SO LONG, DAVID LYNCH

You held a style that was all your own, as Eraserhead proved in spades, and that uniqueness, that defiance of artistic conformity with all of its weird, Wizard of Oz trim, carried throughout your specialized career. 

The Elephant Man, which became an irrefutable classic, sealed your status, followed by the epic, Dune (one that's aged far better than some, including yourself, dared predict), Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, The Straight Story, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire and My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (a collaboration, no less, with contemporary visionary, Werner Herzog). These features, in turn, were accompanied by your sporadic shorts and serialized experiments: Dumbland, Rabbits and On the Air (ah, such real, surreal stuff).  

Then there's Twin Peaks, the oddest of murder-mystery shows, which grew supernatural through its progression, only to deliver a science-fiction punch. Thereafter, its theatrical prequel, Fire Walk With Me, and Showtime's sequel series, The Return, drove home your saga's unconventional blend to brave, new, unexpected heights.  

You were a prolific voice actor (playing Gus the bartender for twenty-two episodes of The Cleveland Show) and an amazing, avant-garde painter, with the fruits of your labor spotlighted in David Lynch: The Art Life. (To hear you reflect and watch you create dispatches a sensation that's not been equaled anywhere else.) 

And as an actor, you went on to redefine your precious quirks, in particular as Twin Peaks' FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole, but also in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans (as the legendary John Ford), Lucky (with Wild at Heart/Twin Peaks/The Straight Story's Harry Dean Stanton), Zelly and Me (with Blue Velvet/Wild at Heart's Isabella Rossellini), Lumiere and Company, My Beautiful Broken Brain, Girlfriend's Day, European Nights, Barracuda, Heart Beat, Nadja ... and A Fall From Grace. 

You were a quiet yet forceful man of discerning taste, who took to Pennsylvanian texture and grave, factory grime. In other words, you invested your heart and soul into all that you touched, with a body of work that no one can ever emulate or top: a vast, unorthodox assemblage that will only grow greater over time.  

Collectible Time: Arrow's Dune 1984, Special Edition 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray

Arrow presents pristine, 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray editions of the 1984 movie version of Frank Herbert's cult novel, Dune, adapted by director David (The Elephant Man) Lynch and produced by Raffaella (Conan) de Laurentiis. 

Dune '84, which was a much anticipated science-fiction epic via pre-publicity, proved controversial to audiences (and in many respects, remains so), with some dismissing it as too "worming" for its own good. However, it's grown in popularity over the decades, securing praise from staunch, Herbert aficionados, including the late (and often tough-to-please) Harlan Ellison.

Let's face it, the Arrow presentations wouldn't have surfaced if Dune '84 wasn't more appreciated than not, and both formats act as veritable celebrations of the epic, containing not only the sharpened, theatrical cut, but a heaping of awesome extras, which include audio commentaries by Paul M. Sammon and Mike White; a tribute to production designer, Anthony Masters; a special-effects overview; a costume-design essay; a making-of documentary which spotlights Laurentiis and Paul Atreides performer, Kyle MacLaughlin (in his first Lynch collaboration); a 1983, promotional enticer; theatrical and television trailers; plus stunning photo galleries.

For Dune '84 followers, Arrow has bestowed a spice-snaring gift that both die-hard and casual fans alike will savor. 

Visit Arrow's plentiful homepage to order: 

https://www.arrowfilms.com/shop.list

FAREWELL, FREDDIE JONES...

You were raw, wicked, coy...nothing short of phenomenal, Mr. Jones. 

When I was a young man, you made an indelible impression upon me in Hammer's "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" and "The Satanic Rites of Dracula", but your devilish allure didn't end there, as "Son of Dracula '73", "Vampira" (aka "Old Dracula") and "Goodbye Gemini" proved.

In addition, you weren't afraid to stroll down other fanciful and daring paths, including "NeverEnding Story III"; "Firefox"; "Firestarter"; "Krull"; "Dune '84"; "Wild at Heart"; "Juggernaut '74"; "Zulu Dawn"; "Assault"; "Otley"; "Kidnapped '71"; "The Libertine"; "Sitting Target"; "Erik the Viking"; "Dark River"; "The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood"; "The Man Who Haunted Himself"; and Disney's "The Black Cauldron". 

Then there were your momentous, television visits, where your quirky guise ignited such splendid shows as "The Saint"; "The Baron"; "The Avengers"; "The Caesars"; "Sword of Honor"; "Z-Cars"...and the meaty "Mystery and Imagination: Sweeney Todd".

Though your greatness is irrefutable in all of above, my favorite of your portrayals will always remain the selfish Mr. Bytes in David Lynch's moving masterpiece, "The Elephant Man". Oh, what grimy, slimy villainy, my friend! 

Your expressive diligence will penetrate the centuries, solidifying your place as one of the greatest thespians ever to grace stage or screen. Thank you for making the grand all the grander.