Review of Blue Velvet (1986) by Jenna R — 27 May 2010

Viewing this film 24 years after its premier, I can only guess how shocking this was in those more sensitive days. Having the benefit of distance, it is a masterpiece that is surreal and (as surrealism must be) melodramatic. I was tempted to turn it off because the opening scenes were so wooden, the lines delivered as if by high-school thespians. But naivety is where the story begins. Hard, jaded reality awaits.

You have to lean back to really appreciate this incredible movie. You have to let it build and come to you. By the end you are so transfixed that you can even accept that the hard-bitten detective would let his virginal daughter kiss Jeffery in the hallway after all the sludge and filth his lips have been through. Reality is on its head and the prism of our viewpoint is skewed to the extreme.

This is violent, debasing stuff. When Jeffery resists Dorothy's pleas to "hurt me" only to have his lust reduce him to brutality, we see how feeble are the restraints of decency. When Sandy forgives him as the naked, battered Dorothy begs him to love her in front of her very mother, we see a forgiveness we all yearn for. Director David Lynch is making nothing up. Its all right there inside us.

If you're queasy about the seamy underthings of life, watch Mary Poppins instead. If you're ready to see the wild side Lou Reed sang about sit back, resign yourself and, when its over, wonder what became of your socks.