Dune: Novel, Movie and Mini-Series

Lets see how many Dune fanatics there are here

So, having recently watched the 1984 movie by Lynch, and ordered and watched the more recent mini-series, as well as reading the novel for the umteenth time, i'm once again reflecting on the different interpretations and their motives.

The Mini-Series is indeed truer to the book than the movie, but still seems to follow the movie in some regards.

Very early on we see the Guild Heighliner, which, even though the book doesn't go into details (the book actualy skips the journey from Caladan to Arrakis), is fine as it sets the scene of how space travel in the Dune Universe takes place, so i can see why its added. But, like the movie, the mini-series has to throw in the Guild-Navigator-folds-space bit, which isn't covered in the book, as the specifics are 'unknown' to non-guild folk, which is great as we can use our imaginations, but movie representations of it kill the imagination/mystery aspect, Lynch gave us wierd flying slugs with laser beams coming out of their mouths, and the mini-series gives us a cross between ET and a bat. Its all rather lame IMHO, better to have left it out.

Again, like the movie, and contrary to the book, the first spice-mining inspection takes place before, not after the attempt on paul's life. Whilst this really isn't a big deal, i don't see why this was done, at least in the case of the min-series it was used as a pre-lude to the Harkonnen invasion, but in the movie it has no affect.
It seems an unneccesary chronological alteration, by leaving it as it was in the book, the attempt on Pauls life happens right off the bat as soon as the Atreides arrive on Arakkis, and sets the tone for the tension and distrust within the Atreides camp, with different charcters suspecting each other, and none of them really suspecting Dr. Yueh. The later spice mining inspection and the evacuation due to the missing carryall then builds on the existing tension.

Meh.

I don't want to go in to comparisons too much yet, i've finnished book I of the novel, and i'm gonna re-watch disk one of the mini-series and think it through.

Oh, and whats with Dr. Yueh's costume? He's supposed to have a ruby diamond tatoo on his forehead and hair tied up in ring, the movie keeps with this (though does away with the hair), and frankly Dean Stockwell was a very convincing Dr. Yueh, but in the mini-series he looks frankly wack and lacks any vissible connection to the one in the book. Again, don't want to be too anal, but these were pretty much laid out descriptions that define the Suk Doctor, not simply Dr. Yeuh (whom, if we must be uber-pedantic, is supposed to have almond shaped eyes).
Hell overall the costumes in the mini-series were very out-there, and sometimes it worked really well, historical Earth influences clearly showed, the Harkonnen seemed to have an East Asian influence to their military outfits, the Sardaukar; European, and between the Atreides and Fremen, shades of the middle east. Feel really sorry for the guy who played Hasimir Fanring though, that outfit was horrid.

The sets were great too, indoors especialy. Outdoor desert scenes were slightly less convincing, but stunning all the same, and the use of lighting was interesting, some Italian dude was behind it AFAIK, Dune is suposed to have a different type of sun than Earth, so the lighting was different, and the effects used sometimes with Pauls visions made it look positivly theatrical.
The worms were uncomprimisingly CGI, but looked way more badass than the ones in the movie.

Another great thing about the mini-series was how, because it was filmed in Prauge, presumably a lot of local talent was used, the result was a cast with different accepts, this added an extra level of authenticity to it as in the Dune universe, people would have their different languages, but speal Galach, the official language of the Empire (of course we have to use our imagination as its filmed in English, save for odd little bits), but the result is a cast with differing accents that betray their diverse backgrounds within the Dune universe, especialy noticiable with the dinner scene in the palace at Arrakeen. Although the movie had a more glamourous international cast, the accent opportunity, with the notable exception of Jurgen Prochnow (who probably couldn't help it), did not use that potential at all.

Also of note is how the mini-series is split in to three parts, one for each of the three 'books' within the Novel, allows each part to rechieve as much attention, timewise. The movie version had book one taking up some half of the movie, and then the rest of it seemed rushed.

Over all i still like the Movie for the epic feel it has (which the mini-series lacks somehoe), even though it changes a fair amount and rushes the story somewhat. But the mini-series is clearly the winner of the two adaptations.

Anyways, i'll leave it at that for the time being.
If all that was jibberish to you, then read the book Dune - Frank Herbert, and then watch teh mini-series (if you can get it), then come back here


Edited by Cywr