Denis Villeneuve
Why the director of “Dune” can’t leave the desert
Lots of desert, big names: Timothée Chalamet (l.) with Zendaya in “Dune”
© Niko Tavernise
The second part of “Dune” is in cinemas. The sci-fi epic is a sandy affair. What fascinates director Denise Villeneuve about the desert.
A few weeks ago in Hamburg: The hit director Denis Villeneuve (“Prisoners”, “Arrival”) is a guest; He is making a stop on his journey through the world, where he is currently promoting the second part of his science fiction saga “Dune”. He wears a black sweater with a black suit, his hands appear as delicate as those of a pianist.
Why did he, a crossover between blockbuster and author’s film, necessarily want to make a sequel to the sand epic? “I enjoyed being able to create my own universe,” he says. The ecosystem of a fictional planet that still feels real: “Even as a child, that was what moved me most about Frank Herbert’s book.”
“Dune”, the second one, should also move Timothée Chalamet’s fans. While he was still very playful in his role as Prince Paul Atreides through the first part, the loss of his father and many friends has driven the lightness out of him. He has grown up, also as an actor.
Fight scene from “Dune: Part Two”
© Warner Bros. Pictures
Before that, he learns how to properly walk on the sand, ride a sandworm, and after drinking poisonous “water of life” he will be resurrected like the Messiah once was. By the way, there are a lot of worms in the new film. Small ones, just as thick and long as a python, and so gigantic that you could easily conquer a city with them.
“Dune” and the desert – in endless expanses
Question for director Villeneuve: Does he like “Lawrence of Arabia” and other wild films? Of course, he says, but his fascination with sand landscapes is not rooted in the cinema, but in the place of his childhood. He grew up on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in the Canadian province of Quebec, where the river becomes so wide that it seems endless. “This feeling of emptiness has been part of me for a long time,” says the 56-year-old. “I have finally made peace with the horizon.”
The first part of “Dune” was nominated for two Oscars; The sequel once again overwhelms with costume and spaceship design, interior and exterior architecture that you can’t get enough of. The action and fight sequences, of which there are a few, are violent and precisely staged, but the humor is a little neglected. The music is played by Hans Zimmer, whose name the French-Canadian Villeneuve still pronounces with his charming accent: “Ans Zimmör”.
Good news for all sand fans: There are many more “Dune” volumes written by Frank Herbert and his son. The prince’s story between good and bad has not yet been told to the end, the doors are wide open for a third part.
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Before that, however, Villeneuve needs to recover a little. The recordings in Jordan and Abu Dhabi in temperatures sometimes over 40 degrees Celsius drained him: “Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. your brain turns into a ball of Jell-O.” As a result, his approximately 500 employees were slowly going “crazy” and normal communication was impossible. “That’s why I called this time the ‘stupid hours’,” says Villeneuve – and planned at least longer lunch breaks.
In order to regenerate from the strain, Villeneuve went on vacation with his wife Tanya after filming was completed; she co-produced the film. Where? Well, Villeneuve himself has to laugh a little: in the US desert of all places. “This landscape is still firmly in our minds,” he explains. Their ruthlessness and limitlessness make him think and have a meditative effect. “It’s an environment that deeply calms and inspires me,” he says. “I’m still far from tired of them.” The desert lives on in him.
Read the entire interview with “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve here.