Dune (1984) Retrospective/Review - Dune Retrospective, Part 1

In 1965 Frank Herbert’s epic science fiction novel Dune was released. Though initially rejected over 20 times by other publishers, the novel went on to receive widespread acclaim, multiple awards and become one of if not the best selling science fiction novel of all time. Long before blockbusters like Star Wars, the task of translating the book to the big screen was thought to be impossible. But after multiple attempts, in the 1980s a movie version of this unfilmable work finally made it to the big screen.

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00:00 Squarespace Ad
01:03 Intro
01:53 Development
06:57 Casting
12:10 Production
16:00 Dune (1984)
24:30 Release & Reception
26:15 Legacy
28:14 Outro

#dune #dunepart2 #rowanjcoleman

[ArcologyCrab-gqub]

“A work of passion that fails is always more admirable than a successful work of complacency.” Words to live by.

[herrzimm]

On a personal note: Why I still LOVE this movie to this Back in 84 when this first came out I was only 13yrs old. I treated my father to a "father/son night out" at the theaters. I had saved up enough from working as a paperboy to buy the tickets, drinks and popcorn. I picked this movie, thinking at the time that it was going to be a big action film due to the ads. Little did I know what it would turn out to be.... which is why my dad didn't like the movie... but I LOVED it because it was father/son-time and a Sci-Fi film of something that I had finished roughly 7 months before the movie came out.

[californiumblog]

Dune is my favorite sci-fi universe, hands down. And for almost 20 years this was my Dune movie. I acknowledge all of its faults but I will love it forever for being the first on-screen adaptation my young brain ever got to experience of this world. And a lot of it is still fantastic and interesting!

[fernandozavaletabustos]

Even in the newest version of Dune Denis Villeneuve, you can notice that the influence of the 1984 film is present even if its very subtle.

[DANRYX]

The Spicediver 3hr Dune: Redux fan edit is amazing. He took scenes found only in the TV broadcast, scenes only in the version shown in theatres and deleted scenes and audio and completely recut it to match as close to the novel and its pacing as possible. For me, it is the definitive version that I love and has scenes that no official release contains. His latest 4k upscale is a must watch.

[Concreteowl]

I like the internal monologues. I think it stands out because nobody else has done it. It turns the film into a Shakespeare like play.

[ThePariahDark]

Funny enough, I was in the exact same boat as you, Rowan. I watched the movie as a kid, I didn't get it, but I kept _coming back_ to it the older I got. And slowly that confusion turned into adoration, I can quote many lines from this movie from pure memory, and the line "the sleeper must awaken" has made me do things in my life I would have otherwise never dared. The Duke shaped me just like he did Paul, this movie shaped me.

[captainyossarian]

The soundtrack by TOTO is mind blowing. I recall being demonstrated a 5.1 surround sound system at an electronics store in the 90s and the start of Dune was part of it.
The title theme demands being played at volume, hopefully it doesn't blow any speakers.

[stevepittman]

I'm sad the 2000 miniseries only got a bare mention. It and Children of Dune were surprisingly alright adaptations IMO. Even though they suffered from budgetary constraints being made-for-TV and all, they stayed pretty close to the books and covered material beyond the first book. They had problems of course, but I enjoyed them, and I liked several of the actors' performances. The miniseries were what ultimately convinced me to read the books, so they'll always have a special place in my heart for that reason if nothing else.

[sunflowerbadger]

This film was popular at home when I was little. I love the soundtrack and the feel so much. I even like the whispered voiceovers even if they are largely unnecessary. ❤

[Trialwolf]

Honestly love the opening of Dune. Just having Princess Irulan introducing this universe while phasing in and out of a star-field with that otherworldly music was just so compelling and yet a sense of peace at the same time. The movie introduced me to the books as well, honestly the look of the 84 film is just so iconic that it's these characters and environments I see in my head whenever I pick up one of the novels.

[kendrickl]

I love dune, I love David lynch, and I love this movie despite its flaws. The visuals are incredible and I wish the new movie had some similar accents

[herrzimm]

Honestly think that Lynch's version suffered from studio interference that simply didn't UNDERSTAND what Dune was really all about, which overall DID hurt the movie. But Lynch's visual style elevated it to something a bit more interesting than the Books overall, which at times helped... but also hampered the plot. A complete "mixed bag" all the way around, but obviously one that is well worth the time to watch. Especially the "extended version" that adds a lot of information, even if delivered in somewhat dull "voice overs".

[johnortiz]

This version is still a favorite of mine. I remember going to see it and was handed a sheet of who's who + Dune terminology. I remember a review was titled "Fantasy film as final exam" which perfectly sums up this wierd and wonderful movie

[apachehelicopterah]

I saw this at the theater during its original release when I was 10. I was captivated by its grandeur by story and vision. I’ve always loved it even though I haven’t always understood it. But as I’ve understood it, I still appreciate it and still love it.

[MarkTyger]

I never saw this film in theatres, but I eventually caught is as a midnight movie on local television when I was a teenager. It may have been the sleep deprivation of the late hour, but I found the film utterly fascinating! I rewatched the VHS copy I'd made that night I many times over the following months finding some little new detail every time I watched it. I loved how strange and moody it was, and how much it felt like something right out of Heavy Metal Magazine. At this point, I hadn't read the book, so I took the film on its own merits, and for all its flaws, it became one of my all time favourite films. The soundtrack is both epic and mesmerizing. The Weirding Module is one of the coolest weapons in sci-fi, and the shield belt fight was utterly unique (and is still better than the red/blue blur of the new film). I've since read the book and come to know how difficult it would be as a single film, hence why that gave Villneuve 2 films, but it really needs a prestige cable/streamer full season to really do it justice. But for all it's challenges, there is no film out there like Dune 1984, and it absolutely deserves its cult status.

[stevelangridge]

The inner dialogue is completely consistent with that in the book. It’s Herbert’s device, not Lynch’s.

[stuchatterton]

I used to love getting something nice to drink and settle down to rewatch this. There is something almost hypnotic about it all, the characters being moved like pieces in a glacially slow game of empire scale chess. It helped that the sets, the actors and the music were singularly striking, from the severity of the Reverend Mother, through the beauty of Francesa Annis, the poise and presence of Stilgar, and the maniacal intent of the Baron. There are few movies that reward multiple viewings, but this is one of them.

[ruthweal]

I love this movie and it continues to be the way I envisage the world of Dune. I was 9 when it came out and didn’t watch it until a few years later at 12 on TV with my Dad whom I shared my love of Sci fi and fantasy with. I remember being spellbound by the score, which got me interested in acquiring film scores later in life, the prophecy theme in particular.

I missed a lot of what was going on in my initial watch, but I loved the epic mythical nature of the film and the intense interpersonal relationships between characters.

Quotes like:
‘A beginning is a very delicate time’
‘the sleeper must awaken’
‘I suggest you may be human, your awareness may be powerful enough to control your instincts, your instinct will be to remove your hand from the box, if you do so…you die’,
‘I must not fear, fear is the mind killer, fear is the little death that brings total obliteration, I will face my fear, I will permit it to pass over me, and through me’
‘You are transparent, I see many things, I see plans within plans’
‘Many men have tried, “they tried and failed”, they tried and died’
‘I will bend like a reed in the wind’
‘It is by will alone I set my mind in motion’

They have all become personal mantras or words to live by.

Like many I read the books because of this film and rewatch it regularly. It was a memorable and beloved moment of connection with my Dad and we both adored the film as a flawed masterpiece. After watching the film Dad lent me his paperback of Dune to read. I came to understand how dense the book really was and loved discussing it with my Dad.

I was struck on how much the newest adaptation borrows on the 1984 version, but was given more time to breathe and truly let the story unfold, yet lost much of the beautiful nuance and poetry of the original’s language and as a result it’s evocative mysticism and majesty. Maybe it’s because I was young when I watched it, but the 1984 version for all its flaws hit me deeper than any other, though I appreciate all of the other adaptations in different ways.

I lost my Dad last November and the first thing I watched after was this version of Dune, to reconnect with the moment, but it also gave me a deeper understanding of the Paul/Leto relationship, and for a few hours I was back in the 80s on the couch with my Dad. Powerful art has the ability to transport you places just as the spacing guild folds space.

[juliancosta]

This is the definitive sci fi channel of YouTube imo. As a huge fan of Lynch and of Sci fi, thanks for dedicating time to this interesting footnote of Sci fi cinema.