But despite this, being surrounded by them is still poised to be “heaven” to him.Īt various points throughout the film, Frank is seen to inhale a gas from a tank. He expresses his animosity towards the men he desires by verbally abusing them, creating this sense that he is different or “other” from this group. Given the nature of the insult - “pussy” to mean someone who is weak or frightened - it appears that Frank is trying to posture his hyper-macho identity as a contrast against his perception of the two less traditionally masculine men. While it is perhaps not uncommon for aggressive people to resort to name-calling, it is worth noting that the two men who are objects of Frank’s obsession, Jeffrey and Ben, are the only two people he refers to as “pussies.” There is this notion that the two men he appears to desire throughout the film both somehow belong to this same group in his eyes. The all-pink room, belonging to Ben, where this scene takes place is referred to as “Pussy Heaven.” Throughout the film, Frank refers to Jeffrey as a pussy in a derogatory manner. RELATED: David Lynch's Movies Ranked from Worst to Best He can’t allow himself to get too close to what he wants without being enraged, pulling the veil of traditional masculinity and heterosexuality back over his face. He cuts the song off midway through to resume his tormenting of Dorothy and Jeffrey. The song - “In Dreams ” by Roy Orbison - is a love song addressed to an unreachable lover: “In dreams I walk with you In dreams I talk to you In dreams you're mine all of the time We're together in dreams, in dreams.” Frank’s face is tear-streaked throughout the serenade, before seemingly being overcome with rage. In an intimate moment shared between Frank and Ben, they lip-sync a song to one another in a way that is evocative of drag. The imagery used in the film is reminiscent of the camp and cabaret throughout. Every time he gets too close, he pulls back with brutality. Frank appears to tease with what he wants before reconnecting with who or what he believes he should be, according to his own notions of manhood and sexuality. He repeatedly calls Jeffrey pretty, kisses him, and requests that Jeffrey feels his muscles before beating him and dumping his unconscious body in the countryside. He is hand-fed and serenaded by Ben while sharing longing, meaningful eye contact with him before he bursts out of the fantasy and continues his reign of terror on the film’s protagonist. He demands Dorothy dominate and degrade him, before changing his mind and becoming aggressive towards her for it. (At one point in the film, Sandy goes as far as mistakenly calling Jeffrey a “neat girl.”) Contrastingly, Frank upholds a traditional and old-school sense of masculinity, although there are times when it appears he doesn’t want to. There’s Ben ( Dean Stockwell), the effete criminal with a painted face, and Jeffrey, who conjures the image of a modern type of masculinity - tender, inquisitive, and un-macho.
We see desire and envy play out between Frank and his more effeminate male counterparts at various stages throughout the plot. However, it also seems that notions of masculinity, internalized homophobia, and repression play a significant role in shaping Frank’s behavior, as well. Why does Frank become equally obsessed and incensed by Jeffrey as he does Dorothy? On one hand, the argument could be made that it is jealousy based in a sense of ownership over Dorothy, particularly as this theme is mirrored by Sandy Williams ( Laura Dern) and her boyfriend Mike ( Ken Stovitz). It’s clear that Frank is an erratic, aggressive individual who is obsessed with Dorothy, but our immediate understanding of his motives don’t dig much deeper than that. Subsequently, Jeffrey is found by Frank, leading to a frightening sequence wherein he is taken on a violent “joyride” by Frank and his terrifying friends which culminates in Jeffrey being beaten and left for dead.
Jeffrey comforts Dorothy before they become entangled in a relationship. To find out more, Jeffrey sneaks into Dorothy’s apartment where he witnesses scenes of obscene violence at the hands of Frank Booth ( Dennis Hopper). When Jeffrey finds and hands in a severed ear to the local police department, he catches wind of a case investigating Dorothy for murder. Blue Velvet follows amateur sleuth Jeffrey Beaumont ( Kyle MacLachlan) as he uncovers details surrounding the life of club singer Dorothy Vallens ( Isabella Rossellini).