When the movie ‘Blue Velvet’ by director David Lynch came out in 1986, it received very different reviews from critics. One of the harshest reviews was from Roger Ebert, a well-known movie critic at the time. Ebert gave the film just one star out of four.
He felt that Isabella Rossellini, who played a key role, was treated poorly during filming. Ebert wrote that Rossellini “is asked to do difficult things…She is degraded, hit, humiliated and undressed in front of the camera.” He said that when an actress goes through those experiences, the film should be an important one.
In the movie, Rossellini plays Dorothy Vallens, a nightclub singer who is held captive emotionally and physically by a violent gangster named Frank Booth. At one point, her character shows up naked and disoriented at another character’s home.
However, years later Rossellini said she chose the controversial role herself as an adult woman and did not have concerns about it. She said she understood it could be difficult, so she rehearsed extensively with Lynch first.
Rossellini felt her character showed the complexity of an abused woman who hides her true self. She called ‘Blue Velvet’ one of Lynch’s best films and a masterpiece, despite the criticism at the time.
While Ebert condemned how Rossellini was treated, many other critics praised Lynch’s artistic vision for the film when it was released. It went on to earn him an Oscar nomination for Best Director.