The beginning is a very delicate time. Know then that it is the year
ten thousand and one ninety one. In this time, the most precious substance
in the universe is the spice milange. The spice extends life. The spice
exists on only one planet in the entire universe. The planet is a Racus,
also known as Dune. You are allowed to enter a world, are
they unexpected? Many dangers exist on a rakis the unknown and incredible secret and
kept on this planet in the own and the unbelievable feat the Spicy, two
great houses where kingdoms are built of far eers that moves, but we have
wordside the likes of which even God has never seen, and skies are filled
with fire that promising between cleanse the universe to bring us all to the darkness.
We're a young warriors called upon to freest people. A world that holds
creation's greatest treasure. He who controls the Spice con draws the university and greatest
terrors. A world where the Mighty this is genocide, the deliberate and systematic
destruction of all life. Anaracists, the bad Highway in town, I Love
you forever, and the magical fathers, Oh, we'll have their final battle.
Do not show the slightest busy honor sat ever we talk for you.
Do a spectacular journey through the wonders of space and the mysteries of time,
off from the boundaries of the incredible to the borders of the impossible. Now
Frank Herbert's wild and talked about and cherished masterpiece comes to the screen Demo deal
and dispresents doom the world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination. Films have
long since been adapted from novels. In early cinema, this was done as
a way to develop a script with minimal creative input and just use the words
from the novel to generate the film. Now, it does still take great
performances in brilliant direction to make a film truly memorable. As a matter of
fact, some of the greatest films were adapted from novels or short stories,
films such as The Godfather, The Graduate, Gone with the Wind, in
many others. This Week's film is not one of those films, but has
become revered or in some people's opinions, notorious, based off the nineteen sixty
five novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. Doom was released in nineteen
eighty four and was directed by David Lynch. It stars Kyle McLaughlin as Paula
Trades, the son of Duca Trades, who is the leader of the most
respected house or group in the galaxy. These houses are seeking to control the
most valuable asset known as Spice, and it's only on one planet, Oracus.
The film also stars Patrick Stewart, Max von Siddo, Sean Young,
and the singer Sting as the villainous fade Ratha from the Atradees' chief rivals house
Harkonen. This film was quite the trial to see the big screen. It
went through several directors in studios from nineteen seventy to the time Lynch signed on
Our first two clips are from the writer and director from The Today Show in
nineteen eighty four. Frank Herbert explains his approach in writing Dune and stories in
general, and then the director Lynch explains why he doesn't view Dune as one
of his films. As a matter of fact, he has not spoken at
great length about the film and to this day does not acknowledge it as a
part of his filmography. Is science fiction really fiction or is it just the
future waiting to happen? Author Frank Herbert says it's a little bit of both.
His books under the Dune title takes us to a strange planet where life
and death is determined by a spice which is carefully dulled out by a leader
who is a humanoid, and the process of becoming a worm. Now,
now, before I ask you about the statement of that, Frank, why
is there a tendency for people to chuckle when they hear what I just said
to sneer to smirk. Well, I think it it makes people uncomfortable the
idea that a human being can become something other than a human being, especially
something mindless out of the depths. I'm very heavily imbued with Hungian psychology,
so I think that we do have a sense of the mindless animal in the
depths of all but science fiction. When people say science fiction, they automatically
go, ah, yeah, But I write science fiction for people who don't
read science fiction, and people who read science fiction also. But you were
just telling me that you were going after that general readership. Oh yes,
But you were, frankly a little bit surprised when it went over as big
as it did. Why well, I didn't You don't wait for that.
You go on to do another story, and then when it happened, it
happened big, and I was very surprised by how big it came along.
You've said science fiction writing can have a missionary impact. Could you elaborate on
that for me a little bit? Well, I think it first has to
be entertaining, because if it's not entertaining, nobody's going to read it.
I put a pot of message in there with a massive pottage. What is
the message? What is the statement that you're attempting to make here? Don't
trust leaders to always be right? I work to create a leader in this
book who would be really an attractive, charismatic person for all the good reasons,
not for any bad reasons. Then power comes to him. He makes
decisions. Some of his decisions made for millions of people, millions upon millions
of people, don't work out too well in a general sense, not in
a specific one about Lato and about planet Oracus, but in a very general
sense. Do you make this statement because you're disenchanted with the way others are
viewing the future, are preparing for the future. Well, I think that
Our society was formed on a distrust for government, and we've seemed to have
lost that distrust of government. I kid around and I say that my favorite
president in recent years has been Richard Nixon because he taught us to distrust government.
What is it that government is a shared illusion? When the myth dies,
the myth disappears. That's right. Religion, government, other institutions.
Do you see them in any way preparing for what Frank Herbert sees vision of
the future. No, I have a very passionate concern for posterity, another
thing upon which this nation was founded with a decent concern for posterity, and
unfortunately, posterity doesn't vote. Dune is going to become a deal dil retous
movie. That's right that Frank Herbert has written the screenplay for. We do
expect another Star Wars type spectacle. I really am expecting much more of a
David Lynch movie. David has really written the screenplay. I hope he's using
a lot of the stuff that I gave him, and but I haven't seen
the screenplay. It'll be ready next Friday. We are expecting the movie in
a year, at the end of eighty three. How many more Dunes to
come at least more good enough. Frank Herbert, thank you, Thank you,
Brad, and now Lynch, I can ask you why you consider Dune
a disappointment? Dune. I didn't have final cut on It's the only film
I've made that I didn't have. I didn't technically have final cut on The
Elephant Man, but mel Brooks gave it to me, and on Done,
I started selling out, even in the script phase, knowing I didn't have
final cut, and I sold out. So it was it was a slow
dying the death and a terrible, terrible experience. Do you regret making Yes,
except it just nailed this idea, never ever do a film without final
cut, and and why would I have done it. I don't know how
it happened. I trusted that it would work out, but it was very
naive and the wrong move. It's got a lot of fans. There's some
things about it, but overall it was squeezed because in those days, the
maximum length they figured I could have was two hours and seventeen minutes, and
that's what the film is, so they could get they wouldn't lose the screening
a day, and so it's again money talking and not for the film at
all, and so it was like compacted and it hurt it. It hurt
it. Everyone's been just been told for years about your version of it,
which do no, it doesn't exist. There is no other version. There's
more stuff, but even that is putrefied. This film, upon release was
critically panned. One of the major reasons is people felt the film made no
sense. However, that does not mean there are not memorable scenes our next
in final two clips of this review feature paula Trade's played by once again Kyle
McLoughlin. First, one of the most memorable scenes in the film, Paul
is tested by mother Jessica for impulse control by tapping into his fear, and
then, in knife battle training with Gurney Halleck played by Patrick Stewart, Paul's
impulsivity becomes an issue when a move would have ended his life. Please note
that in the second clip there is noise distortion done due to battleshields surrounding both
a Trade and Gurney that are a part of the film, and the clip
she's using the voice no sound strength surprising. Do you see this? Put
your right hand in the box. What's in the box and stop. Put
your hand in the box. I hold at your neck the gomjaba. This
one kills only animals. Are you suggesting that Duke's son is an animal?
Let us say 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. You will feel an
itching the now. The itching becomes burning, heat upon heat upon heat,
and silence silence. I must not fear. Here is the mind killer.
There's a little totally brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I'm
permitted to burst over me and for me. I must not feel flesh,
might feel my streams. Death brings the total obliteration. I will face my
flesh, not being the father. Here is the little death. I must
love hear here it's a little death. Good enough God, no woman child
ever with stood. Take your hand out of the box and look at it,
young human, Do it next? Nice training. I know too far.
I'm sitting with my back to the door. I heard you doctor Huie
and Gurney coming down the hall. Those sounds could be imitated. I'd know
the difference. Yes, perhaps he would have that. My father sent you
to test me. Music, then no music. I'm packing this from the
crossing. She will practice, she will practice. Gurney, we had practice
this morning. I'm not in the mood. Not in the mood. Mood's
a thing for cattle and love, playing, not fighting. I'm sorry,
Gurnie, not sorry enough. What's wrong with Kurnie? He's not making this.
God yourself to true God. The slow blade penetrates the shield bat time,
look down. We'd have joined each other in depth. You've been seemed
finally to get the moment. This film was made on a forty two million
dollar budget. Due to lynches success with films eraser Head and The Elephant Man,
the press heavily followed production. It was set up for a summer blockbuster
release. There was a documentary of the making of the film produced in action
figures, board games, and other memorabilia of the like were released. Unfortunately,
the film only made close to thirty one million dollars, becoming a major
box office flop. The play in sequels Brian Herbert wrote six books in the
series were canceled. Roger Ebert called the film a real mess, an incomprehensible,
ugly unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most
confusing screenplays of all time. With only a runtime of one hundred and thirty
seven minutes, Lynch had to cut characters in scenes that made the book work
and made it understandable. It also led to it becoming a New York Times
bestseller. Lynch also lost final cut, as was alluded to in an earlier
clip. This is why David Lynch ultimately disavows this film. Adding to the
confusion, theaters handed out pamphlets that went over deciphering the words used in the
film as a translation guide. All of this contributed to one of the biggest
box office flops of all time. Thankfully, through two new adaptations, a
two thousand Sci Fi Channel mini series and the two part epic film, which
the second part is released this weekend in more widespread appeal of the novels have
led to a greater appreciation for this film and achieving monumental cult status. This
film is visually stunning, with good performance as in a thundering soundtrack by rock
band Toto, and for those interested, sting in Espedo not my cup of
tea, but might be for some people to not understand this film is no
reason to dismiss it in viewing. Doune, ignore the understanding and just enjoy
yourself. I hope you join me next week as we look at the Southern
classic and one of John Hopwood's favorite films, Smoky in the Bandit for WMNH
and Matt Connorton Unleashed. This has been a classic film review with Eric pilcher Da