Saturday, June 05, 2010

CULT MOVIE REVIEW: Dune (1984)

"I probably shouldn't have done that picture, but I saw tons and tons of possibilities for things I loved and this was the structure to do them in, there was so much room to create a world..."

- Director David Lynch discusses the controversial Dune (1984). (Inner views: filmmakers in conversation By David Breskin; Da Capo Press, 1997)



The first (and still finest) cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 landmark novel, Dune, premiered in theaters in 1984 and immediately faced an onslaught of negative criticism. Since then, it has been remembered, often, as David Lynch's cinematic Waterloo, the Heaven's Gate of sci-fi epics.

Writing in The New York Times, critic Janet Maslin concluded, regarding the 1984 film that:
"Several of the characters in ''Dune'' are psychic, which puts them in the unique position of being able to understand what goes on in the movie. The plot of ''Dune'' is perilously overloaded..."

Roger Ebert liked the film less. He noted: "This movie is a real mess, an incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time. Even the color is no good; everything is seen through a sort of dusty yellow filter, as if the film was left out in the sun too long." Ebert and sparring partner Gene Siskel also rated Dune as one of the worst films of the year.

Even dedicated Lynch scholars, like Jeff Johnson, author of Pervert in the Pulpit: Morality in the Works of David Lynch (McFarland) didn't have much good to say about this vintage sci-fi epic: "The Messianic plot in Herbert's novel," contended the author "yields to Lynch's Manichean vision, and the film pretends to Biblical proportions; but for all its weirdness and sprawling sci-fi excess, Dune from its inception was too large a canvas for a director like Lynch..."


Lynch himself rarely if ever discusses Dune these days, though it is interesting to recall that it is the sci-fi film he chose to direct over Return of the Jedi (1983) because Lynch felt, at least, that he could put his individual stamp on Dune; whereas in Jedi, he would be playing entirely in the world of another artist, George Lucas.

In 2010, the big question about this particular film remains this: on what grounds can a critic assess David Lynch's Dune as a failure or a success? In terms of adaptation? In terms of how well it fits David Lynch's canon? Or in the more general entertainment terms set out above, by Maslin and Ebert: special effects, presentation and general coherence?

I screened Dune again recently, for the first time on Blu-Ray and in this new format it was nothing short of a revelation. Simply put, the movie has never looked better. Mr. Ebert accurately described the poor coloring and murky aspects of the film's visuals in his original view back in the 1980s, but I can state with confidence that this problem has been entirely remediated by Blu-Ray and apparent re-mastering. Dune's colors in this format are stunning and vivid. So the visuals as part of the movie's "problem" must, finally, a quarter century after theatrical release, be taken off the table.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's look back first at the source material, and get a refresher on Dune's plot.

A Beginning is a Very Delicate Time: Frank Herbert's Dune

The sprawling, epic storyline of the novel Dune, first serialized in Analog in 1963, occurs in the year 10,191...thousands of years in our future.

Man has conquered the stars and colonized a number of planets throughout the galaxy. These worlds are joined together in a kind of cosmic Parliament called the Landsraad, and the lynch-pin of the entire galactic economy is a spice called "melange."

This all-important spice extends life and expands consciousness, but more than that it is the one substance in all the universe vital to space travel. The Spacing Guild and its navigators utilize the spice to "fold space" and transport goods and citizenry from one world to another.

The spice also boasts psychic properties, and is used by the secretive sisterhood called The Bene Gesserit, which in undergoing "spice agony" is able to access the genetic memory of all previous, historic priestesses. The sisterhood hopes to genetically forge a "super" man called the "Kwisatz Haderach." He will be able to gaze into the psychic realm where the women can't; into the genetic memory of all men in history. He will be able to see and shape the future.

In terms of narrative, the novel and the film involve a Machiavellian initiative by Emperor Shaddam IV to undermine a popular force in the Landsraad, Duke Leto Atreides of Caladan. In secret, Shaddam plots with the Duke's rival, the Harkonnens of Giedi Prime, to this end. He assigns the Atreides the administration of the inhospitable planet Arrakis, or Dune: the one place in the universe where the spice, melange can be harvested. Once the Duke and his people are ensconced there on that arid world, the Emperor lends his Sardaukar shock-troopers to the Baron Harkonnen, and there is a terrible sneak attack.

Only a few survive the Harkonnen assault
, include Duke Leto's son, Paul Atreides, and the Duke's concubine, the Bene Gesserit, Jessica. They soon join with the strange desert people of Dune, the Fremen, and teach them a new way of fighting, "The Weirding Way." Paul then leads a Fremen rebellion -- under the name of "Muad'Dib" -- and alters the destiny of the galaxy itself. Taking control of the spice, Paul -- the "Kwisatz Haderach" sets Dune and humankind on a new path (one that will hopefully avoid extinction).

Obviously, there is more to the "plot" of this sweeping novel, but this is Dune's story in broad strokes. In terms of historical importance, Herbert's Dune is widely considered one of the first and most important "ecological" science fiction stories because it deals with the use, exploitation and preservation of natural resources (consider the spice something along the lines of oil). But also, in part, because Herbert's work goes into detail about many life-forms on Arrakis, and reveals how they are all inter-connected in one unique eco-system.

In terms of politics, Dune serves overtly as a metaphor for the treatment of third world nations (particularly those in the Middle East) by the world's resource-hungry Empires. Arrakis, a back-water planet, is exploited by the Landsraad for the spice that powers its economy. Yet the people of Dune, the Fremen, do not share the wealth of that resource. Young Paul Atreides, a representative of "Empire" in a way, goes nativ e in this story, and launches "jihad" against the power structure that he was born into. Atreides is much like the historical Lawrence of Arabia, T.E. Lawrence, actually

The movie version of Dune directed by David Lynch embodies all these concepts and story lines, but by necessity must abridge some subplots, minimize some character development, and truncate much of the action. That's just the nature of any book-to-film adaptation.


Among the biggest changes from book to film: Paul brings a "sound module" technology to the Fremen, which is different from "The Weirding Way" of the novel.

Perhaps more substantively, the movie's final sequence sees rain fall on the planet Dune for the first time in history (to herald, in essence, the arrival of the Kwisatz Haderach, Paul.) As I will discuss below, this is a change that, while unacceptable to fans of Herbert, works perfectly in Lynch's universe.

"I See Plans within Plans:" Waking Dreams and the Underneath David Lynch's Dune.

In my Lynch Dossier post last week, I mentioned how many of the auteur's films make an unconventional sense that I term "Dream Sense."

This means that narratives themselves -- and the logic inside those narratives -- are comprehensible to the audience, but not in the strict, conscious, Euclidean sense of "reality" familiar to us from mainstream film plots or their story arcs.

Contrarily, dreams both figure explicitly in Lynch's films as important turning points in the plays themselves and also, globally, as the mode of expression in his works of art. Dune is no exception.

Within the narrative of Dune, dreaming is an important vehicle for the storytelling. Paul's way of gaining knowledge, his way of learning...is dreaming.

Before the Atreides move to Caladan, before the "sleeper" awakens on Arrakis, the Duke's son experiences prophetic dreams; dreams that foretell of his destiny, and Paul's (Kyle MacLachlan) important role in shaping the very destiny of the universe. Specifically, he dreams of Dune's second moon, Maud'Dib and his future Fremen lover, Chani (Sean Young).

As viewers, we understand that this dream, this prophecy, represents truth and reality delivered to Paul, perhaps, by a Divine Being. Later, when Paul's destiny is in doubt because of the war with the Harkonnens on Arrakis, he explicitly ties belief in his dreams, in the prophecy of his future, to faith. "God created Arakis to train the faithful." One cannot go against the word of God," he says. It is the word of God, then, that gave Paul the dreams and inspired his actions.

At one point, when Paul is discouraged and in the thick of the battle, he feels cut off from his dreams. He experiences a moment of extreme self-doubt. "All the images from my future are gone," he reveals to Chani. To highlight this point, Lynch cuts to a dream montage in which Dune's second moon, Maud Di'b cracks like an egg, shattering into pieces in the night sky. This is what Paul fears, the shattering of his dreams and his failure to achieve his destiny.

"I'm dead to everyone unless I become what I may be," Paul then states. Thus he decides to drink the Water of Life and undergo the movie's equivalent of the spice agony. For Paul, the"sleeper must awaken," and to undergo this process of self-actualization and self-realization, he must tap into the language and universe of dreams that will allow him to, literally "control the world."

Specifically, the Water of Life will allow Paul to see below the surface of things: to the hidden underneath. This is a very common Lynchian concept, of the world in two parts: as it appears to the naked eye and as it truly is. In many of his films, it is the character who faces or broaches the underneath -- and survives its lessons -- that proves successful, like Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986). The same is true of Paul here.

That underneath that Paul sees in his Water of Life vision involves an important, formerly unseen connection: the spice and the worm are one in the same. If Paul can control the worms (and therefore the spice), he will have the Empire at his mercy.

Lynch's unconventional visuals again express the nature of Paul's revelation. The film cuts to images of outer space (the universe itself), and Paul --- laying still and prone -- is at the center of everything...the very well-spring of the cosmic mind.

We then see images of the cathedral-like Navigator spaceship as a Third-Stage Navigator becomes aware of Paul, and swells with orange light, almost like rage. Atreides has invaded their "sacred space" and rejected their vision of reality for his own. The cathedral-like nature of the Guild spaceship reveals the wealth of the Guild but also its disconnection from "truth" and "faith." The Guild is all about dogma, control and hiding the underneath. That, in part, is what Paul shatters by taking the Water of Life. He experiences a personal connection to the Divine, to "God" if you will, and no longer needs the Church of the Guild to be his intermediary. He can be everywhere at once.

Next in the dream vision, an outstretched, disembodied human hand is seen floating in space (in the center of Lynch's frame), representing, perhaps, Paul's new grip on the universe. Symbolically, an outstretched hand might also represent faith and justice, and that too appears to fit this context, for Paul's faith in his dreams has led him here (led him to the dangerous task of drinking the Water of Life), and justice is what he will bring for the Fremen...and to his enemies.

Dreams occur throughout Dune. The Guild, which can fold space and time, becomes aware of Paul through another form of dreaming: psychic visions. Specifically, the Guild conspires with the Emperor to assure that Paul Atreides is killed. This is because, in those visions of the future, the Guild has seen what Paul can become; that he can become the man who stops all spice production, all spice trade, and thus all space travel. In opposition to Paul's way of knowing, through dreams the Spice Guild uses dreams to prevent destiny; to go against the very Word of God.

Thus David Lynch's Dune concerns, in a very real sense, one man's "vision of the future" (or dream) battling another man (or organization's) plan for the future. But that dream is literal, expressed through the auspices of prophetic and psychic visions. Sometimes for human beings, dreams are all that sustain us, and sometimes dreams do come true. In Paul's case we can say that both of these truisms are accurate. His dream on Caladan awakens him to the truth of the universe and gives him the power to change the fate of the galaxy itself. The film's final scene, of rain-fall on Dune may not be motivated rationally, scientifically or out of fidelity to Herbert's novel, but it makes perfect dream sense.

Throughout the film, Paul has dreamed of a droplet of water falling into a pool, and having a ripple effect there. This shot recurs in several dream montages, including the aforementioned Water of Life sequence. This is a metaphor the process of waking up, the "drip, drip, drip" if you will of knowledge added to knowledge, insight added to insight, of faith added to faith. And the ripple effect represents the way that Paul's circle grows, ultimately to include an Army of Fremen, Atreides retainers, and even the giant sand worms of Dune. In the film's last scene, Paul is rewarded for his faith and belief by a literal deluge from the Heavens, from an impossible rain fall. Why? For he is the Kwisatz Haderach.


"The likes of which even God has never seen:" Dune's Production Design Reveals the Universe of the Underneath

Seeing Dune on Blu Ray, I realized that the film's visual quality actually makes it an equal to such great science-fiction efforts as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Blade Runner (1982). That's no small statement, but I believe it's a valid one.

Consider that David Lynch had the task of creating not one "world" in Dune, but five separate and distinct worlds, all of which had to convey the meaning of the story with images, substance and color.

The production design of the forty million dollar film brilliantly creates a context for the action, and transmits important -- even vital -- clues about the nature of Paul's universe.

The first world visited in Dune is Kaitain, home of the Emperor Shaddam IV. As a Guild space craft arrives in this kingdom, Lynch provides an exterior view of the royal city by night, and it looks almost identical to the Kremlin, circa 1984, with a few futuristic touches. It's an Old World City of long history, but also, clearly, of some sinister aspect.

The interiors seen on Kaitain are opulent, decked out entirely in gold, with ornate spires and an abundance of room and space. This is, quite naturally, the environs of a King. Even the Emperor's pyramidal spaceship seen at the end of the film is golden, a symbol not only of wealth perhaps, but egregious, thoughtless waste. The artifical, gold universe of this futuristic Midas proves a real contrast to the authentic, sun-warmed gold of Arrakis, a very different kind of kingdom. One world is all about wealth; the other is about survival.

What the viewer gleans instantly (and almost subconsciously) from its views of Kaitain is that it is a world of extreme riches, but not warmth. In other worlds, this gilded, extravagant world of affluence has much to lose. if things change, if Paul's jihad is successful. That's what the production design informs us.

The planet of the film's other villains, the Harkonnens, is called Giedi Prime, and it is a world entirely out of balance with its environment.

Giedi Prime is an industrialized realm of lurid, sickly green hues, rains of black oil, and out-of-proportion, excessive machinery.

According to Lynch, this world was created primarily with steel, bolts and porcelain...and those materials transmit the idea of a hard, unforgiving place. It is perpetual night-time on this world too; there is no sunlight to warm the human soul.

The message conveyed is that Giedi Prime is an inhuman, ecological disaster. And this too informs the viewer something important about the film's storyline. As administrators of Arrakis and the spice, the Harkonnens are incapable of understanding the important connections between the Fremen, the spice and the worms. They are not interested in maintaining environmental "balance," they are strip-miners. Again, this is something Lynch establishes visually. The Harkonnens, as evidenced by their Baron's (Kenneth McMillan) egregious acne, are diseased parasites, sucking life from others. They are so inhuman, actually, that their appetites are literally monstrous. The Baron imagines sexual delight with his nephew (incest), and Rabban, "The Beast" is a brute who takes joy in killing. All the citizens of Giedi Prime are outfitted with heart plugs that can be ripped out (leading to a terminal blood flood), and the only thing surprising about this is that Harkonnens have hearts at all.

The third society depicted in Dune involves the Guild, the Navigators. We see their massive, cathedral-like ships on two occasions, their strangely dressed travel entourage (a priesthood, clearly) on Kaitain, and we understand from their first scene (in which they approach the Emperor and demand the death of Paul), that these people carry a power above and beyond sovereign statehood. They are, essentially, Dune's version of the Catholic Church in historical Europe. Because they control access to, essentially, God (the spice), they control the levers of power in the Empire too.

Caladan is a different case all together. This is appropriate, considering that the Atreides are the film's protagonists. Caladan is a beautiful, lush world of oceans, wood-paneling and exquisite carpentry. The people here seem to live in harmony with nature, and even their lamps are made to resemble the wild-life of the planet: roaming birds. The inference our eyes draw from Lynch's Caladan is that only in a world of natural beauty and balance can the Kwisatz Haderach arise. Nurtured in a world where everything (environment/education/physical fitness) seems in balance, Paul is able to thrive; to be receptive to the prophecy that changes his life.

And finally, there's Dune. Arrakis. Desert planet. It is a harsh, unforgiving world, but not unlike Caladan, the planet seems to evidence a unique sense of balance. The Fremen with their stillsuits express the idea of recycling and giving back to the body usedresources, and that's also a metaphor for the planet itself. Here, the structures of Arakeen are built unobtrusively from Earthen walls of clay, and the Fremen store vast quantities of "their" water in subterranean reservoirs. The idea is of stoic conservation; of eking out a life in a difficult environment. Though Paul was born and raised in a land of natural plenty (but not opulence like Kaitain), he comes to see the ascetic beauty of Arrakis; the way that the Fremen have forged a sustainable paradigm and way of life in a harsh terrain.

In Dune, each of these five "worlds" (Kaitain, Giedi Prime, the Cathedral of the Guild, Caladan and Arrakis) is crafted beautifully, down to the smallest detail.

Amazingly, the sets don't look like traditional movie sets; they appear to be part of a lived-in world, and many locations (the Duke's bedroom and balcony on Caladan, the Arakeen control room, the Fremen living quarters) are only visited for very short spans. Honestly, it looks like Lynch took his cameras to real locations and filmed there.


Down to the portraits hanging on the walls, the exquisite woodworking on Caladan, and the tiles in the grand hall on Arrakis.
Lynch showcases his trademark attention to detail and penchant for lush visuals here. Dune is utterly, inarguably, magnificent in this regard.

But commendably, every set, every planet in Dune isn't just eye-candy. The production design transmits to the audience a sense of history and authenticity, but more importantly, some sense of meaning in this story. Again, it's not exposition, it's not in the screenplay, it's the between-the-lines approach of David Lynch that asks the audience to examine and synthesize, from exposure to his visuals, a sense of meaning nearly "outside" or independent from the words uttered by the characters.

I first saw Dune in high school (at the Clairidge Theater in Montclair, New Jersey), before I read the book even, and you know what? Even as a fourteen-year old, I didn't find it confusing in the slightest. Then I did read the book and the movie made even more sense. But I have never understood why movie critics insist on stating that the film is confusing. It isn't confusing, especially if you trust your eyes and pay attention to the dream imagery and production design. In fact, an opposite argument could be forged here. Through the heavy use of character voice-overs, Dune is actually over-explained, over-simplified. How can someone think the movie is confusing when the voice-overs explain everything (from Hunter Seekers to the gom jabbar)?

Indeed, a clever critic could probably argue the point that by removing the voice-over narration all together, Dune would be a better, less-cluttered film. I don't know if I agree with that idea entirely, because the voice-overs, by my perspective, lend another "dream sense" aspect to the proceedings. With the dramatis personae conveying their deep inner thoughts, there's the feeling that, in fact, we (the audience) are psychic; privy to information gleaned outside of traditional routes available to humans. The insistent, personal, whispered voice-over works well to help the film's form reflect its very content. If we are to understand the story by dream sense, as Paul contextualizes his act of self-realization, it seems that the personal voice over helps.

Does Dune have weaknesses? Sure. It's biggest weakness is the depiction of the final battle, between Maud D'ib's sandworm army and the forces of the Emperor. The combat is not particularly convincing or impressive, marred mainly by poor matte and blue screen work. But frankly, there was no other way to create this scene in 1984. In the age before CGI, the important elements of the sequence (worms, ships and cityscapes) had to be entirely constructed from miniatures. Those miniatures then had to be composited with the live-action actors. Not easy, especially given the vast difference in scope between combatants (worms and Sardaukar). Dune is a great film marred by a final battle scene, but that's hardly a disqualifier in terms of quality.

Some people may also argue that the electronic score by Toto, what with all the power chords, is somehow dated in 2010. Personally, I dig the soundtrack in the way I dig the disco opening theme to Space: 1999 (1975-1977): it captures a moment in time, and has a techno-quality that still reads, even years later, as "futuristic."

Sometimes, in illuminating the qualities of a particular film, a comparison helps. A couple of years ago (uh, maybe a decade ago now?) the Sci-Fi Channel created its own version of Dune and it was an absolute travesty, an almost cardboard rendition of Herbert's story with no sense of scale or drama, and certainly no sense of production design that could rival Lynch's vision. I'm amazed that some fans of Frank Herbert's novel have taken to this version: it looks like Dune by way of the 1930s Flash Gordon: it's a two-dimensional comic-book cartoon. With dream sense and sets that express the nature of Dune's universe, Lynch's version, despite diversions from Herbert's mythos, remains infinitely more impressive and "real."

With the arrival of Dune on crisp, glorious Blu Ray, My hope is that the sleeping critical reception for this great film will finally...awaken.

22 comments:

  1. One fine examination of this misunderstood Lynch film, John. Like you, I saw this film first before reading the Frank Herbert grand sci-fi series (although, I was already a dozen years removed from high school). In fact, this film specifically is the sole reason for my discovering Herbert's books. Lynch's view, and marvelous art direction in the piece, in my mind captures the feudal interstellar universe most uniquely--something John Harrison failed at with his visuals in the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel (BTW, I think the Syfy rebranding is one of the most inane thing some corporate marketer ever came up with).

    Even though it is not the most true to the novels, I've always had a soft spot for it. There was time when I first began to the read Herbert's books, that I wished Lynch hadn't made the changes your post highlighted. But, since '84 (and through the early 90's as I went through the novels), I still found myself coming back to the film time and again. Harrison's version ("almost cardboard rendition" is a great description), though more faithful to the novel, is a economical stagebound production at best (not a good thing for a expansive story like this one). I've since come to the opinion that I'd rather have Lynch's revised universe for the reasons you illustrate.

    David Lynch's use of the voiceover, at first somewhat off-putting, is a brilliant film construct that captures the inner workings of the characters in the most Dune novel-like manner possible. Compare that with the miniseries and Harrison is forced to have characters almost constantly explaining things to make up for the lack of it. It gets tiresome... fast. Plus, the film's cast is a dream in itself. It's filled to the brim with talent we only later realized how great it really was.

    I really appreciate your analysis, John, and it really makes me understand and further value Lynch's wisdom and vision, here. Too bad the director has remained distant to his final product. Perhaps, it relates to the critical drubbing it received, and what the studio/producers either did to him during or after its release. I'd love to have DL look back at this one. Thank very much for giving this film your keen look, JKM.

    p.s., I guess you can tell by the length of my comment how much I enjoy the film and your post. And, I've ordered the Blu-ray Disc of DUNE right after reading this, my friend.

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  2. Grayson5:01 PM

    I saw this on VHS a decade or more ago (although I may have seen it since on TV). My thoughts then were that the film was quite lacking, although I don't remember too many specifics as it was so long ago. It is true that very few novels (especially ones with the scope of Dune) can be completely and accurately brought to the big screen. I'll definitely have to watch this one again.

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  3. You can hear David Lynch and Frank Herbert discuss the movie on the November 27, 1984 episode of "Destinies" at www.captphilonline.com/ClassicDestinies.html. The ideas of the screenplay vs. the novel, as well as the different aspects of the film's production, are brought up in the course of the conversation.

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  4. I've read that Universal did approach Lynch on several occasions in recent years to revisit the film but he has turned them down. I guess the scars run pretty deep. But the way I look at it is that the failure of DUNE led to Lynch's greatest triumph, BLUE VELVET. So, there's that.

    Interestingly, the screenplay for BLUE VELVET also had voiceovers a la DUNE but I guess with its failure Lynch felt that that technique did not work and removed them when it came to film BV.

    I really like Lynch's take on DUNE. And I agree that it isn't confusing at all. If anything it feels a little truncuated. You can tell that the film was edited down from a much longer cut and as a result I always feel that the film goes by too fast. The longer cut that is available does remedy this somewhat.

    I didn't care for the Sci-Fi Channel version either. Just because it's closer to the source material doesn't always mean it's better. And, I too hate the rebranding of SyFy... ugh. I will always think of that channel as the Sci-Fi one...

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  5. I think J.D. makes an interesting point regarding Lynch's succeeding film, BLUE VELVET, as an aftereffect of DUNE. I also agree with him in feeling DUNE feels truncated, and that the extended (non-Director's Cut) helps things. That's why the latter disappointed so many fans of his DUNE when DL turned down Universal's offer to re-visit it. I think we all want to see Lynch's true cut of the film as the final word on this. Maybe, one day we will. Thanks.

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  6. Hey everybody, thanks for the comments!

    Leopard13: We share a real affection and appreciation for this film. I've probably watched Dune a dozen times, but I gotta tell you -- I've never seen it like this before. It's just gorgeous!

    Grayson: Try the film again on Blu-Ray and see how you feel about it today. You might be surprised at much more you like Dune now.

    J.D. Like you (and Leopard13) I would love to get a director's cut of the film. I know Lynch isn't interested, but maybe he'll change his mind!

    Howard: I gotta listen to that!!!

    Thanks everyone!

    best,
    JKM

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  7. Anonymous12:01 AM

    tdraicer:

    As I stated in an earlier comment, I find the use of voiceover THE major flaw in the film, constantly telling me what I can see for myself on the screen. Which makes me feel as though I'm being treated like an idiot. If I had the technical ability to remove 90% of the voiceovers from the soundtrack, I certainly would.

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  8. Good to see you back John. Finally getting caught up. That is a huge analysis set forth by you on Dune. I enjoyed reading it, but the story sounded extremely complex without having any knowledge of the book.

    It made me recall reading some of the critical lambasting the film took. Apparently, at the time of its release in theatres, a guide book regarding the Dune mythology and characters was handed out to viewers upon entering the theatre. Some remarked the viewers were in big trouble if they needed a guide going into the film.

    Anyway, it sounds visually appealing to me and your rousing endorsement on that front has me most interested for that reason. I'm still worried about being confused.

    Otherwise, a tremendous, fair, reassessment of a classic science fiction film phenomenon that I will revisit again.

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  9. Hey Sci-Fi Fanatic!

    Good to be back, my friend.

    You are right about those guides: I remember getting one myself back at the Clairidge in Montclair...wish I had kept it now!

    Thank you for your great comment.

    best,
    John

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  10. By the way, funny thought, I remember Sting's popularity was so great following the release of Synchronicity [1983] by The Police, his involvement in the film nearly eclipsed every other headline about it. Probably not, but it felt that way. Heck, he had me wrapped around his finger especially with that album.

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  11. This is a film I've started many times since it's initial release on VHS and never made it through, but for some reason still have a tremendous drive to work through. It's like I feel I'm missing out on something. Now that it's been some time I'm ready to give it another shot.

    One explanation I feel about the 'confusion' comes from those I think that don't read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy. Just in reading your initial short summary it's filled to the gills with these very foreign terms (Landsraad, Bene Gesserit, Kwisatz Haderach, Shaddam, Harkonnens of Giedi Prime, Muad'Dib). And when you're dealing with a general audience they convince themselves that it's more confusing then it really is based on the terms alone.

    Don't get me wrong, there is enough on TV and in movies that is dumbed down and some would say Dune is even one of them. I don't mind having to think when I watch. Just an observation on how language can immediately confuse.

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  12. Jergy:

    I think you hit on an important and valid point there. All of the unique, alien-sounding vocabulary around Dune's world (the names for virtually everything as you point out...) give the sense/impression of a dense, confusing world. But seriously...it's not the case. (Well, maybe a little...)

    best,
    JKM

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  13. Superb analysis, John. You really hit on a lot of what I've always felt about this movie but couldn't adequately verbalize.

    I saw this one on opening day back around Christmas of '84. I was in 7th grade and had heard about but never had much interest in the DUNE books. I just thought the production photos in 'Starlog' and 'Fantastic Films' (remember that one?) looked AMAZING. That was the beginning of my love affair with this movie and the films of David Lynch in general. It completely blew my 12-year-old mind.

    I, too, have never understood how anyone could be confused by the movie. All the important ideas are made clear without demanding any deep understanding of the larger fictional universe. I understood what the Bene Gesserit and the 'Quizno's Hatrack' (as DVD Savant recently snarked) were at age 12. I think it's simply a matter of how closely you're paying attention. A lot of 1984 reviewers seemed taken aback at having to pay semi-close attention to what they were ready to dismiss as mere 'space opera.' I dunno.

    You're spot-on about the Blu-ray, as well. It looks sensational. There's so much detail that I've never noticed even though I've seen it a ton of times and owned it on every format since VHS! This and the recent Blu-ray of FLASH GORDON have made my year so far.

    Tried twice but never made it past the first 2 hours of the the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries. It just feels so...unnecessary. I'm pretty well convinced that Lynch did it as well as it's possible to be done. And the lack of resources is positively painful. Good rule of thumb: Don't try to make WAR & PEACE on a XENA THE WARRIOR PRINCESS budget. Just sayin'...

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  14. Jocko7:24 PM

    i wish he'd directed Return of the Jedi instead. How amazing would that have been?

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  15. I agree with your assessment of the black hole film score, which is really good and lost against the story issues. But i saw Dune when it came out and hated the score then and still do. If anything my loathing of it has increased. Part of the reason is the few elements of the score done by Brian Eno which are delicate, beautiful ambient pieces of music and are on every ipod playlist i have.I imagine what it would have been with a full score by him....

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  16. Hi Baron,

    I'm a big Eno fan myself, so I understand your point. And yet -- something about the Dune score still resonates with me. It may simply be 1980s nostalgia. But I find myself remembering it fondly.

    But I totally get your point.

    best,
    John

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  17. I loved Lynch's version and while it is definitely a 'little' bit of a stray away from teh original Herbert novel, the visuals alone make this film more than worth the watch.

    My one major issue was the lack of inclusion of the link between the
    Baron and Jessica. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how such an important fact was just left aside.

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  18. Great analysis! I saw the film long before I read the novel and it was never confusing for me, either, though reading the book deepened my understanding of the themes and character motivations. I actually quite like both of the later television adaptations and think that they do a much better job of laying out the story and not sacrificing the character subplots. I think "Dune" an interesting adaptation and a worthy entry in the Lynch canon.

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  19. Anonymous7:36 AM

    Thanks Mr Muir, this is by far the best review I've seen of Dune. It continues to baffle me that other critics rate it so poorly given its astonishing visuals and ambition.

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  20. Anonymous12:29 PM

    Hi, DUNE's fans....My name is Bruno Landis and I had the previlege to work in the production of the movie in Mexico. I was the special visual effects assistant to Carlo Rambaldi, the creator of the monstruous worms. My experience was incredible and I can surely share it with the curious ones among you. I also have my own opinion about the flop the movie made instead of the great success it was supposed to get.
    I'm curious to see the Blue Ray version. Regards

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  21. For me this deeply flawed film still has merit. Aesthetically it 100% captures the feel of Herbet's novel for me, and it still remains the best film adaptation. The made for television version was a travesty.

    Sting's performance was outstanding and iconic and the performances of some of the others, Prochnow, Von Sydow, Stewart and Hunt were all solid and well cast.

    It's story I long to see remade in film and done right, but the things that Lynch got right will forever haunt any reproduction. Almost I wish Lynch would remake this film.

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  22. I grew up in the same town as Frank Herbert and he and my dad were friends. Frank came over to dinner several times and my dad and he chatted about the politics and allegory of the story. I was too young to remember any of this, however. Years later I worked with David Lynch for one, fondly remembered, day-- cutting a PSA he was doing. We talked and talked about his films. He was really cool, didn't seem to mind at all. I told him how much I liked "Dune" and how I really thought he got very close to portraying the universe. He was ashamed of it, of course, but I said it was a GOOD film. Today I wrote on his Facebook page and asked him to reconsider doing a Director's Cut of the film. He always contended that the studio screwed up the film-- and I believe that's very likely true. I believe a recut of the film could place it squarely in the pantheon of GREAT science-fiction films.

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My Father's Journal: "Apologia"

Apologia By Ken Muir   I am a person of my age, of my time in history.    Born into an America that was on the verge of winning the greatest...