Great Scene: “Blue Velvet”
The introduction of Frank Booth and his obsession with “Mommy.”
The introduction of Frank Booth and his obsession with “Mommy.”
Blue Velvet (1986) confused many viewers and even critics. Was it a thriller? A satire? A dark comedy? But one thing was certain: This scene is one of the most memorable in recent cinema history. Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) finds himself in a most interesting situation: Stripped to his shorts at knife-point by Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini). Then a knock on the door. Enter one of the creepiest bad guys of all time: Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).
The movie version of the scene:
If you’re going to have a Bad Guy, why not make him a really bad guy? While you’re at it, why not let your imagination run wild, dig deep into your own dark psyche, see what sorts of quirky, weird, even demented behaviors you repress — then project those onto your Nemesis. What you may get is not only bizarre, aberrant sexual behavior, you may also get a character like Frank Booth, a metaphor for the evil that exists under the pretty little surface of a suburban American town like that in Blue Velvet.
For more articles in the Great Scene series, go here.