spaf@gatech.UUCP (06/08/83)
I've been hearing that a movie is being done of Frank Herbert's
book "Dune." If it is done well it should be a really exciting
movie. I've heard that Sting of the rock group The Police has
been signed for the movie; after seeing him in a few MTV videos
I bet he's been hired to play Duncan Idaho.
Questions:
Anybody know anything more about this movie?
Who would you like to see cast in the main roles?
Any idea about who is doing the screenplay?
Can the movie be done well in less than 3 or 4 hours?
--
"The soapbox of Gene Spafford"
Spaf @ GATech (CS Net)
Spaf.GATech @ UDel-Relay (ARPA) School of ICS
...!{sb1, allegra}!gatech!spaf (uucp) Georgia Tech
...!duke!mcnc!msdc!gatech!spaf Atlanta, GA 30332upstill@ucbvax.UUCP (06/09/83)
The movie version of Dune began production April 16 in Mexico. It si being written and directed by David Lynch, who has made just two previous feature films: Eraserhead and The Elephant Man. The original plan was to film it in two parts, but apparently Lynch got the script down to one-feature size. The budget is somewhere in the neighborhood of $40M, and speculation in the industry is that this may become the most expensive movie (in inflated dollars) of all time. I believe they are shooting for a Summer 1984 release. More later
grindal@utcsrgv.UUCP (David Grindal) (06/13/83)
The movie of Dune is being produced and directed by Dino de Laurentis (sp?). While the name sounds familiar, I can't think of anything good that he's done off the top of my head. As for doing a good job with "Dune", I don't think it's possible. With any book, the transfer from print to film is difficult, since the film can not describe all the background the book can. Books can give the thougts of the characters, while films can not do so without being either contrived or hokey. This problem would be manytimes magnified by the immense complexity of the "Dune" society. Can you imagine how it would communicate to the viewer, issues such as: 1) The Bene Gesserit and their 50 generation breeding plan. 2) The feudal system of galactic government and how it came to exist. just for starters. Now try and visualize a Hollywood special effects imitation of a worm (Shai-Hulud). I'll go see it when it comes out, but I won't expect much of it. David Grindal (...!utzoo!utcsrgv!grindal)
Mackey.PA@PARC-MAXC.ARPA (06/17/83)
"The movie of Dune is being produced and directed by Dino de
Laurentis (sp?)." David Grindal (...!utzoo!utcsrgv!grindal)
I hope you are severly mistaken about the direction part. About a year and
a half ago David Lynch ("Eraserhead," "The Elephant Man") was in Berkeley
at the Pacific Film Archive for a showing of "Eraserhead." After the first
showing he answered questions, several of which were about Dune. He didn't
know much about the casting since they were still working on a script. He
said it would be a gargantuan task, and would take several years. I like
his films and hope he can make the movie live up to our expectations. That's
were I got my data. Where did you get yours? I've only heard comfirmation
through SF-LOVERS and movie reviewer's columns on "things to come" that
Lynch is directing. Doesn't anyone read film magazines?
It's possible to do a good job with Dune, the question is how good. Of
course "books can give the thoughts of the characters." But I disagree that
"films can not do so without being either contrived or hokey." How is Dune
different from other complex books which have been put on the screen? "Dune:
The Movie" will never have as much in it as Dune the book. You won't expect
much since you'd like to see the book in all its detail in a movie. But I'd
like there to be a movie to introduce people to the book. Then they can go
to the book to get the deeper story. I'd also like to *see* Shai-Hulud in
action, and not just in my mind's eye, or from a book cover. The same goes
for seeing the planet and characters.
-Kevin