Dune (1984 film)

Did You Know?

• Director David Lynch appears in an uncredited cameo as a spice worker.
• The film premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on December 3, 1984.
• A copy of the storyboard book from Jodorowsky's failed adaptation sold for over $2 million in late 2021.

Plot

In the year 10,191, the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV rules the known universe. The spice melange, found only on the desert planet Arrakis, extends life, expands consciousness, and enables the Spacing Guild to fold space for interstellar travel. The Emperor transfers control of Arrakis from House Harkonnen to House Atreides, but secretly plots with the Harkonnens to destroy the Atreides with Sardaukar troops. Lady Jessica, concubine of Duke Leto Atreides and a Bene Gesserit acolyte, disobeyed orders to bear a daughter and instead bore a son, Paul, who may be the Kwisatz Haderach.

Paul passes a test by Reverend Mother Mohiam. The Atreides move to Arrakis, where the native Fremen prophesy a messiah. Duncan Idaho suggests allying with the Fremen, but before this can happen, the Harkonnens attack. Dr. Wellington Yueh, a Harkonnen double agent, disables the shields.

Idaho is killed, Leto captured, and the Atreides nearly wiped out. Baron Harkonnen has Yueh killed, and Leto dies in a failed attempt to assassinate the Baron with a poison-gas tooth, killing Mentat Piter De Vries instead.

Production

After the novel's success, producers began attempts to adapt it. In mid-1972, Arthur P. Jacobs optioned the film rights, with David Lean attached to direct, but Jacobs died in mid-1973 before plans progressed. The rights reverted in 1974 and were acquired by a French consortium with Alejandro Jodorowsky attached to direct. Jodorowsky assembled a team including Pink Floyd, H. R. Giger, and Jean Giraud, and considered casting Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles, and Mick Jagger. The project was canceled when it expanded into a 10-to-14-hour epic and funding disappeared. The work influenced later science-fiction films such as Star Wars and Alien. A documentary, Jodorowsky's Dune, was made about this failed attempt. In 1981, executive producer Dino De Laurentiis hired David Lynch as director. The film was shot at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City.

Reception

Dune opened on December 14, 1984, in 915 theaters and ranked number two at the US box office behind Beverly Hills Cop. It grossed $30.9 million against a $40–42 million budget, making it a box office failure. It has been called the 'Heaven's Gate of science fiction'. The film received mostly negative reviews. Roger Ebert gave one star out of four. Gene Siskel called it the worst film of 1984 and the biggest disappointment of the year. Janet Maslin of The New York Times gave one star out of five, noting that the plot was 'perilously overloaded'. Variety gave a less negative review, calling it a 'huge, hollow, imaginative, and cold sci-fi epic' and praising the cast, including Kenneth McMillan as Baron Harkonnen. At least four versions have been released worldwide. Lynch largely disowned the finished film and used pseudonyms in the credits on certain versions.

Tie-in media

An illustrated junior novelization titled The Dune Storybook by Joan D. Vinge was released in 1984. LJN released a line of Dune action figures styled after the film, including figures of Paul Atreides, Baron Harkonnen, and a sandworm, but figures of Gurney and Lady Jessica were never produced. SOTA Toys produced a Baron Harkonnen figure in 2006, and Funko released POP! vinyl figures in 2019. Parker Brothers released a board game in 1984, and a collectible card game followed in 1997. The first licensed video game, Dune (1992), was followed by Dune II (1992), which popularized the real-time strategy genre. Later games include Dune 2000 (1998) and Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001). Marvel Comics published an adaptation written by Ralph Macchio and illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz.