Blue Velvet (1986)

Director:

David Lynch

Writer:

David Lynch (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Most Talked About Film of the Decade (US Laserdisc release)

Plot:

After finding a severed human ear in a field, a young man soon discovers a sinister underworld lying just beneath his idyllic suburban home town.

Plot Keywords:

Profanity | Drug Murder | Extreme Sex | Mother Son Relationship | Womb Imagery

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 17 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Isabella Rossellini	...	Dorothy Vallens
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Jeffrey Beaumont
Dennis Hopper	...	Frank Booth
Laura Dern	...	Sandy Williams
Hope Lange	...	Mrs. Williams
Dean Stockwell	...	Ben
George Dickerson	...	Det. John Williams
Priscilla Pointer	...	Mrs. Beaumont
Frances Bay	...	Aunt Barbara
Jack Harvey	...	Mr. Tom Beaumont
Ken Stovitz	...	Mike
Brad Dourif	...	Raymond
Jack Nance	...	Paul
J. Michael Hunter	...	Hunter
Dick Green	...	Don Vallens

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:18 (video premiere) | Norway:15 (re-rating) (2007) | Greece:K-17 (tv rating) | Mexico:D (cut) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Switzerland:18 (canton of the Grisons) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-18 (1987) | Finland:K-16 (1999) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | Israel:18 | Singapore:R(A) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Lumberton, North Carolina, USA

Company:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Trivia:

Isabella Rossellini and Kyle MacLachlan went through improvisations of all their scenes together when they first met, the day Rossellini was testing for the role of Dorothy.

Goofs:

Continuity: Frank's beer appears to change in color and level during the scenes at Ben's house.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Radio announcer: It's a sunny, woodsy day in Lumberton, so get those chainsaws out. This is the mighty W.O.O.D., the musical voice of Lumberton. At the sound of the falling tree, it's 9:30. There's a whole lotta wood waitin' out there, so let's get goin'.
Nurse Cindy: Mr. Beaumont? Your son Jeffrey's here to see you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Curse of El Charro (2005)

Soundtrack:

Livin' For Your Lover

A beautiful, strange ,dark film

Title: Blue Velvet (1986)

Director: David Lynch

Cast: Isabella Rosellini, Kyle Mac Lachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern

Review: David Lynch films are paintings come to life, this has very much to do with the fact that Lynch himself is a painter and he brings that artistic point of view to his film making. Like a good painting, his movies tell a story, which much like an abstract painting, is not always easy to figure out. But what a treat it is to try.

Blue Velvet is a story about a young man returning to his hometown to visit his father who is sick in the hospital. Upon his return he stumbles upon a frightening discovery: a human ear lying on the grass as he walks through the forest behind his parents home. He then takes it upon himself to discover where this ear came from and discovers that that ear will be the reason why he discovers that this is in fact a very strange and dangerous world in which we live in.

Lynch is synonymous with the strange and unusual and Blue Velvet is a good example of this. For those who have ventured into Lynchian territory with films like Mullholland Dr. or Lost Highway get ready for some more crazy imagery and messed up situations. But Ill be honest this time around, even though the situations and images are very very surreal and strange the story itself is pretty easy to understand. Lost Highway remains a total mystery to me to this day, Mullholland Dr. I had to watch about 6 times to figure out....but Blue Velvet though equally as strange and fascinating as those films mentioned, is actually easy to follow and understand.

I loved Kyle MacLachlans character and it was very interesting to see him go through the changes he goes through after he makes his discoveries. He isn't quite the same anymore after he sees the things he sees and does the things he does. Loved that scene in which Laura Dern tries to let him see that even though there's some crazy things in this world there's some good bound to show up sooner or later. Laura Derns character was beautiful and innocent, the one thing that could bring balance to MacLachlans character. By far the most interesting and memorable thing in this film is Dennis Hoppers character, yes my friends, I'm talking about that crazy, demented, sex-crazed freak known as Frank Booth.

Frank Booth is one of those characters that just oozes with evil. You don't feel like its this actor playing some villain, when that happens you totally stop believing that said villain is dangerous. Not so here. Hopper looks, breaths and speaks pure evil! Your kind of scared that there might actually be people like him out in the real world. His scenes and dialog is truly disturbing stuff....."Ill f##C@ anything that moooves!"

I loved the visual aspect of the film which was -as is usual in a Lynch film- extremely beautiful. We may be looking at sliced human ears and demented sex freaks...but everything is photographed within the context of beautiful haunting colors, exotic plays of shadows and lights. Great visuals. The music is incredible as well. Lynch seems to be fond of lounge singers cause very much like he did in Mullholland Drive in Club Silencio, we get another sequence much like that one, with Isabella Rosellini singing us "Blue Velvet" the title song. And there's also a sequence which is very very humorous yet strange and alluring....Dean Stockwell singing Roy Orbinsons "In Dreams". Awesome sequence, one of the most memorable sequences on this film or any other Lynch film. When that scene comes on, you'll be transported to another time and place. What time and place it is Ill leave it up to you.

All in all a great Lynch film not to be missed. A masterpiece that lets me know why Lynch is one of the greatest American directors ever to be in the business of making bizarro, beautiful cinema.

Rating: 5 out of 5 (and very very much so!)