rarely uses a linear plot structure and the line between what is real and what is imagined is usually blurred. Lost Highway is one of the most difficult films to interpret, but it can still be enjoyed even if you don't fully understand everything on the screen.The film opens with the image of a road. We're traveling down it at night to the sound of David Bowie's I'm Deranged. This was not a frivolous choice and is a major hint at what you can expect to follow. This is a film about madness. In fact, I believe it is a look inside the mind of a killer. Think about how difficult that is to achieve.There are thousands of films about killers, but how many of them show the true motivation for murder? Lost Highway hints at motivation and gives an idea of how such a person might think. That's one reason why the plot is such a mess. Insane thoughts wouldn't always follow a logical pattern.We see a glimpse of how Fred (Pullman) and Renee (Arquette) Madison live. He's a musician and fears that his wife is being unfaithful. He wants to go out, but she prefers to stay home. When he calls, she doesn't answer and his suspicion grows. The next morning, she discovers a yellow envelope outside the front door. There's no address or note, but it contains a video showing the outside of the house. Another envelope shows up the following day and this time it shows Fred and Renee asleep in bed. The police are called in, but don't discover anything out of the ordinary.Fred tells the police that they don't own a video camera. In fact, he hates them because he likes to remember things his own way rather than how they happened. That's another clue that we can't rely on anything shown from Fred's viewpoint.One of my favorite scenes happens early in the story. Fred and Renee go to a party and Fred talks to a weird looking man. The man informs him that they previously met at Fred's house and that he's there right now. That sounds crazy, but the man gives Fred a phone and tells him to call him at the house. The man appears to answer. He says that Fred invited him and he never goes where he's not wanted. As it's impossible to be in two places at once, this clearly represents something else. I think the man represents Fred's emotions. He's suspicious, jealous and angry.A third tape shows Fred standing over Renee's corpse. Remember that he hates video cameras because they show what happened? I think Lynch is saying that what happens on video is Fred's reality and everything else is unreliable. There's further proof of this when Fred is arrested for the murder of his wife.All of these events occur in the first 40 minutes of the film. From that point on, things start to get really weird. If I were to analyze every scene it would ruin the film if you haven't seen it, so I'll stop there. All I can say is that events take a dramatic turn and initially seem impossible. But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense.Mulholland Dr. also deals with identity and blurred reality. The two films are similar in feel in many ways. We see actors playing dual roles and we are not always sure whether any events are real. The film works as a collection of interesting scenes, but it's even more effective when you realize what is being portrayed. I won't pretend to understand everything and I am not sure I am supposed to.The choice of music perfectly matches the mood. We hear from Rammstein, Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson, Lou Reed, This Mortal Coil, and many others. The whole thing is held together by Angelo Badalamenti's haunting score.The acting is very good. Pullman pulls off Fred's nervous demeanor perfectly and Arquette is suitably mysterious. I particularly liked Robert Loggia's performance and he oozed menace every time he was on the screen. Robert Blake as the Mystery Man sent shivers down my spine and he didn't always seem human. As well as a cameo from Marilyn Manson, watch out for a glimpse of Henry Rollins as a prison guard.I enjoy all of Lynch's films. While Lost Highway doesn't quite hit the heights of Mulholland Dr. and Blue Velvet, it's still among my Top 25 from any genre. It won't appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy experiencing unsettling worlds, this might work for you too.Video Quality 4.5/5The DVD looks soft and I wasn't expecting Lost Highway to look very good on Blu-ray, but I was in for a surprise. Concorde Video has produced a wonderful transfer. Detail is exceptional for most of the film and I didn't detect any print damage or dirt. There were a few very infrequent white speckles, but I'm thrilled with the look of the Blu-ray. I can't imagine any future releases looking any better. The film is region free, but the special features are PAL. So you can watch the film in all its glory, but you won't have an image during the special features unless you use a region B or region free player. For the record, the Blu-ray includes chapters.Audio Quality 4.5The Blu-ray defaults to German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 so you'll need to use the pop up menu to change to English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It's a great track and displays the atmospheric scenes very well. This is a lively soundtrack, but the quieter scenes also benefit. The overall presentation is excellent. German subtitles are optional rather than forced.Special Features 1/5The PAL special features appear in standard definition. German subtitles are optional.Making Of (9:28) - This isn't a typical making of feature. We're shown snapshots of Lynch directing a few scenes, but he doesn't talk to the camera. You'll see how he works, but don't expect him to explain his decisions.Interview with David Lynch (4:53) - Lynch talks about Pullman and Arquette and how their acting ability helped the film.Trailer (1:46)The region free Blu-ray version of Lost Highway from Concorde Video is well worth your money and it's unlikely that future releases will produce anything better. It's available from Amazon Germany, but I acquired mine from Grooves Inc. for around $17 delivered. Give them a try if you're interested in importing the film. It won't appeal to everyone, but hopefully my review will help you decide whether it's for you. It's one of the best titles I have added in 2011.Overall 4.5/5

Fantastic Film for a David Lynch fan.

Very cerebral. Lost Highway will not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you are analytical, like to "think" about movies and try to figure things out for yourself, and don't mind things that are a little creepy, you'll love Lost Highway.

Just wanted my own copy of this classic.

It's not a popular position to take considering all the reasons people admire his other films, but LOST HIGHWAY has always been my personal favorite of David Lynch's since its release in 1997.I never tire of watching it. Even by its maker's standards, it's a powerful and unapologetically dark concoction which can inspire a really gut-level, intuitive, sensory response from a viewer.The film manages to capture the rare and delicate mood I can only describe this way:You wake from a terrifying, cryptic nightmare. You can't decode it. Your heart is racing. With the morning's progress, the terror fades, but certain scenes remain indelibly in your mind. You mull them over in the context of 'reason.' Sometimes a feeling you have while 'awake' takes you back to these scenes...and they appear different somehow. You think you begin to understand. But then as quickly as your understanding comes, it vanishes again.When the next night comes, you startle yourself with a realization: in its own way, that nightmare world is as seductive and beautiful as it was scary. Something strange, almost alien in you wants to go back. But you can't dream the same dream twice.Except when it's a film.And that's what LOST HIGHWAY is.In a career full of startling images, music and sounds, it easily contains some of Lynch's most incredible ones. The visuals are like a symphony of red, black, pale yellow, neon and smoke. The textures of Los Angeles are captured with a dream- and life-like detail which are both familiar and exotic. The sounds and music are enveloping and alluring one minute and pulse-quickening the next.The performances are strong all around, with even the most minor characters played with notes only Lynch and his carefully chosen actors could hit.Although Lynch has also explored his non-linear storytelling side in other, more popular efforts, I think he struck the perfect balance between the abstract elements which challenge and the accessible pleasures of the film-noir genre in this particular story. LOST HIGHWAY veers more toward the all-out assault of  INLAND EMPIRE  or  ERASERHEAD , rather than the more glammed-up  MULHOLLAND DRIVE , but I think it also feels truer to itself, and so more resonant.EDIT: Now that the actual DVD product is out and I own a copy...I can say that the DVD is good for the following reasons: the picture and sound, as expected, are tops. This is probably the best homevid version which exists, at least until the Blu-Ray version comes out (there are no plans for one though that I am aware of currently). There are some web reviews that claim other transfers of it on non-Region 1 discs are superior, but based on the screen captures I have seen I think they are wrong. This does look to me like the Lynch-approved version, with colors truer to the film as I remember it in theaters.There are also chapter stops, a welcome surprise given Lynch's dislike of them and their exclusion on some of his other DVDs.And the bad: no extras. The expected 10-angle interview never appears here (why?) and not even the excellent original trailer, which you can probably YouTube if you're curious.Anyway, it's still a great film and the best way to watch it outside of a good print in a movie theater, so...It isn't going to please most film viewers and even many fans, but if you end up appreciating the dark jewel that is LOST HIGHWAY, it's an addictive flavor.

Estamos ante una bien merecida pieza de culto, el maestro Lynch sabe jugar con el tiempo y nuestra cordura, completamente fascinante como su soundtrack.

Excellent film de David Linch [1997] , très bon scénario ! Agréablement surpris par cette pepite !! 4k au top , beau steelbook 👍Je recommande👌

So good to see one of Lynch's strangest directorial efforts finally get the commercial release it's always deserved. The transfer is fantastic (I'd expect no less from Kino) and the film itself is unforgettable. Top notch.

I know it's David Lynch but I just couldn't get into this.

Usual, intriguing unhinged Lynch drama and he after all is the master of this. I was going to say 'genre' but Lynch is out there by himself so the 'genre' is all his own. It is a genre of the dream where the viewer is rendered in a half awake state to wonder which bits are happening and which are the result of a disturbed imagination. I feel his films are compulsive viewing and even upon second viewing when you know you don't like the content of what is coming next you feel compelled to suffer it yet again. In short, I do not think I like the content of his films yet still regard them as accomplished. Like those awful fairy stories I heard as a child that enthralled me on one hand yet disturbed my psyche for days afterwards. Curiously, he avoids the fetishistic excesses of Tarantino's later work (exclude Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and even Kill Bill vol. 1 which have excesses but which still retain something to respect) that say lots about Tarantino himself but very little else. I am certain Lynch is better than Tarantino because of this and is a great director as opposed to Tarantino who almost got there but lost the plot (s) somewhere. Neither are in the same ball park as directors such as Fellini, Bunuel, Bela Tarr and Luc Godard however in my opinion.