Blue Velvet
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (1986)
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In Collection
#546
8*
Seen It:  Yes
(6/13/2011)
027616805928
IMDB   7.7
120 mins USA/English
DVD  Region 1   R
Isabella Rossellini Dorothy Vallens
Kyle MacLachlan Jeffrey Beaumont
Dennis Hopper Frank Booth
Laura Dern Sandy Williams
Hope Lange Mrs. Williams
Dean Stockwell Ben
George Dickerson Det. John Williams
Priscilla Pointer Mrs. Beaumont
Frances Bay Aunt Barbara
Jack Harvey Mr. Tom Beaumont
Ken Stovitz Mike
Director David Lynch
Producer Fred C. Caruso
Richard Roth
Writer David Lynch

Director David Lynch crafted this hallucinogenic mystery-thriller that probes beneath the cheerful surface of suburban America to discover sadomasochistic violence, corruption, drug abuse, crime and perversion. Kyle Maclachlan stars as Jeffrey Beaumont, a square-jawed young man who returns to his picture-perfect small town when his father suffers a stroke. Walking through a field near his home, Jeff discovers a severed human ear, which he immediately brings to the police. Their disinterest sparks Jeff's curiosity, and he is soon drawn into a dangerous drama that's being played out by a lounge singer, Dorothy Vallens ( Isabella Rossellini ) and the ether-addicted Frank Booth ( Dennis Hopper ). The sociopathic Booth has kidnapped Dorothy's young son and is using the child as a bargaining chip to repeatedly beat, humiliate and rape Dorothy. Though he's drawn to the virginal, wholesome Sandy Williams ( Laura Dern ), Jeff is also aroused by Dorothy and in trying to aid her, he discovers his dark side. As the film nears its conclusion, our hero learns that many more indivduals are tacitly involved with Frank, including a suave, lip-synching singer, Ben ( Dean Stockwell ), who is minding the kidnapped boy. Director Lynch explored many similar themes of the "disease" lying just under the surface of the small town, all-American façade in his later television series Twin Peaks (1990-91). — Karl Williams
Edition Details
Chapters 28
Release Date 4/25/2002
Packaging Keep Case
Screen Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles French; Spanish
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
Layers Single Side, Single Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 1
Personal Details
Purchase Date 8/4/2002
Owner Thomas Eisenmann
Store Best Buy
Purchase Price $14.99
Condition Excellent
Reviewed Widescreen Review
Bit Rate 448 KB
Anamophic Yes
Links IMDB

Features
Anamophic
Includes a 12-minute “Mysteries Of Love” Documentary, a 10-minute deleted scenes montage, the original 1986 “Siskel & Ebert” review, photo galleries, and a couple of hidden goodies.

Widescreen Review
Story Synopsis:
When Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan) discovers a severed human ear in the woods just outside his all-American home town, he begins a journey that takes him to the lowest depths of human behavior-a place in which he may find difficult to resist. “Blue Velvet” also stars Laura Dern as Sandy Williams, the daughter of a police detective (Dickerson) who Jeffrey becomes involved with when he decides to investigate the owner of the ear. What he finds are leads to a disturbed nightclub singer (Rossellini) and a drug-addicted sadist (Hopper). David Lynch has been known to opt out of having chapter stops on some of his movies on DVD, but “Blue Velvet” is chaptered. (Suzanne Hodges)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced DVD, framed at 2.35:1, exhibits a similar picture to the previously released anamorphically enhanced DVD (Issue 40), but with a slightly softer, more appealing quality. The hard-edged characteristic of the previous DVD is softened. Colors are more refined and balanced, with accurate fleshtones and deep blacks. Contrast and shadow delineation appear more natural. The excessive edge enhancement is virtually eliminated, leaving a smoother, more film-like appearance. On occasion, however, the picture does seem to be a bit smeared. There is considerable pixelization noticed, but the picture is a definite improvement over the previous DVD. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel remastered soundtrack, like other David Lynch films that have been reissued on DVD, features music that is limited to the left and right screen channels, as well as modest dimensionality. The surrounds are occasionally used very gently for atmosphere, but otherwise are essentially silent. The low-end is also reserved, but there seems to have been some low-end processing with the music. The dialogue is reasonably intelligible throughout, with the sonic character reflected in the dated recording. (Perry Sun)