I finally got around to seeing the 1984 film version of “Dune”. I had read the novel as a kid, and had loved it, so I was understandably skittish about seeing a film adaptation that had received such mixed reviews through the years — even if it was directed by David Lynch.
“Dune” turns out to be a very strange film, but in an interesting way. Lynch doesn’t seem to have set out to direct a movie, so much as a sort of religious ritual. The line readings, editing, camera placement and pacing all feel very stagy, but in a way that suggests it was all meant to be that way. It’s as though we are witnessing a kind of Passion Play — a solemn ritual enactment of the sacred rites of someone else’s religion.
And if you know “Dune” (the novel, I mean), you’ll agree that this approach, while unorthodox, makes a sort of sense.
One thing that thrilled me was when Paul of Atreides (Kyle MacLachlin) says “Walk without rhythm, and it won’t attract the worm”.
As many of you know, that is a line from “Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim. The song, it turns out, is quoting the movie.
Which is very cool, except I now worry that whenever I think of the mighty sand worms of Arrakis, my mind is going to visualize Christopher Walken flying off a hotel balcony.
You can tell it’s quoting the movie rather than the book because in the book, there is no voice weapon. All it says is that Muad’Dib gave them new weapons. But in the movie, the sound of the voice being a weapon is a big deal.
Yes, exactly. That’s why I said the movie, not the book. I guess I was just assuming people would understand what the “weapon of choice” was. Well said! 🙂