DUNE (1984)
Oh David Lynch you old eccentric. He once described the production of Dune as about 'seventy-five percent nightmare,' but even without knowing the whole story his lack of creative control is often apparent on screen. This isn't some overlooked classic, or even an underrated gem. It's certainly an interesting movie, but is it a good one? The answer is no. Still, there are bits and pieces throughout its running time that are compelling for one reason or another. The first half isn't too bad, the second half is a truncated mess, and the conclusion is all wrong. But it's still a film that I often go back to, even if I can never really confirm why as the credits roll. However, since the new adaptation is here I guess this is the time for a fresh examination.
You know the story by now, or I would presume so if you've read this far. Planet Arrakis is the source of a drug connected to the life-cycle of its local fauna; a species of giant worm. Two feuding families are at odds with one another, one having control of the planet taken away and the other being given it. But this gesture is a pretence to allow the true rulers of the galaxy to consolidate their power. The spice must flow or addicts, from the lowest peasant to the highest noble, with suffer. As will galactic commerce. Mental powers will diminish, lives will shorten, and mind bending space travel will cease. Meanwhile a young prince faces his destiny, though this may also be part of a long running scheme to maintain the balance of power.
Outside all the complex machinations the human elements are at least pretty solid. You can see why so many of the cast members went on to work on Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. A simple moment between Duke Leto (Jürgen Prochnow) and his son Paul (Kyle MacLachlan) is handled with a sympathetic touch. The doomed leader of House Atreides has only a small amount of screen time, but he has screen presence. His soon to be outcast son has a likeable naïveté. The smaller moments early on lend Paul a certain amount of charm, though his transformation to revolutionary leader later isn't as convincing. The movie as a whole exudes a kind of slimy, sinister aura that is hard to shake off. But a lot of the actors involved lend it personality and gravitas where possible.
With this in mind Patrick Stuart and Max von Sydow are here. So is José Ferrer as the Emperor himself. House Harkonnen fare less well on the other hand. There's a certain amount of scenery chewing, in some cases literally. At times this is pretty entertaining but it starts to undermine the tone of the story after a while as it descends into parody. Sting as Feyd and Brian Smith as Rabban are certainly memorable for reasons that are obvious. But as pawns they seem too dumb even for chess pieces. The Baron himself (Kenneth McMillan) overacts as much as possible, aided by some bizarre production design. But any sense of their places in a wider Machiavellian plot is lost as things progress.
Human computers Thufir Hawat (Freddie Jones) and Piter De Vries (Brad Dourif) are lost under a swathe of hair appliances and a mountain of expository dialogue. It's a film brimming with explanations and context, but it never feels like a world is being built. The style of the story telling never explains things in a way that's natural or effective. Endless speeches and inner monologues become white noise after while and it's all far too stilted and awkward. It's often impossible to absorb the information being provided as scenes of endless whispering go on. As a result many of the other characters involved fail to register at all. In some cases it does work visually, though often it's simply baffling.
The Baron's original position as a sadistic mastermind, and his debauched personality, have been replaced by a bunch of outwardly grotesque ideas. The human mastery of voice control and the Weirding Way have been swapped for an inappropriately technological idea. Worse yet Paul's dark future as a self-made messiah is swapped out for a bizarre supernatural ending. Some inclusions suggest that writers caught up on the source material and possibly its sequel. Other moments suggest they didn't bother, or just didn't care. The first act at least seems to follow the text, more or less, faithfully. Despite some odd changes hinting at what is to come. But the later chapters are very rushed with certain characters and events being lost entirely along the way.
Certain liberties being taken don't mean this is entirely devoid of artistry. If nothing else the 1984 version of Dune is remembered for its costumes and creatures. The shield special effects and the ornithopters are bizarre duds, but the sandworms and the sets are amongst many strong choices. The deep blue spice-addict eyes are only given to some characters instead of everyone necessary, but we can't have everything. Even in the latest adaptation of the story for some reason. But unlike the latest version the score is very memorable at least. The mysterious and bombastic themes offer a compliment to both the shadowy and action packed elements of the story.
Lynch himself has his fingerprints on a lot of the movie, despite him lacking real control or final cut. His twisted sense of humour and his outlandish design ideas can be seen frequently. However, the end product is still his weakest movie by quite a considerable margin. It's a gross and baroque piece of work, one that often feels cold and cruel. Before studio tampering it might at least have been a fully formed mixture of horror and space opera. It's unlikely to have been as outlandish as Eraserhead or as dramatic as The Elephant Man, but it would have been something to see. Perhaps. But the big ideas and large scale visions have all been slashed in order to make this more conventional.
Which is ironic when the end product is anything but accessible. It probably goes without saying but it's still a deeply weird movie, and as a result it's something that will be forever a cult film. The supposed three hour long director's cut will never surface, even if some deleted material is out there and some fan reconstructions have been attempted. Lynch was, at one time at least, a fan of the book after reading it in preparation. It's unlikely he will ever take a second look even if it was made possible. Still, at the end of the day it's a heady mixture of sights and sounds, thanks to Brian Eno and Ron Miller. As a movie it's a strange mess, but I do find myself going back and watching it for some reason. I guess the reason is that I'd like this all to be far better than it really is.
2/5
