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Dune (1984)

Dune poster
Directed by
David Lynch
Genre
action film
Country
United States
Runtime
2h 17m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
6.2 of 10 from 3,452 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb

How it feels

In a distant future, rival noble families fight for control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of a valuable spice that enables space travel. The story follows Paul Atreides, the heir of a powerful family, as he becomes involved in a conflict with the former rulers of the planet and may be a prophesied messianic figure.

epicdarkatmosphericslow-burndramaticbizarredenseunsettlingstylized

What happens

Dune is a 1984 American epic space opera film written and directed by David Lynch, and based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. It was filmed at the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City. The soundtrack was composed by the rock band Toto, with a contribution from Brian Eno. Its large ensemble cast includes Kyle MacLachlan (in his film debut), Patrick Stewart, Brad Dourif, Dean Stockwell, Virginia Madsen, José Ferrer, Sean Young, Silvana Mangano, Sting, Linda Hunt, and Max von Sydow. The setting is the distant future, chronicling the conflict between rival noble families as they battle for control of the extremely harsh desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. The planet is the only source of the drug melange (spice), which allows prescience and is vital to space travel, making it the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe. Paul Atreides is the scion and heir of a powerful noble family, whose appointment to the control of Arrakis brings them into conflict with its former overlords, House Harkonnen. Paul is also possibly the Kwisatz Haderach, a messianic figure expected by the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. After the novel's initial success, attempts to adapt Dune as a film began in 1971. A lengthy process of development followed throughout the 1970s, during which Arthur P. Jacobs, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Ridley Scott unsuccessfully tried to bring their visions to the screen. In 1981, executive producer Dino De Laurentiis hired Lynch as director. The film was a box office failure, grossing $30.9 million against a $40–42 million budget. At least four versions have been released worldwide. Lynch largely disowned the finished film and had his name removed or changed to pseudonyms in the credits on certain versions. Despite receiving mainly negative reviews upon release, the film has developed a cult following, but opinion varies between fans of the novel and fans of Lynch's films. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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