Response to Climax Questions by Doug


I'm going to disagree with Doug and defend the choice for "You're like me" for climax of Blue Velvet. I think that Jeffery's punch is more a reaction to a reaction that he has to Frank's words and the truth in those words.

It's been noticed that Jeffery freezes when Frank says the line to him, but I think that this is where the tension for the climax comes from. It feels more like Jeffery is going through flashes of emotion when he hears that he is like Frank. It's unnatural for someone to tell you something so unthinkable and for you to have an immediate, active reaction to the statement.

Of course Jeffery didn't punch Frank right away, but I don't agree that he punched him in direct reaction to Dorothy's pain/humiliation(which is questionable in the first place-- just look at the half-closed eyes and slack mouth, hinting at sexual arousal). I think that it is more a visceral way of seeing that Frank's words are true, but not wanting them to be and perhaps hitting him as a punishment for seeing through the "good boy" facade.
How many film heroines slap the hero for saying something true that she didn't want to hear? These are more immediate and perhaps a bit canned, but the idea is still there. This could open up the argument of who the real "hero" or "protagonist" of the movie is: Frank or Jeffery?

But back to the original discussion... The Climax comes from the visible tension in Jeffery that we see as he grinds his teeth for a faction of a second, realizing that the psycho called him out. It wasn't a strong enough statement for Sandy to say "I can't figure out if you're a detective or a pervert." It takes one to know one I suppose. That's why I don't see a problem with that scene being the climax because "light" and "dark" connect and you can't separate them in the scene.

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