Pago 24
Monday, December 17, 1834
Daily Nebrsskan
T71!
4 H
o
n
airus sum
Producer loyal to book
n -no mo
HMO'
I
- . t-
7 v.'
- -
. f
9
Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLacfckn) and the Fremen Cahri
love in the movie "Bsne."
lEMWJWf
i I I YA mOW... T AW LOOK LIKE
xa fty a bum, sur r hm ONCe
SL GOT A fku A CONGRESSMAN...
PUPPY?
V
. '
-
(Sean
Photo Courtesy of Universal Stasias
Young ) with whom fee falls in
amgetwis...w
WIFE POSES NUPE FOR
PCWBOY, PtVORCES ME,
anp W6N nmms A BOOK
PeTMM m THE WORLD
ALL QEOVRK05T fNTIMATE,
personal se-
CtsErs.' wmr C
1 ntj -f- JJysk
Review by
Mona Z. Iloppclman
Daily Nebraskan Senior Editor
As sands through the hourglass,
so are the days of Dino De Lau
rentiis' "Dune."
Critics already have doomed
the $46-million movie to minor
cult picture status. The Gene Sis
kels and Roger Eberts dampened
Dune's opening night by calling it
a dismal multi-million failure, de
stined to delight only the Dune
fanatics.
Frank Herbert's science fiction
novel, "Dune," was first published
in hardcover in 1965. Herbert
went on to write four sequels,
translated into 14 languages.
Dune following is worldwide, but
probably not substantial enough
to keep the movie afloat without
outside interest. And with critics
already claiming that non-fans
will be naught but perplexed while
viewing, the film, Dune truly is
destined for failure.
More's the pity.
"Dune" deserves more than a
three-year stint at the midnight
movies. It is a fine enough film to
convince watchers to read the
sci-fi series, which is a fine enough
reason to see the film. Go see a
matinee, if you want to spend the
extra buck on beer.
There are some technical diffi
culties you should first be aware
of. De Laurentiis and director
David Lynch had to create a film
strip from a book that heavily
depends on literary devices. For
example, at the beginning of each
chapter of "Dune" there is a para
graph or two from "books" writ
ten after the events taking place.
These introductions set the tone
and philosophical theme for the
chapter, but were nearly impos
sible to translate to the silver
screen.
Sci-fi books are based on clashes
between good and evil. "Dune" is
no exception. But Herbert empha
sizes good and evil in thoughts, as
well as actions. Mental processes
are central to the plot, because
"Dune" takes place in a future
where thinking machines have
been outlawed as too dangerous.
Humans haye developed their
minds to computer capacity, and
I'LL
GVc '6A
A POLLAR,
1XM
some humans have developed my
stical powers of discerning good
and evil, truth and falsehood with
their minds.
All of these thought processes
can be described in the book
simply by -saying: "He is lying,
he is holding something back, ne
thought. Dubbing a character's
voice over a mute face to symbol
ize thought is never satisfying to
movie audiences but it's neces
sary for "Dune."
Transforming any complex
book into a screenplay is a fright
ening task to any writer, but
transforminjapopw lar complex
book is even more horrifying.
"Dune" fans are bound to quibble
over which parts that Lynch
should have taken out or put in.
All in all, he is faithful to the
style and tone of Herbert's writ
ing through the first half of the
book. The second half seems to be
a rush to, the end, which may
leave "Dune" fans and non-fans
alike left in the dust
The movis begins in the year
10.C91. The Princess Irulan, play
ed by Virginia Madsen, narrates
the movie to take the place of the
introductions in the novel "Dune"
taken from her "books." She is the
daughter of thePadishah Emper
or who rules the known universe
and all of its fief-planets. '
The emperor is one part of ai
triumvirate bf power. The Bene
Gesserit is a secret sisterhood,
which has tried for 90 genera
tions to breed a man with super
reasoning and prescient powers
who will be their tool to rule the
universe. The third power is the
Spacing Guild, the navigators in
charge of space travel who depend
on the spice melange to bend and
fold space they are the only
beings who can operate space
transports.
The fief-planets are in the
power of this triumvirate. The
two fief-planets most important
in "Dune" are those of the Atreides
(the good guys) and the Harkon
nens (the bad guys). They battle
to control Arrakis, source of the
spice melange for whoever
controls the spice, controls space
travel and therefore peace in the
universe.
Continued on Pas 28
LIFE SURE
S FULL OF
sttmsEs
I
J
J .-.-.-V;;v.-.;-.'-i