For those who have seen it, David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune is always a conversation-starter. Based on Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name, the sci-fi flick starred Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides. It’s undoubtedly earned a place in pop culture history. A new book from Max Evry, A Masterpiece In Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History, will go behind the scenes “like never before” with an oral history detailing the film’s wild journey.
How much detail are we talking? Well, this Dune oral history is well over 500 pages. Evry conducted three dozen interviews with the film’s stars, creatives, and executives. He also spoke with David Lynch himself. They look back at the making of the ambitious movie and how things went right (and wrong). The book also examines its aftermath and pop culture legacy.
In a statement Evry said:
Dune has always been the black sheep of David Lynch’s filmography. After spending two years speaking to dozens of people involved in its making, hopefully readers of this book will come away thinking of Dune not only as a proper Lynch movie, but a worthy entry into the pantheon of sci-fi greats. They will also get hints of how it came to be so compromised, and how mind-blowing it could have been. In our modern era of cookie cutter blockbusters, Dune stands as a glorious oddity worthy of reconsideration.
A Masterpiece In Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History will arrive on shelves in the US on September 5, 2023. You can place a preorder now.
