Probably Frank's best science fiction novel. Came out in 1965. I can remember buying the hardback on a Friday, and settling down to an all day read that weekend. Twenty years later Hollywood did a movie version. This was after Star Wars, I figure the Hollywood suits were thinking there was money in science fiction movies back then. I saw it when it first came out in 1984. There was a slow night last week, and for some reason I decided to replay my Dune DVD.
Back in 1984, Dune the movie got a poor-to-mediocre box office response, despite a hoard of loyal fans of the book. Re watching it in 2014 it was clear why. The book had an intricate background of ecology, future history, and strange technology which was difficult to grasp as a reader, let alone as a movie viewer, and was essential to understanding what was going on. Even though the movie makers added a number of scenes and a good deal of voice over commentary to try and clue the audience in, it wasn't enough. A long dramatic scene where Paul Atreides agonizes over the water of life and finally drinks it, was sorta meaningless unless you knew that the water of life was a deadly poison that was converted into a recreational drug by pure magic. If you knew this, then the scene makes sense, Paul is betting his life that he can work the magic to render the water of life harmless before it kills him. If he succeeds (survives) everyone in the universe will know that he is The Man. If you don't know all this, all you see is a lot of writhing around on screen. I think this flick should serve as a warning to movie makers who assume their audience has read the book.
I'd forgotten that Captain Picard was in the cast. Patrick Steward shows up as a senior Atreides retainer, trim uniform, baldie haircut and all. They had Sting play a bad guy. Dune the book kicked out a lot of ideas that went into Star Wars. The white armored Imperial Stormtroopers are inspired by Herbert's Imperial Sardaukar. The massive creature in the sandpit that nearly eats Harrison Ford is clearly a sandworm from Arrakis. Tatanooie, Luke's homeworld, is a dried out desert planet like Arrakis with Fremen like desert guerrillas.
Anyhow, if you liked the book, this is a worthy movie. You can recognize lines of dialog as word for word quotes from the book. Netflix has it.
3 comments:
The SciFi (excuse me: SyFy) Channel aired a Dune 4 part miniseries that was far superior to the movie even though there were no 'big name' actors/actresses involved. I have the DVDs and break them out now and then to watch them again. I also have the original movie. Every time I watch them I find the miniseries to be superior.
I've seen the 3 part TV miniseries with William Hurt as Duke Leto Atreides. It's not bad a all. From what you say, it sounds like the Syfy channel did another Dune miniseries that I haven't seen yet.
Actually I think it was the 3-part series (my memory was faulty), but there was also a follow on "Children of Dune" miniseries as well, but it wasn't quite as good.
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