I am reading The Spice Must Flow by Ryan Britt which is a kind of loving fan history of the Dune books and media. In it, I learn Herbert got $2,295 for the serialized first part of the first book published in Analog. That’s like $22k today and wow.
So many fun details about the two attempts to make the book into a film before Lynch’s — and before Star Wars. I only knew about Jodorowsky’s which sounds like it would have gone poorly even if visually amazing.
I am highlighting so many sections in this book about the Dune media. I’ve always vaguely wondered who the dedication to one of the De Laurentiis was about — it turns out it’s Dino’s so, also a producer, and a massive fan of Dune who died a bit before they got Lynch involved in the early 1980s. Also Ridley Scott (!) also almost directed. Just it’s like a million little coincidences and surprising influences this author is finding meaning in … which is very Dune-like.
I love the Lynch Dune so much but all these quotes from actors and other folks who worked on it makes me love it even more. If you love Dune or even the complexities of turning books into movieS, this book is so good.
I think you’re the only person I know who loves the Lynch Dune. People like me who read and loved the book before seeing the movie came out of the theater saying “What the f was that?” and people who hadn’t read the book came out of the theatre saying “What the f was that?”
I liked the Lynch Dune too. I didn’t read the book prior to seeing it and eventually read the book years later. I was underwhelmed by the book. I still don’t get the fandom around the book. Reading the book did fill in a lot of gaps from the movie and maybe my appreciation of the Lynch movie is due to nostalgia with a backfill. I’m also a general fan of Lynch story telling and Lynch Dune is a Lynch story.
@wiredog@r343l I have a distinct memory of that. I was so incredibly excited going in and as things progressed, the sinking feeling got worse and worse. It was when I realized that Hollywood ruined everything.
Watching Villeneuve's 2nd Dune movie was weirdly cathartic because it was the movie that 18 year old me expected to see.
@ucblockhead@wiredog if you can believe it, this book I’m reading makes me love the Lynch version more. Did you know there were two — two! — real attempts to make a movie out of the first Dune book before Lynch?! I knew of only one of them. Also so many screenplay attempts. The choices made for Lynch’s Dune exist for reasons. :)
That the Villeneuve one is as good as it is can probably be partly given to all the previous attempts (multiple quotes in the book back this up).
@ucblockhead@wiredog Multiple of the participants in the current Dune are big fans of both the book and either or both of Lynch’s film or the scifi miniseries. There is an absurd amount of respect for Lynch’s Dune in the industry given it’s popular reputation. :)
@r343l@wiredog I don't think anyone blames Lynch or his choices for the first one. As much as I disliked the first one, it looked right given the effects of the time. This is one reason it was such a letdown for me. Nothing in the trailers prepared me.
I liked the miniseries, but it definitely had a low budget SyFy feel.
The SyFfy miniseries was good and the miniseries of Children of Dune is very good. Well, the casting and acting was very good. The production values, well, I watched it a couple weeks ago on my hdtv and hi def does it no favors. Acting is still really good though.
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