I have not seen "Blue Velvet" in ten years--on the big screen, of course, where it belongs, at the Film Forum, on its then 20th Anniversary. Now, we are at 30. How the time goes.
Ten years ago, it was as fresh as the first time I saw it, back in the day, up in the second floor of what was then still The Waverly. It certainly connected with my impressions of the underbelly of small town America, where I grew up, and I swear, to this day, because of those glasses, the actress playing Aunt Barbara, Frances Bay (a somewhat known character actress) looked just like my maternal grandmother, who lived with us, and whom we called Nana.
It was like watching what might have happened to me, had I spent the rest of my life in Highland Park, New Jersey. Lord, loves, have mercy on us all!!!!!!!!!!!
But David Lynch tapped into the suburban zeitgeist at exactly the right time. And, should there be a 30th Anniversary showing--and there had damn well better be--I am sure the film will hold up beautifully!
And Isabella Rossellini's unforgettable rendering, in the film!
Frightening how many film anniversaries are piling up this year: its punishing to realize how quickly the decades pass! "Blue Velvet" is quintessential Lynch, but I never connected with it as deeply as some of his other films. I watch it, I admire it, but it doesn't engage me (aside from Isabella's cagey, complex performance).
ReplyDeleteMy favorites are "Mulholland Dr", "Fire: Walk With Me" and of course "Eraserhead". I was heartbroken when I discovered Lincoln Center had a screening of "Fire" while I was away Labor Day weekend: it hasn't been shown since the 1998 Lycnh Retrospective at AMMI. "Fire" is the most controversial, least accessible of Lynch's works, but those of us who appreciate it are destroyed with each viewing. Devastating in its theme, and incredibly cathartic: no other artist has ever captured the lure of utter self-destruction so powerfully. It was a crime how Sheryl Lee's intuitive, raw performance as doomed Laura Palmer was overlooked. Unfortunately, the film was hated on arrival because fans of "Twin Peaks" expected the prequel to be "dark campy fun" in the same vein as the TV series, while Lynch (rightly) felt that Laura's demise should be honored as a gripping, unavoidable tragedy.
At least "Mulholland Dr" gets some respect as the vehicle that (deservedly)launched Naomi Watts. Its my second favorite Lynch after "Fire" perhaps because the theme is again self-destruction (hmmm). But from a different angle: in "Fire" Laura Palmer slowly destroys herself out of desperation, because she sees no other escape from her very real and horrifying emotional pain. In "Mulholland Dr" Betty/Diane implodes due to overwhelming self-delusion over an unrequited love (we've all been THERE, baby...) Fortified, of course, by cameos from Ann Miller & Lee Grant!
Looking forward to the Showtime Cable "Twin Peaks" sequel miniseries Lynch is currently shooting. Sheryl Lee could theoretically return as Laura Palmer in some form, since her "spirit" was last seen trapped in an afterlife waystation with Kyle MacLachlan's Agent Cooper (and MacLachlan is definitely returning as a main character).
ReplyDeleteI loved Ann Miller and Lee Grant in "Mulholland Drive," his best after "Blue Velvet." Have never seen "Fire Walk With Me," but would love to. Hopefully someone will do a Lynch retrospective, or at least honor "Blue Velvet," this year!