Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet (1986): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/

Director: David Lynch

Writer: David Lynch

Blue Velvet is an American mystery film, incorporating film noir and surrealism features. Although initially unpopular with critics, it is now regarded as one of Lynch's finest works. It is named after the popular song of the same name, originally by The Clovers' in 1954.

 

 

The opening scene includes a distorted version of the original above song. This ends at 3:37:

 

 

From black appears a production company logo. The various components slide and turn onto the screen before again the screen fades to black and continues this blackout for a couple of seconds.

 

Unlike the previous opening scene from Pulp Fiction, the opening titles arrive before the story sequence. As the titles appear, so does the music. It starts with a low drum roll and becomes slow and eerie, which builds tension. It is evident from the music that the film is not a light hearted one, suiting the theme of mystery. The tone is set very early on.

In the background is dark blue velvet, an obvious representation of the film's name. The fabric is swaying slowly as if it is caught in a light breeze. This slow movement matches the slow tempo of the music and helps to further create tension. It is also more visually engaging than a static background when seen on a cinema screen. The opening titles start at 0:15 and are as follows:

De Laurentüs Entertainment Group Presents

A David Lynch Film

Blue Velvet

Starring Kyle MacLachlan

Isabella Rossellini

Dennis Hopper

And Laura Dern

With Hope Lange

Priscilla Pointer

George Dickerson

Francis Bay, Ken Stovitz

Bard Dourif, Jack Nance

and Dean Stockwell

Executive Producer Richard Roth

Production Designer Patricia Norris

Music Composed and Conducted by Angelo Badalamenti

Sound Designer Alan Splet

Edited by Duwayne Dunham

Director of Photography Frederich Elmes

Screenplay by David Lynch

Produced by Fred Caruso

Directed by David Lynch

The titles initially seem an off-white colour, but they are in fact semi-transparent. This conforms to the pattern of 'everything is not always as it seems' that runs throughout the clip. The lighter colour stands out against the dark blue background, similar to the white clouds on a blue sky that it dissolves into at 1:34. The font is curly and slightly whimsical, a complete contrast to the eerie music and dark tone to the clip thus far. It can also be noted that more important names are emphasised by either making them bigger or by allowing only a single name at a time onto the screen. An example of this can be seen at 0:53-0:56 and at 0:56-0:59. Two names appear on the screen simultaneously and are also smaller than the main stars towards the beginning of the title sequence, again drawing significance to more recognisable names.

After a dissolve into a blue sky, the sequence continues as a montage of establishing shots of the area. The distorted Blue Velvet track also starts, creating a happy and jolly but disconcerting atmosphere.

The camera tilts down onto a white picket fence with roses in front of it. The sky is mainly clear and sunny, the pathetic fallacy suggesting that this is a happy day. The fence is bright white and the roses are vividly red, in contrast to the fence, and perfectly formed. The whole shot is perfect. However looked into this a little closer then the roses could be to represent a mask of something more sinister underneath, like the thorns that are below the petals.

 

 

This dissolves into long off-centre shot of a street. Again it seems very perfectly formed as the streets are clean, the weather is bright and sunny and there is a lot of greenery in the shot. These are all the typical signs of a happy atmosphere and a way that Lynch breaks the typical conventions of a thriller. A bright red fire truck strolls along, holding a man and an iconic Dalmatian. Red is a reoccurring colour throughout the clip and could be signs of danger in the future. Although the fire engine is not tending to an emergency it again suggests that there could be in the future or that it is being concealed from the audience. The man breaks the fourth wall by waving at the camera, however it could be a representation of a friendly, at least on the surface, community. Also the slow movement of his hand is unnerving and uneasy to watch, adding to the thought that things might just be too perfect.

 

Another dissolve is made to a similar looking white picket fence, this time with tulips in yellow. In Turkish culture tulips have represented paradise on Earth, conforming to the impeccable form of the scenes shown so far. The colour yellow could also show happiness, sunshine, wealth and optimism, all positive symbols, however yellow could also represent betrayal, perhaps of the audience as they continue to watch and see the façade of perfection fall apart. The flowers are also drooping, adding to reoccurring theme of 'everything is not as it seems'.

A dissolve is once again made this time to a road with a lollipop lady and a line of children walking across it. Children are usually a positive symbol to indicate that a place is good and friendly but just like the previous shots this is not the case once the surface has been scratched. The children are all walking in what seems like silence and in single file. This could be to illustrate discipline but may instead be oppression.

 

Yet another dissolve at 2:11 is made to an off-centre long establishing shot of an American suburban house, previously seen behind the fire engine. A straight cut is made to a long shot of an elderly man watering his garden with a hose. The scene looks idyllic and calm, very much fitting in with the rest of the extract thus far.

A straight cut again is made to a mid-shot of an elderly woman sitting in her old fashioned living room with a cup of tea on her lap. This initially seems like she is relaxing stress-free due to living in such a perfect place, however the next cut reveals that she is watching a television programme with a gun in it. This foreshadows a bad event in the future and is also the first clearly negative image in the extract so far. The dissolve transitions have also been replaced by this point. The dissolves earlier on elongated the transitions, adding to the sense of calm but the straight cuts take this away and build up to a much faster editing pace as the clip continues from this point onwards.

The clip returns to the man, this time featured in a mid-shot. The repetition of his (implied) house and him draw attention to this character as a significant point in the narrative, at least for the opening sequence.

A close up of the hose attached to the tap follows. A closer close-up is also featured later in the sequence, drawing attention and building suspense. The diegetic sound becomes very apparent and increases in volume. The hose is not attached properly and high pressure water is escaping from the sides. This also foreshadows that something is not right. The sound of the pressure also adds to the tension, which is ever increasing in the sequence from now on.

Again the camera returns to the male character as he tugs on the hose. This could be interpreted as him attempting to fight back the inevitable or against nature, as he later suffers a fatal stroke, but this is not made clear until later on in the film. The next straight cut is made to a match on action shot of the hose wound round a twig. This struggling of the man to free the hose and the pressure of the water increasing continues, all using straight cut transitions. This sequence is created to build frustration and tensions inside the minds of the audience. The diegetic, but increased, sound of the hose continues and raises in volume. This again adds to the suspense and tension that is built up within the sequence.

The man now clutches the back of his neck and collapses, physically struggling. The patch he was previously watering is where he falls and consequently his back becomes covered in mud. This is metaphorical of the façade of perfection finally shattering.

He still holds the hose and the water droplets are shown in extreme close up and in slow motion. Perhaps this is to portray that nature continues without man but a more immediate interpretation is that the hose and water has triumphed over the man after their tug of war earlier on.

A dog and child also appear into the frame, unknowing of what has gone on. Children, pets and the elderly are generally accepted as signs of a good and friendly neighbourhood within societies. Despite all three being in frame the denotations are not of a positive environment. The dog also features in a close up in slow motion of his own, again just elongating the sequence and adding to the tension and somewhat confusion that the audience is experiencing.

The last straight cut is made to an extreme close up of the lush green grass on the ground. The camera tracks slowly forward, with each blade of grass moving out of the way, to reveal the earth underneath and all the scuttling beetles. The non-diegetic Blue Velvet track and the diegetic pressure sound effect fade away and are replaced by the overwhelming sounds of the insect movements. This reveal of the insects underground is symbolic of the whole extract, as something may seem pretty and perfect from afar or at a glance but underneath lies the chaos and filth, even in nature.