5 Colourful Movies That Were Almost Black And White

Director David Lynch later admitted in interviews that he made the futuristic film for producers and not himself, often butting heads with the financiers. His coveted version would've been shot using black and white photography, in a longer and grittier cut.

After his success with the black and white movies Eraserhead and The Elephant Man, Lynch knew the power of two-toned stories. He sought to desaturate Dune's colour despite producers demanding a colourised product.

In a 1984 interview with Starlog on location for Dune, Lynch still held onto the hope that certain scenes could be transformed into black and white before audiences saw his realisation of Frank Herbert's novel. Lynch insisted that "some things were said better" and "some feelings came across better" in a world without hues.

Though Dune crashed rather than soared at the box office, Lynch came to the realisation that colour helped the film immensely. Two planned sequels were scrapped due to its poor performance. Yet Lynch regretted the shortened final cut more than its diverse pigmentation. His intended cut was close to three hours long and contained scenes the producers found too complicated or intense. He compromised with a simpler script but never chose to be at the helm of a big-budget movie again.

The popping backdrops of Dune were eye-catching though its director had his share of black clouds over his head during production.