Denis Villeneuve Pays Tribute to David Lynch, and Reflects on the 1984 'Dune' Adaptation

Denis Villeneuve, the sci-fi visionary behind films like Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and, of course, the modern adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune, has paid tribute to David Lynch, his filmmaking colleague and partner in the rocky territory of Dune adaptations.

Lynch, who passed away recently, is credited with the first-ever adaptation of the literary sci-fi classic from 1965. In 1984, the surrealist master brought Dune to the big screen with mixed results. The film was a box office flop starring Sting, Kyle MacLachlan, Brad Dourif, Max von Sydow, and Virginia Madsen, among others. Lynch was famously not happy with what the studio did to his final vision, and his opinion varied throughout the years. There were several cuts, but in retrospect, none of them matched Lynch’s vision enough to make him cheer for his own film.

Jump forward 37 years and Villeneuve makes a science fiction epic that checks every item in the list of “things from the Dune universe impossible to adapt.” His Dune and Dune: Part Two are prime examples of the genre, but they completely differ from what Lynch did in 1984 in scope and tone. Both big-screen adaptations of Dune should not be compared.

Per Screen Rant, during the recent Saturn Awards ceremony, Villeneuve sat down to answer a few questions, mostly about Dune. The director also used the opportunity to talk about David Lynch and the fact that the Eraserhead and Blue Velvet director didn’t enjoy making his version of Dune:

“Cinema is probably the closest artform, closest to dreams, awakened dreams. And David Lynch was definitely the master, the one who brought us closest to this dream state. And I sincerely wish that I had the chance to meet him. It would’ve not been possible to meet him in between both [Dune] movies. I was wishing and dreaming to meet him once it would be finished just to… to pay homage to him.

I’m very sad that he did not have a nice experience with his own adaptation. At the same time, from my understanding, the pain he endured during making his own version of Dune brought to us ‘Blue Velvet,’ and then ‘Wild at Heart’ and all the… there was an energy that came out of that. So, I don’t know, it’s very deeply sad that he left us. It’s like, you know, there’s some filmmakers that when he left, it’s like a planet left the solar system. It’s really like he was his own planet. But there’s some comfort knowing that he was still totally alive, totally creative, that he wanted to do another project. He’s still here. Anyway, I’m a big fan. Yes.”

David Lynch’s ‘Dune’: Silver Lining?

Lynch was never a filmmaker who was happy with studio intervention. Although his studio films are not bad, you can observe how well he performed when he didn’t have to follow the rules. He felt more comfortable, and as Villeneuve says, without the experience of making Dune, perhaps he wouldn’t have made films as singular as Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart. Actually, add Inland Empire, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks to the mix.

An edited image of Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation, featuring Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, and Timothée Chalamet

10 Best Movies Like Dune to Watch Next

From Interstellar to Blade Runner 2049, here are exceptional and visually stunning films like Dune that we recommend watching next.

Posts

David Lynch’s Dune was not a horrible film. Its fan-base is bigger than you can imagine, and some sci-fi buffs prefer this one over Villeneuve’s groundbreaking films. We hope that wherever he is, he’s enjoying the bliss of final cuts, even if they’re from movies not in tune with the signature surrealism that made him one of the most important storytellers of all time.