Blue Velvet (1986)

Director:

David Lynch

Writer:

David Lynch (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

It's a strange world.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Detective | Police Detective | Singer | Nightclub

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 22 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

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
Fred Pickler	...	Yellow Man
Philip Markert	...	Dr. Gynde
Leonard Watkins	...	Double Ed
Moses Gibson	...	Double Ed
Selden Smith	...	Nurse Cindy
Peter Carew	...	Coroner
Jon Jon Snipes	...	Little Donny
Angelo Badalamenti	...	Piano Player (as Andy Badale)
Jean Pierre Viale	...	Master of Ceremonies
Donald Moore	...	Desk Sergeant
A. Michelle Depland	...	Party Girl
Michelle Sasser	...	Party Girl
Katie Reid	...	Party Girl
Sparky	...	The Dog
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert J. Maxwell	...	Slow Club Customer (uncredited)

Directed by
David Lynch

Writing credits
David Lynch		(screenplay)

Produced by
Fred C. Caruso	....	producer (as Fred Caruso)
Richard A. Roth	....	executive producer (as Richard Roth)

Original Music by
Angelo Badalamenti

Cinematography by
Frederick Elmes		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Duwayne Dunham

Casting by
Pat Golden
Johanna Ray

Production Design by
Patricia Norris

Set Decoration by
Edward 'Tantar' LeViseur

Makeup Department
Jeff Goodwin	....	makeup supervisor
Dean Jones	....	special effects makeup
Barbara Page	....	assistant makeup artist
Barbara Page	....	hair stylist
Dean Gates	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Fred C. Caruso	....	production manager (as Fred Caruso)
Gail Kearns	....	production supervisor (as Gail M. Kearns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ellen Rauch	....	first assistant director
Ian Woolf	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Michel Anderson	....	props-set dresser
Shaw Burney	....	set prop man
Catherine Davis	....	art department assistant
Vernon Harrell	....	props-set dresser
Edward 'Tantar' LeViseur	....	property master (as Tantar Leviseur)
Tanya Lowe	....	scenic artist
Loren McNamara	....	props-set dresser (as Loren Mcnamara)
Les Pendleton	....	construction coordinator (as Les Pendelton)
Paul Sebastian	....	props-set dresser
Dawn Serody	....	draftsperson
Robert Testerman	....	chief scenic artist
Tim Viereck	....	lead carpenter
Arron Waitz	....	props set dresser
Doug White	....	props-set dresser
Keith Darwin	....	scenic (uncredited)
Mark S. Turner	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Alan Abrams	....	assistant sound editor
Mark Berger	....	re-recording mixer
Karen Brocco	....	assistant sound editor
Frank E. Eulner	....	sound recordist (as Frank Eulner)
Rob Fruchtman	....	sound editor
Vivien Hillgrove Gilliam	....	dialogue editor (as Vivien Gilliam)
Sarah Goldsmith	....	assistant sound editor (as Sarah Rothenberg)
Richard Hymns	....	sound effects editor
Pat Jackson	....	sound editor
Ann Kroeber	....	sound mixer
Patrick Moriarty	....	boom operator
John Morris	....	assistant sound editor
John Nutt	....	dialogue editor
David Parker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paige Sartorius	....	assistant sound editor (as Page Sartorius)
Michael Silvers	....	dialogue editor
Alan Splet	....	sound designer
Dennie Thorpe	....	foley artist
John Verbeck	....	assistant sound editor
Philip Rogers	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
George R. Hill	....	special effects (as George Hill)
Greg Hull	....	special effects

Stunts
Reginald Barnes Jr.	....	stunt performer
David Boushey	....	stunt performer
Robert Burton	....	stunt performer
Mark Fincannon	....	stunt performer (as W. Mark Fincannon)
Richard Langdon	....	stunt coordinator
Sherrie Ann Langdon	....	stunt performer
John W. McEuen	....	stunt performer (as John W. Mceuen)
Dean Mumford	....	stunt performer
Debra Shuckman	....	stunt performer (as Debra Schuckman)
Ken Sprunt Jr.	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Jock Brandis	....	rigging
Donne Daniels	....	key grip
Mark Shane Davis	....	dolly grip (as Mark Davis)
Monte Dhooge	....	electrical department
Lex DuPont	....	first assistant camera (as Lex Dupont)
Tim Farrow	....	electrical department
Austin Goss	....	rigging
Mike Hall	....	rigger
Douglas Evan Hersh	....	rigging (as Doug Hersh)
Robert Hoelen	....	rigging
Neil Holcomb	....	electrical department
Michael Katz	....	gaffer
Ross Kolman	....	rigging
Joe C. Maxwell	....	best boy (as Joe Maxwell)
Umberto Montiroli	....	still photographer
David Rudd	....	camera assistant
Roger Russ	....	electrical department
David Salamone	....	electrical department (as Dave Salamone)
Dennis E. Shelton	....	electrical department (as Dennis Shelton)
Anthony Stephens	....	grip department (as Tony Stephens)
David W. Strong	....	rigging (as David Strong)
James Tomaro	....	rigging
Steve Venetis	....	rigging chief
Franklin Williams Jr.	....	generator operator (as Frank Williams)
Jeff Williams	....	grip department
Jay W. Yowler	....	rigging (as Jay Yawler)
Joe D'Alessandro	....	grip (uncredited)
Dan Kneece	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)
Katherine Ray	....	intern (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sharon Bialy	....	casting assistant
Pamela Guest	....	casting associate (as Pam Rack)
Nina Axelrod	....	casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gloria Glynn	....	costume shop supervisor (as Gloria Laughridge)
Ronald Leamon	....	costumer
Henry Earl Lewis	....	set wardrobe

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter (as Donnah Bassett)
Brian Berdan	....	apprentice editor
Tim Craig	....	apprentice editor
Jonathan P. Shaw	....	assistant editor (as Jonathan Shaw)
Mary Sweeney	....	assistant editor
Daniel S. Frisch	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Mark Adler	....	music editor
Angelo Badalamenti	....	conductor
Sandina Bailo-Lape	....	assistant music editor
Todd Boekelheide	....	music re-recording mixer
David Lynch	....	composer: additional music

Transportation Department
John Bankson	....	driver
Doug DuRose	....	driver (as Doug Du Rose)
Pat Hill	....	transportation coordinator (as Patricia Hill)
Cynthia Jarose	....	driver
A. Welch Lambeth	....	driver (as Welch Lambeth)

Other crew
Morris Atkins	....	location coordinator
Celia Claire Barnes	....	production assistant
Frank Behnke	....	intern associate
Edward Bowen	....	location assistant (as Edward Bown)
Peter Braatz	....	intern associate
Mary Bridges	....	craft service
Patty Clark	....	production assistant
Kathryn Colbert	....	production office coordinator
Chrissie Davis	....	production secretary (as Sarah Christine Davis)
Steve Day	....	production assistant
Roe Fonvielle	....	production assistant
Cindy J. Gray	....	assistant accountant (as Cindy Jo Gray)
Bobby Kearns	....	production assistant (as Robert Kearns)
Kathi Levine	....	assistant accountant
Lyn Lucibello	....	auditor (as Rita M. Lucibello)
Jennifer Chambers Lynch	....	production assistant (as Jennifer Lynch)
Rena Sternfeld-Allon	....	script supervisor (as Rina Sternfeld)
John Wentworth	....	assistant: David Lynch
John Wildermuth	....	key production assistant

Production Companies

• De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) (presents)

Distributors

• De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• AMLF (1987) (France) (theatrical)
• Alamode Film (2003) (Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2001) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Columbus Film (198?) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Finnkino (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures Entertainment (1986) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Transmundo Films (1986) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2008) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Castle Home Video (1999) (UK) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Jovem Pan Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Karl-Lorimar Home Video (KLV-TV) (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (Canada) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (19??) (worldwide) (video)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2005) (Finland) (TV)
• PolyGram Video (1996) (UK) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (1999) (Finland) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2001) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc edition) (1.33:1)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2006) (Finland) (DVD) (2-disc edition) (2.35:1)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• SubTV (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Sundance Channel (2012) (USA) (TV)
• TV3 (1992) (Finland) (TV)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1987) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cherokee Studios  music recorded and mixed at
• City of Wilmington, North Carolina  special thanks to (as The People of Wilmington, North Carolina)
• DEG Film Studios Inc.  catering by (as D.E.G. Film Studio)
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Film Symphony of Prague  music score recorded by
• Fincannon & Associates  additional casting (as Mark Fincannon And Associates)
• Fincannon & Associates  extras casting (as Mark Fincannon And Associates)
• Great Northern Brokerage Services  insurance by (as Great Northern Brokerage)
• Joe Dunton Cameras America  cameras and lenses by (as Joe Dunton Camera America)
• New Hanover Memorial Hospital  special thanks to
• North Carolina Film Office  filmed in
• Saul Zaentz Film Center  sound re-recording
• State of North Carolina, The  special thanks to
• Van der Veer Photo Effects  titles and opticals
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM18 (VHS rating) (self applied) | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 (1999) | Finland:K-18 (1987) | Israel:18 | Brazil:16 | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Mexico:D (cut) | Norway:15 (re-rating) (2007) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | Greece:K-17 (tv rating) | Switzerland:18 (canton of the Grisons) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Peru:18 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

109 Keaton Avenue, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Company:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ben receives his beer from Frank - in the next two shots Ben holds the beer in different places e.g. round the glass, then the handle and back to around the glass.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Strangers (2008)

Soundtrack:

Honky Tonk (Part I)

I've never seen anything quite like this before...

What surprised me was how very different this was from the two other great David Lynch films I'd seen: "Lost Highway" and "The Straight Story", which are in turn very different from one another. I'd been told by a disappointed David Lynch fan, back in 1997, that the only reason I was so deeply impressed with "Lost Highway" was that I hadn't seen "Bue Velvet", in which he does much the same kind of thing better. "Blue Velvet" may indeed be better (I wouldn't want to say), but in no respect is it the same kind of thing. (The only instance I've encountered so far of Lynch making the same film twice is "Lost Highway" being remade as "Mulholland Drive", which partly accounts for the latter film being so stale and uninvolving.)

"Blue Velvet" is a simple amateur sleuthing story, but the genius is in the telling of it. It's hard to avoid the feeling that something supernatural is somehow involved, although it isn't, and we know that it isn't. It looks and feels as though we're watching the world through a special enchanted (or cursed) prism: the image has been pulled apart, ALMOST into two distinct images, with the elements of pure evil and pure wholesomeness now distinct from one another, sitting just millimetres apart.

Unrelated to this, but still contributing to the intense suspense and the overall creepiness, is Lynch's ability to make us familiar with a few ordinary locations, which grow more sinister - or at least more meaningful - every time we see them, until the sight of a simple concrete stairwell in the dark is enough to make us start to panic.