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Blue Velvet

 Blue Velvet
type
TVTItem
 Blue Velvet
label
Blue Velvet
 Blue Velvet
page
BlueVelvet
 Blue Velvet
comment
Blue Velvet is a 1986 American neo-noir mystery film written and directed by David Lynch and starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper, Hope Lange, Dean Stockwell, Priscilla Pointer and Brad Dourif.The film tells the story of college student Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan), who has returned to his hometown of Lumberton, North Carolina to help run the family business after his father suffered a crippling stroke. A couple days after his arrival, Jeffrey comes upon a severed human ear in a vacant lot behind a neighborhood, which leads to him deciding to play amateur detective with the help of Sandy Williams (Dern), a high school student and the daughter of local police detective John Williams (George Dickerson).Signs begin to point towards troubled roadhouse singer Dorothy Vallens (Rossellini) being involved somehow, at which point the mystery devolves into a surreal, erotic, disturbing, and truly unpredictable living hell, and Jeffrey is launched headfirst into the dark, seedy underbelly of a seemingly idyllic town.The film essentially served as a comeback for Lynch after the critical and box office failure of Dune (1984), and while it barely broke even commercially, its glowing critical response shone in comparison to Dune, reviving Lynch's career and earning him his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director.Besides salvaging Lynch's career, the film is notable for launching the careers of Isabella Rossellini and Laura Dern (both being previously known for their famous parents more than anything). In times since, it has been deemed not only a Cult Classic but an exemplary work of the neo-noir genre and one of Lynch's greatest films.
 Blue Velvet
fetched
2024-02-14T18:31:29Z
 Blue Velvet
parsed
2024-02-14T18:31:29Z
 Blue Velvet
processingComment
Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Blue Velvet
processingComment
Dropped link to TwinPeaks: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Blue Velvet
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Blue Velvet / int_1e7c47ab
type
Stealth Pun
 Blue Velvet / int_1e7c47ab
comment
Jeffrey even calls one of the shady characters "Yellow Man" because he wears a yellow jacket.
 Blue Velvet / int_1e7c47ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_1e7c47ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_1e7c47ab
 Blue Velvet / int_20ccdd29
type
Rear Window Investigation
 Blue Velvet / int_20ccdd29
comment
"Rear Window" Investigation
 Blue Velvet / int_20ccdd29
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_20ccdd29
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_20ccdd29
 Blue Velvet / int_25524784
type
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
 Blue Velvet / int_25524784
comment
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Booth beats Jeffrey nearly to death in one scene.
 Blue Velvet / int_25524784
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_25524784
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
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Blue Velvet / int_25524784
 Blue Velvet / int_2ab79021
type
Emerging from the Shadows
 Blue Velvet / int_2ab79021
comment
Emerging from the Shadows: Dorothy does this, in the background of a medium shot where Jeffrey is arguing with a minor character about something else - and then they start to realize that there's a bruised, bloody, naked woman staggering towards them, and even then it takes them a moment to realize that something terrible is happening. Sandy's first appearance is also an emergence from the shadow of a tree.
 Blue Velvet / int_2ab79021
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1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_2ab79021
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
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Blue Velvet / int_2ab79021
 Blue Velvet / int_2d4fa515
type
Ax-Crazy
 Blue Velvet / int_2d4fa515
comment
Ax-Crazy: To call Frank psychotic would be putting it lightly.
 Blue Velvet / int_2d4fa515
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_2d4fa515
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_2d4fa515
 Blue Velvet / int_2ed5e99d
type
Depraved Bisexual
 Blue Velvet / int_2ed5e99d
comment
Depraved Bisexual: Frank frequently rapes Dorothy and puts on lipstick and kisses Jeffrey, before beating him half to death. The original script also strongly implies that he raped Jeffrey after beating him. There's also that line: In addition, we can't forget the way Frank looks at Ben with sheer reverence during his rendition of Roy Orbison's "In Dreams". In an earlier draft of the script he outright calls Ben beautiful, and that it's too much for him.
 Blue Velvet / int_2ed5e99d
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1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_2ed5e99d
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
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Blue Velvet / int_2ed5e99d
 Blue Velvet / int_303079ba
type
Phallic Weapon
 Blue Velvet / int_303079ba
comment
Overlap with Phallic Weapon; Dorothy forces Jeffrey to undress and fellates him, all while threatening him with a knife.
 Blue Velvet / int_303079ba
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_303079ba
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
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Blue Velvet / int_303079ba
 Blue Velvet / int_35a858b3
type
Cluster F-Bomb
 Blue Velvet / int_35a858b3
comment
Cluster F-Bomb: Frank Booth uses the word "fuck" in nearly every line. People he doesn't like are referred to as "fucks" or "fuckers". He seems to value the word in a very profound and unconventional matter, since he's always expressing a desire to "fuck" before going off and doing destructive violent acts that are more aggressive than sexual. It also stands out as a quirk of his because he's almost the only character in the movie that uses the word at all - Ben is the only other person to say it, and he's merely repeating Frank's toast of "here's to your fuck!"
 Blue Velvet / int_35a858b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_35a858b3
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
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Blue Velvet / int_35a858b3
 Blue Velvet / int_362461f6
type
Sex Slave
 Blue Velvet / int_362461f6
comment
Sex Slave: Frank has forced Dorothy to be his.
 Blue Velvet / int_362461f6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_362461f6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_362461f6
 Blue Velvet / int_3ae6199a
type
Psychopathic Manchild
 Blue Velvet / int_3ae6199a
comment
Psychopathic Manchild: ...anyone? Anyone?
 Blue Velvet / int_3ae6199a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_3ae6199a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_3ae6199a
 Blue Velvet / int_3b79029a
type
Crapsaccharine World
 Blue Velvet / int_3b79029a
comment
Crapsaccharine World: Lumberton to a T; it's a picturesque town hiding deep conspiracies of murder, abuse, drug dealing, and sex slavery. The opening sequence essentially serves a microcosm of this theme, down to the white picket fences.
 Blue Velvet / int_3b79029a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_3b79029a
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_3b79029a
 Blue Velvet / int_3cb1d38d
type
Bad Boss
 Blue Velvet / int_3cb1d38d
comment
Bad Boss: Frank generally treats his Mooks quite poorly, verbally abusing them and ordering them around and later uses them as Cannon Fodder during the shootout with the cops. He even lobotomizes the Dirty Cop Gordon on his payroll for an unknown reason.
 Blue Velvet / int_3cb1d38d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_3cb1d38d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_3cb1d38d
 Blue Velvet / int_4160410d
type
Damsel in Distress
 Blue Velvet / int_4160410d
comment
Damsel in Distress: Dorothy is reduced to sex slavery by Frank. She is totally helpless. The film is about Jeffrey's attempt to help her.
 Blue Velvet / int_4160410d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_4160410d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_4160410d
 Blue Velvet / int_4230e681
type
Vader Breath
 Blue Velvet / int_4230e681
comment
Vader Breath: Frank breathes deeply and inhales a drug through a gas mask when he is about to do something evil.
 Blue Velvet / int_4230e681
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_4230e681
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_4230e681
 Blue Velvet / int_443f9d8a
type
Ask a Stupid Question...
 Blue Velvet / int_443f9d8a
comment
Ask a Stupid Question...: Frank's associate asks about the beer "You want me to pour it?" and Frank yells back, "No, I want you to fuck it!"
 Blue Velvet / int_443f9d8a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_443f9d8a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_443f9d8a
 Blue Velvet / int_4523420b
type
Love Dodecahedron
 Blue Velvet / int_4523420b
comment
Love Dodecahedron: Jeffrey is attracted by both Sandy and Dorothy. Sandy has a boyfriend, Mike, but is attracted by Jeffrey. Dorothy has a husband, is forced into a relationship with Frank and is attracted by Jeffrey. Frank, in addition to being attracted by Dorothy, is also heavily implied to be attracted by Jeffrey and Ben.
 Blue Velvet / int_4523420b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_4523420b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_4523420b
 Blue Velvet / int_45a387bc
type
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine
 Blue Velvet / int_45a387bc
comment
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Blonde Girl Next Door Sandy vs. brunette Femme Fatale Dorothy.
 Blue Velvet / int_45a387bc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_45a387bc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_45a387bc
 Blue Velvet / int_4637914d
type
Suburban Gothic
 Blue Velvet / int_4637914d
comment
Suburban Gothic: This suburban town is home to drug dealing/human trafficking operation.
 Blue Velvet / int_4637914d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_4637914d
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
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Blue Velvet / int_4637914d
 Blue Velvet / int_469e3e2f
type
In-Universe
 Blue Velvet / int_469e3e2f
comment
The intro sequence includes a film being watched In-Universe; all we see of it is a close-up of a gun.
 Blue Velvet / int_469e3e2f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_469e3e2f
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_469e3e2f
 Blue Velvet / int_4ae690ca
type
Laughing Mad
 Blue Velvet / int_4ae690ca
comment
Laughing Mad: Frank breaks into a fit of giggles near the end while shooting at what he believes is Jeffrey. The laughs are quickly replaced by screams when he learns that Jeffrey isn't there.
 Blue Velvet / int_4ae690ca
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_4ae690ca
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_4ae690ca
 Blue Velvet / int_4c5f0662
type
Girl Next Door
 Blue Velvet / int_4c5f0662
comment
Girl Next Door: Sandy is literally one for Jeffrey. She is the "Betty" in the love triangle.
 Blue Velvet / int_4c5f0662
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_4c5f0662
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_4c5f0662
 Blue Velvet / int_4db42cf3
type
Male Frontal Nudity
 Blue Velvet / int_4db42cf3
comment
Male Frontal Nudity: Jeffrey, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it-moment.
 Blue Velvet / int_4db42cf3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_4db42cf3
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_4db42cf3
 Blue Velvet / int_53224e46
type
Bookends
 Blue Velvet / int_53224e46
comment
Bookends: The shot of the white picket fence and the fireman on the fire truck which opens the film is repeated at the end.
 Blue Velvet / int_53224e46
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_53224e46
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_53224e46
 Blue Velvet / int_58030b25
type
Visual Innuendo
 Blue Velvet / int_58030b25
comment
Visual Innuendo: The film is rife with phallic symbolism. The intro sequence includes a film being watched In-Universe; all we see of it is a close-up of a gun. After Jeffrey's dad has a stroke, his dog begins aggressively licking at the stream of water shooting out of his hose. Overlap with Phallic Weapon; Dorothy forces Jeffrey to undress and fellates him, all while threatening him with a knife.
 Blue Velvet / int_58030b25
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_58030b25
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_58030b25
 Blue Velvet / int_5c0fc07b
type
Nightmare Sequence
 Blue Velvet / int_5c0fc07b
comment
Nightmare Sequence: Jeffrey dreaming Frank's nice face.
 Blue Velvet / int_5c0fc07b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_5c0fc07b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_5c0fc07b
 Blue Velvet / int_6201e8b0
type
I Have Your Wife
 Blue Velvet / int_6201e8b0
comment
I Have Your Wife: Frank gets Dorothy as his Sex Slave by kidnapping her husband and son to coerce her
 Blue Velvet / int_6201e8b0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_6201e8b0
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_6201e8b0
 Blue Velvet / int_63b02752
type
Hair-Trigger Temper
 Blue Velvet / int_63b02752
comment
Hair-Trigger Temper: Guess who.
 Blue Velvet / int_63b02752
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_63b02752
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_63b02752
 Blue Velvet / int_63b12059
type
Villainous Friendship
 Blue Velvet / int_63b12059
comment
Villainous Friendship: By a loose definition of "friend", anyway, Ben is the closest Frank has to a positive relationship with anyone in the whole movie by a LONG shot. Frank clearly has a lot of respect for Ben, positively calling him "one suave fucker" and demanding his lackeys and Jeffrey give him a toast. Even when playing "In Dreams" triggers... something in Frank, he doesn't lash out at Ben. He just turns it off and changes the subject. Ben, for his part, shows no outward fear towards him and at least tolerates his presence.
 Blue Velvet / int_63b12059
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_63b12059
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_63b12059
 Blue Velvet / int_68068108
type
Evil Laugh
 Blue Velvet / int_68068108
comment
Evil Laugh: Frank has one after his "Let's fuck" line.
 Blue Velvet / int_68068108
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_68068108
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_68068108
 Blue Velvet / int_69fb91e8
type
Chewing the Scenery
 Blue Velvet / int_69fb91e8
comment
Chewing the Scenery: Dennis Hopper's Frank Booth is as gloriously hammy as they come.
 Blue Velvet / int_69fb91e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_69fb91e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_69fb91e8
 Blue Velvet / int_6e287af
type
Janitor Impersonation Infiltration
 Blue Velvet / int_6e287af
comment
Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: In order to get access to Dorothy's apartment, Jeffrey pretends to be an insect exterminator.
 Blue Velvet / int_6e287af
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_6e287af
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_6e287af
 Blue Velvet / int_722b3319
type
Camp Gay
 Blue Velvet / int_722b3319
comment
Camp Gay: Ben the pimp is played this way by Dean Stockwell.
 Blue Velvet / int_722b3319
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_722b3319
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_722b3319
 Blue Velvet / int_7464705c
type
Arc Words
 Blue Velvet / int_7464705c
comment
Arc Words: "It's a strange world." "Now it's dark."
 Blue Velvet / int_7464705c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_7464705c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_7464705c
 Blue Velvet / int_7570a10c
type
Bond Villain Stupidity
 Blue Velvet / int_7570a10c
comment
Bond Villain Stupidity: Frank could have saved himself a lot of trouble by killing Jeffrey instead of leaving off at a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
 Blue Velvet / int_7570a10c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_7570a10c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_7570a10c
 Blue Velvet / int_7febc23b
type
Establishing Character Moment
 Blue Velvet / int_7febc23b
comment
Establishing Character Moment: If you think Booth is a nice guy after his first scene, you need to share whatever it is you're smoking.
 Blue Velvet / int_7febc23b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_7febc23b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_7febc23b
 Blue Velvet / int_863fa679
type
What Happened to the Mouse?
 Blue Velvet / int_863fa679
comment
What Happened to the Mouse?: Ben's fate is unknown by the end of the movie, though considering that Don Jr. is safely returned to his mother, it's likely he was either arrested, killed, or ran off.
 Blue Velvet / int_863fa679
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_863fa679
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_863fa679
 Blue Velvet / int_86b21114
type
Badass Boast
 Blue Velvet / int_86b21114
comment
Badass Boast: When Jeffrey gives the page quote, he seems to be trying to make it sound like one.
 Blue Velvet / int_86b21114
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_86b21114
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_86b21114
 Blue Velvet / int_8858e515
type
Fetishes Are Weird
 Blue Velvet / int_8858e515
comment
Fetishes Are Weird: Frank is a sadistic mob boss with a mommy roleplay fetish, and the title of the film is a reference to his fetish for blue velvet (both the fabric and the song). He's also one of the most terrifying villains in film history, but this has more to do with his acts of physical and sexual violence than his fetishes. The fetishes just add more creepiness to his character.
 Blue Velvet / int_8858e515
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_8858e515
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_8858e515
 Blue Velvet / int_8e0ceaf5
type
Finger in the Mail
 Blue Velvet / int_8e0ceaf5
comment
Finger in the Mail: Frank cuts Dorothy's husband's ear to let her know he has kidnapped him and her son.
 Blue Velvet / int_8e0ceaf5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_8e0ceaf5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_8e0ceaf5
 Blue Velvet / int_8fd7af48
type
Sir Swears-a-Lot
 Blue Velvet / int_8fd7af48
comment
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Frank is one of the most disturbing examples of this trope imaginable. "Don't you fucking look at me! DON'T YOU FUCKING LOOK AT ME!"
 Blue Velvet / int_8fd7af48
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_8fd7af48
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_8fd7af48
 Blue Velvet / int_932da128
type
Monster Clown
 Blue Velvet / int_932da128
comment
Monster Clown: Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" (or "CANDY COLORED CLOWN!!!", as Frank refers to it) is a Monster Clown in the form of a song. Interestingly enough, Dean Stockwell, who lip-synchs the song while wearing white make up and exotic clothing, comes across as a Monster Clown Pimp. The second time the song plays, Frank is wearing sloppily-applied lipstick that gives him a clown-like appearance.
 Blue Velvet / int_932da128
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_932da128
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_932da128
 Blue Velvet / int_94e4c8ab
type
Betty and Veronica
 Blue Velvet / int_94e4c8ab
comment
Betty and Veronica: There's a sharp contrast between the sweet, wholesome and mentally sound Sandy and the mysterious, sexy, and mentally unhinged Dorothy, who represent the small town idyll and its hidden dark underbelly, respectively. Also subverted, in that both Sandy and Dorothy each exhibit in a small degree the other's chief trait. Sandy's fascination with Jeffrey's investigation is a sign of how attracted she is to the dark stuff going on in town. Dorothy, for her part, is not totally unhinged; she calmly tells Jeffrey that she knows right from wrong, and all she really wants is her son and husband back. When, in the end, she gets her son back, she looks as close to happy as she ever gets in the whole film. Pity about her husband. Jeffrey is also Sandy's Veronica and Mike is her Betty. Mike is Sandy's boyfriend, but Jeffrey, who has a strange behaviour, attracts her attention and finally charms her. Jeffrey is also Dorothy's Betty and Frank her Veronica. While she clearly feels safer with Jeffrey and her relationship with Frank is completely nonconsensual, she seems to prefer the sadomasochistic aspects of intimacy that Frank has introduced to her and tries to get Jeffrey to indulge in them, too.
 Blue Velvet / int_94e4c8ab
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Blue Velvet / int_94e4c8ab
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_94e4c8ab
 Blue Velvet / int_957e5fc2
type
Villainous Breakdown
 Blue Velvet / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: Frank loses it and starts firing his gun at random when he realizes that Jeffrey has tricked him. Not that he was all that stable to begin with.
 Blue Velvet / int_957e5fc2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_957e5fc2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_957e5fc2
 Blue Velvet / int_95b7c400
type
Faux Affably Evil
 Blue Velvet / int_95b7c400
comment
Faux Affably Evil: Ben, who while being one suave fucker, watches Frank punch Jeffrey in the face and force him to make a toast. Ben politely thanks Jeffrey for the toast, expresses concern for Jeffrey's face, and then punches him in the stomach and asks him if that's better.
 Blue Velvet / int_95b7c400
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_95b7c400
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_95b7c400
 Blue Velvet / int_984ef9ef
type
"Not So Different" Remark
 Blue Velvet / int_984ef9ef
comment
"Not So Different" Remark: While Jeffrey is horrified by Frank's sexual and emotional abuse of Dorothy, she throws him into a similar position at one later point when she forces him to beat her. The implications of him going down a similar path deeply disturb Jeffrey.
 Blue Velvet / int_984ef9ef
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_984ef9ef
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_984ef9ef
 Blue Velvet / int_99f2522e
type
Hit Me, Dammit!
 Blue Velvet / int_99f2522e
comment
Hit Me, Dammit!: A dark and disturbing instance of this trope as Dorothy demands Jeffrey hit her as they are making love. Jeffrey initially refrains, making Dorothy distraught enough to try throwing him out, at which point he finds the energy to oblige, and the two begin having violent sex.
 Blue Velvet / int_99f2522e
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1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_99f2522e
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 Blue Velvet
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Blue Velvet / int_99f2522e
 Blue Velvet / int_9d137658
type
The Chanteuse
 Blue Velvet / int_9d137658
comment
The Chanteuse: Dorothy.
 Blue Velvet / int_9d137658
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_9d137658
featureConfidence
1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_9d137658
 Blue Velvet / int_9e0c3153
type
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
 Blue Velvet / int_9e0c3153
comment
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "Pabst! Blue! Ribbon!"
 Blue Velvet / int_9e0c3153
featureApplicability
1.0
 Blue Velvet / int_9e0c3153
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1.0
 Blue Velvet
hasFeature
Blue Velvet / int_9e0c3153
 Blue Velvet / int_9fe35833
type
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
 Blue Velvet / int_9fe35833
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Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Maybe a little too much, as Frank's amyl nitrite-induced foreplay suggests. The movie has a weird Oedipal subtext going on all over the place, really.
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 Blue Velvet / int_a1b141f4
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My God, What Have I Done?
 Blue Velvet / int_a1b141f4
comment
My God, What Have I Done?: The morning after having violent sex with Dorothy, hitting her on several occasions, Jeffrey weeps, horrified by his actions.
 Blue Velvet / int_a1b141f4
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Blue Velvet / int_a1b141f4
 Blue Velvet / int_a939d96a
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Adults Are Useless
 Blue Velvet / int_a939d96a
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Adults Are Useless: Played straight for most of the film.
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 Blue Velvet / int_abad35b4
type
Soundtrack Dissonance
 Blue Velvet / int_abad35b4
comment
Soundtrack Dissonance: In addition to the titular "Blue Velvet", the film also features very disturbing usage of "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison. Orbison refused to let Lynch use the song, but Lynch was able to find a loophole to get around his lack of permission. Orbison later changed his mind anyway. "Love Letters" by Ketty Lester, the song playing when the cops shoot up Frank's base of operations. It's ... dreamy.
 Blue Velvet / int_abad35b4
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 Blue Velvet / int_ad1db87c
type
Oh, Crap!
 Blue Velvet / int_ad1db87c
comment
Oh, Crap!: Jeffrey; first when he sees "the well-dressed man" coming up the stairs to Dorothy's apartment, and then again when he realizes it's Booth wearing a mask. Booth himself gets a rather subtle one when he flings open the closet door only to find Jeffrey pointing a revolver right at his forehead.
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 Blue Velvet / int_b02f996a
type
Town with a Dark Secret
 Blue Velvet / int_b02f996a
comment
In the beginning, there is a colony of beetle-like bugs crawling around just under the surface of the lawn that Jeffrey's father was keeping in pristine condition, not dissimilar to the dark secrets lying just under the surface of the picturesque town.
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Blue Velvet / int_b02f996a
 Blue Velvet / int_bc00493f
type
Precision F-Strike
 Blue Velvet / int_bc00493f
comment
Precision F-Strike: "Here's to your health fuck, Frank."
 Blue Velvet / int_bc00493f
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 Blue Velvet / int_bc74ef27
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Berserk Button
 Blue Velvet / int_bc74ef27
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Berserk Button: Doing just about any minor thing that Frank deems out-of-turn, most notably fucking looking at him and not fucking looking at him.
 Blue Velvet / int_bc74ef27
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 Blue Velvet / int_bef696dd
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Mind Screw
 Blue Velvet / int_bef696dd
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Mind Screw: While it's quite lax in comparison to some of Lynch's other work, the more surreal elements of the film (namely the multiple dream sequences) are quite bizarre.
 Blue Velvet / int_bef696dd
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 Blue Velvet / int_bf051ba3
type
Don't Ask
 Blue Velvet / int_bf051ba3
comment
Don't Ask: When Jeffery sits down for breakfast after coming home from getting a severe beating at the hands of Frank and his gang, his mother and his aunt stares at his bruised and scraped face in horror. Jeffery immediately tries to pre-emptively shut down their questions with a quick "I don't want to talk about it."
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 Blue Velvet / int_c07e2029
type
Europeans Are Kinky
 Blue Velvet / int_c07e2029
comment
Europeans Are Kinky: Dorothy is a very dark and unhappy variant.
 Blue Velvet / int_c07e2029
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 Blue Velvet / int_c0d598fe
type
Evil Gloating
 Blue Velvet / int_c0d598fe
comment
Evil Gloating: Frank likes to do this, either when he finishes abusing Dorothy or when he gets the upper hand on Jeffrey.
 Blue Velvet / int_c0d598fe
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Blue Velvet / int_c0d598fe
 Blue Velvet / int_c3585f4a
type
Boom, Headshot!
 Blue Velvet / int_c3585f4a
comment
Boom, Headshot!: Jeffrey delivers one to Frank which blows off the back of Frank's head.
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 Blue Velvet / int_c6538cc6
type
The Dulcinea Effect
 Blue Velvet / int_c6538cc6
comment
The Dulcinea Effect: The entire reason Jeffrey gets involved in the plot's events is because he wants to help out Dorothy.
 Blue Velvet / int_c6538cc6
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 Blue Velvet / int_c660bc15
type
Fan Disservice
 Blue Velvet / int_c660bc15
comment
Fan Disservice: Dorothy is in some state of undress quite a bit, but considering it's in the immediate context of being abused by Frank, it's wholly unerotic.
 Blue Velvet / int_c660bc15
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Blue Velvet / int_c660bc15
 Blue Velvet / int_caa28b82
type
Cloudcuckoolander
 Blue Velvet / int_caa28b82
comment
Cloudcuckoolander: Frank Booth, full stop. And Jeffrey Beaumont, who's practically a teenaged Dale Cooper.
 Blue Velvet / int_caa28b82
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 Blue Velvet / int_cd3703a2
type
Genre Mashup
 Blue Velvet / int_cd3703a2
comment
Genre Mashup: While on the whole a neo-noir mystery, the film also adds Psychological Thriller elements to the mix.
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 Blue Velvet / int_ceabe589
type
Incoming Ham
 Blue Velvet / int_ceabe589
comment
Incoming Ham: Frank. "SHADDUP! IT'S 'DADDY', SHITHEAD! WHERE'S MY BOURBON?!"
 Blue Velvet / int_ceabe589
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 Blue Velvet / int_d08595d3
type
Broken Bird
 Blue Velvet / int_d08595d3
comment
Broken Bird: Jeffrey gets his fair share of this. Poor Dorothy is already very broken when we first meet her and gets worse.
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 Blue Velvet / int_d848560f
type
Unusual Euphemism
 Blue Velvet / int_d848560f
comment
Unusual Euphemism: How Dorothy describes Jeffrey having sex with her: "He put his disease in me."
 Blue Velvet / int_d848560f
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Blue Velvet / int_d848560f
 Blue Velvet / int_da909e61
type
Villainy Discretion Shot
 Blue Velvet / int_da909e61
comment
Villainy Discretion Shot: Frank hitting Dorothy after raping her. While Lynch wanted the audience to see the hit, the MPAA asked him to cut away, to align with their violence guidelines. Lynch said the cut made the shot more disturbing.
 Blue Velvet / int_da909e61
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 Blue Velvet / int_dca70c44
type
Reasonable Authority Figure
 Blue Velvet / int_dca70c44
comment
Reasonable Authority Figure: Lt. Williams, Sandy's father.
 Blue Velvet / int_dca70c44
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 Blue Velvet / int_e16cd24e
type
Know When to Fold 'Em
 Blue Velvet / int_e16cd24e
comment
Know When to Fold 'Em: Mike drives to Jeffrey's house to fight him over Sandy, but quickly desists when he realizes Jeffrey is involved in something far more sinister.
 Blue Velvet / int_e16cd24e
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Blue Velvet / int_e16cd24e
 Blue Velvet / int_e2ccee25
type
Animal Motifs
 Blue Velvet / int_e2ccee25
comment
Animal Motifs: The film is full of these. Bugs. In the beginning, there is a colony of beetle-like bugs crawling around just under the surface of the lawn that Jeffrey's father was keeping in pristine condition, not dissimilar to the dark secrets lying just under the surface of the picturesque town. Jeffrey pretends to be an insect exterminator to get into Dorothy's apartment. Jeffrey even calls one of the shady characters "Yellow Man" because he wears a yellow jacket. Robins. Throughout the film, Sandy references her dream about robins bringing light and love with them to eradicate darkness. Then, at the end of the film, a robin appears on the windowsill, holding one of the bugs from under the lawn in its beak, signifying the aforementioned arrival of light to end the darkness.
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Blue Velvet / int_e2ccee25
 Blue Velvet / int_e3048d1b
type
Amateur Sleuth
 Blue Velvet / int_e3048d1b
comment
Amateur Sleuth: Jeffrey adopts this persona as he investigates the case.
 Blue Velvet / int_e3048d1b
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 Blue Velvet / int_e549a677
type
WPUN
 Blue Velvet / int_e549a677
comment
WPUN: Lumberton's radio callsign is WOOD; as the town's name implies, their culture revolves around lumber.
 Blue Velvet / int_e549a677
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 Blue Velvet / int_e84a7d27
type
Genre Refugee
 Blue Velvet / int_e84a7d27
comment
Genre Refugee: The film sets itself up as a Genre Throwback to the badbutt crime and mystery fiction of the 1950s and earlier: movies like Daddy-O or the Hardy Boys novels, and most of the characters in the movie are appropriately clean-cut and wholesome. The big exception is the villain, Frank Booth, who is the sort of foul-mouthed and genuinely psychotic character that would only appear in later crime fiction. He's so (deliberately) out-of-place that the hero, Jeffrey, has a complete emotional breakdown over Frank's existence.
 Blue Velvet / int_e84a7d27
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Blue Velvet / int_e84a7d27
 Blue Velvet / int_eb251937
type
Dirty Cop
 Blue Velvet / int_eb251937
comment
Dirty Cop: T.R. Gordon aka "The Yellow Man", who's working with Frank and Ben.
 Blue Velvet / int_eb251937
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 Blue Velvet / int_eb8ec7c8
type
Jerkass
 Blue Velvet / int_eb8ec7c8
comment
Jerkass: Unlike Ben, Frank doesn't bother to conceal his depraved and repulsive nature and simply behaves unpleasantly and irritated all the time. He also gloats about his crimes whenever the opportunity presents itself or when he's sober enough.
 Blue Velvet / int_eb8ec7c8
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 Blue Velvet / int_f15c2859
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NO INDOOR VOICE
 Blue Velvet / int_f15c2859
comment
No Indoor Voice: Guess who.
 Blue Velvet / int_f15c2859
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 Blue Velvet / int_f511ea9b
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Product Placement
 Blue Velvet / int_f511ea9b
comment
Product Placement:
 Blue Velvet / int_f511ea9b
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 Blue Velvet / int_f64a9cf7
type
Earn Your Happy Ending
 Blue Velvet / int_f64a9cf7
comment
Earn Your Happy Ending: Jeffrey certainly suffers a lot before he's able to live Happily Ever After with Sandy. More of a Bittersweet Ending for Dorothy, since she has been freed from the psychopathic Frank and reunited with her child, but her husband is dead.
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 Blue Velvet / int_f96f188c
type
Drives Like Crazy
 Blue Velvet / int_f96f188c
comment
Drives Like Crazy: ...Frank!
 Blue Velvet / int_f96f188c
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 Blue Velvet / int_f9f2c33
type
Running Gag
 Blue Velvet / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: Jeffrey just can't find anyone who shares his taste in beer. He first asks Sandy if she likes Heineken, and she answers that her and her father drink Bud. Later, Frank asks him what beer he likes, prompting the famous line.
 Blue Velvet / int_f9f2c33
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Blue Velvet / int_f9f2c33
 Blue Velvet / int_fcdf597b
type
Titled After the Song
 Blue Velvet / int_fcdf597b
comment
Titled After the Song: The title is taken from the 1963 Bobby Vinton song of the same name.
 Blue Velvet / int_fcdf597b
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 Blue Velvet / int_fdf22cfd
type
Evil Is Hammy
 Blue Velvet / int_fdf22cfd
comment
Evil Is Hammy: Frank, in an absolute nightmarish way.
 Blue Velvet / int_fdf22cfd
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 Blue Velvet / int_fe64d5a1
type
Evil Is Petty
 Blue Velvet / int_fe64d5a1
comment
Evil is Petty: If threatening to kill him and viciously beating him wasn't enough, Frank decides to profanely criticize Jeffrey's taste in beer.
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Blue Velvet

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Blue Velvet
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Author Phobia / int_cc8e3adc
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Badbutt / int_cc8e3adc
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Boom, Headshot! / int_cc8e3adc
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Cast Full of Pretty Boys / int_cc8e3adc
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Creepy Crossdresser / int_cc8e3adc
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Decoy Hiding Place / int_cc8e3adc
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Dissonant Serenity / int_cc8e3adc
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Don't Look At Me / int_cc8e3adc
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Even the Guys Want Him / int_cc8e3adc
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Fetishes Are Weird / int_cc8e3adc
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Film Noir Index / int_cc8e3adc
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Films Noirs Index / int_cc8e3adc
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Genre Refugee / int_cc8e3adc
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He Panned It, Now He Sucks! / int_cc8e3adc
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Hit Me, Dammit! / int_cc8e3adc
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I Am Not Leonard Nimoy / int_cc8e3adc
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Incoming Ham / int_cc8e3adc
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Janitor Impersonation Infiltration / int_cc8e3adc
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Light Feminine and Dark Feminine / int_cc8e3adc
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"Mister Sandman" Sequence / int_cc8e3adc
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No Yay / int_cc8e3adc
 100 Scariest Movie Moments
seeAlso
Blue Velvet
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Opposites Attract / int_cc8e3adc
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Rear Window Investigation / int_cc8e3adc
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Retro Universe / int_cc8e3adc
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Sex Slave / int_cc8e3adc
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The Adjectival Man / int_cc8e3adc
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The Chanteuse / int_cc8e3adc
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Titled After the Song / int_cc8e3adc
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You Bastard! / int_cc8e3adc
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