Blue Velvet Analysis

Blue Velvet Analysis: Introduction

Blue Velvet (1986) is considered to be a postmodern movie that was written and directed by David Lynch (“Blue Velvet,” para. 1). In addition, David Lynch was considered that he embraced Nietzsche's ideas as the Blue Velvet contains nihilism (Travis, n.p.). Moreover, there are ambiguous questions in the movie, such as which characters are good or evil? What is real? What is good or evil? David Lynch's movies are hard to understand; he talks with the viewer through symbols. Lynch criticizes the American Dream and the American way of life in the Blue Velvet. Lynch put opposite characters and scenes to tell his vision, such as good and evil. Lynch reflects both nihilism and surreal psychoanalytical scenes in Blue Velvet. Lynch brings out the subconscious images to the surface, such as violence and superiority. Blue Velvet includes surreal symbols that are put in the movie to make the viewer feel disturbed by ambiguous scenes.

Body Paragraphs

In Blue Velvet, Lumberton is designed to reflect the American Dream. The movie starts with the scene with the beautiful blue sky, white fence, and red roses. In the scene, the colors are representing American Flag. In Lumberton, everyone is safe behind their white picket fence, and they are living the American Dream. However, Lynch aims to subvert the American Dream, and the viewers will experience Lumberton's dark side because, in the daytime, Lumberton is seen as a safe place. Still, in the nighttime, the viewer sees that Lumberton is not a safe place in the movie.

The American dream subverts with the cut ear in Jeffery Beaumort's garden. Jeffrey is a good character at the beginning of the movie. He is the handsome next-door neighbor. When he finds the cut ear, he takes it to the sheriff. Sandy is another good character, and she is the daughter of the sheriff. She is a beautiful blond, a next-door neighbor. In this sense, these good characters are transforming in a way that they will lose their innocence (Travis n.p.). They are doing their own investigation on the cut ear. Sandy leads Jeffrey to Dorothy's apartment. In this scene, the viewer meets the fallen female fatal character. Dorothy represents the opposite values of Sandy. Dorothy is both evil and victim.

Jeffrey sneaks into Dorothy's apartment to look for a clue. Dorothy comes home, Jeffrey hides in the closet. Then Frank comes to the apartment. In this scene, the viewers are meeting the villain in Blue Velvet. Jeffery witnesses a violent relationship between Dorothy and Frank. In addition, Jeffery sees the Oedipus complex in the scene because Frank is saying mommy to Dorothy, and she is saying daddy to Frank. Lynch uses symbols in this scene, such as Frank hits Dorothy when he sees that Dorothy looks at Frank's face. In this sense, Frank is not approving his actions. After Frank left, Dorothy sees Jeffrey, who is hiding inside the closet.

In this scene, this time, Jeffery facing the Oedipus Complex. Dorothy takes the knife and threatens Jeffrey. The viewer feels uncomfortable because tension is growing higher. Dorothy asks to take off his pants, but she is still holding the knife. Jeffrey and the viewer think that Dorothy will geld Jeffery until she kisses him. In this sense, Jeffrey loses his innocence. He experiences the opposite of life. He claims Dorothy, and he wants to change sides with Frank and the power war stars between Frank and Jeffery.

The viewer figures out the conflict between good and evil by Sandy's question to Jeffrey. She is asking Jeffrey whether he is a detective or a pervert. The good character begins to transform into evil. Jeffery's attempt to rescue Dorothy leads him to the depth of his own psyche, where he confronts the ambiguity within his own nature. He discovers that he is both a detective and a pervert. Also, Jeffery finds the erotic excursion in Dorothy's world at the apartment he contacts with the subculture of violence, sexual abuse, drugs, and betrayal.

Jeffery is seen with two women. Also, Sandy sees two men: Mike and Jeffrey. She lies to her boyfriend Mike and after she lefts Mike for Jeffrey. Even a good character can not stay good in the Blue Velvet. The characters remain between the two different worlds. In the daytime, the reality is too good to be accurate; it is fake, but it is too bad in the nighttime no one wants to see the Blue Velvet. Lynch keeps asking the ambiguous question during the Blue Velvet: What is real? Because the viewer can not answer whether Jeffery lived or imagined his experiences in the underworld. It may be both real or imagined. The relationship between reality and dreams provides this outcome. Sandy mentions the dream she saw at the beginning of the movie, and in the end, the bird she saw in her dream appears. This symbol questions the reality of Lumberton.

American life subverts Lumberton's darker side because Lumberton contains both the American Dream and violent subculture. Lynch aims to show both sides of illusion to the viewer. After all, it hard to admit that violent subculture is a part of the American Dream because people who believe in American Dream think that they are safe behind their white picket fence, but from Lynch's perspective, the viewer understands that they are not safe in somewhere in which there lays a violent subculture. Lynch's disturbing, ironic vision of the failure of the American Dream in Blue Velvet ends with the recycled icons with which it began. Everyone goes back to their safe life behind the white picket fence.

In Blue Velvet, the good guy turns into a bad guy. The only difference between a bad guy and a good guy is their intentions. One of them is pure evil, and another is turned into a bad guy because he wants to save a woman. However, Lynch implies the question bad guy can be the actual good guy and what is good and bad? Blue Velvet answers this question with the experience of the events that the characters presented.

Blue Velvet Analysis: Conclusion

To sum up, Lynch creates an illusionist world that maybe does not exist. The viewer never knows that the scenes are real or not. The reality of the American Dream icon subverts with the Blue Velvet. In addition, velvet is the symbol of libido, and blue represents freedom. These two symbols represent free fantasies. The characters are experiencing the darker side of their nature in Blue Velvet. The good and bad definitions are staying uncertain in the movie. David Lynch both shows and subverts the meanings of concepts. Eventually, the Blue Velvet is described as an example of postmodernism of resistance.

References

“Blue Velvet.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 23 Oct. 1986, www.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/.

“David Lynch.” Wikiwand, 2019, www.wikiwand.com/tr/David_Lynch.

Travis. “About Us.” Colossus, 2019, filmcolossus.com/single-post/2016/10/24/The-wonders-and-horrors-of-nostalgia-in-BLUE-VELVET.