Dune (1984)

A Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis when they assassinate his father and free their desert world from the emperor's rule.

Director:

David Lynch

Writers:

Frank Herbert (novel), David Lynch (screenplay)

Stars:

Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Francesca Annis

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In the distant year of 10191, all the planets of the known Universe are under the control of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and the most important commodity in the Universe is a substance called the spice "MELANGE" which is said to have the power of extending life, expanding the consciousness and even to "fold space" ; being able to travel to any distance without physically moving. This spice "MELANGE" is said to only be produced in the desert planet of Arrakis, where the FREMEN people have the prophecy of a man who will lead them to true freedom. This "desert planet"of Arrakis is also known as DUNE. A secret report of the space "GUILD" talks about some circumstances and plans that could jeopardize the production of "SPICE" with four planets involved: ARRAKIS, CALADAN, GIEDI PRIME and KAITAIN, a world at least visually very alike to Earth and house of the Emperor of the known Universe. The "GUILD" sends a third stage navigator to KAITAIN to ask details from the Emperor and to demand him ...

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Plot Keywords:

spice | space travel | dune | desert planet | giant worm | 

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Taglines:

A world that holds creation's greatest treasure... and greatest terrors.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Universal Studios Home Entertainment [United States]

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dune

Filming Locations:

Yuma, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$30,925,690

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company,Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min 190 min (special edition) 177 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Churubusco Studios in Mexico City was selected as the shooting location, due to the nearby desert, and the devaluation of the peso, making it possible to shoot this movie for a quarter of what it would've cost in the U.S. Unfortunately, with that cut-rate cost came cockroach infestations, Mexico's byzantine bureaucracy, brownouts that necessitated having back-up generators on hand at all times, a primitive phone network, with only one direct line to the production office, worse smog than Los Angeles, and Montezuma's Revenge afflicting half of the Europeans on the crew.

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Goofs

When Jessica and the Reverend Mother Mohiam enter Paul's room before he is to be tested, their height differences change with each subsequent shot. Jessica is much taller than Mohiam in the first shot, much shorter in the next, back to being taller in the next, then the same height or shorter for the remainder of the scene.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Princess Irulan: A beginning is a very delicate time. Know then, that it is the year 10191. The known universe is ruled by the Padisha Emperor Shaddam IV, my father. In this time, the most precious substance in the Universe is the spice melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The Spacing Guild and its navigators, who the spice has mutated over four-thousand years, use the orange spice gas, which gives them the ability to fold space. That...

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Crazy Credits

Gurney's Baliset is Based on "The Stick" Created by Emmett Chapman

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Alternate Versions

The Region 2 DVD released by Castle, billed as 'Special TV Edition' is 176 minutes long (billed as 180 minutes on sleeve) and contains the extended intro and scenes. Lynch's name has again been removed and re-credited to Alan Smithee due to his objection to the extended intro.

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Connections

Referenced in Naked and Afraid: Dunes of Despair (2014)

User Reviews

One of the few movies with a style of its own

Seriously, I do not understand why so many people dislike this movie. I think you have to take a couple of things into account. First: It is a 2 hour movie telling a story that spans several hundred pages in a book - so certain losses are just natural. Second: Compared to three times recycled multi-million-dollar-trash like the new Star Wars Episodes, this movie offers something really unique: A style of its own. The mixture between scifi elements, medieval setting and the culture of the the Middle East is excellent and Lynch welded them together into one solid piece of art... even though he seems to disagree today. Within this setting the lack of non-stop-action or overwhelming SFX never bothered me. On the contrary, this movie gives you time to watch... and many scenes are worth a second look. Third: I loved the actors, who were just as stiff, ugly, arrogant, noble or nice like the characters they tried to represent.

In the end it is a question of taste if you like this movie or not. But for me, it will always have a place in my DVD-shelf...