h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dune - The Film:
http://www.h2g2.com/A443684

The Spice Must Flow!

Good one BB, covers all the bits and bobs. This shouldn't have any bother becoming an Edited Guide Entry (but you knew that already Until later....
BCNU - Crescent

Thanks Crescent.

Nice Aeticl, but a bit more about the book's would be nice.

I'm hoping someone else will go into details about the books, as this article is specifically about the film. It mentions the books as that is what the film is based on, but I decided not to write about the books because they aren't what this article is focusing on.

But a good point, Happy Dude.
Fancy writing an article about the books yourself?

I've only read the Frank Herbert ones so I'm not your man you somebody who has read the latter stuff aswell.

True.


Although it has occured to me that you have a good point - a section on the differences between Dune the book and Dune the film would be a great addition.
Naturally the book is far more detailed, but what differences are there? I can think of:
1.) in the film, the Atreides have an obsession with sound-weapons.
2.) in the book, Paul starts off much younger.
3.) in the book, Paul is married to Jamis' wife.

In fact, quite a lot is left out - explanation of the Landsraad, CHOAM etc. The Orange Bible, Butlerian Revolt, Lazgun/Shield reactions. If you can think of any other differences, let me know.

Yes - I have the book, and quite frankly the differences between the book and the film are so great that I suggest changing the entry's subject to "Dune: The Film", or similar.

Really, Arrakis is such a difficult subject to write about that I strongly suggest anyone interested in writing an article on it to concentrate on individual areas of the subject, not try and do the whole thing in one go.

Just a thought.

I have not checked this, but if I remember right don't the book and the film have slightly differnt ending's ?

Yes, in the book, it doesn't rain on Dune for hundreds of years after Paul dies. In the movie, it rains when Paul triumphs over the Emperor.

Thanks, its been a while since I read the books.

Yep - and you are right that the whole Arrakis thing is too large to cover in one area. The actual article is on Dune - The Film. I just wrote "Dune" as the title to this thread as I felt that if I wrote "Dune - The Film" as the title of the thread, fewer people would read it. Afterall, to write "The film" does limit the conversation, and therefore perhaps fewer people would read and suggest additions/changes.

But keep the differences coming. And I definately need to read Dune again.

*Note - Harah and Paul's first son Leto*

Being someone who saw the film before reading the book, I felt that it helped me immensely to get the basic gist of the novel when finally I did read it.

I'm afraid that I'm about to launch off on a bit of a tangent here, so please don't jab me with a Gom Jabbar or anything, but I feel that Dune is such an unjustly treated film. The art direction, the stunning creatures (eg the Guild Navigator and the Worms) made by Carlo Rambaldi (the guy who made ET), the amazing sets and costumes (especially HR Giger's Stillsuits), and above all, the whole atmosphere of the film are excellent. How many science fiction films (or books, of course) can create such a sense of awe, of quasi-religious experiences? Or show Sting having a steam shower in rubber pants?

Anyway, many of the problems with the film's continuity (like what happens to Thufir Hawat? He just disappears after being captured by the Harkonnens) and pacing, beyond the enforced cuts by Universal, could be ascribed to the fact that the book is (as has often been observed) practically unfilmable as a single entity. It is beyond the range of a novel, and approaches the genre of epic or myth, much as the Lord of the Rings does, and look at the mess tht was made of that in the Ralph Bakshi cartoon version. Critical analyses of both these books, both massively popular and influential books, are identical in being largely condemnatory of the relatively turgid pace and constant internalising of dialogue, and general over-ambition in combining the scale of a whole new galactic or mythological infrastructure with the form of a novel.

Ooops, sorry; that turned into something of an irrelevant rant. My apologies.

Double oops! I forgot to mention that, as far as I can remember, didn't Dune get Oscars for artistic direction and for Carlo Rambaldi's contribution? Or am I completely wrong?

No apologies neccesary - I was hoping that people who feel strongly about Dune, both the film and the novel would air their views and let me know their opinions. And I agree that Dune is an unjustly treated film - it is one of my favourites, and I have managed to convince a lot of my friends of it's worth.

But it is a visually stunning film, and I actually really love the soundtrack. I don't own many films soundtracks - just "Zulu", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "The Pink Panther", but "Dune"'s soundtrack is definately the most played - it has such a dark theme through it that I just love.

I know what you mean by the continuity. After Paul takes the Water of Life, he never looks or pays attention to Chani in the film again, other than looking upset when Feyd says "Who is the little one? A pet perhaps?". And the meeting of Gurney is never fully explained, and Duncan's death is senseless.

I'm very curious and desperate to see the new 10 hour television series of Dune. It should be more story orientated than the film, although the special effects may suffer for a TV format...

Oh, and thanks NexusSeven for reminding me about Carlo Rambaldi.

Rant away - I enjoyed it.

Here's a question for you all - what is the title of the third book in the new trilogy?
As you should know, "Prelude To Dune: House Atreides" was released last year, and in it (I have checked) it says that the trilogy will be "House Atreides" (released 1999) "House Harkonnen" (released 2000) and "Spice War" (released 2001).
"Prelude To Dune: House Harkonnen" was released this week, and so I bought a copy, and now it claims that the final book in the trilogy won't be "Spice War" but "House Corrino" (as in the Padishah Emperors). Admittedly "Spice War" is a naff title, but it does make it awkward for me to write what the books in the trilogy are....

<BB<

What's this about a 10 hour dune TV series? Is this in the states only?

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