Could a good Dune movie be made or not

[Shaka Zulu]

Anybody interested in the possibilities of a great Dune movie NEEDS to watch Jodorowsky's Dune. This is an absolutely fascinating documentary about a pre-Star Wars attempt to get an epic version of Dune off the ground, that had it come to fruition, would have changed the course of cinematic history.

The film looks as though it would have been incredible, and is packed with amazing ideas about how they would have brought it to life, but even more interesting is to see the depth of impact an unmade film has had upon Sci-Fi since. It's designs and ideas are strewn throughout subsequent films like Star Wars, Alien & Blade Runner.

To be frank and IMHO, Jodorowsky's Dune was most likely caca of the highest order, and would have flopped at the box office and been blasted by fans of the novels. At least Lynch got the tone right.

 

[Timewalker]

I remember the handout well, a single sheet front and back glossary explaining things like "mentat," "Fremen" and so on. It had pronuncitations, because I remember my friends and I saying something like "'Benny Jez-a-rit?' I thought it was 'Bean Guess-a-rit!'"

That opening night concession aside, the '84 Dune wasn't afraid to just drop the audience into the deep end, and I give them some credit for that. Star Wars was in a galaxy far away, but its clear pastiche of older movies and genres helped ground the audience in more familiar territory. With Dune it was more like "Yeah, this is going to be bizarre, it's another world, deal with it." Some of the "disturbing" stuff seemed a little gratuitous, and some choices were just silly (why would the evil honcho have a "heart plug" installed in himself where a little kid could just yank it out? And the emperor and his generals on their little merry-go-round, yeesh...). But overall I liked the world-building look and details of the movie. The script, editing, performances and so on, not so much. I'm not too fond of much of the music, either.

Probably the best memory I have of that movie was watching it a year or so later one night with the whole family after it came out on video. Completely bewildered, my mom reacted by cracking jokes and had us all laughing pretty good.

I remember being impressed with the sets. They made Castle Caladan and the ducal palace in Arrakeen look like a place where people could actually live and work. According to The Making of Dune, they hired Mexican woodworkers and craftsmen to work on the sets, and it showed. The sets in the two palaces were beautiful.

I also loved the music. Sitting in a real theatre, listening to that majestic opening theme, left me with the impression that we were about to see a movie about powerful people and situations. And later, on, the Prophecy theme... is relaxing. I remember sitting in the theatre, listening to some people in the audience grumbling that they didn't understand the movie, couldn't figure out what was going on, everything was weird, etc., but as soon as that music started, they shut right up. Even though what was going on onscreen was ridiculous, the audience was quiet and didn't say a word.

 

[Hypaspist]

I think that visual aspect is what needs to be emphasized. Actually I think it is more important for a movie with a story like this. The plot of Alien is actually really simple, but the alien ship did indeed look completely alien to us, and it was impressive with its massive scale. It's one of the reasons I like Prometheus too, because it looks so amazing. Both of those movies had really well done horror, which isn't a part of Dune. Visuals are important in the Sci Fi genre more than anything else.

 

[Starbreaker]

I think it would be great as a three hour movie. The miniseries did a great job even though the budget was obviously not there in some of the scenes.

 

[eyeresist]

Any advice on how to watch the Lynch movie so i won't see an incoherent mess. Read the ploy synopsis at the same time? Have wikipedia close?

If you've seen the miniseries you shouldn't have a problem with the Lynch movie. I saw it cold in my early teens and was not confused. I think the trick was to pay attention to the two big info-dumps at the beginning.

I still like the movie, but find it weakens in the 2nd half, which is more about furthering the plot than exploring world or character (you don't go to Lynch for plot). I love the sets and the music (I have both releases of the soundtrack).

As to a future movie version, you'd really need a genius to get the tone right and still retain mainstream appeal.