This has got to be one of my favorite scenes in any movie. I think part of what makes it so good is that there is nothing physically about the cowboy at all to make him intimidating. His clothes are ridiculous, he's small, and his voice is not that deep. And still, based on dialogue alone, he is totally intimidating. That is awesome writing!
David Lynch and I grew up in a generation that revered the Cowboy -- a powerful icon of strength, justice, responsibility and human dignity. This particular Cowboy wears the traditional good-guy white hat. But it's a little too big for him. The Cowboy icon has lost its authority since the 1950s and now seems a bit corny. Adam weakly mocks the Cowboy and must be put in his place. A corral is where cowboys break high-spirited horses and tame them to the reality of their situation as team-players, not stars. Adam must understand his role as a director is just one part of the process. The director must heed the producer's will. And the market's demands. And a lot of other components. The Cowboy expects Adam to understand his role and "do right." When he turns away from Adam and walks into the dark, the set of the Cowboy's shoulders tells us that he is a force to respect, not mock.
Nicely said! I always appreciate thought-provoking comments and they’ve become few and far between since this damn pandemic started. This isn’t the first time Lynch has used “non-actors” in his films. He’s done this a few times, but I’d rather continue commenting vs breaking off and researching exactly which films. There’s a pattern, as he chooses to do this when he wishes to dispense with the drama and present a character who’s dialogue IS the drama, if that makes sense? I wouldn’t be surprised if this entire Cowboy scene was spontaneously developed by Lynch on the fly while shooting on location? Did anyone else notice the Cowboy lacked eyebrows? That’s another trick Lynch used regularly to develop that “uncanny valley” look of characters. Casual viewers might not remember that the Cowboy character was missing eyebrows, it simply contributes to that uncomfortable vibe Lynch is so masterful at portraying. More Lynchisms I noticed were the sound and “rumble”, as well as the light bulb making a total racket by simply illuminating the scene, and the use of ice cold lighting, at night no less. I think Lynch completely impressed me with how he conveys FEAR. We’re not sure why this scene feels so disturbing, but it does. That isn’t by chance! It may have taken hours to get that dialog perfect for David Lynch? If I ever got the chance to ask David Lynch a question, I’d ask him how he approaches conveying fear, or even something he wants to appear scary? Does he know what he wants before cameras roll, or will he “know it when he sees it”? I’ve been “jumped scared” by Lynch so many times I’ve lost count! Even films like “Mulholland Drive”, that take place in the suburbs of California, include some terrifying shots! I won’t spoil them for anyone, but they are viscerally terrifying! Lynch is one of the very few directors that has scared the hell outta me completely by surprise in multiple films.
Walks out of nowhere into that Corral in the middle of the night wearing that ridiculous Cowboy outfit and says..."howdy" ....... the most ridiculous pretentious scene setup you could think ..... But in Lynch's hands it's pure transcendent cinematic Magic.
I love the tension in this scene. The way the cowboy talks to the director reminds me of the tone a teacher takes when trying to deal with a troublesome student. The cowboy's eyes are almost completely black and his questions seem to see right through the director. Also, the cowboy's calm makes this scene eerie...
@@SiddharthSinghFiery69 Wtf how would you even find MY comment? I didnt type wtf bc of the comment itself but bc of a weird thing going on. It had something to do with comments getting mixed up between related videos, like some technical issue. Yea and a boatload of "comments" with no text at all. I've never seen it before and it seems normal again now. It was actually a perfect addition to the subtle eerie vibe when watching content like that on 5 am.
its his confidence. he talks with a demanding calm. makes you think "what is this guy capable of, or who is he connected to? and not ONCE does he take his eyes and concentration off Kesher (Theroux).
+Ryan Eakin "9. LAFAYETTE MONTGOMERY, THE FIRST COWBOY, WAS THE CO-PRODUCER OF WILD AT HEART AND TWIN PEAKS. "Strangely, in the other projects, Montgomery is credited as “Monty” whereas he’s “Lafayette Montgomery” in the Mulholland Drive credits. A cowboy shows up again at the later party scene, but it is not Montgomery.""
"Audition many drivers for the buggy. When you see the driver riding along with me today, you will say "THIS IS THE DRIVER". The rest of the smart alecs can stay. That's up to you. The driver, however, is not up to you. If you do good, I will bug you one more time..."
I personally prefer the scene where Betty and Rita visit club silencio or the creepy homeless guy behind winkie’s, but this is a pretty amazing scene too and I cannot knock you for a stellar pick
After the cowboy tells the director, Alan "stop for a litle second and think about it - can you do that for me?" Alan snickers and then suppresses his laugh. When the camera cuts back to the Cowboy, you can see the actor almost lose it and start cracking up - but he catches himself and finishes the scene. Great stuff!
I think you are imagining mental states inside the cowboy’s head that aren’t there. The actor did not suppress anything. His subtle smug expression was part of the act.
Every thing the Cowboy says sounds like there's some hidden pretext to it lol He's such a simple character but he really makes the most of his screentime.
It's not up to the director, it's up to the executives who put the money. And that's it. Accept it and you will ride the buggy and have a good life. Oppose to it and you will fall.
@@Mezcaline24 This isnt something you can actually oppose or go along with. You can make a case that these people you think are great should be in the movie and thats it.. These type of decisions are absolutely known who is deciding. And when you say the executive producers.. its really called "THE STUDIO" decides who is the star. They decide everything. THE STUDIO are the CEO and board of directors who run the studio! OF course they decide because they have shareholders to answer to and not very many people want to put up 50 million - 250 million of their own money to make a FEATURE FILM!!!
@@Mezcaline24 That's one way, yes. This scene though, IMHO, is saying there's yet another way - it's "fate". Ultimately, according to this scene, no one "really" chooses who becomes a movie star, it's all down to mystery and luck. Fate - which is what I believe The Cowboy is, the human personification of Fate.
I love this idea (potentially) of a character who was fabricated out of a glimpse of someone. He doesn’t even quite understand his own existence because he was literally hastily sketched out of cliches.
I do kind of wonder what he was doing at keshers party. Since keshers party mostly consisted of film people it makes sense she would associate the cowboy with that and dream of him being some underworld fixer for Hollywood execs. I love it
A memorable scene from a film rich in memorable scenes. The unassuming, ridiculously dressed cowboy holds the smart movie director in his hand. He is polite, but his speech has absolutely no emotion to it and the sentences vaguely seem to present some philosophical statement, which makes them all the more threatening. How Lynch manages to create this tense, uncomfortable feeling, with such bare-bone material, this is beyond me.
In a movie full of amazing scenes, this one stands out. It also make me think more of Lost Highway as a prototype for this movie. Compare this scene with the first Mystery Man scene and there are a lot of similarities.
But sometimes, there's a buggy. And I'm talkin' about the Cowboy here. Sometimes, there's an aleck, well, he's the girl for his time and place. He fits right in there.
i always liked this scene - i think the cowboy's eyebrows are shaved off. it was a good effect. Very similar to the Mystery Man in Lost Highway - his eyebrows were shaved off too. It might be a lynch trademark but I can't think of other examples
he uses it here and there in many of his productions --- eyebrows are a major signifier to other humans of intent and feeling, without them we're left feeling uneasy.
The way the Cowboy appears and disappears is so ghostlike and nightmarish. Same way the Mystery Man in LH suddenly emerges at the party, seemingly out of thin air.
i always thought that in these scene Lynch is representing himself as the young director and the cowboy as the powerful people in the movie industry.. It is quite possible that this scene has really happened in Lynch's director career and influential people tried to make him do what they want
One of my all time favorite scenes. It reminds me strongly of Grady's confrontation with Jack Torrance in the Overlook men's room. But it's also stronger in its ambiguity. E.g., the more I watch it the more I'm convinced that the Cowboy isn't threatening Adam with "see me twice." He's just conveying information, which Adam may infer to be a threat, but it isn't necessarily. Then, of course, we, the audience, see the Cowboy twice, & so realize Adam didn't do good. He gave in. Sort of the way Lynch did when he made Dune--his only commercial & critical flop prior to MH. Adam, having seen the Cowboy only once, thinks he did well, however, by saying "this is the girl." I honestly, wonder, too, if the Cowboy himself isn't a bit ambivalent. His instructions to Adam are unambiguous, sure. But can we be certain that by "doing good" he means Adam to give in to the money guys? Although he faithfully delivers the instructions, isn't it possible that the Cowboy wants Adam to opt for independence, not say "this is the girl" & thus will have done good? Just a thought….
Uh, didn't he see him only once after this scene at the gathering/party? When else did he see him after this scene?? It's pretty clear the cowboy is telling him, it's my way or the highway, get on our side and enjoy the ride or else.
I don't see the Cowboy as a hired gun. He's the highest power. Ride with the devil if you want "the good life" - an ironic or understated way of saying the Hollywood dream, or perhaps the American dream.
the most commonly known reference to the cowboy's thought is in the Bible from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he". on which many essays, sermons, books, and this movie are somewhat based. This is a basic dichotomy from what much else in the Bible says, which is that "By a man's acts, you shall know him," e.g., thoughts and statements can be deceptive.
Nice! I knew something Biblical was lurking there. The Cowboy is a powerful icon of strength, independence, and pragmatic wisdom. I might have guessed Proverbs. Thanks for identifying the source.
This is perhaps as close as you get to a Pure Lynchian Twilight that is so impenetrable by the conscious mind....... that it exists only somewhere between a dream and a nightmare.
I love this part ! I don't know why! I'm crazy about it! I memorized every single dialog in this part!! and I love that cowboy!!!! really something! Ohhhh Fuuuck!
Casting for The Cowboy must've been interesting, because they found a guy who's interesting to look at, has an interesting voice, and commands attention while being soft spoken and seemingly harmless... "Two more times if you do bad." So ominous, what happens if I do bad? It's very unnerving.
Or Harry Lime's (Orson Welles') sudden appearance when a light illuminates him in a dark, postwar Vienna street ("The Third Man"). The Cohen Brothers do another "sudden appearance" masterstroke when slick operator Bernie Birnbaum is revealed to viewers to be seated in Tom's living room (Tom already knows he's there.)
Just watched this movie. I...I didn't understand much, but I've learned that that is common. The only thing I really got was Diane was dreaming for 2 hours of the film. The blue box, the cowboy, disjointed storyline, Winkie's dream, all went over my head. I assume this film requires multiple viewings and extensive research. Good god.
The Cowboy symbolizes the First organized crime faction in America, The Cowboys in fact we’re the first example of organized crime in America. The Corral symbolizes the OK Corral, and the most famous gunfight in the American Old West, between the Cowboys and the Law a law that was just as corrupt as they were. You can keep the rest of the cast but the girl you saw earlier today That’s The Girl, I’m driving the buggy and you might get to ride along, a typical mob extortion threat. Jason represents the newer factions of the mob. You can do anything you want but Thats The Girl. Oh that light flickering on symbolized the beginning of electric power coming to California from the Colorado River and Bolder Dam. Lights Camera, Action, in sequence of the scene. What group of people are the eastern mob still afraid of, The Cowboys, because they can’t intimidate them, they found that out first in Las Vegas and Hollywood in the old days. Remember the scene in Casino when the Cowboy came to meet with that arrogant stubborn Ace, that meeting brought him down. Few Directors are doing anything totally new, they barrow ideas and are inspired by other pictures.
I think people read too much into Lynch films. He's just an odd guy who makes weird movies to entertain us. He's even admitted there's no deeper meaning to his movies. That being said, I do like your analysis.
Perfectly put. I think that that film is also Lynch's best to potray love in a healthy way, as Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks showed us love in a sick and twisted way. Wild at Heart is also a good potrayal of love.
I thought about it. Basically when the cowboy says that he must not care about the good life, he's calling his attitude poor. Since the director already agreed that attitude is significant to how your life is. Actually went over my head the first time I watched it
The cawboy represents the wise part of the subconscious, the part that we all should listen. In the american culture is cawboy with natural inteligence, and with the experience that live gives you. Other times can be an old woman. You can see him/her (in your dreams). It's the voice of the experience.
The Cowboy ain't any devil...... He resembles the warning signal of the invisible/unknown Force/choice of the universe.. But this man, Adam tries to double-cross the choice of the unknown forces of the universe and tries to be a smart aleck, tries controlling things that are beyond a human's control. There are things that can't be controlled by humans. It is then best to let the invisible cosmic forces do your things without trying to be a smart aleck ( which most people tend to be )
Too 10 all time movie scene for me. Right up there with the Jack Rabbit Slim’s scene from Pulp Fiction, the Goodfellas restaurant scene, and the first coin toss scene from No Country For Old Men, among a few others.
The cliche cowboy and cliche gangsters earlier, the cliche of the perfect iconic actress...I interpreted that much as being a commentary on how two dimensional Hollywood can appear from the outside.
He is just a figure you would never expect to meet...He's Cowboy (country man, peasant, villager etc...)and the Cowboy is talking to a rich, important, powerful man from Hollywood,..He's warning him, giving him orders...isn't that creepy?
I think this is meant to be what Betty/Diane imagines happened behind the scenes to ruin her acting career and relationship. Kind of funny to think of this at Betty's idea of strong-arm tactics.
I've always thought that The Cowboy represents God, which makes his conversation about "the good life" make sense and is consistent with him saying to Diane "Hey pretty girl, time to wake up" after she commits suicide. I've never heard anyone else interpret it this way, so maybe I'm wrong. I guess David Lynch is the only person who really knows for sure.
If The Cowboy is God, the monster behind the Winkies represents Satan ("He's the one who's doing it") and the laughing old people are demons. To push things even further the two gangster-like characters with the impossibly high espresso standard are angels bringing a message from God (The Cowboy). I think this is a pretty reasonable explanation of what might be happening in this incredibly mysterious film.
