Blue Velvet: Special Edition/Gold Edition (1986) |
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Blue Velvet: Special Edition/Gold Edition (1986) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Mystery |
Main Menu Audio & Animation Scene Selection Anim & Audio Featurette-Mysteries Of Love Deleted Scenes Featurette-Siskel & Ebert: At The Movies (1986) Theatrical Trailer TV Spots-2 Gallery-3 Easter Egg-4 |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 1986 | ||
| Running Time | 115:36 (Case: 89) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (88:50) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Language Select Then Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By | David Lynch |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Twentieth Century Fox |
Starring |
Kyle MacLachlan Isabella Rossellini Dennis Hopper Laura Dern Dean Stockwell George Dickerson |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | $39.95 | Music | Angelo Badalamenti |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
French Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
French English for the Hearing Impaired Dutch Portuguese Polish Greek Hungarian Czech |
Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | Yes, Heineken beer | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Blue Velvet is a story about a young man who is drawn into a mysterious world after he discovers a severed human ear in a field.
Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) is a young man who returns from college to his small hometown of Lumberton after his father suffers a heart attack. One day while returning from the hospital, Jeffrey discovers a severed human ear in a field near his home. He takes the ear to a detective in the local police force and is told that they will investigate, but the police are unable to provide him with information about the ongoing case. Jeffrey is unable to contain his curiosity and he enlists the help of the detective's daughter, Sandy (Laura Dern), and they begin their own investigation. As their search continues, it becomes clear that a local singer, Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) and a dangerous and unstable man, Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) are somehow involved.
This film was written and directed by David Lynch (Eraserhead, Mulholland Dr.). When released, it received extremely varied reviews, ranging from 'mindless junk' to 'the work of an all-American visionary', but as time progressed viewers took a second look at the film and support for the movie slowly grew. The film has become one of Lynch's most popular works and has a dedicated and loyal cult following.
Unlike Mulholland Dr., the main feature is presented with thirty-two chapter points to allow easy scene access for viewers.
The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
The transfer is surprisingly sharp throughout and always displays high levels of detail. No low-level noise was detected at any time during the transfer. The transfer includes a large number of darkly lit scenes. During these scenes, excellent levels of shadow detail may be seen at all times. Some occasional scenes display almost no detail in the black parts of the image with characters simply emerging out of the darkness, but this is intentional and not a fault of the transfer.
A bright and vibrant colour palette is displayed during the transfer. It is always well saturated and exhibits no bleeding at any time.
No MPEG artefacts were detected at any time during the transfer.
A number of aliasing artefacts are visible during the transfer. Some examples of these artefacts may be seen at 37:01, 38:21, 40:23, 61:09 and 61:50 but due to their short duration, these artefacts are only minimally disturbing.
A small number of minor film artefacts may be seen throughout the transfer. Some of these artefacts may be seen at 3:11, 3:13, 4:31 and 5:44 but these are all very minor and are never distracting.
An unusual series of diagonal lines may be seen at the top of the image during a single shot at 5:53. These lines only appear for a short period of time but they are slightly annoying whilst they are present.
Eight sets of white subtitles are provided on the disc. I extensively sampled the English stream and found it to be consistently accurate.
The slightly disruptive layer change occurs at 88:50 during a camera angle change; part way through a scene in Chapter 23.
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The dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times. No dropouts or problems with audio sync were detected at any time during the transfer.
The stunning score by Angelo Badalamenti, who also worked with Lynch on Twin Peaks and Mulholland Dr., suits the on-screen action at all times and is supplemented by a number of distinctive musical tracks including the title track by Bobby Vinton.
The surround channels are used very minimally throughout the transfer, and never draw attention to themselves.
The LFE channel is used throughout to support the musical score and occasional effects but it never draws attention to itself.
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The animated menu is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
This documentary examines the origins of the film, its production, release and legacy. This extra includes footage of interviews given by Lynch around the time of the film's release and a number of recent interviews with cast members Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern and various crewmembers. This documentary is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with clips from the film presented at 2.35:1. A Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is provided with French, English and Dutch white subtitles.
When Lynch first completed the film it had a running time of approximately four hours but he was contractually obligated to produce a two-hour cut. Unfortunately, over time the scenes that were removed from the final cut of the film have been lost and all that remains is a number of production stills. These stills are presented here and set to music to provide some idea of the missing scenes. This section is presented at an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 musical soundtrack.
This is a short clip from 1986 with film reviewers Siskel and Ebert discussing their varied reaction to the movie. This segment is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.
This trailer is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
This promotional TV spot is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.
This promotional TV spot is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.
This is a collection of still shots taken while filming the movie. The gallery is presented with the photos displayed in the middle of the frame at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced. The images are broken down into the following sections:
This is a collection of four posters for the film presented in the middle of the frame at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and 16x9 enhanced.
This is a collection of twenty shots taken by photographer Peter Braatz during the film's production. The photos are presented in the middle of the frame at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and 16x9 enhanced.
This is a short segment discussing how they were able to obtain a robin for use in the closing scene. The segment is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and French, English and Dutch white subtitles. To access this Easter Egg, highlight the Special Features option on the main menu and press the up arrow to highlight a picket fence.
This is a short segment with Kyle MacLachlan discussing the scene in the film where he performs a strange walk. The segment is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and French, English and Dutch white subtitles. To access this Easter Egg, highlight the return arrow on the first scene selection menu page and press the up arrow to highlight a flower.
This is a short segment with David Lynch discussing what he likes to eat at McDonald's. The segment is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and French, English and Dutch white subtitles. To access this Easter Egg, highlight the Mysteries of Love Documentary option in the Special Features menu and then press the left arrow to highlight a microphone.
This is a short segment with Isabella Rossellini discussing her character's role in the film. The segment is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack and French, English and Dutch white subtitles. To access this Easter Egg, highlight the Origins option in the Mysteries of Love Documentary menu and then press the left arrow to highlight a rose.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This film has been released by numerous companies in different countries around the world. Below is a listing of some of the various versions that have been made available.
Original R1 release
Special Edition R1 release
Original UK R2 Castle Home Video Release
UK R2 Castle Home Video Re-Release
Original Japanese R2 Release
Norwegian R2 Jupiter Release
Hungarian R2
Spanish R2 Filmax Home Video
As you can see, the local version of this disc contains essentially the same features as the R1 Special Edition release with the addition of a French 5.1 soundtrack instead of French and Spanish 2.0 tracks. This Special Edition has also been released in Germany, Japan, France, Brazil, Italy and the Netherlands and is clearly the version of choice. Dedicated fans of the film may also want to add the UK R2 widescreen release to their collection as this contains an exclusive 45 minute interview with Dennis Hopper.
Blue Velvet is an unusual film that will appeal to all Lynch fans and is an excellent example of the director's slightly askew view of the world.
The video transfer is stunning and considering the age of the source material is near flawless.
The new 5.1 surround mix remains front focused and does not deviate significantly from the original audio mix.
The interesting collection of extras provides some unique insights into the film and will be appreciated by all fans.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Toshiba 2109, using S-Video output |
| Display | Sony KP-E41SN11. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Front left/right: ME75b; Center: DA50ES; rear left/right: DA50ES; subwoofer: NAD 2600 (Bridged) |
| Speakers | Front left/right: VAF DC-X; Center: VAF DC-6; rear left/right: VAF DC-7; subwoofer: Custom NHT-1259 |