Differences between Script and Film

From Lost Highway

Revision as of 12:52, 2 June 2007

The Lost Highway screenplay is available in two forms:

• Paperback: Lynch, David and Barry Gifford, Lost Highway, Faber and Faber (1997) (ISBN 0571191509). The book also includes a 15 page interview of David Lynch by Chris Rodley.

• Online: The Lost Highway script is available online at the Internet Script Movie Database (IMSDb).
  
  

Differences

Differences between the script and film may be deleted scenes, whether they were filmed or not, deleted or altered lines of dialogue, or scenes that appear in both the script and film but at different points in the story.

Fred's female fans

Previous scene: Fred's sax performance at the "Luna Lounge"
Subsequent scene: Fred's phone call home

The script includes the following brief scene:

INT. LUNA LOUNGE - LATER After the band quits to take a break, female fans come on to Fred, but he moves away, refusing their attentions.

Shooting status: unknown

Interpretations: Fred's sexual desires focus solely on Renee, and his suspicions about Renee's honesty and faithfulness outweigh any satisfaction he would receive from other women.

Renee's book reading

Previous scene: Fred and Renee watch the first videotape
Subsequent scene: Fred and Renee have sex

The script includes the following confrontation between Fred and Renee:

INT. THE MADISON HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY Renee is seated at the dining room table - coffee cup and grapefruit in front of her. She is wearing glasses, reading a book. Fred enters, and sees Renee, who does not look up or acknowledge him. Fred goes into the kitchen, which is just off the dining room. He comes back into the dining room with a cup of coffee, and sits down with it opposite Renee. He lights up a cigarette, sips his coffee, and looks at her. FRED Good book, huh? RENEE (she looks up) Huh?... oh, yeah, it is. FRED Same one you were reading the other night? RENEE What night? FRED When you didn't come to the club. RENEE Oh. Oh, yeah. No. This is a different one. FRED I called, you know. RENEE Called? When? FRED From the club. You didn't answer. RENEE I must have fallen asleep. I was asleep when you got home, wasn't I? FRED You were asleep when I got home, yes. Renee goes back to her book. Fred sips his coffee and smokes. RENEE (without looking up) I told you you could wake me up if you wanted to. Renee looks up at him now, takes off her glasses, and stares at him. CLOSE UP: Fred's face - a disturbed expression. Renee seems about to say something more, but stops, puts her glasses back on and resumes reading.

Shooting status: unknown

Interpretations: This scene further expresses Fred's suspicions about Renee.

Ed and Al consider the camera angle

Previous scene: Ed and Al watch the second videotape with Fred and Renee
Subsequent scene: Ed and Al talk with Fred and Renee in the bedroom

The script includes the following dialogue:

INT. THE MADISON HOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY All four of them go to the hallway, where Ed and Al look around, especially up toward the ceiling. AL Very strange. RENEE What is? AL The angle. The high angle shot on the tape. ED How'd the camera get so high like that? AL And smooth... Almost no movement - back and forth, I mean. ED Like you'd get if it was hand held. AL Right ... This just glided along.

Shooting status: unknown

Interpretations: Given the remainder of the film, this dialogue seems to suggest that the source of the videotapes cannot be human, for a person would be incapable of videotaping at that angle and without lateral movement.

Renee exits the "Luna Lounge"

In the film, the scene where Renee leaves the "Luna Lounge" with Andy is presented as a flashback Fred has as he waits in bed for Renee before they have sex. In the script, this scene is presented as a second sax performance, which is set immediately after the scene where Ed and Al leave Fred and Renee's house. The script reads as follows:

INT. LUNA LOUNGE - NIGHT Fred is on the bandstand, sweating, and honking his saxophone. He handles the horn roughly, braying like a beast as the crowd gathered in front of the stage gyrates as one swept away in the madness of the moment. CUT TO: INT. LUNA LOUNGE - SAME At the back, near the side door, Renee can be seen with two men, only one of whose faces we see. The trio are going out the side door led by one of the men; we see only the back of his head. Renee glances briefly at the bandstand before she exits with the two men. CUT TO: INT. LUNA LOUNGE - BANDSTAND - SAME CLOSE UP: Fred as he plays, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. His eyes open and shut as he clamps down on the horn. CUT TO: INT. LUNA LOUNGE - SAME In the back of the club, the side door slowly closes. FADE OUT

Shooting status: filmed and edited into previous scene

Interpretations: The script suggests that Fred takes no notice of Renee's exit with Andy (when Andy is first introduced in the script by name, he is described as "the man whose face we saw at the "Luna Lounge" with Renee"), but when the scene is edited as Fred's flashback, his awareness of Renee's exit is emphasized.