Dune was made in 1984 by David Lynch as an American epic science fiction film based on the novel Frank Herbert of 1965. As the young nobleman Paul Atreides, Kyle MacLachlan (in his feature debut) is starred and contains a collection of renowned American and European actors to support roles. The soundtrack was shot in the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City by Toto the rock band and Brian Eno.
This was a $30.9 million box office flop from a budget of $40 million. Critics were badly criticising filmmaking, lack of fidelity in the sources, pacing, direction and editing, however there was appreciation for the visual effect, the musical score, acting, the action. Lynch dismissed the final picture after it was released arguing that the pressure from producers and financiers limited him to artistic control, denying him the ultimate privilege of cutting. The picture has over time created a cult.
Far away in the future, it re-enacts the strife between opposing aristocratic families as they struggle over Arrakis, a desert planet that is also called ‘Dune,’ exceedingly hard. The planet is the only source of the drug mix, also known as the spices, which enhances awareness and makes it the main and most important commodity in the universe for the journey throughout the world.
Paul Atreides is the scion and heir of a powerful noble family, who are brought into war with their previous superintendents of House Harkonnen by their heritage of Arrakis. Paul is also a candidate in the messianic Bene-Gesserit faith, the Kwisatz-Haderach. A wide ensemble of actors including Patrick Stewart, Dourif, Virginia Madsen, Dean Stockwell, José Ferrer, Sting, Linda Hunt, and Max von Sydow are present in the picture, besides MacLachlan.
Movie Synopsis
The movie centres around the much coveted ‘spice’ and we see that The Guild is afraid about a conspiracy that might endanger spice production and send an envoy to the Kaiser who exposes a plan to kill Haus Atreides to ask for an explanation.
The Emperor regards the growing popularity of Duke Leto Atreides – and he is supposed to gather a secret army — as a risk to his domination. The planet Arrakis (commonly known as Dune), the only spice supplier in the universe, is given sovereignty in House Atreides.
Once established, the Atreides will be embustered, together with the assistance of the Sardaukar elite of the Emperor, by their longstanding Archenemies, the Harkonnens.
The Guild Navigator orders the Emperor to kill Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto as the Guild is afraid of threatening spice production somehow. The execution order attracts the attention of the sisterhood of Benes Gesserit, as Paul is linked to their centuries-old breeding scheme for the super-being of the universe Kwisatz Haderach.
Before leaving for Arrakis Paul is tested to have his hand placed in a box that causes tremendous pain by Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Mohiam. He passes the test to Mohiam’s surprise and ultimate happiness.
In the industrial world of Giedi Prime, Satinist Baron Vladimir Harkonnen says of his plans for the removal of house Atreides by persuading someone in the duke’s orbit to betray him to nephews Glossu “The Beast” Rabban and Feyd-Rautha. For Arrakis, an untouched desert planet populated by huge sandworms, the Atreides leave their homeworld of Caladan.
A Messiah is to bring them to liberty, the aboriginal inhabitants of Arrakis, Fremen. Duncan Idaho, one loyalist for Leto, informs him he suspects that Dune has a huge number of Fremen who can demonstrate that they have strong allies.
The Harkonnens launched their invasion before Leto could make an alliance with the Fremen. Leto’s personal doctor, Dr. Wellington Yueh, disabled the traitor in House Atreides, and left the Atreides almost helpless. Idaho is murdered, Leto taken, the Harkonnens almost wiping out all of House Atreides.
Baron Harkonnen is killing Dr. Yueh with a poisoned blade by Mentat Piter De Vries. In gratitude for saving the lives of Lady Jessica, Leto’s concubine, and Paul, she is killed in a failing attempt to kill Baron Harkonnen by utilising a poison gas tooth implanted by Dr. Yueh.
Paul and Jessica survive the onslaught, retreat into the deep wilderness, where a sietch of Fremen gives them asylum. Paul takes Fremen Muad’Dib’s name and becomes the leader the Fremen waited for. He trains them how construct and employ strangers, Sonic Weapons invented by House Atreides, and Spice Mining Targets. Spice production is almost stopped in the next two years. The Spacing Guild warns the Emperor about Arrakis and asks that it fix its failing status.
The young Fremen guerrilla, Paul falls in love with Chani. By taking the Water of Life, the mortal poison that Jessica makes harmless through her talents as a Bene Gesserit, she became a Holy Mother of Fremen. Paul learns the Emperor’s and the Guild’s plan to assassinate him through a prophetic dream.
He sees also that they fear that the Water of Life will be taken away. When Paul suddenly stops his dreams, he drinks Water of Life and enjoys a psychedelic journey deep in the wilderness. He gets strong psychic power, he sees the sandworms as the source of the spice.
The Emperor gathers a tremendous flood of invasions to eradicate the Fremen and regain control of the planet. It is called upon to declare why the spice mining is halted, “The Beast” Rabban. In Arrakeen, the capital city of the Harkonnens, Paul makes a final onslaught against the Emperor’s Sardaukar.
The warriors of Paul’s Fremen easily defeat the forces of the Emperor. Baron Harkonnen, who is chucked through a broken palace wall into the bowel of a sandworm, was fatally wounded by Paul’s sister Alia. In a death duel, Paul struggles with Feyd-Rautha. After murdering Feyd, Paul shows his newly found powers by bringing the rain to Arrakis and fulfilling the prophecy of Freman.
Alia then finally declares him the Haderach Kwisatz.
The Dune Universe and its Various Factions
Dune and most of the different spinoff novels take place in the future thousands of years, when humanity has expanded to other worlds in the galaxy. In the future the Padishah emperor, the Space Guild (which controls interstellar travel), and a collection of the feudal houses known as Landsraad will share power. In this future. Imagine a futuristic Game of Thrones version, and you have some idea how civilization operates in the “Duniverse.”
It is strictly prohibited to develop modern technologies like as computers and nuclear weapons. Most technology relies instead on the strength of the human brain. Specially trained “mentats” are made to work like living computers.
An ingredient called Melange is a psychotropical spice that can improve the spirit and extend life, with certain users even gaining mental talents and access to their ancestors’ shared memories.
A great deal of the Dune narrative concentrates upon the Arrakis desert planet. Arrakis is the only main supply of spice in the cosmos, however it is a remote and all but unspared due to its unusually arid climate, as well as the presence of huge, rotating sand worms.
Whatever Arrakis house controls, the fortune will be huge, but also the danger from other houses will constantly grow. There is a reason why people in the Dune-verse say, “Whoever controls the spice, controls the world.”
The Fremen – The native Arrakis are these nomadic desert tribes. Although most people in the Empire reject him as wise and brute, the Fremen really understand Arrakis and the nature of spice much better than everyone. They have been silently nurturing the planet for thousands of years, learning how to endure its severe climate, and waiting for the coming of their Messiah, Lisan al Gaib
House Atreides – Basically, House Atreides is the House Stark of the Dune franchise to make another comparison to Game of Thrones. Duke Leto Atreides, his leader, is one of the few caring leaders in a galaxy where all riches and all power is. When the initial book opens, the Emperor of Padishah has let House Atreides to take control of Arrakis, ousting the rival of their predecessors, House Harkonnen. While Leto fights to prevent harm from his family, his son Paul realises that Arrakis is awaiting a great destiny.
The Bene Gesserit – the Bene Gesserit is one of the most prominent and the only all-female political force in the galaxy. The members of the order have improved their minds and attained super human capabilities through a combination of mental conditioning and spice use. Their leader, Rev. Gaius Mutter Helen Mohiam, is preoccupied with selectively producing the superhuman Kwisatz Haderach, a powerful Bene Gesserite. She sent Lady Jessica as a concubine of Duke Leto and she gave birth to that child, but instead she gave birth to him.
House Harkonnen – House Harkonnen, the competitor of House Atreides, is one of the wealthiest members of Landsraad. The cruelty, sadism and hedonism of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen governed this household. Whilst Baron Harkonnen claims to be outrages at his opponent, Duke Leto, losing control of Arrakis, he actually expects to take this as an opportunity to once and for all crush his enemy.
Ending Explained
The movie ends with the victory of the protagonist after a ling and bitter war. Paul tries to impose his demands on the defeated after having defeated the Emperor and his friends. However, to make matters interesting, Feyd-Rautha challenges him to a hand-to-hand combat duel. Paul easily defeats the Harkonnen in combat, putting an end to any further resistance to his victory and subsequent rule.
Paul then uses his newfound abilities to finally fulfil the Fremen prophecy by forcing rain to fall on the Dune, which has never happened before. He is then proclaimed to be the Kwisatz Haderach, by Alia and the curtains fall 9on this highly debatable movie.
The Novel behind the movie
Dune is a famous book from American writer Frank Herbert. It is a Science-fiction book published in the year 1965 which initially appeared in Analog magazine in two independent series’. In 1966, he linked with the Immortal of Roger Zelazny for the Hugo prize and received the opening Nebula Award. It was the world’s top-selling science fiction novel in 2003 when the Dune saga was first installed.
Five sequels have Herbert written: Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, Dune, God Emperor, Dune Heretics, and Dune Chapterhouse.
Novel adaptations have a reputation for being tough and time-consuming. Alejandro Jodorowsky, a cult filmmaker, attempted to make a film based on the novel in the 1970s. The project was cancelled after nearly three years of development due to an ever-increasing budget. A film adaptation was released in 1984, directed by David Lynch, to mixed reviews.
On October 22, 2021, Denis Villeneuve will direct a third cinematic adaptation. Frank Herbert’s Dune, a Sci-Fi Channel miniseries from 2000, and Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune, a 2003 sequel, were both based on the book which combines the events of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.
Upcoming New Movie
Dune: Part One is a future American film of science fiction, directed by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve and Eric Roth, Denis Villeneuve. This is the first of a two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, scheduled to cover the first half of the book approximately.
On the occasion of the 78th International Film Festival in Venice which be held on September 3, 2021, Dune is slated for its first international premiere, and will be distributed in the United States in 3D on October 22, 2021 by Warner Bros.
Paul Atreides will be played by Timothée Chalamet. Lady Jessica’s mother is Rebecca Ferguson. Duke Leto Atreides, played by Oscar Isaac, is his father. The villain, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, will be played by Stellan Skarsgrd.
In this version, Villeneuve has promised a new approach to the baron, built with full-body prosthetics, saying that even though he likes the novel, he felt that the baron was frequently flirting with caricature. He has attempted to give the character a little more depth. That’s also why he enlisted Stellan’s help.
Who better to adapt Frank Herbert’s notoriously difficult-to-adapt literary series Dune than Denis Villeneuve? The filmmaker of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival has the sci-fi chops to deliver the year’s most anticipated film.