Appearing on the American Film Institute’s lists of cinema’s greatest thrills and greatest villains, the strange and nightmarish narrative of BLUE VELVET (1986) was brought to the screen by director David Lynch and cinematographer Frederick Elmes – both alumni of the AFI Conservatory (Class of 1970 and 1972, respectively). Lynch has said that the creative provenance of BLUE VELVET was “half-desire, half-idea” – first inspired by the sense of time and place of the titular Bobby Vinton song, followed by the voyeuristic notion of sneaking into a room to watch a girl sleep and then discovering a clue to a mystery. Next came the indelible image of an ear found in a field, “sort of like a ticket for the hero to go into another world.” While traditional for a Franklin Schaffner Alumni Medal to be presented as part of the AFI Life Achievement Award tribute, last night’s gala event instead observed a moment of remembrance for Lynch – who passed away in January of this year, and who had been the medal’s inaugural recipient in 1991.
Visit the AFI Catalog to learn more about BLUE VELVET.
