Blue Velvet comes to Blu-ray

I am a huge David Lynch fan. Between his collection of films and Twin Peaks, I just can’t get enough of his mind bending pieces of work. Chief among them is Blue Velvet, his 1986 masterwork. Like so many others, I think I watched the film with my jaw firmly dropped, eyes wide in wonder. This was definitely a very different film and I think it pushed cinema forward, much like Twin Peaks did for television.

Now Blue Velvet has found its way on to the Blu-ray format and I had a chance to check out one of the new discs. First and foremost the movie looks and sounds fantastic, as you would expect from any Blu-ray disc. Truly, the movie is the real star here, that shouldn’t come as any surprise. There are, however, a bevy of special features on the disc, and some of them are even worth watching.

As you can guess, I’m not usually one for the so-called “special” features on most DVDs. On this disc, however, there is a fantastic hour long documentary about the film, with plenty of interviews with the stars and Lynch himself. The only problem with it is that it was on the original DVD, and therefore is not in HD. It ends up looking pretty terrible, especially when compared to the crisp picture of the film itself. Good thing the content is good enough to keep you watching.

There are a bunch of throw away features here too. Out-takes can be fun, but with such a serious and downright disturbing film like Blue Velvet, they seem completely out of place. There is a nice series of “vignettes” which appear to be deleted scenes from the documentary. The big advertised special feature is the more than 50 minutes of “lost footage.” If you ask me, though, there’s a reason deleted scenes and “lost footage” are cut from a film. These scenes are simply strung together with no context and, frankly, I’m not sure who would sit through nearly an hour of disjointed scenes. Even I’m not that big of a fan. If deleted scenes are your bag though, you’ll love it.

If you’re looking for a director’s commentary, you should know better. This is a David Lynch film, and he’s notorious for not talking about his films. It’s really not missed, though, as there is a good amount of discussion in the documentary. There are also the original trailer and TV spots for the film. They’re fun to watch, especially seeing what TV trailers looked like back in the mid 80s.

Finally, there is my favorite bonus feature, which I am so glad made it to the Blu-ray, as it was on the original DVD release too. The original review of the film on Siskel and Ebert is available to watch. Roger Ebert hated the film, and it’s fun watching him emphatically tear it apart for its harsh treatment of Isabella Rossellini. It’s one man’s take (though Siskel liked the film), but I love that the producers of the disc included a negative view.

If you’re a fan of the film and have a Blu-ray player, this should definitely make its way into your collection, even if some of the special features aren’t so special.

Disclosure: This review is based on a commercially available copy, provided complimentary to CliqueClack for the  purpose of review.

Clacked by Bob Degon
on Nov 22, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT