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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.