A Masterpiece in Disarray

David Lynch’s Dune. An Oral History.

Max Evry

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Hardback

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English

1984 Publishing
19 September 2023

Film theory & criticism; Individual film directors, film-makers; Film & movie: styles & genres; Science Fiction

"LIMITED FIRST EDITION contains red foil gilded page edges and a black satin ribbon marker.

As featured in Pitchfork, Empire, MovieMaker, Nerdist, The Wall Street Journal, The A.V. Club, Mashable, Wired, Yahoo's ""It List,"" IGN, SFX, The Wrap, Gizmodo and more!

“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, etc.), 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."

By: Max Evry
Imprint: 1984 Publishing
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 51mm
ISBN: 9781948221290
ISBN 10: 1948221292
Pages: 560
Publication Date: 19 September 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

CHAPTERHOUSES Prologue Author’s Note I. Pre-Production Dune Origins Previous Dune Attempts The Man from Another Place: David Lynch Detour to a Galaxy Far, Far Away Romancing De Laurentiis Building Four Worlds: Designing and Scripting Dune Casting a Galaxy of Stars Oral History: Pre-Production II. Production Location, Location, Location Start of Production Common Threads: Costuming Actors’ Experiences Production Problems Things That Make You Go Boom: Special Effects Oral History: Production III. Post-Production and Release Band-Aids and Chewing Gum: Visual Effects Slice and Dice: Editing Not in Kansas Anymore: Toto’s Music Knife Fights on Lunchboxes: Marketing Dune and Gloom: Classic Reviews from 1984 The Infamous Glossary Box Office and Awards Filmbooks: Home Video Releases Plans Within Plans: Alternate Cuts The Book vs. The Film Oral History: Post-Production & Release IV. Legacy Dune Aftermath Oral History: Legacy Dune in Pop Culture Pyrrhic Victory: Fan Tributes Gholas: The Remakes Modern Impressions of Dune Mysteries of Love: Dune Symbols Interview: David Lynch Final Thoughts Acknowledgments Image Credits About the Author

Max Evry has been a film journalist since 2005, serving at various times as a writer, interviewer, graphic designer, podcaster, video creator, features editor and managing editor. Past media outlets have included MTV, /Film, IGN, and Fangoria. For home video companies Arrow and Kino Lorber he has provided audio commentaries for classic and contemporary films including Flatliners, Blackhat, and best picture Oscar winner Marty. Currently he resides in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, two daughters, and a pile of truly marvelous unsold screenplays. This is his first book.

Reviews for A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune. An Oral History.

"""A treasure trove for Dune and David Lynch aficionados. Author Max Evry spoke with dozens of actors and production personnel, and their conversations cover every possible aspect of the creative process, leaving no sandworm unturned."" – Library Journal (starred review) ""Max Evry's A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune spills the spice from this cult fave."" – Mashable ""The definitive guide to David Lynch's Dune movie, with a wealth of new interviews."" – DuneNewsNet ""Making-of books are often not much more than glorified press notes, studio-sanctioned marketing beats that don’t come close to telling the real story of what happened behind the scenes. But every once in a while, a no-holds-barred account still surfaces. And that’s where the new book about David Lynch’s Dune comes in, which at 560 pages seemingly has the scoop on everything that went into making the infamous sci-fi spectacle."" – IGN ""Five stars. This hefty volume looks at the film in granular detail… It’s hard to imagine a more definitive examination of such a singular and strange film."" – SFX ""The (fittingly behemothian) oral history of David Lynch’s doomed 1984 Dune. It’s hugely enjoyable to sift through the sands of this comprehensive chronicle. 4/4 stars."" – Empire"