On B List of Movie Reviews
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Blue Velvet (1986)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
4/08, 5/11
4/08:
My feelings for Blue Velvet have run the gamut of high and low.
Although I don't think the movie is a masterpiece yet, it has a lot of good things despite the shortcomings.
David Lynch's direction shows an array of technical excellence. The feel is of the neo-noir kind that's,
unfortunately, not well-sustained throughout.
As great as Dennis Hopper is as Frank Booth, he doesn't get enough screen time to show off more of his sinister ways.
Kyle MacLachlan isn't bad, but there are times that he did look miscast. Laura Dern, who's a David Lynch's favorite, is flat
and may be wrong for the role. Isabella Rossellini steals the film by playing a mentally disturbed and sexually abused
character.
All in all, Blue Velvet, a bizarre cross between Body Double and
The Crying Game, is a true David Lynch picture.
5/11:
I feel better about Blue Velvet this time and now consider it a masterpiece.
The movie is as surreal as it gets. From the get-go, I see an everyday town which embodies the spirit of Americana.
From there, the image slowly transitions into a dark, seedy subculture that involves drugs, killing, sadistic methods,
and rough attitudes. Frank Booth is the symbol of it all. Jeffrey Beaumont and Sandy Williams' innocence is about
to be sullied by the madness of the situation. The two distinct worlds coming together is what makes the
film fascinating to watch.
The way Jeffrey went about his sleuthing reminds me of Craig Wasson's character in Body Double which was inspired by
Hitchcock's Rear Window. The final twenty minutes is as shocking as it gets, and that's the genius of David Lynch.
All in all, dreamy and idyllic yet dark and sinister, Blue Velvet is unique.