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A Masterpiece in Disarray
A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune. an Oral History | Max Evry
1 post | 1 read | 2 to read
LIMITED FIRST EDITION contains red foil gilded page edges and a black satin ribbon marker. "I see many things. I see plans within plans." Following his underground hit Eraserhead and critically acclaimed The Elephant Man, visionary filmmaker David Lynch set his sights on bringing Frank Herbert's beloved sci-fi novel Dune to the screen. The project had already vexed directors such as Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo) and Ridley Scott (Alien). But by the early '80s Universal Pictures was prepared to give Lynch the keys to the kingdom - and the highest budget in the studio's history at the time - so that he could lend his surrealistic chops to this sprawling story of feuding space dynasties. They would also hopefully be creating a "Star Wars for adults" franchise-starter. As the hot young filmmaker commanded a cast with 42 major speaking parts as well as a crew of 1,700 (plus over 20,000 extras) on 80 sets built on 8 sound stages in Mexico, what happened next became as wild, complex, and full of intrigue as Herbert's novel itself. Film writer Max Evry goes behind the erratic ride of David Lynch's Dune like never before, with a years-in-the-making oral history culled from a lineup of new interviews with the film's stars (Kyle MacLachlan, Sean Young, Virginia Madsen), creatives, film executives, and insiders - not to mention Lynch himself. David Lynch's Dune initially left many filmgoers and reviewers scratching their heads, most dismissing the film upon its release. However, four decades and a big-budget remake later, Lynch's Dune is finally poised to find its rightful place alongside the director's other masterpieces such as Blue Velvet and Mullholland Drive. Max Evry's A Masterpiece in Disarray takes you back to 1984 with the deepest dive yet into the cult classic that is David Lynch's Dune.
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Some criticisms of David Lynch‘s Dune are that it‘s bloated and gaudy. This book, with its 500 page word count and metallic red edges is close to being the literary equivalent. I don‘t debate with anyone about Lynch‘s Dune. It‘s a weird, beguiling masterpiece that actually stands outside of the novel as a work of art in and of itself and you either like it or you don‘t. This deep dive on the making of this ambitious flop is probably for fans only.

Ruthiella I only saw the film once, I was about 13 and it so impressed me that I later read the book. 9mo
RamsFan1963 I still like Lynch's Dune, but I agree it does stand out as separate from the novel 9mo
The_Book_Ninja @Ruthiella that‘s a success in my eyes😃 9mo
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The_Book_Ninja @RamsFan1963 it‘s in the Dune multiverse ☺️ 9mo
Bookwomble I love Lynch's Dune. It's its own thing, and gloriously overblown. I'm sorry he's rather distanced himself from it. A flawed masterpiece is still a masterpiece. 9mo
The_Book_Ninja @Bookwomble He says why he‘s done that in an interview towards the end, and I totally get why he has. There‘s probably over an hours worth of stuff they cut out and discarded. It‘s lost forever in a fire 9mo
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