Dune, it is first of all a monument of science fiction literature signed
Frank Herbert (1943-2013). Denis Villeneuve dreamed for several decades of retracing the fate of Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet). “Whenever I was asked what I would like to achieve if I came to Hollywood, Dune was the first title that I announced ”, declared Denis Villeneuve to 20 minutes. Presented in Venice then in Deauville, this first part of the saga is finally released in theaters after being postponed due to a pandemic.
After a project abandoned by Alejandro Jodorovsky and a controversial version directed by David Lynch in 1984, the Canadian director has won his bet. Make Dune, an epic and general public fresco, both a philosophical fable as First contact (2016) and pharaonic production like Blade Runner 2049 (2018). “I placed myself in a bubble as if I were the first to tackle this book that has obsessed me for so long, insists Denis Villeneuve. I needed a blank canvas to deliver my version. That’s how I work because I would have found it castrating to compare myself to the great masters who came before me. “
A teenage dream
The director discovered the novels when he was only 14 years old. “I was fascinated by the journey of this young man who is crumbling under the weight of his family and political issues in which he does not recognize himself, remembers -he. I found the way in which he will assert his identity in contact with another culture which will allow him to make peace with a part of himself fascinating. “
To accompany his hero, Denis Villeneuve called on an impressive host of stars, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa or Stellan Sgarsgard have agreed to appear sometimes in small roles or so grimaced that ‘they are unrecognizable. The characters fight for the Spice, a precious energy-generating substance for which they kill each other and bleed nature dry.
An ecological fable
“James Herbert took advantage of his knowledge of biology to build a unique world,” insists Denis Villeneuve. Dune, it is pure poetry that touches me deep in my soul. The filmmaker’s vision does justice to the work in sublime landscapes. Denis Villeneuve wanted to shoot as much as possible in natural settings, especially in the overwhelmingly beautiful desert of the planet Arakis where worms of giant sands evolve. “I was afraid of working in Hollywood for a long time because I feared I wouldn’t have freedom,” he recalls. I then understood that it was enough to choose the right people not to have any problems because I can be very stubborn when I feel that something serves my film. “
Among his most valuable collaborators is the composer Hans Zimmer who delivers an epic score. “He knows the novel by heart and it was with him that I had the biggest discussions on this subject,” says the director. I knew that his music would help me to account for the inner state of the characters by giving clues to their moods. This grandiose spectacle also turns out to be an ecological fable echoing the modern world. “The novel sheds light on reality more than ever” recognizes Denis Villeneuve who did not hesitate to treat only part of it, which will leave the spectator in full suspense, impatient to discover the sequel which has not yet been shot. .