Tom Beaumont
comes home from college to help run the family hardware store
after his father suffers a stroke. On his way home from a visit
one afternoon, Tom stumbles across a human ear in a field. Tom
does a little looking and finds himself caught up in a nightmare
that exists just beneath the veneer of his idyllic small town.
After being in
and out of print on video for almost fifteen years, Blue
Velvet has finally gotten a proper release on DVD. The film,
the closet thing to a straightforward movie David Lynch has ever
done, is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
in the way it probes the dark corners of small town life. There
is an odd, dreamlike quality to the film, but at the same time
it seems less weird than its reputation, especially considering
Lynch’s other work.
The
performances make this movie. MacLachlan is excellent as Tom
Beaumont. He really evokes the innocence of the character, makes
us believe that terrors like the ones he stumbles onto would not
have ever occurred to him before he found the ear. Isabella
Rossellini is heartbreaking as the tortured and mysterious
Dorothy Valens, a masochistic lounge singer. The stand out,
though, is Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth, a psychopath who holds
Dorothy in his iron grip. Hopper gives the kind of intense,
scene-chewing performance that only he seems capable of. His
character exudes violence, and every scene he is in makes us
fear for the future of the characters around him.
Blue Velvet
is a classic that remains as disturbing today as the year it was
released.
10 out of 10
The
Video
The richness of
the colors in this film is important, and they can be seen on
this DVD in all their glory. Too often on video were the colors
washed out, faded and bleeding together, but MGM has given us a
transfer of the highest quality where we can appreciate the
depth of Frederick Elmes’s photography. The print is flawless,
beautiful. Blue Velvet is presented in its original
2.35:1 widescreen ratio.
10 out of 10
The
Audio
Blue Velvet
is presented in 5.1 surround sound. While not the best example
of what surround sound is capable of, everything comes through
crisp and clear. There is a French language track presented in
stereo surround and a Spanish language track in mono, but you’d
be better off sticking with the 5.1; nothing beats it.
8 out of 10
The
Extras
The bonus
material really gives some insight in how the film came to be.
Some of the features include:
--“Mysteries of
Love” documentary
--Deleted
scenes montage
--Original
“Siskel & Ebert” review
--Collectible
booklet
The documentary
gives great insight into the film, David Lynch, and the actors’
reactions to working with Lynch. It’s also interesting to see
Roger Ebert’s reaction to the film; he looks absolutely shocked
by what he has seen. All in all, the extras give a great behind
the scenes look at the film.
9 out of 10
Overall
This classic
film gets top treatment on DVD. The film itself is worth buying,
but the bonus features make it more than worth buying.
