Dune (1984) dir. David Lynch – by Mason Horsley
‘Dune’ historically has been a near-impossible venture for any director. Any space opera faces it’s own set of challenges that throw production into turmoil, whether it be ‘John Carter’ or ‘Star Wars’, but ‘Dune’ had been stuck in development hell for nearly 20 years before David Lynch released his version. First, Arthur P. Jacobs, a producer most well known for his work on the original ‘Planet Of The Apes’ saga cast down his gauntlet, but passed away a year before the film rights would have reverted. When Dino De Laurentiis bought the film rights, Ridley Scott was up to direct before he moved onto his masterpiece, ‘Blade Runner’. The most famous attempt was spearheaded by Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose quest ultimately ended when funding ran out because of his insistence of a 14-hour runtime. Finally, David Lynch was given the project, and though I’d much rather see what his version of ‘Return Of The Jedi’ would be, Lynch’s ‘Dune’ has more merits than people give it.
Sure, Lynch’s version won’t have the same cinematic splendor as Denis Villevenue’s, but it just as wonderfully scratches every itch for a classic older sci-fi film. A kicking orchestral soundtrack, amazing model effects, random celebrity performances and stylish costumes. It won’t be taken as seriously as the newer adaptations, but there’s charm in the outdated modes of special effects. I can’t explain why, but for some reason, I just love how they only filtered the eyes of actors to show the spice use. You won’t be intimidated by villains, but you’ll have a good time laughing at them, seeing Baron Harkonnen blow up like a balloon and float in circles around the room is just too absurd to keep a straight face at. Despite Quentin Tarantino’s recent comments about the ‘Dune’ adaptation, I would argue it’s integral to watch different interpretations and adaptations, as they no doubt, will shift your interpretation as well.
For those who don’t know, ‘Dune’ is based around the violent feud between the Harkonnens and the Atreides, the new rulers of Arrakis, the spice planet, with enough resources to fuel near every appliance in the known universe as well as expand people’s consciousness. When the Harkonnens set forth on their plan to assassinate Duke Leto Atreides and claim Arrakis for themselves, his son Paul Atreides retreats to the Fremens, the planet’s natives and begins to raise an army to take down the Harkonnens and avenge his father’s death.
Kyle MacLachlan plays Paul and truly performs as a space opera character, sudden bursts of courage and aggression, overwhelming curiosity at every little thing and an unquenchable urge to become the hero of the universe, no matter the cost. While I do enjoy MacLachlan’s performance, this isn’t near his best performance and I feel any other actor could have done a similar job. That being said, it’s fun to imagine this is all Dale Cooper’s dream after falling asleep with the TV on. Kenneth McMillan plays Baron Harkonnen and easily becomes the best part of the film, when he emerges, you know it’s going to be chaos. The makeup artists (Luigi Rocchetti, Mario Scutti, Etsuko Egawa and Giannetto De Rossi) did an amazing job disfiguring him, planting pus-filled boils all over his sweaty face. Talking like a Bond villain, but looking like an Austin Powers villain, McMillan’s scenes were always one to behold. Sting appears as Feyd-Rautha in only a few scenes, with his most prominent being held for the finale. While he’s not given much to do (except pose almost naked for the Baron) it’s an amazing novelty to see the frontman of The Police star in a space opera.
Is this a good ‘Dune’ film? Not necessarily. Is this a good David Lynch film? God no, but the film is a novelty, a look into what could have been. What would Ridley Scott’s career would have been like if he completed his vision? Would Lynch’s ‘Jedi’ film be worse than ‘Dune’? Is there a universe where ‘Dune’ is the franchise with 3 trilogies and a boatload of spinoff series? Or was this what Orwell was warning us about? Sure, you can ask these questions of any film but with such a bizarre case as this one, it certainly makes for a far more interesting story.
Mason’s Top 3 Reasons to Watch ‘Dune’ (1984)
- A look into just how important Final Cut privileges are
- A slew of surprising appearances, especially by Toto on the soundtrack
- All the early special effects charms matched by ‘Logan’s Run’, ‘Flash Gordon’ and ‘Barbarella’
Dune: Part 1 (2021) dir. Denis Villeneuve – by Daniel Fagan
The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. A process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the flow of the process. We must join it. We must flow with it.
There’s something indescribably special about the story of Dune, Frank Herbert’s enduring tale of a fifteen year old boy thrust to the forefront of a centuries long conflict teetering on the edge of all-out war. The Shakespearean-like tragedy of the Atreides family and Paul’s journey (if you are familiar with the story you can probably tell I’m trying my best to not spoil anything) across the desert plains of Arrakis is one of the most compelling works of science fiction to come out of the twentieth century. In the century filled with endless genre-defining and defying works from the likes of the ABC(D) of sci-fi; Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and for my money Philip K. Dick (I’d also throw J.G. Ballard in there if ‘B’ wasn’t already taken) or Rod Serling and Gene Roddenberry on television, Dune stands out. It is a masterpiece with humble beginnings and themes which have resonated through decades and will likely resonate for many more to come. This is especially likely with the release of the 2021 adaptation of the novel onto film by lifelong Dune fan, Denis Villeneuve.
However, this was not the first attempt at a Dune adaptation. In 2013 a documentary titled Jodorowsky’s Dune released chronicling the production and destined failure of an adaptation of Herbert’s work in the 1970’s. With designs by H.R. Giger (of Alien fame) music by Pink Floyd and starring Salvador Dali, Orson Welles, Udo Kier and Mick Jagger the unmade movie had a script which would have run over 14 hours. Naturally such a bizarre endeavour has amassed a cult following today with some claiming the project as one of the great unmade masterpieces, but I can’t see it going any way but poorly. Regardless, in 1982 the rights lapsed and were bought by Dino De Laurentiis who would produce the second attempt at adapting the novel.
In 1984 surrealist auteur, David Lynch took a crack at adapting the novel but studio interference and a compression of the story into a single two hour movie resulted in a subpar film. The movie is not without any merit. The score by Toto is exciting and suits the tone perfectly, some of the performances are great and there are glimpses of Lynchian filmmaking in the muddled haze. Unfortunately, the film ends up seeming like a rushed Star Wars knock-off and melds into the dozens of that variety being churned out at the time. The biggest sin of the movie for me is the ending. Whoever concocted the ending be it Lynch or the studio simply did not understand the themes and ideas in the novel at all.
In 2000, a mini-series titled Frank Herbert’s Dune aired to mixed ratings but I find it generally uninspired and the least interesting of all attempts to adapt Herbert’s work so the less said, the better. It seemed Dune was to be one of those novels impossible to faithfully adapt like Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian or James Joyce’s Ulysses. In 2017 Denis Villeneuve was announced to be at the helm of the next adaptation and I must admit my excitement was palpable. Villeneuve was coming off a 3 film run of slow, big budget, big idea, big movies that were about character and deeply studying and contemplating the changes in those characters above all else with Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049. There seemed no better choice. And there wasn’t.
Dune: Part 1 is the first truly successful adaptation of Herbert’s novel. It trims loose threads where required, streamlining the sprawling story. It adds little extra (no hairless cats strapped into milking boxes here) and what is adds serves only to build stronger bonds between the characters for movies not yet made. That is the greatest strength of Dune: Part 1, even over the novel, the characters are so clear and their motive and actions are believable. At times it feels Villeneuve and co-writers Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth know the story and its characters better than Herbert. Simple moments such as the joy Paul has when meeting Duncan again and the melancholy he feels watching the Atreides ships rising from the Caladan sea to travel to Arrakis are absent not only in other adaptations but in the novel itself and the 2021 adaptation is all the better for their inclusion.
Dune: Part 1 is a visual marvel. Cinematographer, Grieg Fraser is quickly becoming one of the most sought after talents in Hollywood. His cinematography makes the world of Dune feel alien, yet terrifyingly tangible. Arrakis’ burning daylight twinkles off flecks of ‘spice’ in gliding over the sand. The rains of Caladan are misted against the sky. It’s a beautifully shot film, but cinematography in a modern sci-fi movie requires deft visual effects, and Dune: Part 1 has some of the best of the decade. Villeneuve is no stranger to filling his movies with jaw-dropping visual effects. The cityscapes in Blade Runner 2049 and the Heptapod ship in Arrival make for the most obvious, but where computer graphics in his films truly shine is in the subtle and seemingly unimportant moments. The desert mouse ‘Muad’Dib’ collects water off its ears with stunning realism and the Atreides shields buzz around their wearers. The true marvel of any Dune movie is its depiction of ‘Shai Hulud’ the giant desert sandworms that prowl beneath the sands of Arrakis. Dune: Part 1 foregoes the typical depiction of the creatures with a three-pointed mouth and smooth worm-like body for a design that leaves no question as to why the Fremen would worship the creature as a god. In a rare correct decision, the Academy Awards awarded a clean sweep to Dune: Part 1 in the technical categories: Sound, Visual Effects, Production Design, Editing, and Score. All were richly deserved.
With the mention of the film’s score it would be prudent to give further discussion to Hans Zimmer’s unique voice in this movie. This is undeniably his most unique score. Gone are the big brass punctuations of Inception or The Dark Knight, replacing them is voice. Zimmer is no stranger to using vocals in his scores, The Lion King used them to great effect, but here they’re totally alien. Loire Colter belts out grand notes that underpin the whole score and illustrates Paul’s journey. This is a Zimmer score which is not for everyone. It’s certainly not something you can just listen to isolated from the film. I find that to be one of its strengths. The score is to intrinsically tied to the movie it cannot possibly be separated, and isn’t that what a score should strive for.
Dune: Part 1 is everything I could want in a Dune adaptation and more, except the ending. While I thought the place Villeneuve elected to end the movie was perfect in 2021 many were let down by the sudden end. With no confirmation of a greenlight for a sequel it was a great risk to end the movie where it does. But how interesting would it be if Villeneuve never did get the go ahead for the sequel? I think the ending of Part 1 gives the audience just enough to imagine what comes next. But what really comes is something truly special and the eventual Dune: Part 2 is even better than its predecessor.
Mason and Daniel will return with Part 2 of the Triple Feature Review, covering ‘Dune: Part 2’ together!
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