However, the Duke will die before these eyes, and he'll know
he'll know
that it is I, Baron Vladmir Harkonnen who encompasses his doom.
I think Dune was a victim of the expectations
people really wanted...
commercially they expected a big blockbuster.
It was just too strange I think
it was too unconventional
I mean there is some very kinky stuff in it!
The great thing against Dune was that there was no humour in it.
I can't remember even smiling once
and it needed humour and there wasn't any at all.
There was a big backlash against it, you know there was a lot of
publicity about the movie before it opened
how it was going over budget, how they were having all sorts of problems
in Mexico while they were making it
and potential clashes between Lynch and Dino De Laurentiis,
and the media kinda feed off that
so I think there was a certain amount of... you know people smelled blood in the air
and there was a certain ganging up on the movie when it opened.
None of the critics with the exception of David Ansen
and myself
of course I was not a major critic but my stuff got around
gave it a good review, it was almost universally panned.
I never read the reviews of the movies because
even the good ones makes you crazy, you know it's just like
you spend so much time on a movie, and your intentions are such that, you know
it's so easy to sit down and
tear at four years of your life, so I just don't read them anymore.
Critics think nothing will ever make a good film
except a good film.
And you know, it is a terrible thing to say,
but I ignore critics completely.
My review was one of the only positive reviews that came out,
which I do not apologise for.
And I would write the same review today I think
but I do feel that a lot of my colleagues kinda jumped on the bandwagon
with undue viciousness.
You know I love the film, I was surprised people didn't
enjoy it more, I really was, I thought it would find a bigger
audience than it did. I'm afraid it wasn't
perhaps promoted as well as it could have been, I don't know that
the studio really supported it
that's an unfortunate things, because I think it's very beautiful movie.
I'll miss the sea
but a person needs new experiences
they jar something deep inside, allowing them to grow.
Most of what Universal did, in my view is indefensible
they had no faith in the film
they had no chutzpah, they had no balls, they had no courage.
You know a lot of people blame
Universal they way they released
it for the movie not being as successful as it should have been
I think the movie was challenging you know it was
maybe too intellectual, and too
difficult, it was not your obvious popcorn movie, but I think the
book was that way, and I think that, you know
being faithful to the book which is what we tried to do
turned out a movie that was difficult
but the people that love it love it.
The choice of director for a film is always...
it's unusual process, I don't know that there's any best
director for a film
I mean I think David was a wonderful choice for this one
I think sometimes when the studio is looking
for the broadest possible audience they choose the safest possible director
and to their credit they supported David in going out on a limb and choosing
someone who may not have been the first choice
for this kind of film
but the vision he brought to it is so spectacular.
You think that Lynch would have least gotten the benefit of doubt for trying
something a little bit different and more original and very personal.
Not a total success obviously
but you know these are the same critics who are always complaining about how formulaic
Hollywood movies are, and then when something not formulaic comes along
they jump on the bandwagon and kick it while its down.
I think Dune turned Lynch off making big-budget movies because
in a way you give up your freedom, you know, for
creative freedom when there's so much
pressure on you because of the budget, the time
and he said to me when he finish that he never wanted to do
another big movie again, and he never has
He's always done smaller movies that he can control
and I think he's been really happy doing that
He's found, you know,
his niche, the thing he loves doing.