Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Blue Velvet 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 6, 2024

David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include large collection of deleted scenes and alternate takes compiled by the director; interview with composer Angelo Badalamenti; Peter Braatz's documentary "Blue Velvet Revisited"; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

There are multiple reviews of Blue Velvet on our site. We initially reviewed the single release of the film that was included in the David Lynch Collection, which Universal Pictures produced in the United Kingdom. A different review of the North American release of the film which MGM produced can also be accessed here.

***

College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) discovers a human ear in a field. He contacts detective John Williams (George Dickerson), hoping that he would assist him in his search for the owner of the ear, but is quickly told to keep his mouth shut.

Together with the detective's daughter, Sandy (Laura Dern), Jeffrey launches his own investigation. Soon after, he meets the beautiful night club singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), who often sees a drug-addicted loner (Dennis Hopper) who loves hurting people. Without realizing, Jeffrey quickly gets sucked up in a dangerous world where everyone has something to hide and life is cheap.

This film has it all -- style, substance, and an incredible cast that delivers big. It is dark and unsettling, but at the same time deliciously perverse and occasionally even funny. Lynch hits like a champion should, with impressive precision and where it matters the most.

The main characters are impossible to forget. All of them, without exception, have unique qualities that impress. Some of their relationships are strange, but not unbelievable, certainly not for a Lynch film. More importantly, they are complete, and in the grand scheme of things perhaps even logical.

Frederick Elmes' lensing is outstanding. Some of the long shots are amongst the most original seen in contemporary American films. There is also a beautiful music score by the great Angelo Badalamenti, who also collaborated with Lynch on such films as Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive.

Blue Velvet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Blue Velvet is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray disc and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

In 2019, Criterion introduced a 4K restoration of Blue Velvet with this Blu-ray release. The entire makeover, which was supervised by David Lynch, is excellent and looks terrific on Blu-ray. The 4K Blu-ray offers a native 4K presentation of the makeover, which can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety with Dolby Vision.

I pulled out my Blu-ray release and spent a lot of time comparing various areas of the film with darker footage because I wanted to see how the Dolby Vision grade handles it. (In case you are wondering, the 4K Blu-ray disc does not have chapters either). I liked everything that I saw. However, I immediately must mention that the discrepancies between the native 4K and 1080p presentations are quite small. In native 4K, some darker nuances are expanded and backgrounds look better defined, but my overall impression is that the Dolby Vision grade is very gentle. The daylight looks better balanced, with a superior dynamic range, which is to be expected, but I still like the 1080p presentation a lot. Fluidity is exceptional. When the camera moves, now all visuals have a very cinematic feel, so on a large screen, you will see some truly breathtaking visuals. What about color reproduction? It is fantastic. All primaries and supporting nuances looked exceptional on my screen. In fact, twice I went back to the scene where Isabella Rossellini performs on the stage because I thought that it looked incredible. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks spotless as well.

So, should you upgrade if you already have the Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration of Blue Velvet? Yes. This film looks stunning in native 4K. You do not even need to have a very big screen to appreciate the strength of the native 4K presentation. I think that the way in which Lynch shot Blue Velvet makes a lot of the subtle improvements quite significant.

Blue Velvet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Both tracks are replicas of the restored tracks that were offered on the Blu-ray release of Blue Velvet. Once again, I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which I like a lot. I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review.

Blue Velvet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the Blu-ray disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Test Chart - vintage testing footage done before the shooting of different sequences from Blue Velvet. With music. (2 min, 1080p).

• The Lost Footage - presented here is a rather substantial collection of deleted scenes and alternate takes that were gathered by David Lynch. In English, not subtitled. (54 min, 1080p).

• "Blue Velvet" Revisited - this archival program was created by German filmmaker Peter Braatz who was invited to document the production of Blue Velvet in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1985. The program, which is described as a "meditation on a movie", features plenty of raw footage as well as various archival materials (Super 8 footage, photographs, and audio recordings), as well as original music by Cult with No Name, Tuxedomoon, and John Foxx. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (89 min, 1080p).

• Room to Dream - presented here is an audio recording of David Lynch reading from Room to Dream, the book he coauthored with Kristine McKenna in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).

• Interviews -
  
  1. Angelo Badalamenti - in this video interview, composer Angelo Badalamenti discusses different stages of his career, as well as his involvement with Blue Velvet and the conception of its soundtrack. Also, there are some very interesting comments about the type of work he did with Isabella Rossellini and David Lynch's enthusiastic reception of his music. The interview was conducted in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).
  
  2. It's a Strange World - this new documentary takes a closer look at the genesis of Blue Velvet. Included in it are clips from brand new interviews with props technician Shaw Burney, makeup supervisor Jeff Goodwin, second assistant director Ian Woolf, filmmaker Peter Braatz (Blue Velvet Revisited), extras and casting supervisor Mark Fincannon, and steadicam operator Dan Kneece, amongst others. The documentary also visits some of the locations where key sequences from the film were shot. It was produced in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Mysteries of Love - in this archival documentary, different cast and crew members recall their contributions to Blue Velvet and interactions with David Lynch. Amongst them are: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper, producer Fred Caruso, and cinematographer Frederick Elmes. Also included are clips from vintage interviews with David Lynch. In English, not subtitled. (71 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - a 30-page illustrated booklet featuring excerpts from the novel Room to Dream as well as technical credits.

Blue Velvet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even if you already have Criterion's Blu-ray release of the recent 4K restoration of David Lynch's Blue Velvet and are very happy with it, you should plan to pick up this upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack for your library. The entire film looks sensational in native 4K. There is nothing else for me to add, really. This is exactly the type of impeccable and definitive quality I think collectors expect 4K Blu-ray releases to deliver. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.