A Color Can Have Multiple Meanings

My first reaction to Mulholland Drive was most likely similar to most of my classmates: “What the heck did I just watch???”. Despite this reaction I couldn’t help but become intrigued by the mise-en-scene (meaning everything on screen was put there for a reason). From the the blue key to the old hag, these motifs all play a role in this bizarre film. The motifs that intrigued me the most wasn’t necessarily a repeating object. It was actually the repeating colors blue and red that made me invested of finding the mystery behind this film.

I’ve actually written about colors in films before in my speech and debate club; ironically about the same colors. First, let’s concentrate on the color blue. This color is portrayed as very dark and dreamlike. Many scenes and objects are saturated with the color blue. Objects include: the key, the box, the club Silencio, and the women shown in the last shot from Silencio with the blue hair. The color blue throughout the film symbolizes the dream Diana is in; both the dream she experiences in the first half of the film and her dreams for the future. For instance, the blue key in the real world’s literal meaning is to show when the hit man has killed Camilla; it is also conveying the key to Diana’s future without her – the dream of starting over. Another scene in Silencio both Rita and and Betty are saturated in a blue light. This is a visual cue to the audience that Diana has reached the deepest part of the dream world. The color is also a visual transition from the dream world to reality. This is seen when Rita opens the blue box taking us to Diana’s room in reality. Blue represents is depicted as dreamlike to symbolize Diana’s dreams and the transitions from a dream to reality.

When picturing the color red, the first image that comes to my mind is fire, passion, love, and countless other hot objects. This is very similar to how the color was utilized in the film. The color red symbolizes both passion and danger. At first thought, both of these are very different; however, they are one in the same. The passion Betty has for Rita leads her on a life threatening journey; this applies also to the passion Diana feels for Camilla in reality. This can be seen visually in the outfits and make-up Rita wears. When Betty first encounters Rita she wears red lipstick and a red towel that Betty lets her use. To include the bed where they share their first kiss is also a deep red. These both convey the passion Betty/Diana feel for Rita/Camilla. The red lipstick also signifies danger. Rita is a dangerous character that leads Betty on a life threatening mystery. Lastly, the main object that signifies danger to the audience is the red lampshade. Whenever the audience sees this object, it implicates an uncomfortable feeling and is always shown when something dangerous is about to occur. The intense dark red signifies a passion shared between the protagonists’ and signifies danger to the audience.

Both colors work together throughout the film to create a dreamlike and dangerous place that Diana dreams about. They both convey that one’s mind has the capacity to make up a dangerous place.