Dune (1984)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

David Lynch

Writers:

Frank Herbert (novel)
David Lynch (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 December 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You are about to enter a world where the unexpected, the unknown, and the unbelievable meet.

Plot:

In the distant future, a man appears who may be the prophet that a long-suffering galaxy has been waiting for.

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Duke | Emperor | Spice | Baron

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Francesca Annis	...	Lady Jessica
Leonardo Cimino	...	The Baron's Doctor
Brad Dourif	...	Piter De Vries
José Ferrer	...	Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV
Linda Hunt	...	Shadout Mapes
Freddie Jones	...	Thufir Hawat
Richard Jordan	...	Duncan Idaho
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Paul Atreides
Virginia Madsen	...	Princess Irulan
Silvana Mangano	...	Reverend Mother Ramallo
Everett McGill	...	Stilgar
Kenneth McMillan	...	Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Jack Nance	...	Nefud
Siân Phillips	...	Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (as Sian Phillips)
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Duke Leto Atreides

Runtime:

137 min | USA:190 min (special edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Italy:T | Spain:13 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 (special edition) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (uncut) (1986) | UK:PG (original rating) (cut) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

De Laurentiis

Trivia:

Gurney Halleck gives two quotations that are from the Old Testament of the Bible- Job 24:5 and Habbakkuk 1:9 - The first "Behold, as a wild ass in the desert go I forth to my work" - which he says as they arrive on Arrakis, Job 24:5. And "They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup as the east wind. And they shall gather the captivity of the sand." - Habbakkuk 1:9.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the baron is struck with the Gom Jabbar and is flying through the air, a sandworm turns, opens its mouth and takes the floating baron. As the sandworm is turning and comes to a stop, the made-of-rubber creature wobbles like jello and looks, unfortunately, exactly like what it is: a miniature molded latex creation that is stopped too abruptly and jiggles like a slinky.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Princess Irulan: A beginning is a very delicate time. Know then, that is is the year 10191. The known universe is ruled by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam the Fourth, my father. In this time, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009) (V)

Dated fx, but still a great story and nicely executed movie

Dune. At first, I only knew it from the games. Then I found out there were books, and after that, there was a movie. I'm talking 2000 here, and I've only just recently seen it. More than 20 years after the movie was made, and seeing it in this era of very cunning special fx and 3D does make it look dated a bit. Is that necessarily a bad thing? No. The movie is pretty good actually. But the problem with it is, that you can't tell the whole Dune-story in just one movie: it should have been a two or even three-piece like LOTR. People completely unfamiliar with the Dune-story and world will ask themselves after viewing it: 'what the hell was that all about?' while I myself say: 'that was quite nice actually'. The budget was no less than 40 million dollars, huge huge for 1984. And it shows: the costumes, ships, decors and worm-fx are great. If it would be made in this year, it would probably be brilliant. In 1984 it was a bit limited because of technological limits, not creative ones.

Yes, I liked it, and once more added a new dimension of understanding for me to the story of Dune. The spice, the houses, the Fremen, the worms, everything is a bit clearer now. 7 out of 10, just good.