Arrakis

I’ve managed to postthis shot of Siân Phillips, as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, and José Ferrer, as the Padishah Emperor Shaddam the 4th in David Lynch’s film version of Frank Herbert’s Dune.   

As a fan of the novel?   I always felt a little ambiguous about Lynch’s film version, beautifully designed though it is.

You see, I’ve always felt that, before you go and see The Film of the Book I always think that – given that it’s a book or film you may think is eye-catching enough to go and spend money on – you should read the book first.   Let’s face, we all know that, just occasionally, Hollywood can make a complete horlicks of a job, and turn out something with little or no resemblance to its named source material.

I,Robot is one such example.   It’s a great, entertaining romp of a Will Smith action movie — something he can and does  dovery well — but in my view, one that had little to do with Isaac Asimov’s original short story collection of the same name.

Beyond a few names, and the obligatory quoting of the Three Laws Of Robotics, that is.

But I’m sidetracking, here.

Returning to my original point, I bought my first copy of Dune, just before the David Lynch film saw its UK release, back in the mid 1980s.   Frankly, the quote from Arthur C. Clarke, on the back cover, about Dune being the SF equivalent of Lord of the Rings had caught my eye, along with the attendant publicity surrounding the movie.

And practically fell in love with that novel, from that first line; – “In the week before their departure for Arrakis, when all the final scurrying about had reached a nearly unbearable frenzy, an old crone came to visit the boy, Paul.” (Extracted from Dune, © 1965, Frank Herbert)

I shared my first name with Paul Atreides, was roughly the same age as him, and could sympathize with someone who was described, practically within the first couple of pages, as “… small for his age”.

I’m 5’ 2”, just so you know.

What’s more, Paul Atriedes ends up ruling the entire known human universe: something that had a lot of appeal to a spotty teen, who’s very unsure of himself.

I didn’t have the actually money to see the film, on its UK release, though.

But that purchase did start a love affair with both the rest of Frank Herbert’s Dune series.   Although I wasn’t as impressed with the spin-offs and prequels Brian Herbert co-wrote with Kevin J Anderson; – although, granted, if it’s anyone’s sandbox to play in, it’s Brian’s.

Seeing the film, though, was something of a disappointment, in comparison.

I’ve seen enough of David Lynch’s film to satisfy myself that he is one of the cinematic greats of our time; – Elephant Man is an iconic, must see flick, and I’m looking forward to tracking down some of his other work, in time.

But I can’t help but think, especially having seen the Peter Jackson version of the Lord of The Ring trilogy, that he was the wrong man to attempt Dune.

But that original novel of Frank Herbert’s?

Let’s face it, a book that, on one level, tells the story of a group of religious fanatics, fighting for their freedom, in the middle of a desert, and trying to disable the one thing that keeps the transport system going is very, very relevant.

And needs VERY careful treatment.

Wouldn’t you say?