'Mulholland Drive' and 'Twin Peaks' director David Lynch dies at 78

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00:00He rarely failed to startle and inspire both audiences and peers.

00:06Visionary filmmaker, writer and artist David Lynch has died just days before he was due to turn 79.

00:13The Oscar-nominated director gained a cult following for his unsettling portraits of American life,

00:19was best known for films like Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet,

00:23and the groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks.

00:27But for more on his life and legacy, let's cross live now to L.A., France 24's Loic Pialat is standing by for us.

00:35Loic, firstly, what has been the reaction to the death of this visionary filmmaker?

00:44So Steven Spielberg actually hired David Lynch for his movie The Febblemans back in 2022

00:49and he was one of the very first ones to pay tribute to David Lynch,

00:53describing him as a singular visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade.

00:57The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice.

01:00His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.

01:04We've heard as well from Ron Howard, director of Apollo 13,

01:07who actually won an Oscar, unlike David Lynch, which seems like a mystery out of a David Lynch movie.

01:12And he describes him as a gracious man and fearless artist who proved radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.

01:19The AFI, Hollywood Institution, American Film Institute, where David Lynch attended when he was younger,

01:26talks about his impact on cinema that proved indelible.

01:29And we've heard as well from Billy Corgan from the band Smashing Pumpkins,

01:33the rock band that was part of the soundtrack of the movie Lost Highway.

01:37And he says that working with him was like a dream out of one of his movies.

01:41He's a true artist.

01:43So the Academy did not give an Oscar to David Lynch, but he did receive, back in 2019, an honorary Oscar.

01:54And he had this very short speech.

01:56He went on stage and had this very Lynchian reaction, looking at the Oscars, saying,

02:01you have a very interesting face, and then he left the stage.

02:04And, Loic, he's perhaps best known, depending on your point of view, for Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, perhaps.

02:11Can you remind us of some of the highlights of David Lynch's career?

02:17Yes, so David Lynch directed only 10 movies over 30 years, but each one of them, you don't forget them when you watch them.

02:24The first one he was a hit was a horror film in black and white, and opened doors for him.

02:28Then you had Elephant Man that was a huge success in the theaters, but as well with the critics.

02:34Then Dune, very different from the Hollywood version we've seen recently.

02:38This movie was way more controversial, but again, even if it's not always easy to watch, it's very hard to forget.

02:44You mentioned Blue Velvet, also one of his masterpieces.

02:47Twin Peaks as well.

02:49Mulholland Drive is a very strange movie in the sense that you have as well, mixed in it, the American Dream and the American Nightmare.

02:59He had this very dream-like. Watching these movies was like watching a dream unfolding.

03:04You don't always understand it, but you're always stunned by at least the visual impact.

03:09And there's this very strange movie as well in his body of work.

03:13A straight story, very different from everything else he's done.

03:16It's just a story of this old man crossing the Midwest on a tractor to meet with his sick brother.

03:22Very, very different from the rest of what he's done, but also showing some type of different side of his personality.

03:28Because even though the movies were dark and violent and strange, David Lynch was a very kind and sweet man.

03:35At least that was his reputation.

03:37That movie, A Straight Story, kind of shows that side of him.

03:40Loic, thank you so much for joining us.

03:42That is our correspondent in L.A., Loic Piala.

03:45Well, it's time now for Business News.

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