[net.movies] Movie of "Dune"

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 30332

upstill@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)