Blue Velvet
Blue Velvetis one of David Lynch ’s most provocative film , and it ’s no secret the author and music director apply symbolism and leaves his work purposely unfastened to rendering . An interesting possibility , and one with some truly compelling evidence , is thatBlue Velvetis secretly about the Lincoln Assassination .
aristocratic Velvetfollows Jeffrey Beaumont ( Kyle McLachlan ) , a immature college student who , after discovering a severed ear overproduction with ants in a arena , start out to bring out the dark underbelly of the idyllic belittled townspeople of Lumberton , North Carolina where he lives . It ’s replete withseveral uncanny momentsinvolving sexuality and violence , often in the same fit , which traumatise audiences and critics when it fare out in 1986 . Today , it is moot a masterpiece , and one of Lynch ’s most authoritative work .
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Interestingly , some intriguing details inBlue Velvetseem to luff to the Lincoln assassination . Although they are small , hidden inside information , when they are uncovered , the true substance of the movie commence to get along clear . After all , Blue Velvetis about reveal dark secrets and the conspiracies of a small town , so it makes utter sense for these details to bring out an alternative rendering .
Lincoln Street
One of the more obvious facts inBlue Velvetthat points to the Lincoln Assassination is Lincoln Street . In the picture show , there is a skinny - up shot of the street sign . The camera lingers for a moment , afford the audience sentence for this to sink in . As it turns out Lincoln Street separates the good side of townsfolk from the badness .
Jeffrey is warned too soon on inBlue Velvetnot to get over Lincoln Street . presumptively , it ’s a dangerous side of town and not a effective place for a unseasoned college student to venture . Of of course , Jeffrey does get across Lincoln Street , determine to uncover the mystery of the cut off ear , and gets into some serious trouble .
Frank Booth Shares A Surname With John Wilkes Booth
Another interesting fact is that the primary villain inBlue Velvetis Frank Booth ( Dennis Hopper ) , who shares a surname with John Wilkes Booth . John Wilkes Booth is the humans who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln . He was a microscope stage actor and a accomplice sympathizer . infelicitous with Lincoln ’s move to abolish thraldom , he and a small group diagram to have President Lincoln and several member of his console killed . John Wilkes Booth was the man who personally came up behind the President of the United States and shot him in the back of the head teacher , killing him .
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Like John Wilkes Booth , Frank Booth is the one in his gang who place the real act of wildness . During the scene in which Jeffrey is abduct by Frank , he is bring to see Ben , one of Frank ’s criminal associates . Ben is an odd character who is holding Dorothy ’s family surety . Ben does not seem to be violent himself , but he is a Colorado - conspirator with Frank . Although there are a spate of unreciprocated enquiry about the actual working of the gang , it appears that Ben may be the leader who enjoin Frank what to do .
likewise , John Wilkes Booth was the one who performed the actual assassination of President Lincoln . While many of his co - conspirator took part in the provision process ( like Ben does with Frank ) , they did not take part in the violence itself . Although Frank Booth is clearly psychotic , it ’s potential that John Wilkes Booth may have been mentally mentally ill as well , which is yet more grounds thatBlue Velvetis about the Lincoln Assassination .
Don Vallens' Death Mirrors Lincoln’s Assassination
Don Vallens ' death at the end ofBlue Velvetis eerily exchangeable to Lincoln ’s assassination . Despite the fact that the actual killing is never evidence on screen , Jeffrey find Vallens ' body sitting in a death chair , dead . It ’s clear Don Vallens has been film in the oral sex . This remnant - result of a vicious act of violence is reminiscent of President Lincoln ’s death , who was also sprout in the fountainhead while sit down .
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From there , Jeffrey is able to ambush Frank Booth and drink down him , which mirrors the pursuit of John Wilkes Booth , who fled and hid in a b . When jurisprudence enforcement find his concealing spot , there was a standoff and John Wilkes Booth was fatally take in the neck . In this mode , both Booth characters get bloody justice for their deeds .
What Blue Velvet’s Connection To Lincoln’s Assassination Really Means
With this final act of force , David Lynchoffers a further clue . By linking Lincoln ’s assassination with the plot ofBlue Velvet , he ’s making a statement . However , like all of Lynch ’s work , this message is up for rendition .
One possibility is that the Lincoln assassination is used to represent the demise of the American apotheosis and naturalness . After all , Blue Velvetis about a small town that looks like perfect . It ’s always sunny and cheerful , and the bird ( like the redbreast at the conclusion of the motion picture ) are always chirping . That is , until Jeffrey bring out the seedy underbelly that is the reliable identity of the township , and thereby America as well .
The United States is often seen as one of the ripe countries in the earth , but beneath the surface is a history of race murder and crime . President Lincoln is a symbolization of forward motion , and he was killed by someone who did not want that procession . In every town in America , modest or magnanimous , there is a dark heart of crime and misdeeds .
Does This Theory Work?
The proposed theory may be taking thing a little far to say thatBlue Velvetis about Lincoln ’s character assassination . While there ’s sure some evidence to fend for the fact that Lynch put these details into his movie for a understanding , they more likely breaker point to a sub - content , rather than an overarching theme .
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The overall theme ofBlue Velvet , after all , is that thing are always glum than they look . It ’s about unearthing the dingy side of a ostensibly idyllic modest township . Blue Velvetis a celluloid about hidden affair , both in the Earth and in people ’s personality .
With that in idea , this possibility does work in a sense . John Wilkes Booth was a stage actor who held a obscure hatred inside himself , much like Jeffrey discovers the morose side of his Ithiel Town and the intimate impulse within himself . Ultimately , Blue Velvetpresents a voyeuristical reality . The references to Abraham Lincoln ’s assassination are fascinating , if not crucial for theinterpretation of David Lynch ’s work .
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