Mulholland Drive (Lynch 2001)

Film Reviews | Regular Feature own viewpoint. Indeed, this is in contrast to the book's characters , who are more interested in their stance as outsiders than in the specific nature of their criticisms. An even greater change comes with the creation of Seymour, a middle-aged man with whom Enid strikes up a relationship. Seymour, played by Steve Buscemi in what may well be his finest work yet, is, in fact, an amalgam of several characters in the book, and as a result a far more meaningful character. He bears some similarities to Zwigoff, in terms ofhis attitude, his obsession with old records, and his general lack of social grace, such that Clowes has in fact admitted that "he's actually a weird conflation ofme and Terry" (Silvie 77). Seymour plays well in contrast to Enid and Rebecca in that he is a social outsider not by choice but simply because he has trouble dealing with the modern world. When he begins a relatively normal romantic relationship, Enid sees this as betrayal of the outsider world they share. The very presence of Seymour, then, contributes a kind of narrative movement that is notin the book, making the film less meandering and more tightly structured (if still looser than the average Hollywood movie). Whereas the changes from From Hell ultimately harm the film version, however, Ghost World successfully translates. The changes from the book do not undermine the ultimate feel of it, and it captures the malaise felt by a large segment ofAmerican youth. Moreover, with the presence of Seymour, it extends this sensation to a larger breadth of individuals. Much of the credit for this success must go to the actors, but accolades should also be directed to the very look of the film. Visually, the film is unswervingly direct, with Zwigoffand cinematographerAffonso Beatto opting for a generally stationary camera and harsh lighting , which is not only reminiscent of Clowes' illustrative style, but also Zwigoff's cinematic style as manifested in Crumb. Whatever the individual virtues of these two films might be, they seem to signal a significant change with the way the world of cinema considers the comics. Perhaps this is partly driven by the fact that many filmmakers are now of a generation that did not necessarily see comics as a disposable product. Certainly, as in the case ofworks like From Hell and Ghost World, the very quality of some comics has altered their reception. In any case, 2001 was a good year for the comics-based movie, and it will certainly be interesting to see where the genre goes from here. In fact, even the mainstream of comics seems to be garnering a lot more respect than in the past, and adventurous directors like Ang Lee and Darren Aronofsky are being recruited for Incredible Hulk and Batman films (the latter with famed comics writer Frank Miller working on the script.) In short, the cohistory of film and comics may indeed date from the infancy of both media, but the past year has strongly suggested that this symbiotic relationship is only now coming of age. Works Cited Clowes, Daniel. Ghost World. Seattle: Fantagraphics. 1998. Dean, Michael. From Hell to Josie and the Pussycats: Comics Project a New Image." The Comics Journal 240 (Jan. 2002): 38-40. McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperPerennial, 1993. Moore, Alan andEddie Campbell. FromHell. Paddington, Australia: Eddie Campbell Comics, 1999. Morrow, James and Murray Suid. MoviemakingIllustrated: The Comicbook Filmbook. Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden, 1973. Shale, Richard. "Film and the Graphic Arts." Film and theArts in Symbiosis : A Resource Guide. Ed. Gary R. Edgerton. New York: Greenwood , 1988. 65-96. Sivie, Matt. "The Velvet Gloves Are Off: A Boring Interview With Ghost World's Dan Clowes." The Comics Journal 233 (May 2001): 52-77. Marc Oxoby University of Nevada, Reno oxoby@aol.com Mulholland Drive (Lynch 2001) The history of American film could not properly be told without describing the work of David Lynch. His often strange and convoluted glimpses into the darker side of American culture have always been fascinating cinematic events, ifnot attimes completely incomprehensible. Perhaps fittingly, almost all of Lynch's films have played with the contrived historical...