During the 1980s, few films could be considered more controversial than the enigmatic and surreal David Lynch masterpiece, Blue Velvet.
As bloated, big-budget blockbusters such as Top Gun and Aliens ruled the year of 1986, David Lynch’s bizarre reflection on small-town America could be considered a needle in a haystack of money. Just as Blue Velvet was sharp and jarring upon its discovery, it was equally impressive to the memory of those who found it.
In numerous ways, Lynch’s Blue Velvet is one of the most confounding and startling films ever to be released by a major motion picture studio.
As master director David Lynch places the viewer in the humble setting of Lumberton, North Carolina, the journey of the main character Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) quickly shies away from the director’s nostalgic view of small-town America. As Jeffrey Beaumont’s character wanders in the quiet, grassy setting, his reality is stirred by the discovery a single, severed ear, laying amongst some garbage.
This eerie finding by MacLachlan’s character sets the tone for the rest of the movie, as the college student unravels a string of corruption, crime, and murder within his hometown.
Beaumont soon discovers that a nightclub singer by the name of Dorothy Vallens, tragically portrayed by Isabella Rosellini, is entrapped in an insidious ransom scheme by the sadistic and relentless kingpin, Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). The character of Vallens is essentially dragged into an almost humorously bizarre take on sadomasochistic relationships with Hopper’s character, in trade for being allowed to see her son once a week.
MacLachlan’s character, who was once content with the humdrum happenings of his hometown, is now compelled to aid Vallens despite the impending threat presented by the drug-addicted and psychotic Booth.
In addition to the melancholy Rosselini, the supporting actress Laura Dern (of Jurassic Park fame) portrays the simple and sweet hometown girl of Sandy. MacLachlan’s character quickly finds himself torn between the pure, simple love as presented by Dern’s Sandy, and the tragic and complex notion of love as presented by Rosselini. All the while, the hatred of Frank Booth threatens all that is important to Jeffrey Beaumont: the simplicity and purity of love and home.
The performances by the actors mentioned are all astounding, especially Hopper’s hilariously maniacal and frightening depiction of Frank Booth. At times the viewer will feel personally threatened by the audacity of Hopper’s over-the-top performance, and the vulgarity and obscenity that Booth’s character represents.
Lynch’s artistic approach to the film is just as unrelenting, with aggressive editing and camera trickery that would make the film almost entirely nightmarish if not for the few, soothing moments that are given. The quieter, more romantic moments of the film remind the viewer of home’s warmth which is so often taken for granted, especially during the competitive and corporate era of the 1980s.
Blue Velvet was a shining example of artistry in film-making during the 1980s, and is worthy of being looked back on by all film enthusiasts whether they’ve seen it or not. In many ways, both David Lynch and Dennis Hopper have yet to top their performances as director and villain respectively. Lynch’s neo-noir take on the grassroots on America has gone down in film texts as one of the riskiest but rewarding ventures in motion picture history.
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