David Lynch (1946-2025)
The acclaimed film director David Lynch has died. He was 78 years old. His family announced his death on his Facebook account. He suffered from emphysema from years of smoking when he announced his diagnosis in 2024. Known for his dark, unsettling and surrealistic vision, Lynch was responsible for movies such as "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive" and is the co-creator of the landmark television series "Twin Peaks". Lynch's opulent, unsettling, and unfathomable works, packed with dream sequences and quirky visuals, have positioned him as a master of surrealism and one of the most original filmmakers of his time.
A native of Missoula, Montana, Lynch began his career in painting before turning to short film in the 1960s. In 1977, Lynch made his name with "Eraserhead", his first full-length movie, a chilling, darkly humorous work that became an unsettling staple of the midnight cinema circuit. His unconventional and uncompromising style quickly attracted the attention of Hollywood and the international film industry.
It was then that Mel Brooks appointed Lynch to write and direct "The Elephant Man", a strange and poignant biopic about a hideously deformed sideshow freak who is thrust into the limelight and becomes a national celebrity in Victorian England. The movie received eight Oscar nominations, including Lynch's first for Best Director. Unfortunately, he failed to achieve the same success with his 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's expansive sci-fi novel "Dune". It was a massive box-office bomb, produced on a $40 million budget over an excruciating three-year shoot. In later years, the film would receive a cult following. After that debacle, Lynch bounced back with two movies that defined his signature style, including the provocative neo-noir mystery thriller "Blue Velvet" and the sexy, violent road movie "Wild at Heart".
In 1990, Lynch and Mark Frost launched the supernatural murder-mystery series "Twin Peaks", breaking new ground for things not shown on television. The show lasted two seasons, spawning the film prequel "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me". Twenty-five years later, the show was returned for a limited third season, thanks to the enduring affection of a dedicated fanbase. Later in his career, he helmed more films such as "Lost Highway", "The Straight Story", "Mulholland Drive", and "Inland Empire". In 2022, Lynch made a cameo appearance as another legendary director, John Ford, in Steven Spielberg's autobiographical movie "The Fablemans". In 2019, after being nominated four times, Lynch received an Honorary Award Oscar for lifetime achievement.
The whole world is going to miss his style.
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