Great Scene: “Blue Velvet”
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 the last two decades. 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. And soon to enter, one of the creepiest bad guys of all time: Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).
There’s a KNOCK, KNOCK on the door. Dorothy looks VERY frightened. She
quickly moves a finger to her lips in a “quiet” sign and whispers to
Jeffrey.
DOROTHY
(whispers, frantic)
Shut up. Hurry! Go in the closet. Don’t
say anything or you’ll get killed. I mean
it.
KNOCKING is heard louder at the door. Jeffrey picks up all his clothes
and gets in the closet. He’s naked and hiding in the closet. Dorothy
closes her robe and glides to the front door.
Jeffrey sees FRANK come in.
Frank is medium height and stocky with a burr hair cut. He is wearing a
tight blue t-shirt and an old black sports jacket. He’s got on a pair of
blue jeans and boots. He has a raw, mean sexuality — a “bomb about to go
off” — presence.
He comes into the room slowly, always looking at Dorothy. He sits on the
couch.
DOROTHY
Hello, baby.
FRANK
(annoyed, condescending)
Shut up. It’s daddy. shithead.
DOROTHY
Hello, daddy.
FRANK
(can’t-you-remember-
anything-attitude)
. my bourbon.
Dorothy goes into the kitchen to get Frank his drink. As she passes the
closet, Jeffrey can see the fear in her face.
She returns with a small glass of bourbon and hands it to Frank. Frank
sips on it.
FRANK
. sit down. get your chair.
Dorothy brings a small chair over from the wall and sits down. She
adjusts her robe.
FRANK
(studying her)
. spread your legs.
Dorothy slowly spreads her legs. She can see Jeffrey staring out of the
darkness of the closet at her.
FRANK
wider.
She opens her legs wider. Frank looks at her crotch and drinks his
bourbon. He stares at the floor for a moment, then slowly looks back at
Dorothy, her body — her crotch.
Dorothy looks up at the ceiling, waiting. Frank suddenly reaches to his
belt, where he has a small canister and a mask. He opens a valve on the
canister and places the mask over his nose and mouth. The canister is
filled with helium, which makes Frank’s voice very high and strange
sounding. The result is frightening.
FRANK
(high voice)
. mommy.
Dorothy jumps. She keeps looking at the ceiling.
FRANK
(continuing, with high voice)
. MOMMY!.
DOROTHY
(frightened)
. mommy’s here.
FRANK
(high voice)
Baby wants to fuck.
Then, Frank’s voice goes to normal.
FRANK
(normal voice, but loud — like
an army order to himself)
GET READY TO FUCK!
Frank goes to Dorothy and kneels down in front of her. He takes one more
gasp of helium.
FRANK
(high voice)
Baby wants blue velvet.
Dorothy opens her robe and gives a part of the robe to Frank.
DOROTHY
(whispering)
Okay.
Frank slowly moves
Frank slowly moves his mouth to the robe and runs his lips along the
texture of the velvet. His hands rub the velvet and feel Dorothy’s body
underneath. His hands start feeling her breasts as he sucks and bites the
velvet robe.
Dorothy is very frightened but she is getting hot in spite of her fear.
Then Frank, in a sort of sickening way, pulls Dorothy down to rug. He
warns her.
FRANK
Don’t look at me!
He begins stuffing part of the robe into her mouth. Then, he pushes her
arms back and she keeps them back, letting Frank have his way. Frank
sucks and bites the velvet coming out of her mouth, while he pinches and
feels her breasts in a strange, compulsive, timidly sickening way.
Dorothy is moaning. Frank is breathing very heavily. He feels her crotch.
FRANK
Don’t look at me!!!
(heavy breathing)
Daddy’s home.
He starts stuffing the robe in his mouth now and he gets on top of Dorothy.
He starts humping her and pulling her nude body up and down him. Faster
and faster, then he has a climax in his pants. Dorothy’s head is falling
back. She can see Jeffrey blurred in the distance — in the closet.
Cautiously, she looks sideways at Frank.
FRANK
(screaming)
Don’t look at me!!!
He slugs her in the face. His nose is running and he’s stifling sobs from
deep within him. On his hands and knees, he moves away. The robe pulls
out of his mouth. His breathing is even heavier now. He stands and
begins to move around the apartment. He goes to a wall, turns off the
lights, then turns and walks into the bathroom, all the while breathing
big, heavy breaths, trying to stop the crying. Dorothy moans softly.
It gets very quiet and still for a moment. Then, Jeffrey hears Frank
with his high helium voice talking to himself in the bathroom. The high,
strange sound reverberates in the distance. Jeffrey can’t make it out —
soon, he hears Frank’s high laughing. Frank comes back into the living
room. The mask is around his face. All his breathing — every sound is
high . He laughs a little and crosses the darkened room to the door.
FRANK
Stay alive baby. See you next Christmas!
Frank leaves and shuts the door. The apartment is silent except for
Dorothy’s moans.
Jeffrey is stunned. He doesn’t move. He watches Dorothy in the
half-light. She rolls over and starts crying. The crying is deep and
genuine.
Here is the scene from the movie:
If you’re going to have a Bad Guy, why not make him a really bad guy? And 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. And what you may get is not only an a 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.
[Originally posted May 29, 2009]