Conceived as "STAR WARS for grown-ups" according to actress Virginia Madsen, David Lynch's 1984 sci-fi cult classic was the first adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic 1965 novel to come to fruition, following thwarted attempts by Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky and Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis, who hired Ridley Scott, only to have him drop out to make BLADE RUNNER. It was De Laurentiis' daughter Raffaella who ultimately made it happen, securing Lynch to direct following his success with ERASERHEAD and THE ELEPHANT MAN and embarking on what would become an infamously troubled six-month production with 80 different sets built on 16 soundstages, a total crew of 1,700 and more than 20,000 extras. The result is epic in every sense of the word. The film finds an evil emperor presiding over an intergalactic kingdom. In a grasp for ultimate power, he pits House Atreides against House Harkonnen for control of an all-powerful "spice" found only on the harsh desert planet of Arrakis, also known as "Dune." Heir to the House Atreides is the young and ambitious Paul (Kyle MacLachlan, in his film debut), who may be the messiah long prophesied to lead an uprising against the evil empire. Stunning visuals and a soundtrack by Toto and Brian Eno complement a complex narrative, rife with Lynchian themes and allegories. If you were impressed by Denis Villeneuve's multiple Oscar®-winning 2021 reboot — and you're ready for DUNE: PART TWO — you owe it to yourself to see what Lynch did with the same material 40 years earlier. Where else can you find Patrick Stewart, Sting, Dean Stockwell, Max von Sydow and Sean Young in the same film? DIR/SCR David Lynch, from the novel by Frank Herbert; PROD Raffaella De Laurentiis. (AFI)