Matt Connarton Unleashed: Erich Pilcher reviews Dune (1984).

The beginning is a very delicate time. Know then that it is the year

ten thousand and one ninety one. In this time, the most precious substance

in the universe is the spice milange. The spice extends life. The spice

exists on only one planet in the entire universe. The planet is a Racus,

also known as Dune. You are allowed to enter a world, are

they unexpected? Many dangers exist on a rakis the unknown and incredible secret and

kept on this planet in the own and the unbelievable feat the Spicy, two

great houses where kingdoms are built of far eers that moves, but we have

wordside the likes of which even God has never seen, and skies are filled

with fire that promising between cleanse the universe to bring us all to the darkness.

We're a young warriors called upon to freest people. A world that holds

creation's greatest treasure. He who controls the Spice con draws the university and greatest

terrors. A world where the Mighty this is genocide, the deliberate and systematic

destruction of all life. Anaracists, the bad Highway in town, I Love

you forever, and the magical fathers, Oh, we'll have their final battle.

Do not show the slightest busy honor sat ever we talk for you.

Do a spectacular journey through the wonders of space and the mysteries of time,

off from the boundaries of the incredible to the borders of the impossible. Now

Frank Herbert's wild and talked about and cherished masterpiece comes to the screen Demo deal

and dispresents doom the world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination. Films have

long since been adapted from novels. In early cinema, this was done as

a way to develop a script with minimal creative input and just use the words

from the novel to generate the film. Now, it does still take great

performances in brilliant direction to make a film truly memorable. As a matter of

fact, some of the greatest films were adapted from novels or short stories,

films such as The Godfather, The Graduate, Gone with the Wind, in

many others. This Week's film is not one of those films, but has

become revered or in some people's opinions, notorious, based off the nineteen sixty

five novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. Doom was released in nineteen

eighty four and was directed by David Lynch. It stars Kyle McLaughlin as Paula

Trades, the son of Duca Trades, who is the leader of the most

respected house or group in the galaxy. These houses are seeking to control the

most valuable asset known as Spice, and it's only on one planet, Oracus.

The film also stars Patrick Stewart, Max von Siddo, Sean Young,

and the singer Sting as the villainous fade Ratha from the Atradees' chief rivals house

Harkonen. This film was quite the trial to see the big screen. It

went through several directors in studios from nineteen seventy to the time Lynch signed on

Our first two clips are from the writer and director from The Today Show in

nineteen eighty four. Frank Herbert explains his approach in writing Dune and stories in

general, and then the director Lynch explains why he doesn't view Dune as one

of his films. As a matter of fact, he has not spoken at

great length about the film and to this day does not acknowledge it as a

part of his filmography. Is science fiction really fiction or is it just the

future waiting to happen? Author Frank Herbert says it's a little bit of both.

His books under the Dune title takes us to a strange planet where life

and death is determined by a spice which is carefully dulled out by a leader

who is a humanoid, and the process of becoming a worm. Now,

now, before I ask you about the statement of that, Frank, why

is there a tendency for people to chuckle when they hear what I just said

to sneer to smirk. Well, I think it it makes people uncomfortable the

idea that a human being can become something other than a human being, especially

something mindless out of the depths. I'm very heavily imbued with Hungian psychology,

so I think that we do have a sense of the mindless animal in the

depths of all but science fiction. When people say science fiction, they automatically

go, ah, yeah, But I write science fiction for people who don't

read science fiction, and people who read science fiction also. But you were

just telling me that you were going after that general readership. Oh yes,

But you were, frankly a little bit surprised when it went over as big

as it did. Why well, I didn't You don't wait for that.

You go on to do another story, and then when it happened, it

happened big, and I was very surprised by how big it came along.

You've said science fiction writing can have a missionary impact. Could you elaborate on

that for me a little bit? Well, I think it first has to

be entertaining, because if it's not entertaining, nobody's going to read it.

I put a pot of message in there with a massive pottage. What is

the message? What is the statement that you're attempting to make here? Don't

trust leaders to always be right? I work to create a leader in this

book who would be really an attractive, charismatic person for all the good reasons,

not for any bad reasons. Then power comes to him. He makes

decisions. Some of his decisions made for millions of people, millions upon millions

of people, don't work out too well in a general sense, not in

a specific one about Lato and about planet Oracus, but in a very general

sense. Do you make this statement because you're disenchanted with the way others are

viewing the future, are preparing for the future. Well, I think that

Our society was formed on a distrust for government, and we've seemed to have

lost that distrust of government. I kid around and I say that my favorite

president in recent years has been Richard Nixon because he taught us to distrust government.

What is it that government is a shared illusion? When the myth dies,

the myth disappears. That's right. Religion, government, other institutions.

Do you see them in any way preparing for what Frank Herbert sees vision of

the future. No, I have a very passionate concern for posterity, another

thing upon which this nation was founded with a decent concern for posterity, and

unfortunately, posterity doesn't vote. Dune is going to become a deal dil retous

movie. That's right that Frank Herbert has written the screenplay for. We do

expect another Star Wars type spectacle. I really am expecting much more of a

David Lynch movie. David has really written the screenplay. I hope he's using

a lot of the stuff that I gave him, and but I haven't seen

the screenplay. It'll be ready next Friday. We are expecting the movie in

a year, at the end of eighty three. How many more Dunes to

come at least more good enough. Frank Herbert, thank you, Thank you,

Brad, and now Lynch, I can ask you why you consider Dune

a disappointment? Dune. I didn't have final cut on It's the only film

I've made that I didn't have. I didn't technically have final cut on The

Elephant Man, but mel Brooks gave it to me, and on Done,

I started selling out, even in the script phase, knowing I didn't have

final cut, and I sold out. So it was it was a slow

dying the death and a terrible, terrible experience. Do you regret making Yes,

except it just nailed this idea, never ever do a film without final

cut, and and why would I have done it. I don't know how

it happened. I trusted that it would work out, but it was very

naive and the wrong move. It's got a lot of fans. There's some

things about it, but overall it was squeezed because in those days, the

maximum length they figured I could have was two hours and seventeen minutes, and

that's what the film is, so they could get they wouldn't lose the screening

a day, and so it's again money talking and not for the film at

all, and so it was like compacted and it hurt it. It hurt

it. Everyone's been just been told for years about your version of it,

which do no, it doesn't exist. There is no other version. There's

more stuff, but even that is putrefied. This film, upon release was

critically panned. One of the major reasons is people felt the film made no

sense. However, that does not mean there are not memorable scenes our next

in final two clips of this review feature paula Trade's played by once again Kyle

McLoughlin. First, one of the most memorable scenes in the film, Paul

is tested by mother Jessica for impulse control by tapping into his fear, and

then, in knife battle training with Gurney Halleck played by Patrick Stewart, Paul's

impulsivity becomes an issue when a move would have ended his life. Please note

that in the second clip there is noise distortion done due to battleshields surrounding both

a Trade and Gurney that are a part of the film, and the clip

she's using the voice no sound strength surprising. Do you see this? Put

your right hand in the box. What's in the box and stop. Put

your hand in the box. I hold at your neck the gomjaba. This

one kills only animals. Are you suggesting that Duke's son is an animal?

Let us say I suggest you may be human. Your awareness may be powerful

enough to control your instincts. Your instinct will be to remove your hand from

the box. If you do so, you die. You will feel an

itching the now. The itching becomes burning, heat upon heat upon heat,

and silence silence. I must not fear. Here is the mind killer.

There's a little totally brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I'm

permitted to burst over me and for me. I must not feel flesh,

might feel my streams. Death brings the total obliteration. I will face my

flesh, not being the father. Here is the little death. I must

love hear here it's a little death. Good enough God, no woman child

ever with stood. Take your hand out of the box and look at it,

young human, Do it next? Nice training. I know too far.

I'm sitting with my back to the door. I heard you doctor Huie

and Gurney coming down the hall. Those sounds could be imitated. I'd know

the difference. Yes, perhaps he would have that. My father sent you

to test me. Music, then no music. I'm packing this from the

crossing. She will practice, she will practice. Gurney, we had practice

this morning. I'm not in the mood. Not in the mood. Mood's

a thing for cattle and love, playing, not fighting. I'm sorry,

Gurnie, not sorry enough. What's wrong with Kurnie? He's not making this.

God yourself to true God. The slow blade penetrates the shield bat time,

look down. We'd have joined each other in depth. You've been seemed

finally to get the moment. This film was made on a forty two million

dollar budget. Due to lynches success with films eraser Head and The Elephant Man,

the press heavily followed production. It was set up for a summer blockbuster

release. There was a documentary of the making of the film produced in action

figures, board games, and other memorabilia of the like were released. Unfortunately,

the film only made close to thirty one million dollars, becoming a major

box office flop. The play in sequels Brian Herbert wrote six books in the

series were canceled. Roger Ebert called the film a real mess, an incomprehensible,

ugly unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most

confusing screenplays of all time. With only a runtime of one hundred and thirty

seven minutes, Lynch had to cut characters in scenes that made the book work

and made it understandable. It also led to it becoming a New York Times

bestseller. Lynch also lost final cut, as was alluded to in an earlier

clip. This is why David Lynch ultimately disavows this film. Adding to the

confusion, theaters handed out pamphlets that went over deciphering the words used in the

film as a translation guide. All of this contributed to one of the biggest

box office flops of all time. Thankfully, through two new adaptations, a

two thousand Sci Fi Channel mini series and the two part epic film, which

the second part is released this weekend in more widespread appeal of the novels have

led to a greater appreciation for this film and achieving monumental cult status. This

film is visually stunning, with good performance as in a thundering soundtrack by rock

band Toto, and for those interested, sting in Espedo not my cup of

tea, but might be for some people to not understand this film is no

reason to dismiss it in viewing. Doune, ignore the understanding and just enjoy

yourself. I hope you join me next week as we look at the Southern

classic and one of John Hopwood's favorite films, Smoky in the Bandit for WMNH

and Matt Connorton Unleashed. This has been a classic film review with Eric pilcher Da