Just seen the film recently. Really enjoyed it, though I have a question in regards to the use of the song. Why does it have such an affect on Frank? He gets really sad, then flips out moments later. Then he mouths the lyrics to Jeffrey in the deserted wasteland they end up at. Which btw was a brilliantly disturbing delivery from Dennis Hopper. Any thoughts on the song's significance?
[i]'All those things I can do, all those powers. And I couldn't even save him.'[i]
On the French Blu-Ray limited collectors edition box set DVD there is a deleted scene where Jeffrey has a dream in which Frank appears wearing clown makeup and is raping him using the animatronic bird shown at the end of the movie. Apparently test audiences found this too graphic so it was removed. But Frank's singing to Jeffrey is in reference to the deleted clown bird-rape sequence.
I always figured the song either reminded Frank of a terrible memory from his early years, or that Ben's lip synching performance, which was basically a serenade, brought out repressed homosexual urges that repulsed him.
Trailer For My Second Feature
https://youtu.be/UXsIq-oPxXA
I saw it that he swept away by the moment, by Dean Stockwell's "performance", etc but since he's a nutcase it only lasts so long before he snaps back to reality. You can see the turmoil on his face right before Dean gives him that dirty look, he stops the tape, and says his line...
shareRoy Orbison even said in an interview he didn't understand the use of his song in the movie. It starts playing and people are beating each other up.
That scene was so weird, like most of the move. That drugged out girl dancing to the song in the midst of all of this violence going on was just too strange.
Puzzling scene from a puzzling movie. In other words, David Lynch. :)
shareAnd not just David Lynch.
Stanley Kubrick is famous for using beautiful music as the score to acts of brutality and cruelty, most notably in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.
True! I can never hear Singing In the Rain without thinking of A Clockwork Orange.
Same thing with In Dreams. I always get this picture of Dean Stockwell in my head now whenever I hear that song.
Personally, I think these scenes are far more effective with these lovely songs. It goes against the grain, so the violence seems that much more shocking.
Thank you! I am so HAPPY now I was unable to sit through A Clockwork Orange! I tried once, briefly, about forty years ago, and what little I saw gave me nightmares. I could never forgive any movie that ruined Singin' in the Rain for me.
shareI wasn't sure what to make of the song but the scene is totally memorable and intense! Loved it.. Dennis Hopper is quite the creep-o
loll
The entire movie could be a dream. The camera zooms into the ear at the beginning and out of Jeffrey's ear as he's napping at the end.
shareI just came on this movie at this spot. And I was thinking about what a great singer Roy Orbison was. when I hear RO I always remember the time I was in Las Vegas and my sister’s in-laws who lived and worked there got us tickets to Legends of Hollywood. This was the mid80s. Anyway, we hung back at the end and a few of the performers came out to meet us. It was fun, the Elvis guy was pretty cute. As we were standing there I noticed that the Roy impersonator was getting ready to move on me, so I sidled out of his reach and we left. To this day whenever I hear RO, which isn’t often, I think of that. Good times (?).
And yes, this is a crazy but interesting movie.
A candy-colored clown they call the sandman
Tiptoes to my room every night
Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper
"Go to sleep. Everything is all right."
The CANDY COLORED CLOWN is probably his MOTHER who wears LOTS of MAKE UP because she's a HOOKER who is going to work when she kisses him good night.
And she probably also use to wear a BLUE VELVET ROBE as well.
🤡