Lost Highway: How Video Manipulates Us

Are the videotapes in David Lynch's 'Lost Highway' really a window into reality, or is there something more complicated going on?
This analysis focuses on the mysterious tapes and discusses what their images might mean for the structure of the film.
Thanks for watching my first video essay. I hope you enjoyed my analysis of Lost Highway.
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[@mattgilbert7347]

Film theorist: "I will figure you out!" Lost Highway: "You'll never have me"

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

So true, so true.

[@LfunkeyA]

except it's the easiest film from Lynch's 'Hollywood Trilogy' to figure out. Heck, even Eraserhead is more difficult to explain than Lost Highway.

[@dominantpersona3326]

@@LfunkeyA Pretty sure Eraserhead is far more easier the digest. At face value it is about the reluctance of parenthood.

[@Dale_Blackburn]

Watch this film on LSD and then you will understand not only this film but the meaning of life and emotions.. im serious.

[@marydecouvertes3789]

@@Dale_Blackburn Did you actually watch it on LSD? Tell me about it, what happened?

[@James-tk2yl]

There's nothing better than discovering a fresh perspective on a film you think you've mostly got figured out. This video essay is great, especially the last line sums up the film so succinctly it almost startled me.

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you!

[@LearsGhost]

First, I can't tell you how nice it was that you didn't attempt an explanation of this film. Lost Highway was my diving board into the weird side of cinema, and watching it years ago sent me scrambling for some sort of meaning, or explanation. Now, many viewings later, I've decided there isn't one, and if there is one I don't think it matters much. The eye of the duck here is close to what you have said. He's definitely talking about our relation to the world. There is the self that we perceive, and the self that exists out there, filtered through others perceptions. In reality there are many copies of us existent in the world, so which one is real? The idea that a video recording, something that has no bias or consciousness of itself, is an objective truth is compelling, but it is a flawed reasoning. An image isn't truth, it's a moment. We can string a bunch of moments together to form an idea, but the idea lacks any of the emotional or perceptual context that is unique to each individual. Perhaps the message of the tapes here is that despite our ability to capture moments accurately we will never be able to objectively define them purely through images. Fred/Lynch are correct, our memories are more important and truthful because even if we don't remember the exact details of a moment we DO remember how we felt. I really enjoyed your take on this, and would love to see you do a follow up covering Mulholland Dr, and Inland Empire, as I think these three films make up an unofficial thematic trilogy that would be worth exploring. ***Some fun trivia: The house in Lost Highway is located at 7035 Senalda Rd in the Hollywood Hills. The address where the car accident and Kesher's party takes place in Mulholland Dr is 6980 Mulholland Dr. If you look up both address you will notice that Rita walks down the hillside directly into the Madison's backyard on her way down to Sunset Blvd(Lynch's favorite film that is referenced heavily in MD). Also interesting is that Lynch was living at 7035 Senalda Rd during the making of LH and MD. Lynch once stated in an interview that when he was young he was walking home one night, and on this walk he was confronted by a woman walking naked down the street in obvious distress. He was so scared he started to cry because he knew something terrible was happening, but he didn't know why. I find it kind of intriguing that this first instance of "A Woman in Trouble" has worked itself into the majority of his creative film output...just like the "Dick Laurant is dead" message was something that actually happened to him while living on Senalda in Fred Madison's house. He's taking these memories and crafting whole worlds. Another memory Lynch has spoken of is that at that age he felt that the whole world was in his neighborhood. When looking at Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr, and Inland Empire I can't help but think he continues to think this way, as all of these film literally take place in and around his neighborhood...*** Anywho...

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Yeah, I don't think an all-encompassing theory does a film like Lost Highway any favours. I really like how you've tied Lynch's own memories into this theory on memory. I try not to assume anything about a person from their work, but I've always felt that that memory of the naked woman is present in most of Lynch's work. That sense of confusion and dread. I'd definitely like to take a look a Mulholland Dr. and Inland Empire. It just depends on whether I feel I have something to contribute that hasn't already been talked about a lot. Thanks again! :)

[@LearsGhost]

I take back my suggestion about Inland Empire and Mulholland Dr, and replace it with a request for coverage of Zulawski's Possession. As I scroll through the suggested video's there is endless debate on Lynch, and almost none of Possession on youtube... Just a thought!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Yeah, especially Mulholland Dr. Thanks for the suggestion! :)

[@whatchatalkinboutwillis9894]

Your voice is so cute

[@odorutori]

When I saw the film again recently, I thought it interesting to think about Fred and Pete in relation to male gaze: the twist being that both Renee and Alice turn out to have their own agency beyond Fred/Pete's control, which becomes his undoing, so to speak. As a variation on the femme fatale, Alice's character does not serve to advance the hero's journey and so Fred's fantasy is doomed to fail, as is his marriage. It also seems to be Renee/Alice who are in control of the relationship, even as Fred/Pete imagine having it. I wonder if that makes any sense - wonderful film nonetheless. Fully agree it shouldn't be explained in terms of plot, it's meant to be open-ended.

[@callanmcgill]

This essay is utterly fantastic. As perhaps mean-spirited as it is to say I am always disappointing to hear Lynch fans obsessed with narrative and piecing together his films in a realist mould - which is to say conforming always to a notion that there ultimately is a demarcated objective reality at the heart of the film waiting to be uncovered. This discussion of camera, identity and mappings is I think a beautiful way to get at the essentially psychological surrealist world of Lynch. A world of memories and thus time twisting and looping back on itself and of people splitting and merging. I look forward to checking out your other videos and any future essays you put out.

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much! I certainly find exploring themes and ideas much more interesting than working everything into a strict narrative, particularly with a director like David Lynch.

[@KristofskiKabuki]

I also hate the "this is what *really* happened" interpretations of lynch movies. None of it "really happened", it's a movie! I agree that this is a much more insightful and interesting interpretation

[@James-tk2yl]

I don't know if you've seen Jeff Keeling's video essay on Lost Highway as a commentary on other directors, but it very much supports this thesis. The mid-90s imitators of Lynch are like Lynch's own dopplegangers, creating simulacrums of his work - only devoid of the soul that made it special in the first place. For Lynch, how he remembers Twin Peaks is so much more important than specific shot compositions or the construction of the premise. I think this comes through a lot in The Return, which is more in keeping with the spirit of the original series than the shows that tried to ape its formula in a superficial way. Much of what has been dubbed "Lynchian" over the years illustrates your point on film's capacity to deceive.

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

I haven't, that's an interesting perspective!

[@quarkhenares]

Love this, and love the Cache connection. I always felt Haneke was inspired by Lost Highway, but I've never heard it mentioned until now. Two greats examining the same themes with very different but equally disturbing results. High five!

[@iansacks1865]

This was fantastic. The one thing that I really took away on my first viewing was Lynch's fascination with the weaponized nature of the camera, and the role it plays in the motif of doubling throughout the film (and his filmography as a whole). You've contextualized and explored that wonderfully here, without being distracted by the kinds of pat attempts at wrenching narrative coherence out of the film internet analyses are filled with. Great work!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much!

[@chocolatebunnies6376]

I’ve had a habit of generally avoiding videos shorter than 13 minutes (almost regardless of topic/genre,) as they’ve seemed superficial (also probably because I’m a slow person in many respects.) You’ve broken that habit.

[@zackmichelson9337]

This video is fantastic! I stumbled upon your other video about Lynch and language, which also blew me away (I'm a huge David Lynch fan), and I just had to subscribe. You explain your ideas very well and use the imagery of the texts you're talking about masterfully. Lost Highway, as it is, has become one of my favorite movies, perhaps for the very reason that I've never been able to "explain" it as a film. Would you consider doing a video on Luis Bunuel? I think you could do a lot with his movies, particularly his final 3 - I group them together as strictly surreal comedies, each one playing with the reality of their respective worlds as they force viewers to adjust their understanding of what should or can be real or not. I recently watched The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie for the first time, and it's an incredible piece of artistic cinema because (in my opinion) it reads and moves like a surreal painting or tapestry. Seeing that movie was the first time I had a completely new kind of film experience since I first watched Eraserhead years ago.

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much! I have nothing in the works on Luis Bunuel at the moment but I never know where connections will be made. :)

[@bathypelagiczone]

You have some great insight, illuminating so many unseen possibilities.

[@hvitekristesdod]

Well done, this might be one of the best analysies I've seen for this film!!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much!

[@hvitekristesdod]

What's So Great About That? What are your thoughts on Blue Velvet? I've always been fascinated by the perspectives in that film, particularly Jeffrey's perspectives on the mystery he chases down and of Frank Booth

[@randomkiliinterviews9453]

This channel is very much at a different level than most others on this topic. Very glad to have found it. I have an idea for a video: Roger Ebert famously gave thumbs down to most Lynch movies, mostly due to outrage at the violence and exploitation he thought was on display toward women. It always was hurtful to hear that because I love Roger Ebert and DAvid Lynch. It would be interested to see a take on his reviews. GEne Siskel thankfully included Blue Velvet in his top movies of the year 86. And Ebert gave 2 of his later films 4 stars, even including MD in his "Great Movies" collection.

[@erickvorpahl1501]

I love media analysis videos and channels, and you're videos are quite good quality! Keep it up!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you!

[@MadWolfMike]

Wow! Amazing analysis! Excellent Work!

[@Frahamen]

So according to Hans Theys (art philosopher/critic/curator) "All David Lynch (directed and written, not including The Elephant Man or Dune, obviously) movies are variations on Vertigo". While it's a stretch for most of the Lynch movie, it does apply pretty neatly for Lost Highway, so I wrote a paper how for his classes.

[@robert.sec2]

A great start! Looking forward to other essays.

[@markdpricemusic1574]

Lucid and powerful treatment of a complex piece of art. Many thanks! M X

[@jeckles]

Good luck on your new channel! Respect the hustle. I have friends who do this.

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much!

[@lucasgoncalves2414]

Now that's a beautiful analysis. Thanks for doing this and good luck with your channel.

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so.

Well done Grace! Now i have to watch them again, double feature!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Great idea for a double feature!

That's what i thought watching your video! And it's curious because i couldn't remember the video element on "Lost highway", only the character "shift" in the middle.

[@paulrobinson5492]

Thanks for the synopsis--very succinct!

[@yellowcougar18]

Really great analysis-watched the movie a few weeks back-surprised how good it was. The song 'Song to the Siren' got me to watch it. Seeing Michael Masee in another good movie (Outside of the Crow) was also a blessing. Refreshingly intelligent analysis too-really indepth. Also, pardon my saying-you're rather pretty.

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much! :)

[@baylorgal96]

Excellent analysis!! Thanks!

[@plumserve]

Well, now I will have to watch it yet again and immerse myself in my experience of it and it will be different again. I think I know so much about it but then something else pops up either within the film or like this video essay and I will think a little differently about it. This would apply to many of David's films and yes I will probably watch all of them again, at least once. I believe there is no better way to while away the hours. Thanks for the box sets.

[@mitchellrichmond21]

I love this, keep up the good work!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you!

[@santiagorojaspiaggio]

Very good essay!

[@vinayseth1114]

Uncertainty, uncertainty, uncertainty. Is there nothing that films can really teach us? What's the use of watching something that shakes your foundations and gives you no help when it comes to building a better life from the ruins?

[@riccardolucchesi3736]

Great, GREAT work. I'm happy to have discovered your channel! I'm curious: What did you study?

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you! I studied Fine Art. :)

[@elhombre1233]

I'm sure you've watched and listened to Lynch's subsequent statement that the OJ Simpson death phenomenon was a constant in his consciousness at the time of writing. Reminds me of his comment about the inspiration of 'Wild At Heart': the (palpable) mood at the turn of the decade that the world was getting faster. wilder, weirder. In retrospect, it's the languid style and sense of place in the Lynch episodes of 'Twin Peaks' which seem incongruous.

[@cineslush2448]

This is so good! Makes me want to watch this movie. -Carly

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much! I certainly recommend the film. :)

[@MiacDaled]

Thank you Carly

[@davidagiel8130]

The key to understanding Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive is understanding Lacan's object of desire, fantasy and cinema and psychoanalysis. Fred didnt just create Pete as a fantasy after killing his wife, Pete was always there. The Mystery Man is Fred's super-ego, that's why they video tapes and video recorder, because the super-ego is an observing force. The tapes are reality, Pete is Fred's fantasy self. Fred invited the mystery man in the mirror stage scene at his house. The pount is to show once you get what you desire you dont want it and our reality is underpinned by our fantasies.

[@anastasialysogorova364]

This analysis was great! Keep it up!!!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you!

[@kaitlynatown]

Great work!

[@LNS103]

Very nice! What's the track that plays in the end?

[@amyhogarten5038]

This has to be one of the best reviews of a David Lynch film that I have ever watched. Spectacular!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you! :D

[@GregLTravis]

Good Job Grace Lee. The Tailgate driver.

[@thybowllingman2752]

Great job

[@ahmesceanga6382]

This was very good.

[@alicenestpasmonprenom5784]

Fantastic!

[@bernardoevo]

Thanks I loved this

[@rodrigocaro8694]

So little views, WTF? Awesome video

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you!

[@AugustRx]

is it just me or did there use to be non-essays before this?

[@jjpme92un]

Is there anyone else asides from Lynch who is doing this with their media? It creates a labyrinth of thought...

[@jtlemay4878]

Cool. Great film

[@stein-arnewith9154]

I normally don't comment on here, actually this is my first comment ever on KZbin, but as you are using not just one, but two of my absolute favorite films in your segment, I had to break my silence. And as you within the first 30 seconds make a statement that is actually a bit wrong, there is another reason to comment. At the start of this video essay you say that the main character, Fred, is "transformed into someone else" after having been arrested for the murder of his wife, a statement that is supported by other things you say later in the video. Yes, at first glance that is what happens, visually, on the surface, but as David Lynch himself have actually revealed in several interviews; that is not the only thing going on there, and actually a bit of a superficial way of looking at this film. Look into what is called PSYCHOGENIC FUGUE, and you will have a better answer and understanding of what is going on here, also when it comes to the video tapes, as the "explanation of the tapes", something you say is absent in the film, is actually quite easy to see and understand when having some knowledge about this exact dissociative disorder. Sorry if my comment seem condescending in any way, as it is not in any way meant to be. That is one of the risks with comments like this. Just feels that everyone watching this should to be able to view the film on ALL the different levels that it can be viewed. Apart from that you have some really good points on the use of imagery. Have a nice day :)

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much for your comment! Especially as you've never commented before. I am aware of Psychogenic Fugue and as this is a common interpretation of the film I deliberately didn't bring it up here. I wanted to say something that I felt hadn't been explored much, at least to my knowledge, and I wanted to keep the video concise so I didn't delve too much into other theories. It's more an analysis of the video image and truth than a comprehensive theory on Lost Highway. Sorry if this was misleading in anyway. It's really hard to know what to include and I'll certainly consider highlighting other interpretations in future videos. :D

[@BLINDTUBEMARES]

I think all three men are the same person. Young, middle aged and old

[@hamida185]

They are all Fred. his ego, Super ego and Id.

[@acer2310]

Everyone referencing JB gets my thumbs up.

[@Randonb2]

This is awesome! great work! The graphics & text look very professional. I really dig it

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thank you very much!

[@Jamesyboii]

I remember watching the scene at 0:32 at 2:00am and I shat a brick because I thought there was a face in the window

[@AzazelZaphorOmega]

My theory (an interpretation I've never seen conveyed anywhere): The story is extremely nonlinear. It starts in the "dream." Fred isn't real. In fact, the "beginning" of the narrative within the movie (the story's point of origin as opposed to when the film opens) is when the film's protagonist, Pete goes off with his friends at night. Then, we get the auto shop, Mr. Edd/Dick Laurent (and his crazed shenanigans) and the meeting of Alice. The random incident everyone keeps referring to with Pete is incidental to what's going on, just like his distaste for jazz. The jazz thing is a matter of personal taste. The other stuff (as evidenced by Pete's behavior) iss just one event along a succession of rebellious, self-destructive behavior. Plus, Pete is demonstrated to be a sex accident/adrenaline junkie as well. He tries to have fun and get into the good life, but falls short by getting on Mr. Eddy's/Dick Laurent's bad side due to Alice's manipulationns. She is a liar, user, and traitor who gets what she wants out of Pete before letting him know he can't have her and simply walks away. I believe she goes up to the cabin and it explodes (perhaps it was already rigged as some sort of contengicy behind the scenes in a criminal under world sort of way). Point being, Alice is gone and Pete is left to deal with his broken life - ex girlfriend, various crimes committed, etc. Then, the start of the film happens. It's ideal enough at first, with Pete's, as Fred, existence being based on "the high life" he wanted and even being married to Alice as Renee. He even gets the news that Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent is dead. Afterwards, the chase happens, but not all the way to the desert (more on this in a second). But, Pete, now as Fred, is forced to play a genre of music he hates, plus he's unable to satisfy Renee/Alice. Here, Pete is being punished - especially cruel is how he's stripped of his sexuality seeing how important it is in his real life. The Mystery Man and the videotapes are reality seeping through. Whereas the Mystery Man had been a mere treating voice in the phone, here he's manifest an ethereal demon. Funny, both formal introduction involve phones- only in Fred's world (Pete's dream) he has all kinds of crazed powers. The initial "we've met before" could've just been more about being a hit man kind of threat. Especially all that jazz about the Far East. Thus, everything else plays out. Interesting that all the stuff surrounding Alice/Renee + Andy is alot less explicit/more vague, an indication of Pete's suppression of all the nastiness he endured as a result of Alice's sneakiness. And so, reality comes crashing in and the fantasy goes into full collapse - as is often the case in Lynch's films. Then Fred is sentenced and taken to prison. It's not literal and acts as more as kind of purgatory. Sitting in his cell, Pete has the vision in the corridor and the "twin Alice's" (the start of reconciliation between his reality and his dream), the blue lightning starts, then Pete finally gets a vision of his fantasy to kill Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent as Fred, since he still is acting as Fred and due the fact that this persona is played out to do things Pete couldn't in life. The crime scene at Andys house happens around here too as part of the fantasy (remember it's a teetering balance between wish fulfillment and becoming a nightmare due to reality's invasion. Then, the final part of the chase scene happens intercut with Fred turning back into Pete. Pete, now transformed by the experience and getting an emotional/psychological release through his violent fantasies, is freed to leave. He goes home and lounges in his back yard (think Kyle McLachlan at the end of Blue Velvet). Here, Pete us no longer hungry for these crazed adventureshe sacrificed so much for. Instead, he's perfectly content with what he has and where he's at. The final shot is of the backyard with little kid pool, it lingers there for awhile and then cuts to black. -the shot I'm describing appears just like this, only much earlier when we first meet Pete. In essence, him exiting that cell, going home, and the backyard scene are the end of the movie's story. I think LH is ultimately a story of redemption that was twisted and distorted by the magic of Lynch's movie surrealism in such to make it unrecognizable to disguise it's true nature. Plus, the fun of surrealism, dreams, fan theories and all that jazz.

[@David-nd4to]

One of the few lynch films that make sense

[@archibaldocruz4561]

We believe that fred killed his wife because he was sentenced to death and sent to prison.

[@LlamaOccident]

Neat neat neat

[@supermovietimebros6770]

Great job! Check out our lost highway review.

[@Johnconno]

Cue Robert Blake...

[@sebastiandario5866]

BORGES!!

[@fredgarvinMP]

Lost Highway is about Oliver Stone. Enjoyed your take on it.

[@Kodaemon]

Waaaay beside the point of the video, but: the word "actor" used for Patricia Arquette. Why not "actress?" You see, I've been honestly, genuinely confused about the issue. I understand that this is some sort of feminist issue, but over here in Poland, we've had the exact opposite thing happening, with a female minister preferring to be called, pretty much, a "ministress" for similar reasons, even though the word "ministra" was never historically used, which has led to much ridicule. I confess that I am guilty of this myself, even though I consider myself rather progressive and get called an SJW a lot, which I tend to embrace ;)

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

That's an interesting question, but it's really just that I've always used the term actor to refer to both male and female performers. Not many professions differ between genders in English so I guess I never bothered making an exception here. It could be considered a feminist move but it also reinforces that male/masculine=default so it's a bit of a grey area either way (but since the masculine names most likely came first, this does make sense). I can also see why a female minister might want to draw attention to her gender in such a historically male-dominate field. I don't know if it's a British thing but I think it's actually more common to use 'actor' for both genders here. But maybe it's just me, haha.

[@Kodaemon]

Thank you for the answer!

[@bg365247]

Great analysis! Thanks!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

Thanks!