Film Critique – Blue Velvet

By Hope Elena Sardella, ENG 225: Introduction to Film, Prof. Jones, Ashford University

Published: March 21, 2018

Blue Velvet (1986) is an extraordinary film that unveils the underworld of the “American dream” with the use of symptomatic content and a labyrinth of cinematography. In the following critique of the film Blue Velvet, the author will analyze the film’s theatrical presentation through the lens of the auteur theory. The auteur theory allows critics to interpret the true meaning of a motion picture by believing the directors is the author of the work, and all elements are influenced by his personal feeling and view of the world (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, section. 9.3). With the use of auteur theory with symptomatic content, style of editing, sound features, camera angles, and of course mise en scène, it will become quite apparent that Blue Velvet is an essential cult mystery film-noir movie that any true art-film guru should watch. Additionally, the author will demonstrate proficiency in film analysis by critiquing the film Blue Velvet. Finally, the author will conclude with an evidential reasoning as to why Blue Velvet is a fundamental film for all people, old and young alike.

The film Blue Velvet contains a complex list of themes throughout the storyline. The exceeding dominant, and enveloping of the myriad of themes present in the ‘underworld’ theme, which represent two worlds of good and evil existing in one. The underworld theme leads to other themes such as moral ambiguity, the American dream, femme fatal (seduction and evil), gangs, Freudian logic, damsels in distress. Writing and director of Blue Velvet (1986), Auteur David Lynch represents the “underworld” theme with his style within his unique choices of camera angles, choice of lighting, sounds signifiers, and symbolism. The following analysis an in-depth look at the symptomatic content, mise en scene, artistic elements and the social implications Blue Velvet represented for the time period in which it was created. The use of contextual information relates to the primary classification of components for instance as the film title, director of the film, and cinematographer of a film. Blue Velvet is both written and directed by David Lynch. David Lynch is the director, who counsels the specialized workers and maintains authority over talent dexterity of actors, and comprehension of the script. Blue Velvet’s cinematographer, Frederick Elmes, dictates tasks to the camera crew, keeps the idealism of the film in lines with the director’s vision by ensuring all crew members are on board with tasks. The main editor, Duwayne Dunham, has the responsibility of joining shots together into a sequence that the director wants. The main actresses and actors are Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange, George Dickerson and Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet, 1986). The roles of the actors chosen were well thought out, and a majority of the actors used Method Acting or realistic acting.

From the very beginning, David Lynch, Blue Velvet’s director, uses the “underworld” theme to set the tone of the film and incorporates both psychological and dualist approaches throughout the story. Blue Velvet’s plot begins with Jeffrey Beaumont, played by actor Kyle MacLachlan, returning to his charming hometown of Lumberton, North Carolina. Jeffrey has left college to help take care of his father, who recently had a stroke while watering his lawn. During his time in Lumberton, Jeffrey rekindles an old relationship with Sandy Williams, played by actor Laura Dern. Sandy, a stereotypical “good girl” with blonde hair, is the daughter of the local police detective. Lumberton seems like a typical all-American town, with white picket fences and well-manicured lawns. Soon, however, viewers begin to suspect that Lumberton isn’t as squeaky clean as it appears when a mystery arises; while Jeffrey and Sandy are walking through an empty field, he finds a human ear laying in the grass. The pair enter the underworld of Lumberton when they decide to investigate the mysterious ear; Jeffrey becomes significantly more involved in the matter than Sandy. The ear leads Jeffrey to the apartment of a woman named Dorothy Vallens, played by actor Isabella Rossellini. Dorothy is a cabaret singer at a local club. While investigating, Jeffrey sneaks into Dorothy’s closet, and what comes next is a situation almost no one is prepared to witness. Jeffrey sees Dorothy inhaling ether with a man named Frank Booth, played by actor Dennis Hopper, and what follows is Frank physically and sexually assaulting Dorothy. As the storyline progresses, viewers come to find out that Frank is holding Dorothy’s husband and child hostage, and she is being held hostage herself in a kind of sadomasochistic relationship with him. Jeffrey’s quest to solve the crimes, and rescue Dorothy, is in contrast to the life he maintains with Sandy. This element would be considered the juxtaposition of the film, or the opposing themes.

The opposing themes can be symbolic of the underworld of Jeffrey’s reality. The movie as a whole is about mystery, duel reality, and Freudian logic (Lam, 2009). Dorothy inhabits the role of the femme fatale of the film, with her dark secrecy and dangerous sexuality. Yet, she is ultimately not the dangerous woman she appears to be. Dorothy’s “‘sexual masquerade’ is ultimately exposed and that her role is really that of a conventional, victimized woman” (Beckman, 2012, p. 30). When Jeffrey spies on her from the closet, he sees her taking off her femme fatale “mask” and, Arnett (2006) suggests, thereby watches her disclose that she is much more a mother and a victim than a dangerous and powerful woman. Lynch’s narrative is, for the most part, very chronological in the events. This chronological narrative timeline made good use of the time in the movie by projecting overtly violent disturbing sadomasochistic scenes in juxtaposition to the clean-cut world of a quaint little town. According to Lam (2009), “the notion of surface and depth, order and chaos, come into play according to a Freudian logic of the unconscious”. Lynch uses the psychological approach (incorporation of Freudian concepts), as well as the duelist approach (duel reality within the film) for maximum effect of Film Noir and duality in his conventional and underworld life. We are given a true taste of Jeffrey’s underworld in the scene “Baby Wants Blue Velvet.” In this scene, the main antagonist, Frank, intrudes on Dorothy, the “Femme Fetal” (a fatal female in Film Noir films). Frank then proceeds to inhale the drug ether while sexually and physically abusing her. During this particular scene, the main protagonist, Jeffrey, is hiding in her closet witnessing the events that he cannot save her from. Long shots, described by Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014) as allowing the audience to view “all or most of what is in the scene,” are consistently used in the beginning and throughout the scene to give the audience the feeling as if they are seeing through the eyes of Jeffrey, who is witnessing the events through the slits of wood in the closet. The shot is taken at a high angle, looking down or sloped downward. This use of cinematography almost gives the audience an unnerving feeling, as if you’re not supposed to be looking at the events that are transpiring.

Elements of film noir are woven into the tapestry of the artwork David Lynch created, with the use of ominous and foreboding color selections. The use of the color red is key because it seems to be foreshadowing the fact that something violent will occur throughout the rest of the film. Use of color is often a cue of “intent of the director and cinematographer with a visual cue” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, section. 6.5, para. 1). This tactic of using the color red instills a feeling a dread. The entire room is painted a matte flat red, the lighting is soft, and can identify that that Frank Booth has a bright red pillow next to him. The editing in this scene uses primarily direct cuts to go from one perspective from another. So, we initially see a long view shot, then that cuts into a close up of Frank speaking. Next, we see a dissolve shot, where the camera shoots from Dorothy’s left shoulder across the back of her head, and the camera shoots from the far-right low angle viewing Frank inhaling ether. The close-up shots make the viewer feel uncomfortable, as if the events are happening to them at that moment and they are unable to escape the situation, just as Dorothy is unable to escape. According to Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014), films are often a representation of society at the point and time a film was created, known as symptomatic content. In 1986, the citizens of the

United States existed in an unspoken world with a distinct intergenerational gap. This gap consisted of the people born in the Baby-Boomer era and the children of the Baby-Boomers, known as the Generation X. These generations collided on many levels. At the time, President Ronald Regan and his administration upheld many of the old thoughts and beliefs of the Baby-Boomer generation. This added to the facade of what America should look like, but was not a true representation of the real America. Similarly, in Blue Velvet, Jeffrey is the image of perfection according to the Baby Boomer era. He also is the transition from one generation to the next. Jeffrey chooses to embark on a dangerous mystery to save Dorothy. This choice results in his full emersion into the “underworld” of the picture-perfect town of Lumberton. We can view the unsavory events that occur as the “underworld,” or we can just simply view it as the truth that can’t be accepted. One must think beyond Blue Velvet’s general plot to truly understand the symptomatic content. Intergenerational dilemma could not be fully accepted by the viewers back in 1986 because the viewers themselves had not come to fully understand the social changes. It seemed like quite the paradox; Arnett (2006) argued that if the viewer “got” the film, “he or she is not returned to the status quo of Reagan’s America because the viewer understands the masks worn by the characters. Those who fail to “get it” reject the movie and return to assurance of mainstream genres” (p.125-126). Blue Velvet captivates a modern world within the theme film noir by demonstrating elements of duality, femme fatal, and cinematography indicative of the style of the genre. David Lynch’s refreshing the use of film noir almost made a new genre in a sense. With the unique style of camera angles and shots, he gave a fresh perspective on what it means to see through another individual’s eyes. Visually, the audience is psychologically challenged with unnerving feelings of the strange, including horror, by discerning the scenes with soft natural lighting. Blue Velvet is not for the faint of heart, but one may say this film broke ground for symbolism and the film noir genre.

References:

Arnett, R. (2006). Eighties Noir: The Dissenting Voice in Reagan’s America. Journal of
Popular Film & Television, 34(3), 123-129.

Beckman, F. (2012). From Irony to Narrative Crisis: Reconsidering the Femme Fatale in
the Films of David Lynch. Cinema Journal, 52(1), 25-44.

Ebert, R. (1986). Blue Velvet Movie Review & Film Summary. Retrieved February
17, 2018, from https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blue-velvet-1986

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.)
[Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

Lam, S. (2009). David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. [Electronic version]. Retrieved
February 17, 2018, from http://offscreen.com/view/lynch_blue_velvet