Blue Velvet (1986)

The gruesome discovery of a severed human ear he found in a field leads a young man on a dark and dangerous journey into a dark and sinister underworld that exists in his hometown.

Director:

David Lynch

Writer:

David Lynch (screenplay)

Stars:

Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabella Rossellini	...	Dorothy Vallens
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Jeffrey Beaumont (as Kyle Maclachlan)
Dennis Hopper	...	Frank Booth
Laura Dern	...	Sandy Williams
Hope Lange	...	Mrs. Williams
Dean Stockwell	...	Ben
George Dickerson	...	Detective Williams
Priscilla Pointer	...	Mrs. Beaumont
Frances Bay	...	Aunt Barbara
Jack Harvey	...	Mr. Beaumont
Ken Stovitz	...	Mike
Brad Dourif	...	Raymond
Jack Nance	...	Paul
J. Michael Hunter	...	Hunter
Dick Green	...	Don Vallens

Storyline

A man returns to his home town after being away and discovers a severed human ear in a field. Not satisfied with the police's pace, he and the police detective's daughter carry out their own investigation. The object of his investigation turns out to be a beautiful and mysterious woman involved with a violent and perversely evil man.

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Plot Keywords:

police | detective | police detective | singer | nightclub | 

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Taglines:

It's a strange world.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Terciopelo azul

Filming Locations:

109 Keaton Avenue, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,551,228 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene in which Jeffrey and Frank go driving off at breakneck speeds was filmed by having stagehands rock the (stationary) car while others ran past with lights in their hands.

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Goofs

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

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in BlackMale (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Gone Ridin'"
Music Excerpts Performed by Chris Isaak
Courtesy of Transtone Productions, Inc.
Publisher: Isaak Music Co.

User Reviews

One of Lynch's most accessible and optimistic films

Jeffrey Beaumont returns to his small town home when his father has an accident and ends up in hospital. A quiet walk home changes his perceptions forever when he discovers a human ear in the long grass. He reports it to the police but decides to make some enquires himself with the help of the officer's daughter Sandy. The trail begins with the mysterious Dorothy Vallens and drags Jeffrey into the unseen underworld of Frank Booth.

For the majority of people, you either like Lynch or you dislike him. Personally I like the majority of his work, I love the sense of normalcy that he can create and slowly change to reveal a darkness that is worryingly close to the surface. That is the case here, beginning with a blue sky, white picket fence vision of small town America the camera drops into the grass to see a torrent of bugs scrambling just under the surface. In the same way the film follows Jeffrey's journey into the underbelly of his home town.

In some ways this is one of the easiest Lynch films to get into – here the darkness is not a wide world of demons as in Fire Walk With Me, but is one man and his associates who can be overcome. The darkness is therefore accessible to all but is laced with just enough weirdness to disturb – my favourite scene is where Frank takes Jeffrey to see Ben, it is just a little unsettling. In hand with this is the fact that it is easily one of his most optimistic films, the good angel in Jeffrey's life is a strong character and the ending is one of certainty rather than open to interpretation – that robin has about a clear a meaning as it can.

MacLachlan is well used as Jeffrey. He is wide eyed and innocent even when being sucked into the underworld. Dern plays `all-American' well but doesn't have the complexity of MacLachlan in the script. Rossellini has a challenging role and carries it off quite well – I didn't fully understand her character but I don't know if that was my fault or hers. Of course the film belongs to Hopper who is terrifyingly unstable. Without a doubt he is a monster and you never are left in any doubt as to his state of mind. For an example of his work here watch the scene where Stockwell (in a wonderfully weird cameo) sings and Hopper clearly falls to pieces.

Although I prefer Fire Walk With Me, I do think that this is Lynch's best film. It is weird without going totally overboard and it allows us to sink into the underworld gradually without sudden falls. Hopper controls every scene he is in, but the meeting of wholesome and weird is perfectly delivered and is trademark Lynch.