BLUE VELVET has alway been controversial, like much of director David Lynch’s work. So much so that 30 years on a documentary about it won official selection at the 2016 BFI London Film Festival and now Blue Velvet Revisited is to be shown in a one-off screening at Dalston’s Rio Cinema this month December 2016.

German filmmaker Peter Braatz says he had “exclusive access” to Blue Velvet’s 1985 film set in Wilmington, North Carolina, and its original Super 8 stock. Lynch, whose career took off in 1990 with the TV series Twin Peaks, features in the film, along with Isabella Rossellini, who became his partner, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern and Kyle MacLachlan.

Braatz includes a scene of Rossellini singing, apparently live, Blue Velvet, the saccharine 1950 pop song that gave the movie its name.

One critic describes the film as “a charmingly offbeat time capsule”,  another as “mesmerising”, which could be a synonym for “sleep-inducing”. In any case, its 85 minutes should appeal to Lynchpins.

Hamish Scott 061216 

* Blue Velvet Revisited, Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High Street, Dalston E8 2PB, Sunday 11 December 2016 at 4.30pm

* Backstory: Rio staff go on strike

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