Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

The story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.

Director:

Frank Pavich

Stars:

Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux, H.R. Giger

12 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alejandro Jodorowsky	...	Himself
Amanda Lear	...	Herself
Brontis Jodorowsky	...	Himself
Chris Foss	...	Himself
Christian Vander	...	Himself
Devin Faraci	...	Himself
Diane O'Bannon	...	Herself
Drew McWeeny	...	Himself
Gary Kurtz	...	Himself
H.R. Giger	...	Himself
Jean-Paul Gibon	...	Himself
Jean-Pierre Vignau	...	Himself
Michel Seydoux	...	Himself
Nicolas Winding Refn	...	Himself
Richard Stanley	...	Himself

Storyline

The story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.

---

Plot Keywords:

troubled production | film industry | failed project | director | paris france | 

---

Taglines:

The greatest science fiction movie never made

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent and sexual images and drug references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

France USA

Language:

English French German Spanish

Release Date:

16 March 2016 (France)

Also Known As:

'Дюн' на Ходоровски

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,018, 23 March 2014

Gross USA:

$647,280

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$647,280

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highline Pictures, Camera One, Endless Picnic

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hollywood studios would only let Alejandro Jodorowsky make the film provided that it would be 1h 50 mins long. Jodorowsky declined, stating that he wanted to make approximately a 15 hour long film.

---

Quotes

Alejandro Jodorowsky: What is the goal of the life? It's to create yourself a soul. For me, movies are an art... more than an industry. And its the search of the human soul... as painting, as literature, as poetry. Movies are that for me.

---

Connections

Features Blade Runner (1982)

---

Soundtracks

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
Written by Roger Waters
Performed by Pink Floyd

User Reviews

An Entertaining Documentary

I think it's a good thing that Alejandro Jodorowsky didn't get to make his version of Dune. I haven't seen any of his films, just some trailers, but from what the trailers look like and what is shown in this documentary, his version of Dune would have been too, um, weird. It probably would have been even farther from the book than David Lynch's version (which I actually kind of like, to tell you the truth). Actually, it definitely would have farther from the book than David Lynch's version. It surely would have been a film to be reckoned with but that doesn't necessarily mean it would have been of very high quality.

Still, this was a very interesting documentary to watch. Alejandro Jodorowsky talks in quite a compelling manner. He is never boring to listen to. I became excited when he was excited and sad when he became sad (yes, even though I think it's good his Dune was never made). I also liked the soundtrack.

I would have liked this documentary a bit more if it weren't for some unsupported assumptions made by some of the interviewees. I think Nicolas Winding Refn says something like (just paraphrasing here), "The studios didn't make Jodorowsky's Dune because they were afraid of his imagination." No, they just didn't think it would be a commercial success, which isn't the same thing as being afraid of his imagination. And another guy says Jodorowsky's Dune influenced "Blade Runner, William Gibson, The Matrix." Blade Runner, I can understand, since Blade Runner was influenced a bit by the work of Moebius, who would have worked on Jodorowsky's Dune. And I guess The Matrix was influenced somewhat by Blade Runner, since I think Blade Runner had some influence on the Japanese anime and manga that directly influenced The Matrix. But William Gibson couldn't have been influenced by Jodorowsky's Dune. How could he have seen the "Dune Bible"? Neuromancer was influenced by the work of the Beat Generation writers, particularly William S. Burroughs, and books by science fiction writers like Alfred Bester and Samuel R. Delany. Also, there was this part that tries to connect the T-800's head up display to the Dune Bible. Again, why would James Cameron have been allowed to see the book. He wasn't a big filmmaker at the time. The only movie he had directed up until then was Pirhanha II: The Spawning. The Terminator was the movie that put him on the map. Anyway, couldn't they just have called up James Cameron and asked? The documentary would have been better if it showed more proof that Jodorowsky and Moebius's Dune Bible was really mined for ideas by studios.