GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #391 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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Cast:
View Mulholland Drive film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

An aspiring actress helps an amnesiac woman search Los Angeles for clues to her identity.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Aspiring actress Betty Elms arrives in Los Angeles and finds an amnesiac woman hiding in her aunt's apartment after surviving a car crash on Mulholland Drive. Calling herself Rita, the woman follows clues with Betty through money, a blue key, and the name Diane Selwyn.

Why it belongs

David Lynch makes Hollywood desire dream itself through doubled identities, uncanny sound, performance, and scenes whose emotional truth exceeds stable explanation.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Sunlit auditions, dark corridors, espresso, blue objects, recorded music, Club Silencio, and Angelo Badalamenti's score shift the film between promise and dread—Naomi Watts's performance changes register with astonishing rigor.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
BAFTA1 win2002 · official BAFTA 2002 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Cannes1 win2001 · official festival record ↗
Award for Best Director (Ex-Aequo)2001 · David LYNCHofficial festival record ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound8IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.5
Engagement8.7
Ease6.8

English · R
Narrative Feature
Mood: Tense & Absorbing