Blue Velvet Log

I'd argue that David Lynch is the very
definition of an auteur.

i think it's fair to say that David Lynch's 1986 Blue Velvet is nothing short of a master class in surrealism. rife with symbolic imagery and suggestive shots. wrapped up in his typical 'Lynchian' perspective. 

The most prolific of these ideas is certainly that beneath a perceived idyllic society, such as "Lumberton", the one shown in Blue Velvet, sinful activities involving lust, crime and causing harm to others are ever present in every habitual ecosystem and perhaps are necessary for the surface dwelling, porcelain-like 'civilised' society function.

Blueeeeee Veleveeeet!

 This 'Wholesome America' is immediately sprung upon as the film begins, with an opening shot comprised of a serene deep blue sky, a flawlessly white picket fence and several high growing vibrant red roses. This intense 'red, white and blue' image beginning prepares us for an inevitable critique of America and American culture by Lynch, making the target and subject of his film very clear. 

As well as this, the man-made manufactured intended beauty of the picket fence backdrop against the wild and free natural beauty of the red roses shows an apparent dichotomy of our vision of American beauty: the perfectly symmetrical uniformity of the picket fence is almost stiflingly sickening when viewed beside the unpredictable and wonderful natural beauty in the roses, thus potentially demonstrating a view of Lynch's that man made creations can never match nor better natural creations, demonstrating man's inferiority to nature and natural forces, going back to the previous statement of the necessity of sinful activities - we are unable to resist.

The characters of Frank and Dorothy are something
I'll definitely return to analyse.

Another strong image shown very early on in the film is that of an incredibly close up shot of black, writhing insects underground. This is shown after several introduction shots of the slow, polite town and is seemingly used as a symbol for the unavoidable grimy, underworld of this, and every other, town. This also adds a sense of inevitable doom to the film, demonstrating to us that this "grimy underworld" will be encountered during the movie and could perhaps be extended into a metaphor for the fact that no matter where you live or were raised, you will encounter this world at one point or another.

Blue Velvet is a film I'll without a shadow of a doubt come back to explore, having barely scratched the surface in this log.