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Blue Velvet (1986)

7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 87,159 users   Metascore: 75/100
Reviews: 642 user | 152 critic | 14 from Metacritic.com

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.

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Title: Blue Velvet (1986)

Blue Velvet (1986) on IMDb 7.8/10

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Jeffrey Beaumont (as Kyle Maclachlan)
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Ben
George Dickerson ...
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Jack Harvey ...
Ken Stovitz ...
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J. Michael Hunter ...
Dick Green ...
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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. Written by Mark Logan <marklo@west.sun.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

It's a strange world.


Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

19 September 1986 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Terciopelo azul  »

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,551,228 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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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. See more »

Goofs

During the first time Sandy and Jeffery hear Dorothy sing, the dress she ends with on stage is different than the dress she started with. However, this could simply be the result of a costume change between the sets of her performance. See more »

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.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Catalina Caper (1990) See more »

Soundtracks

"Blue Velvet"
Performed by Bobby Vinton
Written by Lee Morris and Bernie Wayne
Provided courtesy of CBS Records
Publisher: Vogue Music
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Only in dreams…
21 April 2002 | by (UK) – See all my reviews

With Blue Velvet, David Lynch made a film that was so pure to his original vision that it would become the archetype of his work for the next fifteen years. Here, Lynch cast his ever probing, surrealist gaze upon small town middle America, and for the first time in a US film, showed the audience the darker side to what was often depicted as nothing more than the birth place of apple pie. We are drawn into the story almost immediately, with what would seem like a simple depiction of small town life, but the use of slow-motion hints that there is something not quite right with what we are looking at. So by the time Lynch has pushed his camera through the soft green grass of a regular front lawn, only to show us the slithering insects that hide in the darkness, we know that we are about to enter a very dark world.

Blue Velvet is a world filled with not only darkness, but also ambiguity. The characters of this world are constantly hiding behind some kind of façade, be it the wardrobe doors that practicing teenage voyeur Jeffrey peers from behind as he watches Dorothy and Frank interact, or something as simple as the make-up worn by Ben. Everything suggests to us that these characters inhabit a world at night, a world away from the life they live in the day. As the film moves closer and closer to the climax Jeffrey begins to feel more of a connection with Frank, having to go to some very dark places within his psyche. However Lynch's message, that underneath the normal persona of a regular human being is a repressed pervert laying in wait, or whatever point he is making doesn't really translate well. Not least to today's audience.

Blue Velvet is very much a film of its time, that time being the mid-eighties, with aids paranoia everywhere, it's easy to see this metaphor for the dangers of sex and love within the films turgid dreamscapes. But beneath this message hides a strong detective story, a modern day neo-noir that delivers interesting twists and a controversial pay-off with it's almost fairytale climax. This is the film David Lynch got right, proceeding to make great films that where all personal, but completely different in terms of style and substance from one another. Blue Velvet is a great film, with some fine (albeit bizarre) performances, still challenging to this day, If only Lynch hadn't gone on to spend the rest of his career re-making it.


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