{"id":87509,"date":"2022-09-16T00:25:24","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T07:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=87509"},"modified":"2022-09-16T00:44:36","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T07:44:36","slug":"blue-velvet-1986","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=87509","title":{"rendered":"Blue Velvet (1986)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;re a detective or a pervert.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Poster-199x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-87511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Poster-199x300.png 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Poster-85x128.png 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Poster-179x270.png 179w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Poster.png 633w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a college student (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father (Jack Harvey) suffers a heart attack, he stumbles upon a severed ear in a field and subsequently meets the teenage daughter (Laura Dern) of a detective (George Dickerson) assigned to the case. Sandy (Dern) is eager to tell Jeffrey (MacLachlan) what she knows about a lounge singer named Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini) who has been kidnapped by a local mobster (Dennis Hopper), and soon Jeffrey and Sandy are engaged in amateur sleuthing, with Jeffrey finding himself much more deeply involved in Dorothy&#8217;s plight than he anticipated.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>David Lynch Films<\/li>\n<li>Dennis Hopper Films<\/li>\n<li>Gangsters<\/li>\n<li>Hope Lange Films<\/li>\n<li>Kidnapping<\/li>\n<li>Laura Dern Films<\/li>\n<li>Living Nightmare<\/li>\n<li>Love Triangle<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<li>Obsessive Love<\/li>\n<li>Peeping Toms<\/li>\n<li>Psychopaths<\/li>\n<li>S&#038;M<\/li>\n<li>Small Town America<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary doesn&#8217;t review this dark cult classic in his <em>GFTFF<\/em>, but he covers it in his third <em>Cult Movies<\/em> book, where he notes that it was &#8220;easily the most controversial film of the [1980s],&#8221; stirring &#8220;heated debates and polariz[ing] critics like no film since <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38276\"><em>A Clockwork Orange<\/em> (1971)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=79435\"><em>Last Tango in Paris<\/em> (1972)<\/a>&#8221; &#8212; which were also &#8220;works that drew a disturbing correlation between sex, power, and violence.&#8221; Peary points out that &#8220;screenwriter-director David Lynch was applauded for his astonishing artistry and unflinching determination to get across a bold, unsanitized personal vision in an era of safe assembly-line films&#8230; yet was attacked by many viewers who felt his personal vision was so dark and disgusting that it should have been kept to himself.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car-1024x406.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"254\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87530\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car-1024x406.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car-300x119.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car-128x51.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car-768x304.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car-604x239.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Car.png 1285w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He goes on to write that &#8220;because <em>Blue Velvet<\/em> is both <em>so<\/em> uncompromisingly weird and <em>so<\/em> well made, it was destined for cult status on the level of Lynch&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71285\"><em>Eraserhead<\/em> (1977)<\/a>, the bizarre independent venture he made before going commercial with <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4675\"><em>The Elephant Man<\/em> (1980)<\/a> and <em>Dune<\/em> (1984)&#8221; &#8212; but &#8220;unlike <em>Eraserhead<\/em>, it became a box-office hit.&#8221; After positing that some naive viewers at the time &#8220;left in a nauseous daze&#8221; after exiting what they thought would simply be a &#8220;Hitchcock-like thriller,&#8221; he notes he personally doesn&#8217;t &#8220;find <em>Blue Velvet<\/em> mean-spirited like many contemporary films&#8221; given that he doesn&#8217;t &#8220;think Lynch gets a kick out of Frank being so vile,&#8221; though he concedes &#8220;at times it is terribly unpleasant&#8221; &#8212; and while &#8220;the ugliness heightens the film&#8217;s impact,&#8221; it &#8220;also tends to cut down on one&#8217;s enjoyment.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man-1024x438.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"274\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man-1024x438.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man-768x329.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man-604x259.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dead-Yellow-Man.png 1278w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary goes on to provide an extensive analysis of this complex and disturbing &#8220;coming of age&#8221; film, which actually touches on quite a few topics; the extensive list of genres and themes above &#8212; amateur sleuthing, gangsters, kidnapping, a living nightmare, a love triangle, a murder mystery, obsessive love, S&#038;M, Peeping Toms, and sociopaths &#8212; isn&#8217;t even complete, as the film goes in many different directions. He notes that everyone agrees &#8220;the picture has a brilliant opening, with Lynch presenting a red (roses), white (picket fence), and blue (skies) America, along the lines of the too-real Americas found in <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=41659\"><em>Blood Simple<\/em> (1984)<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1289\"><em>Gremlins<\/em> (1984)<\/a>, <em>Trouble in Mind<\/em> (1985), <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2907\"><em>True Stories<\/em> (1986)<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71102\"><em>Little Shop of Horrors<\/em> (1986)<\/a>.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses-1024x434.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses-1024x434.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Roses.png 1288w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, &#8220;everything is so perfect on the surface that you can sense evil brewing underground; you can feel the approaching explosion&#8221; given that &#8220;the American dream [is] about to burst&#8221; &#8212; quite literally, as a &#8220;hose becomes tangled&#8221; and Jeffrey&#8217;s dad &#8220;has a seizure,&#8221; leading to &#8220;the neighbor dog prop[ping] himself on his belly and snap[ping] at the water shooting skyward.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose-1024x429.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose-1024x429.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose-604x253.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Hose.png 1305w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The juxtaposition of this with the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Blue_Velvet_(song)\">crooning, comforting title song<\/a> playing is an indication of exactly how much cognitive dissonance we&#8217;re about to experience, as we view a &#8220;perverted Norman Rockwell&#8221; existence. In Lynch&#8217;s perspective, &#8220;If you search beneath the surface of idyllic, tree-lined&#8230; America you&#8217;ll find a terrifying, violent, soulless world&#8221; with criminals running rampant at night just like bugs emerging from the soil. His other primary thematic concern is with the fact that &#8220;beneath the surface of &#8216;normal&#8217; people you&#8217;ll find people with &#8216;abnormal&#8217; desires.&#8221; To that end, there is plenty of disturbing S&#038;M here, with Hopper&#8217;s sociopathic criminal a particularly loony type who is seemingly straight from a horror flick. As Peary writes, he &#8220;resembles an insect&#8221; while &#8220;dressed in black and with a plastic inhaler over his contorted face&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing-1024x429.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87522\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing-1024x429.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing-604x253.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Breathing.png 1297w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and &#8220;is meant to be the human counterpart of those hideous black bugs we saw in the opening,&#8221; a completely insensitive brute whose &#8220;sexual manner&#8221; consists &#8220;of groping, clutching, slapping, and mounting &#8212; while spewing vulgar threats&#8221; (he drops the f-bomb liberally). Meanwhile, at first &#8216;peeping Tom&#8217; Jeffrey &#8220;has done nothing more shocking than James Stewart in <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20476\"><em>Rear Window<\/em> (1954)<\/a>,&#8221; but very quickly &#8220;he no longer is just a voyeur&#8221; as he gets inextricably caught up in Dorothy&#8217;s masochistic games. His relationship with Sandy progresses as well, as both leave the protective shells of adolescence and come to understand the depths of what&#8217;s possible, and what&#8217;s happened. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning-1024x433.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning-1024x433.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning-768x325.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mourning.png 1281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary ends his essay by noting that &#8220;despite all the violence in the film, <em>Blue Velvet<\/em> will also be remembered for its sensual visuals (i.e., Rossellini lying in Jeffrey&#8217;s arms), thematic use of colors, deadpan humor&#8230;, Diane Arbus-like background characters&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus-1024x429.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus-1024x429.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus-604x253.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Arbus.png 1282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; &#8220;creative use of sound effects, eclectic background music, and erotic renditions of pop songs.&#8221; These include first and foremost Dorothy crooning a soulful version of Bobby Vinton&#8217;s &#8216;Blue Velvet&#8217;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2-1024x439.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"274\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2-1024x439.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2-768x329.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2-604x259.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Singing2.png 1289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(If you check out the 2002 &#8220;making of&#8221; documentary about this film, <em>Mysteries of Love<\/em>, you&#8217;ll hear Rossellini admitting what a challenge this was for her as a non-singer.) But we also see and hear &#8220;effeminate Ben (Dean Stockwell will give you chills), <em>queen<\/em> of the gangster &#8216;insects&#8217;,&#8221; &#8220;lip-synching Roy Orbison&#8217;s &#8216;In Dreams'&#8221; in what may be &#8220;the strangest moment in the film&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing-1024x442.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"276\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing-1024x442.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing-768x331.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing-604x260.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-Singing.png 1287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>.. &#8220;and Jeffrey and Sandy kissing and dancing to &#8216;Mysteries of Love&#8217;.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love-1024x436.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"273\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love-1024x436.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love-604x257.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Mysteries-of-Love.png 1289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The ending is somewhat mysterious and open to interpretation; Peary writes he doesn&#8217;t think Lynch &#8220;want[s] viewers to completely figure out his film,&#8221; but rather hopes to present it as &#8220;a puzzle with too few or too many pieces, a dream-nightmare that will be interpreted differently by everyone who sees it.&#8221; Personally, it had been long enough since my first (and only) viewing of this film that I&#8217;d conveniently forgotten much of the storyline, and remained genuinely in-the-dark about whether the entire narrative would turn out to be a long-con or a dream of some kind, which was both infuriating and helped to hold my interest. After this second viewing, I don&#8217;t feel any need to return to this precursor of Lynch&#8217;s cult T.V. series &#8220;Twin Peaks&#8221;, but I think all film fanatics will be curious to check it out at least once. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face-1024x443.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"277\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face-1024x443.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face-768x332.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face-604x261.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Face.png 1289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dennis Hopper as Frank<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is-1024x434.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is-1024x434.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is-768x325.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Do-You-Know-What-a-Love-Letter-Is.png 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey and Laura Dern as Sandy<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan-1024x434.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan-1024x434.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan-768x325.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Dern-MacLachlan.png 1301w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dean Stockwell in a bit role as &#8220;Ben&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-1024x429.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-1024x429.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell-604x253.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Stockwell.png 1290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Frederick Elmes&#8217; cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography-1024x434.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-87521\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography-1024x434.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography-768x325.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Blue-Velvet-Cinematography.png 1305w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, once, simply for its cult status. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0090756\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/4136\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3720blue.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1986\/09\/19\/movies\/screen-blue-velvet-comedy-of-the-eccentric.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/69242\/blue-velvet#articles-reviews?articleId=256955\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=8949&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/horror\/blue-velvet-1986.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;re a detective or a pervert.&#8221; Synopsis: When a college student (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father (Jack Harvey) suffers a heart attack, he stumbles upon a severed ear in a field and subsequently meets the teenage daughter (Laura Dern) of a detective (George Dickerson) assigned to the case. Sandy (Dern) is eager to tell Jeffrey (MacLachlan) what she knows about a lounge singer named Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini) who has been kidnapped by a local&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=87509\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=87509"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87567,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87509\/revisions\/87567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=87509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=87509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=87509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}