Fans of David Lynch have two reasons to rejoice about this DVD: 1. it's the first time Lost Highway has seen release on DVD and 2. It has chapter stops.
Both of these coups can probably be attributed to the good people at Focus Features who released this as part of their Spolight Series. They have the rights to the film and I'm sure have been hearing a great deal of noise from the legions of Lynch fans out there who have been looking to fill that one hole in their DVD collection. As well, because Lynch didn't have a hand in the release of this disc - or at least as close a hand as he had in the releases of Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire and the remastered edtion of Eraserhead - it, unlike the three just mentioned, has chapters in it so you can find your favorite scenes to argue over with your friends.
And argue you will because, at the time of its release, it was probably the most confusing work that Lynch had made for a mainstream studio.The cyclical storyline, sharp plot turns and bizarre moments are, for the most part, par for the course for the director, but this one seemed to set his career off on the twisted path that he is still following (apart from the short detour to film The Straight Story).
The film begins with the focus on the tortured relationship between Fred, a jazz saxophonist played by Bill Pullman and Renee, his femme fatale (Patricia Arquette). The couple start receiving videotapes on their front steps, which feature shots of the couple sleeping in bed. The tapes, as well as his growing suspicions about wife's fidelity, send Fred on a path that leads to his incarceration for killing Renee.
On death row, Fred starts to get blinding headaches and hallucinations. They trigger some sort of metamorphsis, physically turning him into Pete, a young, brooding auto mechanic (Balthazar Getty). The police, not knowing how to explain it, have to release Pete. As he assimilates back into his normal life (Pete disappeared but it is never talked about in any great detail), he begins an affair with Alice (also Patricia Arquette), the girlfriend of gangster Mr. Eddy (Robert Loggia), a relationship that sends his life spiralling out of control.
There is so much more to this plot than the quick boilerplate above, but none of it is easy to put down on paper. Like most every Lynch film, it begs to be experienced first hand by the viewer. As with his last two full-length features, Lynch eschews the normalcies of plot, aiming instead for mood and an unsettling feeling. He's also with tropes about identity, blurring the lines between almost all the characters in the film and keeping you guessing at every turn. He's a master stylist and every one of his films is an experience that any self-respecting film fan should submithim/herself to once. Lost Highway is no exception.
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The picture, as is the case with most David Lynch DVDs, is sparkling and clean, emphasizing the dense, dark colors and the imposing blackness that creeps around the edges of many shots.
The sound is a little trickier, with some too-quiet-to-hear dialog butted up against loud music and sound effects. It's a little jarring at times but I think that fits the mood of the film pretty well.
