Dune, part one 2021

[cinemabon]

Yes, once I get the chance to see it... probably next weekend is what they're saying, November 5th

[cinemabon]

2021 versus 1984 – A look back, a look forward

(Author’s note: I watched Dune 1984 and Dune 2021 twice within five days before I decided to write this comparison.)

“Dune” is one of those complex science-fiction novels ever written, similar to “Lord of the Rings” in that it encompasses an entirely new universe that is different from ours, where the laws of physics and normalcy don’t apply. There’s magic; magical thinking; and extraordinary devices imbued with supernatural abilities. These are not ordinary people. These are not ordinary places. Both books were adapted to film, first in the late 20th Century, and then again in the age of digital special effects which tend to realize an author’s vision more realistically than miniatures and matte paintings. Peter Jackson gave us the definitive LOTR. I doubt anyone else could or should attempt to outdo his monumental accomplishment. Now Villeneuve gives us the definitive Dune.

In 1984, Dino de Laurentiis attempted to accomplish this feat when he acquired the rights and discovered an enormous fan base that he could capitalize on, if he could get the film made. After the usual go around with writers and directors, David Lynch committed to the project and even helped with adapting Frank Herbert’s gigantic work into a usable screenplay that he could bring in on budget. The film would use the Emperor’s daughter as a narrator. She’d introduce the various parties and acquaint the audience with the novel’s unique terms before the opening credits. He assembled a strong international cast and when they finished production, edited a four-and-a-half-hour work, rejected by the distributing studio (Universal) and the film’s producer. Lynch refused to cut it and so de Laurentiis hired an uncredited editor to cut almost two hours from the film. Furious over this butchery, Lynch wanted his name removed but it was too late. The prints were made and film debuted in December 1984 at two hours and seventeen minutes. The movie flopped. On a budget of $42 million, it made only $30 million box office. Critics panned it.

The 1984 Dune fell into obscurity with the success of Star Wars and Star Trek. No one thought they’d ever hear of Dune again… until around 2000, when talk started to surface that Ridley Scott was going to direct a remake (he’d been hired for the first version and quit to make Blade Runner). The film went in and out of many hands, many studios, until 2017 when Legendary film productions acquired the rights and Villeneuve expressed interest in directing. They gave the film a $165 million budget and one year to make. Villeneuve not only finished on time, but on budget… and then something happened, a pandemic.

Anticipation for the film went through the roof. Fans around the world waited for almost two years before the studio announced the release date. Finally, in October 2021, the film opened in both theaters and on pay-per-view via HBO Max (those revenues are not published). Compared to the James Bond film, two weeks prior, Dune did not open to great box office numbers. However, less than a week after its opening, Warner Brothers (distributors) announced they’ve greenlit part two for 2023.

Villeneuve approached the screenplay from a different perspective. Instead of loading up the opening with as much backstory as possible (the David Lynch approach); he opens with a brief narrative about Arakis as told by one of its native tribespersons – Chani. While we do not associate her voice with any character, she will become prominent later as “that dream girl” in Paul’s visions. Villeneuve is more expressive with his use of scale – the story is told on an unbelievably large scale… not armies fighting over castles, they’re fighting over space territory and planets. To do this, they use machines so large in size, they can be seen in broad daylight from a planet’s surface. With scales such as these, we see tiny specks as spaceships emerge from the opening that travel down to the surface. However, on the surface, the scale changes again. Instead of specks, we see ships larger than any spaceships we’ve ever seen in a science fiction movie to date, dwarfing people standing nearby into tiny specs.

All of this size comparison gives us a scale to measure the vastness of Arakis’ desert, the size of the worms, and the incredible power these militaries wield when it comes to expressing that might. I did notice one caveat this time I didn’t notice the first time I watched Dune 2021. The Baron says: “The Emperor won’t allow any satellites over Arakis.” Presumably because he doesn’t want the “Landsrad” to know how much spice he’s mining and the profit he receives, even though the Harkonnen’s are the ones taking the risk. Their motive for staying on Arakis is profit. One might ask, “Why don’t they just take their big ships and wipe out all the Fremen from space?” Because they can’t find them… not only that, Arakis is a cruel harsh planet with sand storms that blow winds over 800 kph (note how they use the metric system). These storms are over 5000 meters high (almost as high as Everest, at 8800 meters) and wipe the area clean of anything in their path. They don’t kill the worms either based on an edict from the Emperor (although his order is based on information given to him by his “ecologist” Dr. Kyne).

Villeneuve injects political tensions into the story rather than focus on the myriad of minor plots the 1984 film tried to duplicate from the novel. His idea is that most of these details are superfluous to the overall story – how Paul is actually a superbeing that has yet to understand the true depth of his abilities. The Bene Gesserit allude to this throughout the first hour of the film. Once the revenge attack takes place, the movie is all about Paul’s survival in the desert. Written as an homage to the likes of T.E. Lawrence, the Koran, the Talmud, and even an ecology story about spreading dunes in Oregon, Herbert’s tale of Dune is a complex one that even the novel’s writer finds difficult to grasp as to which plot point is the most important – Paul’s power, his romance with Chani, his priestess mother, his enemy – the Baron, even his relationship with the Fremen – all come into play during this gargantuan story of science fiction (over 400 pages).

Villeneuve sets us up with a different “true focus” for the story. That the story’s main focus should be how Paul survives his trials in the desert (starting with a duel). Everything else in the film is just a setup leading to this moment. Dune becomes an epic film – like Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, and even LOTR – told by a masterful filmmaker in a modern sense. He isn’t concerned with the color of the Baron’s palace on Geidi Prime or style of robe Emperor Shaddam the IV is wearing. His focus is Paul and the gritty life he must live in the real world of Arakis. This is a contemporary film told by a contemporary filmmaker using contemporary methods for a contemporary audience. Forget 1984. It’s passe.

[Chris Knipp]

A very convincing and clear change of heart re-review. It helps me understand and I'm still slowly rewatching the new Dune on HBO. I don't understand very well - I'm nearly through and haven't grasped much - but had I read your discussion, above, I'd have grasped the overall idea of Villeneuve's version much better, or I hope so! However, I enjoy looking at the nice images. Also despite the loss of vastness moving from a big IMAX screen to a small laptop, the HBO "standard" format is more widescreen than the boxier IMAX format designed to make you feel like you're looking "down' into the film's world. My only disappointment is that you don't say very much about David Lynch's film. Aren't you being a bit unkind and dismissive? After all, even if Lynch's Dune is a colossal flop, he's a great filmmaker. I've never seen it. Glad you went back and rewatched and reassessed. The other question is: what do you think about your initial review now?

[cinemabon]

Hastily written... film styles and techniques have changed. I didn't take into account those cultural and societal changes. Plus, I wasn't familiar with the actors' work. I actually regret my first review because I went through with a messy divorce from Lynch's work (to make a weak analogy). It took me years to grow accustomed to what he (they) did to the novel's interpretation. Looking back, I wish he'd never made it. So many of the performances were too "over the top." It was the only thing we Dune fans had. Now we have a film made with fresh eyes, fresh perspectives, and I'm learning to make the adjustment. In my rush to record my feelings, I believe I also rushed to judgment, never a good thing.

[Chris Knipp]

I hope you and David Lynch hare reconciled since, for his later work. Evidently doing Dune was a mistake for him to take on as a project. Still have not seen it, and have no plans to read the Dune book.

It's good to hold one's review for a couple hours but that's all you can do in movie reviewing, if you want to be part of the hot debate when it's new. I hedge my bets by being moderate in my comments, but that's only because it's my nature.

I am on to see and comment on the new releases. My priority was to be The Eternals, but now Passing and Spencer take precedence.

[cinemabon]

No regerts? (misspelled on purpose, as in the commercial) I have many. I suppose that's why I wouldn't make a good professional film critic. Too many regerts (he said with a wink and a smile).

[Chris Knipp]

Dune: Part II is on the way shortly. Will you see it?