Blue Velvet: A Bloomsbury Movie Guide

by Charles Drazin

Blue Velvet is perhaps avid Lynch's best film to date, and certainly his most well known. Beneath its tranquil, beautifully filmed, small-town ambience, lies violence and depravity on a hideous scale, with Dennis Hopper, as Frank, at its core. This book covers every aspect of the how it was made, the screenplay, the casting, the director, its themes. Passionate, witty, and provocative, the book goes far beyond the usual A-Z.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it provides some interesting reflection on the intricacies of the film, in large part it's just really irritating listening to some Limey Public School toff* jaw on and on about how little he understands small town America. No shit. Insulting is his insistence that the film couldn't possibly reflect any reasonable reality. I defy him to live in small-town America for even six months and see if he comes out unaffected.

Certain pieces of information, for all the information collected, are incorrect (e.g., Sandy says Dorothy's apartment had once been under surveillance, yet Drazin is adamant that this is still going on), and there are several pointless, annoying interludes (for lack of a better term, as they have nothing to do with the point supposedly being made) where Drazin makes creaky analogies between his personal life and the film.

I did have a bit of a laugh at his earnest attempt to buy Pabst Blue Ribbon at Asda, Sainsbury's, and Tesco. It seems Drazin's ascot must have been tied a little too tight that day.

Anyway, I'm sure there are better books out there on the same subject. If not, there should be.

*He mentions his HIGH SCHOOL in the author bio? Jesus Christ.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good insights on the film alternate with some really tedious, pretentious twaddle about his personal life. On the whole, worth reading, though. Just skip the "people like Frank" entry.