DuneProphesy is the envisioning of that which will come to pass, as if through divine inspiration, a belief that there will come a profound change which will alter the nature of our perception of reality. Be it now or be it thousands of years in the future, in galaxies and on planets far beyond the scope of our contemporary understanding, a prophesy is a seed which is planted deep in the earth. It germinates and gestates as the actions which foster it invoke its genesis, and the prophesies of the world of Dune give rise to the legends of the world of Arrakis--known as Dune--and the downfall of the galactic empire which seeks to subjugate it.
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Dune is an adaptation of the science fiction novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. It is the story of Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), the son of the just Duke Leto Atreides (Jürgen Prochnow) of the planet Caladan, and his involvement in a galactic conspiracy reaching all the way to the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV (José Ferrer) and the guild controlling the most precious element in the universe, the spice melange--called simply "the spice"--which allows for everything from youth and preternatural physical and mental acumen to the ability to "fold" space--travelling through space without movement. Paul is a talented warrior, his skills honed by the loyal retainer, Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart) and others. He is a student of a secretive art of combat, accentuated by a "weirding module" to turn sound and thought into manifest energy--words as weapons. Paul is also inherently in tune with the spiritual force underlying the universe of Dune, his mother a "Bene Gesserit"--a priestess in an ancient female order designed to foster the emergence of one they call the "Kwisatz Haderach"--a messianic superman--who will bring an age of enlightenment and ascendance to their universe in the year 10192. Through dramatic irony, we know that the emperor is seeking to pit the House Atreides against the vile House Harkonnen of Giedi Prime by ousting the Harkonnens--led by the depraved Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan)--as the caretakers of Arrakis, and replacing them with their blood enemies, the Atreides, fully expecting they will kill one another in the process, simply because the popular Leto poses a threat to the emperor in the next election. And while conspiracy and royal backstabbing sets the prophetic events in motion for the people of the 102nd Century, it is Paul's discovery that he is unique in his place in the universe, and that special gift he carries is one which he can use to bring justice and life back to a world which has suffered under the subjugation and exploitation of a culture indifferent to its needs. Dune is a universe with giant sandworms lurking under the sands of Arrakis, ready to strike at any rhythmic movement, where horrific-looking space slugs coerce emperors and bend space with the power of the spice, and where knowledge can be passed from woman to woman through a sacred--if potentially lethal--ritual involving a drug-like liquid, the "water of life". Water itself is as precious as life in Dune, represented by the planets and the houses which call them home. Compare the seas of Caladan, where the benevolent and good people of Atreides live with the over-industrialized hell of Giedi Prime; and Arrakis, where it never rains, because the life has been sucked dry from the world. But the water which the native Fremen keep hidden below the surface is a metaphor for their underground civilization, only ready to emerge when the universe is ready to accept them--only then will their culture flourish and be as free as rain.
Dune is narrated by the daughter of the emperor, Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen), who is not directly involved in the events of the story; she has merely a cameo at the end during the duel between Paul--now Muad'Dib--and the Harkonnen bravo, Feyd-Rautha (Sting). What her narration seems to signify is that this legend has already come to pass and that she is one of many who now shares the story of Muad'Dib with the universe, a priestess of a new religion, and that his ultimate victory is more than simply speaking with sonic power or overthrowing a despot, but of changing a way of life. The spice has become a commodity so sought after that men will kill and destroy all for its acquisition--it is the root of evil in this futurescape, but is itself merely a byproduct of the forces which swell under the sands of Arrakis. It is no stretch to identify the spice as a metaphor for oil, the popular environs for its procurement in the Middle East mirroring the persistent conflicts and schemes surrounding it and the process to harvest the resource. And Arrakis--like the Middle East--is regarded as being close to the "cradle of civilization", and the advent of many religions which the legend of Muad'Dib resembles. It suggests that the pursuit of messiahs and salvation follows certain trends, just as mankind's efforts to seize power and dominion also cycles back upon itself. The production of Dune is itself a legendary process, one which was nearly dragged under by long stretches of "development hell", protracted periods where it was unclear as to whether it would be made, and how. Ultimately, then rising director David Lynch assumed the mantle, although he claims he was dissatisfied with the final production. While David Lynch has directed some of the most original works put to film, Dune does feel like something outside of his metier; this is not a criticism, but it is an example of where an artist's vision and a studio's vision are not always aligned. This is a trend which is intrinsically part of the Hollywood dynamic, where film production is a multi-million dollar process, and certain elements are identified--be it through focus groups or contemporary film trends--to be qualities which must exist to coax the sensibilities of the movie-going audience. Dune shares many qualities with other films of the Eighties--even specifically of 1984--and feel at odds with the works of David Lynch as a whole, although many of his familiar cast of actors join in this film--like Jack Nance as a Harkonnen lackey--and even a cameo by the director as a spice miner. Dune is about the growth and change which must come for a civilization to flourish when it has become subject to the dependence upon a resource which comes at a cost too high to maintain. It is about understanding another culture which has been exploited in the effort to obtain this resource. And it is about faith--the faith in oneself to achieve the impossible by will, determination, and even love, to stand up against the might of seemingly insurmountable odds by forming bonds, and acknowledging the powers which run deep within the universe; only with harmonious unity can one walk with rhythm into a new way of thinking and being.
Recommended for: Fans of literary adaptations of science fiction classics, of large-scale war in a distant future, with the likes of lasers and force fields, and other fantastic--if weird--special effects. Also, the electric guitar-laden theme music and the elaborate costumes are hallmarks of a particular brand of Eighties sci-fi/action.
Dune is narrated by the daughter of the emperor, Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen), who is not directly involved in the events of the story; she has merely a cameo at the end during the duel between Paul--now Muad'Dib--and the Harkonnen bravo, Feyd-Rautha (Sting). What her narration seems to signify is that this legend has already come to pass and that she is one of many who now shares the story of Muad'Dib with the universe, a priestess of a new religion, and that his ultimate victory is more than simply speaking with sonic power or overthrowing a despot, but of changing a way of life. The spice has become a commodity so sought after that men will kill and destroy all for its acquisition--it is the root of evil in this futurescape, but is itself merely a byproduct of the forces which swell under the sands of Arrakis. It is no stretch to identify the spice as a metaphor for oil, the popular environs for its procurement in the Middle East mirroring the persistent conflicts and schemes surrounding it and the process to harvest the resource. And Arrakis--like the Middle East--is regarded as being close to the "cradle of civilization", and the advent of many religions which the legend of Muad'Dib resembles. It suggests that the pursuit of messiahs and salvation follows certain trends, just as mankind's efforts to seize power and dominion also cycles back upon itself. The production of Dune is itself a legendary process, one which was nearly dragged under by long stretches of "development hell", protracted periods where it was unclear as to whether it would be made, and how. Ultimately, then rising director David Lynch assumed the mantle, although he claims he was dissatisfied with the final production. While David Lynch has directed some of the most original works put to film, Dune does feel like something outside of his metier; this is not a criticism, but it is an example of where an artist's vision and a studio's vision are not always aligned. This is a trend which is intrinsically part of the Hollywood dynamic, where film production is a multi-million dollar process, and certain elements are identified--be it through focus groups or contemporary film trends--to be qualities which must exist to coax the sensibilities of the movie-going audience. Dune shares many qualities with other films of the Eighties--even specifically of 1984--and feel at odds with the works of David Lynch as a whole, although many of his familiar cast of actors join in this film--like Jack Nance as a Harkonnen lackey--and even a cameo by the director as a spice miner. Dune is about the growth and change which must come for a civilization to flourish when it has become subject to the dependence upon a resource which comes at a cost too high to maintain. It is about understanding another culture which has been exploited in the effort to obtain this resource. And it is about faith--the faith in oneself to achieve the impossible by will, determination, and even love, to stand up against the might of seemingly insurmountable odds by forming bonds, and acknowledging the powers which run deep within the universe; only with harmonious unity can one walk with rhythm into a new way of thinking and being.
Recommended for: Fans of literary adaptations of science fiction classics, of large-scale war in a distant future, with the likes of lasers and force fields, and other fantastic--if weird--special effects. Also, the electric guitar-laden theme music and the elaborate costumes are hallmarks of a particular brand of Eighties sci-fi/action.