MOVIE NEWS – Denis Villeneuve, the sci-fi mastermind behind Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and the modern Dune adaptation, has paid homage to David Lynch, a fellow filmmaker who also struggled with bringing Frank Herbert’s legendary novel to the big screen.

Lynch, who recently passed away, was the first director to adapt the 1965 sci-fi classic. In 1984, the surrealist auteur crafted his version of Dune, which received mixed reactions. Starring Sting, Kyle MacLachlan, Brad Dourif, Max von Sydow, and Virginia Madsen, the film was a box-office failure. Lynch famously resented studio interference and spent decades distancing himself from the project. Over the years, several alternate cuts surfaced, but none were close enough to his vision for him to embrace the film.

Fast-forward 37 years, and Villeneuve delivers a sci-fi epic that achieves what was once deemed impossible to adapt. His Dune and Dune: Part Two are genre-defining masterpieces that exist on a completely different scale and tone from Lynch’s 1984 version. The two films are worlds apart.

According to Screen Rant, during the recent Saturn Awards ceremony, Villeneuve took the time to answer questions about Dune but also shared his thoughts on Lynch and how the Eraserhead and Blue Velvet director did not enjoy making his version of Dune:

“Cinema is probably the closest art form to dreams, awakened dreams. And David Lynch was undoubtedly the master who brought us closest to that dream state. I sincerely wish I had the chance to meet him. It wasn’t possible between the two [Dune] films, but I was hoping and dreaming of meeting him once they were finished… just to pay homage to him.

I’m deeply saddened that he did not have a good experience making his own adaptation. At the same time, from what I understand, the pain he endured while working on Dune led to Blue Velvet, and then Wild at Heart, and… that energy pushed him forward. So, I don’t know. It’s deeply sad that he’s gone. Some filmmakers, when they leave, it’s like a planet vanishing from the solar system. He was his own planet. But there’s some comfort in knowing that he remained totally alive, totally creative, still eager to take on another project. He’s still with us. Anyway, I’m a huge fan.”

David Lynch’s Dune: A Blessing in Disguise?

Lynch was never comfortable with studio interference. Though his studio-backed films aren’t bad, it’s evident that he thrived in complete creative freedom. As Villeneuve points out, had he not suffered through Dune, he might never have created Blue Velvet or Wild at Heart. And let’s not forget Inland Empire, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks.

Source: MovieWeb