Blu-Ray Review: ‘BLUE VELVET’

MGM/20th Century Fox brings home David Lynch’s Blue Velvet home for it’s 25th Anniversary on Blu-Ray. There is no doubt that Blue Velvet is one of David Lynch’s notorious films. Eraserhead may have introduced him to the cult cinema audience but Blue Velvet was possibly his most accessible and mainstream film. It’s kind of hard to believe that it has been 25 years since the theatrical release but it still packs a potent wallop today.

The Movie

Student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) comes back to his hometown of Lumberton after his father suffers a stroke. On the way back home from the hospital, Jeffrey finds a ear among a vacant field. After this discovery he takes it to a local detective and becomes intertwined with the investigation of a local criminal by the name of Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) and a lounge singer by the name of Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini). With the assistance of the detective’s daughter, Sandy Williams (Laura Dern), Jeffrey attempts his own investigation of who Dorothy Vallens is and how she might be tied into this criminal underworld. What begins as a personal crusade to help get Dorothy out of of this underworld becomes more of a quicksand effect for Jeffrey as becomes romantically entangled with Dorothy even though she is in an abusive, if not masochistic, relationship with Frank. Of course, Jeffrey’s world is a totally different world than Dorothy & Frank’s and he risks his normal life and the safety of the people he loves by getting more involved with Dorothy.

Like I previously said, Blue Velvet is probably Lynch’s most accessible work next to his TV show Twin Peaks and The Straight Story. However, that isn’t to say that the film is any less Lynchian than his other body of work. Honestly, this might be one of my favorite Lynch films because of his portrayal of both sides of Americana. Lynch’s work really likes to work with Americana imagery and this is probably his most relevant and iconic portrayal of it. The opening scene shows beautifully groomed tulips and white picket fences against a clear blue sky. MacLachlan pulls off a performance that might be questionable if it could or should be considered as overacting. When I watched the film for the first time in my late teens, I even thought it was overacting. After a few more viewings of the film, counting this recent viewing on Blu-Ray, I believe MacLachlan pulls out a remarkably level headed performance. I believe he is over the top in the, what I like to call, suburbia scenes because Lynch wants to paint the picture of perfection in suburbia. What is not questionable is the performances of Rossellini and Hopper. Rossellini pulls off the damaged character of Dorothy with such precision and turns out a relatable connection with the audience. What makes Hopper’s performance so riveting is the unpredictably of his violence that is only heightened by his drug use throughout the film. Lynch paints a frightening picture of sexual abuse and almost a warning for people to possibly not get involved with what they don’t know.

The Presentation

MGM/20th Century Fox has done a wonderful job with the transfer of this film. There seems to be a little crushing of the blacks on this release but for the majority, it seems to be a true representation of the film. It is presented with a English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track as well as a Spanish Mono track and a French 5.1 DTS track. The English DTS-HD track evenly distributes the film across surround sound systems without an improper use of over production as the majority of Lynch’s films are also heavily reliant on sound. Whether it be low level audio drones during some sequences to Dorothy’s performance of Blue Velvet boasting boldly across the front speakers.

Special Features

• Newly Discovered Lost Footage – What is possibly the best thing for fans of the film is on this Blu-Ray release. It has been long rumored that there was a four hour cut of the film initially that Lynch cut in half. This recently recovered footage totals in around 50 minutes and shows some scenes that might make you wish that they were in the film. We get more footage of Jeffrey while he is attending college and receives a phone call from his mother informing him of his father’s stroke and that he is forced to come home. Also in this footage are more expository scenes with his Aunt (Frances Bay) which wasn’t really explored in the film as she serves more of an accessory to the mother. There is also a scene that is shown that connects Frank and his gang with Jeffrey as they enter the “This is It” bar to visit Ben (Dean Stockwell). This is a very welcome edition to this release and the footage looks like it might of went through the same restoration of the feature.
• Mysteries of Love Documentary – This is a ported feature from the previously released DVD. Unfortunately, it was shot in SD and is presented as such.
• Original Siskel & Ebert Review – A short clip of Ebert discussing how he was disgusted by Lynch’s decision to show Dorothy’s humiliation throughout the film while Siskel comes in and explains to Ebert that Lynch obviously wanted to make the audience uncomfortable with these scenes.
• Vignettes
• Trailer/TV Spots
• A Few Outtakes – After watching such a emotional film, it is good to see some comedic outtakes.

Overall

For fans of the film, this is a must buy and a definite upgrade. The presentation is solid and the recently discovered lost footage is a great watch. Blue Velvet is still a gripping experience and one of the great examples of American cinema of the late 80’s.

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