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Blue Velvet [1986] (David Lynch)


RRP: £5.99
Our Price: £4.18 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

David Lynch peeks behind the picket fences of small-town America to reveal a corrupt shadow world of malevolence, sadism and madness. From the opening shots Lynch turns the Technicolor picture postcard images of middle-class homes and tree-lined lanes into a dreamy vision on the edge of nightmare. After his father collapses in a preternaturally eerie sequence, college boy Kyle MacLachlan returns home and stumbles across a severed human ear in a vacant lot. With the help of sweetly innocent high school girl (Laura Dern), he turns junior detective and uncovers a frightening yet darkly compelling world of voyeurism and sex. Drawn deeper into the brutal world of drug dealer and blackmailer Frank, played with raving mania by an obscenity-shouting Dennis Hopper in a career-reviving performance, he loses his innocence and his moral bearings when confronted with pure, unexplainable evil. Isabella Rossellini is terrifyingly desperate as Hopper's sexual slave who becomes MacLachlan's illicit lover, and Dean Stockwell purrs through his role as Hopper's oh-so-suave buddy. Lynch strips his surreally mundane sets to a ghostly austerity, which composer Angelo Badalamenti encourages with the smooth, spooky strains of a lush score. Blue Velvet is a disturbing film that delves into the darkest reaches of psycho-sexual brutality and simply isn't for everyone. But for a viewer who wants to see the cinematic world rocked off its foundations, David Lynch delivers a nightmarish masterpiece. --Sean Axmaker


'She Wore Blue Velvet'
Review date: 2008-07-31 Rating: 10 out of 10

What is there to say about the best film of the 1980's. This film is a modern day fairy tale, a surreal crime thriller and certainly one of Lynch's best and most rated films.

I just want to leave a note about the DVD, similar to what others have said, avoid the Prism Production of this, bad video, bad sound and ugly looking. Instead stretch yourself a few more £'s with the recently restored Sanctuary copy with bonus disk...

Prepare yourself for the voyeuristic journey, in this strange world.

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Reviews


Blue Velvet - 2-disc widescreen version
Review date: 2008-06-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

Looking at the other reviews here, there seems to be a lot of people unhappy with the Blue Velvet DVD. I must point out that I own the two disc widescreen version of Blue Velvet released by Sanctuary Visual Entertainment, and I can assure you there is absolutely nothing wrong with the quality of the picture or the sound. Further more it is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The DVD is Region 0, which means it will work on any DVD player.

On the second disc there is a 30-minute documentary called Strange Desires, which features interviews with David Lynch, Dennis Hopper and others associated with the film. There is also a 12-minute featurette called Moving Pictures with J.G Ballard.

I think the technical problems mentioned in other customer reviews are related to the DVD released by Prism Leisure. My advice would be to avoid that one, and purchase the one by Sanctuary.

Hope this helps.

Grotesque...
Review date: 2008-04-04 Rating: 2 out of 10

Why is there so much praise for this horrifically bad film?!?


My friend Lewis leant me this last night and I really am racking my brain as to what I did to suggest to him I might like such an insipid, juvenile and offensive film!

Here, I'll outline the plot for you so you can save yourself the trouble of finding out by watching it:

James Lorinz plays Jeffery Beaumont, a student kicked out of medical college for strange experiments, who moves back into his parents because of a family emergency. He falls into a relationship with a local girl (Patty Mullen) who suffers a great misfortune. Unable to handle the loss, Jeffery uses parts of local prostitutes (that he MURDERS with a modified version of crack cocaine that makes users EXPLODE called "Super crack") to rebuld her body and bring her back to life. However, the pimp who looks after these prostitutes is Frank Booth (played by Joseph Gonzalez with more than a passing resemblance to Dennis Hopper) comes looking for them and needless to say, needless smut and stupid jokes abound. The ending of the film tries so hard to be shocking but it's just funny.

This is a really bad film and I don't think I'll ever take anyone who lieks it seriously again.

Absolutely brilliant.
Review date: 2008-02-21 Rating: 10 out of 10

First up, the DVD quality. Appalling. Terrible. No better than VHS. I've read most of the preceding reviews, and everyone seems to have a problem with the picture quality and not the film (rightly so). But seriously, any DVD collection without 'Blue Velvet' in it, quite frankly isn't a collection. This movie is solid gold brilliance from one of cinema's true originals, David Lynch. Lynch took horror movie conventions (make things familiar, then twist them)and ran out of sight of the competition.

On the discovery of a severed ear, our young protagonist Jeffrey (Kyle Maclachlan), decides to turn detective. He quickly realises that nightclub singer Dorethy Valens (Isabella Rossallini) is in serious trouble with some very nasty people. And in the performance that resurrected his career, Dennis Hopper arrives as the nuttier than squirrel poop psycho killer, Frank Boothe, who shows Jeffrey the darkness within himself.

By this point, suspend your disbelief and throw logic out the window as David Lynch piles on the bizarre images with reckless abandon. Severed ears, amyl-nitrate toting facemasks, Roy Orbison and one of the most bizarre death tableaus you'll ever see (no I won't tell you, you'll have to watch).

Every performance is terrific (particularly Hopper's), the 50's inspired visuals are beautiful and look out for Quantum leap's Dean Stockwell in a remarkably creepy cameo.

So don't let the rubbish picture quality put you off. This is way up there with the 80's best.

Stunning film, flawed DVD edition
Review date: 2008-02-04 Rating: 2 out of 10

Not sure how to rate this DVD, but here it goes...

There's no doubt that Blue Velvet is an extraordinary film, so that would be 5 stars.

However, by all means, avoid the version from Prism Leisure, its quality is absolutely appalling and doesn't do the film justice - *zero* stars.

It isn't full-screen format and exhibits a lot of digital noise in the darker scenes, making it impossible to recommend. Do yourself a favour and look for a better edition.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Isabella Rossellini; Kyle MacLachlan; Dennis Hopper; Laura Dern; Hope Lange; Dean Stockwell; George Dickerson; Priscilla Pointer; Frances Bay; Jack Harvey (III); Ken Stovitz; Brad Dourif; Jack Nance; J. Michael Hunter; Dick Green

Creators:
Isabella Rossellini; Kyle MacLachlan; Dennis Hopper; Laura Dern; Hope Lange; Dean Stockwell; George Dickerson; Priscilla Pointer; Frances Bay; Jack Harvey (III); Ken Stovitz; Brad Dourif; Jack Nance; J. Michael Hunter; Dick Green (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Prism Leisure
Manufacturer: Prism Leisure
EAN: 5014293158954
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2004-10-04
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1986-09-19
Language: English (Unknown)

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