CRITERION COLL: MULHOLLAND DR

Remastered in 4K and supervised by David Lynch this is a beautiful transfer to bluray by Criterion, colours are stunning as is the audio. In short, this is easily the best upgrade from DVD that I've encountered. If you are a fan of the puzzle that is Mulholland Drive this release is definitely the one to invest in. Give away your other iterations of it and buy this now.

The film is a masterpiece, however this review is really about Criterion. Criterion have brought out some of the very finest quality prints of certain titles. Mulholland Drive is a fine example of this along with Stalker ( far superior to the dreadful Curzon release) , Eraserhead, Mcabe and Mrs Miller, The Man who fell to Earth and no doubt their soon to be released Lone wolf and cub box set is a vast improvement on the lifeless editions presently available, to name but a few. What is deeply infuriating is that Criterion have only released a handful of titles in the UK, ( I understand it has a lot to do with film rights ) I check every time only to be disappointed. Don't get me wrong there are some great Criterion titles available to UK audiences but few genre or alternative titles. Films that have a real rewatchability factor. I love what Criterion represent but please can we have some juicy genre film releases.

David Lynch is one of my favourite directors and this is one of his greatest films. I brought a multi region blue ray player, so I could get the Criterion version and what a brilliant transfer.

After reading some of these reviews, I think I need to pipe up here. First, my own affection for this film goes back to the release date, when I tried to see it in the theater. I had been a Lynch fan since ERASERHEAD. When MULHOLLAND DRIVE came to the local theater, interest in it was so low, the theater simply stopped screening it, right in the middle of the week, on the day I had set aside to see it. This made the DVD release all the more exciting for me, and I went straight from work that Tuesday and picked up a copy. Within the following three weeks, I watched it -- no exaggeration -- at least ten times. I was like a psychedelic Johnny Appleseed as I toted it around to other film aficionados I knew, sharing it like it was some sort of cinematic gospel. It was hypnotic and puzzling and at times funny, always firing on multiple levels. Unlike some people, I do not even bother trying to figure it out. My final conclusion is that Diane killed herself (or maybe The Cowboy killed her, but I'm pretty sure it was suicide). When I saw this was to be released as a Criterion Edition, I didn't hesitate and preordered it. I watched it the day it came. To make this clear, there is a distinct difference between the DVD and this BD. I noticed things I never noticed before. For one, the hitman had one brown eye and one blue eye. I had seen this movie at least twenty times and never saw that before. It hopped out at me this time. Another scene involved the hitman, when he was talking to the hooker, asking if she had seen any new girls on the street. That woman's arm was full of bruises, suggesting that someone had been roughing her up. This time out, on this BD, it popped, and I saw this character in an entirely new light, as a pathetic piece of human detritus. And the scenes from the road, looking down at the cityscape, the view was sparkling with clarity while preserving the texture of the film. The colors popped everywhere. I can state unequivocally that there is a big difference between this edition and the previous DVD release. Which brings me to another aspect of the BD. Yes, there is some mild grain present, as it's supposed to be. This is what I like about the Criterion Collection, that they aim to preserve the textures of the film. Film has grain, period. I suppose applying DNR to some big action flick won't matter much, if cinematography is not an essential element to it. But in a film like this, this desire to alter the video quality by smoothing it out and -- and this is very harmful -- sharpening it, is misplaced. To preserve the cinematic experience of the filmmaker's intent, the grain has to be visible. This is the natural texture of the image. And you don't want it sharpened, because once sharpening is applied, the grain is going to be exaggerated, as it'll be sharpened, too. This is often obvious in night scenes, when a faster film -- which is grainier -- was used, and once sharpening is applied, the grain takes on a fine snow-like quality. You do NOT want this. That said, Mulholland Dr. Criterion Edition preserves all of the natural qualities, and restores the film to its original state, as close as you can get to the original cinematic experience. When I say "restores," I am referring also to the digital blurring of the pubic area in that famously discussed scene of brief, full-frontal nudity. To anyone interested in this for prurient reasons, withhold your excitement: the scene was so tastefully done, you have to wonder why Lynch ever resorted to the awful modification to begin with. As much as I have nothing but praise for this edition, there are two disappointments. The first is that there was no audio commentary. I love that feature on videos, and I was so looking forward to hearing Lynch's scene-by-scene analysis. The other disappointment is that Lynch stuck to his guns and refused the insertion of the scene-selection feature. But that's something I can live with, easily, as it only mildly annoyed me to begin with. This isn't even remotely something I would complain about. There are, however, some nice supplemental features. There's a new interview with David Lynch and Naomi Watts, lasting about 27 minutes; a second collection of interviews includes the other primary cast members Laura Harring and Justin Theroux, along with casting director Johanna Ray, which lasts about 36 minutes; there's an interview with Angelo Badalmenti, who performed the filmscore (that was very interesting, listening to him describe that process and the relationship he's had with Lynch through the years), about 20 minutes; and interviews with the production designer Jack Fisk and Director of Photography Peter Deming, about 22 minutes. All of these interviews were recorded specifically for this Criterion edition, and all of them provided interesting insight into how an artist works, and the dedication such people have, despite having few rewards at the start of their careers. For instance, Fisk revealed that it took Lynch five years to complete ERASERHEAD. Clearly Lynch had a vision he was dedicated to. Another extra is a deleted scene in the police station, with the two policemen we'd met at the crash site. Then there's some on-set footage that again shows Lynch and his crew and actors at work, about 25 minutes long. This was all great stuff to a Lynch enthusiast, and a fan of this film in particular. Concluding the extra features is the trailer for the film. In short, if you liked this film, this is definitely an improvement over the previous edition. I'm thrilled to add it to my library. Criterion knows how to do this right. They make videos for film buffs. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The extras with David Lynch and Naomi Watts give you a much greater insight into this fascinating and complex film. There is also a very detailed booklet about the film.

Criterion faz um trabalho impecável na restauração e na remasterização de filmes, além da arte das capas serem lindíssimas. O maior ponto negativo é o fato de não ter legenda, pra quem não fala inglês é bem limitante, mas de resto é tudo perfeito.

Excelente película y llegó bien.

Although it tends toward indulgent and purposefully cryptic, one must absorb the entire narrative to be rewarded with the 'truth'.