David Lynch says he'll "never watch" Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies

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I also prefer Denis’ over Lynch’s version — but I’m happy to have both in my life.

It’s interesting to note that (again, sourcing the intro to Herbert’s Eye) Dino (who wanted a longer film) and Raffaella De Laurentiis wanted to restore and edit in the outtakes for Lynch’s Dune for distribution as a mini-series, something that, in Herbert’s view, would have “forced” audiences to participate more in the film and in the same way that he wanted readers to participate in his book. Herbert expressed some pragmatism and accepted the reality that Hollywood – being a business – works within industry brackets that too often affects the artistry of films. Said Herbert, “Don’t get the idea from any of this that I’m ungrateful. Making that film was a superb education.”

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I don’t have a strong preference between the versions, but the argument that “more slavishly adhering to the source material” automatically equals “good and justified artistic decision” is completely baseless. Especially when translating from a completely nonvisual medium to a visual one.

In the book American Psycho, the character’s designer suits as described are all clownish and bizarre, but if the film has rendered that satirical choice literally and visually, the movie would not have worked at all.

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Clickbait headline elides the seeming fact that Lynch’s statement isn’t rooted in pettiness so much as in the traumatic experience he had making his own film. It sounds like he’s as loathe to revisit HIS Dune as he’d be to see Villeneuve’s.

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It’s currently in production, I believe principal photography has concluded but I would also need to look it up to be sure.

And in more general Lynch’s Dune, my favourite anecdote from the movie:

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(Timeless was a fabulous dumb show more entertaining than any Dune adaptation :metal::sunglasses:)

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… it was like an American Doctor Who

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Possibly more stupid, but I loved it anyway.

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I didn’t think it was dumb

There was a lot of depth and detail to it, and they didn’t slow down to wait for viewers to catch up

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It had three main characters names from Bill & Ted…

But either way, we both liked it, so :woman_shrugging:t3:

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… excellent :crazy_face:

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Also, I take this opportunity to post ponies (again).

1200×1200 301 KB

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Ain’t nobody here made that argument that I can see.

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I really enjoyed this topic so far. Even the kind of always the sameol’ “no this is the better version and I am snippy if y’all won’t agree” part.

That said, I wonder if I should see Villeneuve’s, at all. When I first watched the disowned Lynch version, I didn’t understand a thing, but was coming back because of that. The exposition monologues helped a bit, but were annoying as well. The world building worked for me. Even Sting worked, for me, in direct contact with the Baron. To this day, I like the effects and I love the interior design and especially the costume design. I also liked the camera (but then, I am not really good at analysing why).

The lighting was shit, and I never liked it. To bright in the shadows, to even in the lights. The dialogue sucked, but as I saw it dubbed in German, I attributed this to that.

What was the most important was that the worldbuilding worked, for me. The story was confused, ok - but that confusion worked FOR the worldbuilding, not against it. It was like having a glimpse into another universe. Of course I couldn’t understand it. And to this day, the feeling remains that this is an alien story about aliens in another universe, and I am an outside observer trying to understand what’s going.

I think the whole experience is not immersive, and this is what makes a lot of people grind their teeth.

Now, if the new take on it tries to be more immersive, I don’t know if I WANT to see it. The mini-series tried, but with Uwe Ochsenknecht I simply could not take it seriously. I had to watch it with a friend being under the influence, because otherwise it felt unbearably silly. (Matter of fact, it still felt silly, but I could make fun about it with my friend.)

The visual impact of the old Dune and, of course, some lines (the ones mentioned above, above all) influenced how I watch Science Fiction, I think. I can’t unsee it.
I don’t know how to find out if I want to see the new Dune. If I will, I am DEFINITELY waiting for the second film to be available, and watch it as a double feature in a row.

Oh, and I never read the books. I look them up every now and then, if I find a very cheap e-book version. So far, without luck.

ETA: sorry, I had truly free time on my hands for the first time in about a month or so, and let my mind and fingers wander on the BBS.

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Exactly. That wasn’t my point. My point was that Villeneuve’s decisions are justified by the source material.

It’s OK to disagree with them, but it’s not OK to disparage those who agree with them or imply it’s the only correct opinion to disagree with them.

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source

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In news of a similar vein

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Mr Leguizamo makes a very good point and I would much rather see him in anything rather than Crisp Rat in, well, anything.

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On the other hand Lynch’s movie had people like Sir Patrick Stewart, Max van Sydow, and Kyle MacLachlan. I’m especially not buying fucking Josh Brolin as Gurney.

@lorcan_nagle
I love that clip. I really dislike how the moderator is trying to get Sir Patrick to move things along though. It’s fucking Sir Patrick! Let him ramble – it’ll be interesting.

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I think Brolin is really good in the movie, as “guy who hates the Harkonnens and with good reason, but can still be affable with his friends”, and he’s great in his three big moments - the speech with Paul during their practise duel, laughing about the Fremen inventions with Duncan and Paul, and leading the Atredies soldiers against the Harkonnens - but he doesn’t have the right vibe for Gurney as portrayed in the novels or the Lynch movie. Brolin’s character is contained rage with a light side, while Gurney’s meant to be lightness with a hidden edge.

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