Lip-syncing never seemed the same again, not after Dean Stockwell caressed a lamp like a microphone and crooned along to Roy Orbison's In Dreams, as Dennis Hopper first sang along, thoughtfully, before the song made him implode with anger. A harmless diversion the music wasn't, as curious Kyle MacLachlan soon learnt when he was dragged to a lumber yard and thrashed to the overture of the same song.

The noir genre itself, as a matter of fact, had never seen something quite as twisted and graphic as Blue Velvet -- and yet Lynch's film is a visually sensual, superbly crafted experience. It's as beautiful as it is scary, as polished as it is visceral.

The film is the story of a young boy who finds a human ear on his way home from college. His imminent investigation plunges him into an inexplicable world of romance, sadomasochism, violence and intrigue. And while the film frequently makes you wince in horror, it's impossible to look away.

Isabella Rossellini and Hopper show off performances of a lifetime, playing characters of trauma and violence, while Laura Dern and MacLachlan are ideally cast as the young twosome inadvertently caught up in the seamy shadows.

Here, just to give you a glimpse of the tantalisingly twisted tone of the film named after the Bobby Vinton song, is the scene with Dean Stockwell, one where Dennis Hopper suddenly loses his cool and turns off the music. Amazing. Click here for video.

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