BLUE VELVET (1986) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Writer/Director: David Lynch Starring: Kyle MacLaughlin, Isabella Rosselini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Dean Stockwell
I have a big problem with this film: I don't like it. I mean, I found it to be brilliant and all, but it's just not a film I would watch willingly again. I know I'm a critic and all, and I'm supposed to like brilliant films, but I just didn't like this one. But I'm going to attempt to give it a very positive review, because it was very good, and try to find out why I didn't enjoy it.
The film starts off brilliantly: a shot of typical suburbia - kids crossing the street, firemen waving as they go down the road on their truck, and a man watering his garden. But this guy suddenly has a stroke and collapses to the ground. As he falls, his dog jumps up and begins being squirted in the mouth by the hose. The camera moves down and we see bugs and stuff in the grass he has been watering. Like this first shot, we're going to see what's on the inside of this beautiful suburbia.
While this wasn't surreally bizarre, we get another weird twist: the protagonist (Kyle MacLaughlin, who seems to be in almost all of Lynch's films), who is also the stroke-victim's son, is walking thorugh a pasture and finds a severed ear. That's right - an ear. He takes it to the cops, who show little interest in it, so he begins snooping around like some Encyclopedia Brown, equipped with the one detective's daughter (a young Laura Dern). He finds out that there's this woman (Isabella Rossellini) who may have ties to the ear.
He steals her key while posing as a bug killer, and then sneaks into her apartment after she sings, you know, "Blue Velvet" at a club. He hides in her closet when she comes in, and witnesses a horrific act. A gangster in suburbia (Dennis Hopper) comes in, literally swearing every other word, gets high on some kind of chemical, and proceeds to rape her. Of course, he does this every night, so she should be used to it (just kidding). He leaves, she finds Kyle, and begins forcing him to strip, then they have sex. Soon enough, they have a sado-masichistic relationship going on.
Of course, Hopper finds out, and takes both of them on a joyride through the underbelly of suburbia, including some drinking, and a visit to a brothel, run by the supra-effiminite Dean Stockwell (who Hopper just calls "fucking suave!" repeatedly). They then beat him and leave him for dead, but he's not dead. And at the end, Kyle has to save Rossellini and himself from Hopper, in a totally bizarre ending.
What's cool about this film is the contrast it makes between suburbia and the mafia. I mean, it's pretty much the perfect front. And MacLaughlin's journey through it is pretty fascinating. Lynch uncovers suburbia for all its hypocrisies in "Blue Velvet," especially with the kind of ironic ending. And another strong point is the cinematography, which is absolutely gorgeous and dreamlike. I credit Lynch for his great directing with this film.
The acting is, however, kind of half and half. Or really three quarters and a quarter. Isabella Rossellini is fantastic, as always, in the role of the abused lounge singer. In the most controversial scene, she is dropped off by the mafia totally stark naked and on Laura Dern's porch. Apparently, Lynch didn't restrict anyone from leaving the site, and Rossellini has been scarred ever since. Her performance is really great. And Dennis Hopper is so fueled with energy (he coins the phrase used in "Clerks," "I'll fuck anything that moves!") and he becomes the perfect hatable bully. Also great is Laura Dern.
But Kyle MacLaughlin. I mean, the guy's nice and all, and he has acted well in some parts of his career. But here, like in most of his work, he's just not good. There's this scene where he talks about Guiness beer where I swore he would turn to the camera and promote it. That's how corny he sounded. He's just not a very good lead for a brilliant film. But he somehow is in a lot of Lynch's work. I don't get it.
This film is probably one of the more weird films I've ever seen. I pretty much didn't like it because, well, I saw it in the prime of my "Pulp Fiction" obsession. I was expecting some pulp. But the thing is, I'm just not a huge fan of Lynch. I mean, I appreciate the guy, and I often rave about him. But I just don't always enjoy his flicks. Oh well.
Roger Ebert famously gave this one star. I agree with some of his review, but I get the point Lynch was trying to make. Suburbia is not a place to escape the problems of the world, because there's an underbelly to every microcosm. Even if I didn't like it, I can appreciate it.
MY RATING (out of 4): ***1/2
Homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/8335/
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