Blue Velvet is a 1986 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written and directed by David Lynch. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern, and is named after the 1951 song of the same name. The plot follows a young college student, Jeffrey Beaumont, who discovers a severed human ear in a field while visiting his ill father. The ear leads him to investigate the criminal underworld of his hometown, where he becomes involved with a nightclub singer named Dorothy Vallens and a violent and unstable man named Frank Booth.
The film blends psychological horror with film noir and contains and explores such conventions as the femme fatale (Dorothy Vallens), a seemingly unstoppable villain (Frank Booth), and the questionable moral outlook of the hero (Jeffrey Beaumont), as well as its unusual use of shadowy, sometimes dark cinematography. Despite its initial appearance as a mystery, the film operates on a number of thematic levels.
Blue Velvet was released on VHS by Karl-Lorimar Home Video in 1987 and re-issued by Warner Home Video in 1992. After that, it was released on DVD in 1999 and 2002 by MGM Home Entertainment. The film made its Blu-ray debut on November 8, 2011, with a special 25th-anniversary edition featuring never-before-seen deleted scenes.
The film has received critical acclaim and is considered one of Lynch's best works. It has a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 82 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The film has been described as an unforgettable vision of innocence lost and one of the most influential American films of the past few decades.
In conclusion, Blue Velvet is a classic that blends psychological horror with film noir and explores various thematic levels. It has received critical acclaim and is considered one of David Lynch's best works.
Trailer
Cast
- Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont
- Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens
- Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth
- Laura Dern as Sandy Williams
- Hope Lange as Mrs. Williams
- George Dickerson as Detective Williams
- Dean Stockwell as Ben
- Priscilla Pointer as Mrs. Beaumont
Other cast members include Brad Dourif as Raymond, Jack Harvey as Paul, and Jack Nance as Irate Neighbor. The film's director, David Lynch, also makes a cameo appearance as a hearing-impaired man. The film's cast has been praised for their performances, particularly Hopper's portrayal of Frank Booth.
Original Language: English
Director: David Lynch
Producer: Fred C. Caruso
Writer: David Lynch
Box Office (Gross USA): $8,618,766
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Paramount Pictures
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 1986
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2015