Review of Blue Velvet (1986) by Dillinger P — 13 Jul 2015

Blue Velvet is the critically acclaimed and under rated, movie master piece of the 20th century, brought to us, in all its macabre glory by films most obscure and talented story teller David Lynch. It's easy to see how a film like Blue Velvet could pass you by, although it has one of the more straight forward plots, when put beside other Lynch nightmares, it is still thickly layered in obscure mystery and has a brilliant take on the golden age of cinemas crime noir genre.

Its roots are pitch black, venomous and it has some of the most insane acting ever committed to cinema, its in nowhere near user friendly. We dive into Jeffrey's world, an upbeat and curious kid, who's returned home after his father has taken seriously ill.

One day when Jeffrey is returning from the hospital, he finds a human ear, cut off and flung in the grassy fields and what starts off as a childish game of intrigue, soon plunges into depravity as he decides to act as an off the books detective and follow up on his findings, leading him to a crime and a group of people, you really dont want to find yourself mixed up with.

The cast is as broad as it is brilliant, Kyle Maclachlan and Laura Dern play the teenage sweat hearts, drawn together through Jeffrey's curiosity, the couples chemistry is off the charts here and you completely buy into not only their individual performances but when on screen, they whisk you away into an entirely dreamy world.

We then have the darker shade of blue with the likes of Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rosallini, Jack Nance, Brad Douriff and Dean Stockwell, a collection of peculiar, larger than life freak show, that counter acts our leading couples angelic glow.

Hopper is terrifying as Frank, one of the greatest villains ever committed to cinema, ever. It was said, during casting, Hopper was demanding of the role and thank god, I cant picture anyone else as Frank, Hopper brings a fear that is so demented and ferocious that you will struggle to live with yourself after enduring him.

His group of thugs, Nance, Douriff and Stockwell are all equally supportive with Stockwell stealing the show, will as campy and sexually charged performance as Ben, his entire scene, although brief, will forever go down in the book of great scenes in film.

Then we have the 2 sided coin, Rosillini, the femme fatale with a serious twist hynotizes your brain for the duration of the film, her performance is so desperate, with just the right amount of over the top, to make this extremely challenging role her own.

Their all fantastic and that all has something to do equally with the writing and direction as well, Lynch knows when to lighten the mood and pull back on the reigns, just as much as he knows how to turn the American dream into your worst nightmares combined and his writing and pacing allow Blue Velvet to constantly be refreshing, daring and extremely entrancing for is reasonably long running length.

The movie has so much going on, it doesnt really have time to stop and truth be told there are a handful of moments where you begin to miss certain characters as the film plummets down one story arc to the next, however Lynch knows what vests an interest and keeps you coming back for more, part of this is also him being able to cut fodder, most directors would feel the need to include.

For example a falling out between the lead characters in other films would usually lead to 15 minutes plus of repocussions, and thats fine, but here he knows we have no time for that, so its resolved simply, quickly, as the film doesnt want to detract from the tension its worked so hard to create.

David's movies have always had a unique and arresting vision and style to them, each film being crafted as its own entity, while retaining the wild mans trademarks and Blue Velvet is certainly no exception, its use of contrasting colours to depict the all American dream, work wonders when put beside the films more pitch dark and dank caverns of violence.

It is brilliantly shot, coloured and lit, adding the cherry on top of his brilliant and eclectic story. The score by Angelo Badalamenti is epically fitting for the style, even making a cameo appearance to perform the title track, which has its own sinister, yet sexual twist.

Blue Velvet is an extremely rewarding and arresting film, it takes old ideas and springs them into life, Lynch manages to refine, yet strengthen his ability to force uncomfort and another stellar cast give magnetic performances across the board.

This is simply a must for all cinema lovers.