Lost Highway (film)

Lost Highway
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David Lynch
Written by	David Lynch Barry Gifford
Produced by	Mary Sweeney Tom Sternberg Deepak Nayar
Starring	Bill Pullman Patricia Arquette Balthazar Getty Robert Blake Natasha Gregson Wagner Gary Busey Robert Loggia
Cinematography	Peter Deming
Edited by	Mary Sweeney
Music by	Angelo Badalamenti
Production companies	Ciby 2000 Asymmetrical Productions
Distributed by	October Films (U.S.) Ciby 2000 (France)
Release dates	January 15, 1997 (1997-01-15) (France) January 1997 (1997-01) (Sundance) February 21, 1997 (1997-02-21) (U.S.)
Running time	134 minutes[1]
Countries	United States France
Language	English
Box office	$3.8 million

Lost Highway is a 1997 neo-noir^[2][3] film directed by David Lynch, who co-wrote the screenplay with Barry Gifford. It stars Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, and Balthazar Getty. The film also features Robert Blake, Jack Nance, and Richard Pryor in their final film performances. The narrative follows a musician (Pullman) who begins receiving unmarked videotapes of himself and his wife (Arquette) at their home before he is suddenly convicted of murder. While imprisoned, he mysteriously disappears and is replaced by a young mechanic (Getty) leading a different life.

Financed by French production company Ciby 2000 and Lynch's own Asymmetrical Productions,^[4] the film was largely shot in Los Angeles, where Lynch collaborated with frequent producer Mary Sweeney and cinematographer Peter Deming. The film's surreal narrative structure has been likened to a Möbius strip, while Lynch has described it as a "psychogenic fugue" rather than a conventionally logical story. The film's soundtrack was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, featuring an original score by Angelo Badalamenti and Barry Adamson as well as contributions from Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein, and the Smashing Pumpkins.

Upon release, Lost Highway received mixed reviews and grossed $3.7 million in North America after a modest three-week run. Most critics initially dismissed the film as incoherent but it has since garnered critical acclaim, a cult following, and scholarly interest. It is the first of three Lynch films set in Los Angeles, followed by Mulholland Drive (2001) and his final film Inland Empire (2006). The film was adapted into an opera by Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth in 2003.