Isabella Rossellini vs. Roger Ebert. One of the most controversial reviews of Blue VelvetDavid Lynch’s cult film from 1986, came from the famous film critic, who gave the film one star. Then the most important critic in the United States, Ebert pointed the finger at how Lynch had chosen Isabella Rossellini in a role in which “exploited and humiliated”.
“Isabella Rossellini is asked to do things in this film that require real courage… She is degraded, slapped, humiliated and stripped in front of the camera”, Ebert wrote. “And when you ask an actress to endure those experiences, you should uphold your end of the bargain by putting it in a major motion picture.”
Isabella Rossellini stars in Blue Velvet as troubled nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens, held emotionally and physically captive by sociopathic gangster Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). At a certain point in the film, Dorothy shows up naked on the porch of Jeffrey Beaumont’s (Kyle MacLachlan) house completely disoriented and says: “He put his illness inside me”.
“I didn’t read the reviews when Blue Velvet came out, I try never to read them”Rossellini recently told IndieWire when asked to comment on Roger Ebert’s infamous article. “They are always depressing. Even if the review is good, there is always a phrase that is negative and it stays with you forever. But I remember being told that Roger Ebert said that Lynch was exploiting me, and I was surprised because I was an adult. I was 31 or 32. I chose to play the character.”
Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet: a ‘scandalous’ femme fatale in David Lynch’s masterpiece
A morbid and controversial film
“When I read the script I understood that it could be controversial and difficult”the actress added later, underlining however that he never had any reservations in accepting the role. “I said to David, ‘You don’t have to say the lines, but I’d like to rehearse all the scenes with you and paraphrase the lines.’ I wanted to make sure that what you’re seeing is a person who has maybe some kind of Stockholm syndrome and we rehearsed for a whole day. I felt reassured that David agreed with what I saw in the character and how I wanted to play him.”.
Isabella Rossellini and David Lynch were romantically linked when Blue velvet came out in 1986. The film divided viewers, but many film critics called it a masterpiece and earned Lynch an Oscar nomination for best director. The National Society of Film Critics awarded a Blue Velvet the awards for best film and best director.
“I’m happy that Blue Velvet was directed by David Lynch”said Isabella Rossellini to IndieWire. “It’s one of his best films. He’s a great author. I think for my character it was the first time we staged a abused woman, but she also camouflaged herself behind what she was asked to be by showing herself sexy and beautiful, and she obeys the order. This is the complexity of Blue Velvet, but also the great talent of David Lynch. I think he made a fantastic film. I love Blue Velvet”.
