EXPLAINING DUNE’S IMAGERY: We Are Only So Great As Our Symbols | An In-depth Analysis
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- Опубликовано: 16 дек 2021
- Dune is a layered and symbolically rich novel, and Denis Villeneuve's new adaptation is as sophisticated as Frank Herbert's original work. In this video, I peel back some of the layers to mine the depths of meaning underneath both.
Dune is a 2021 science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, and Eric Roth. Based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, it follows Paul Atreides and his family, the noble House Atreides, as they are thrust into a war with the Harkonnens for the deadly and inhospitable desert planet Arrakis.
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“What I Found in My Pocket,” by GK Chesterton
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For me, it was the best cinematic experience I've had since The Lord of the Rings. I had a big stupid grin through most of the film.
Straight up masterpiece can't wait for the conclusion
Watching the extended cuts of Rings the first time was an almost spiritual experience for me, but I might have to agree with you. Some of Nolan's films awed me, but they're simply not of the same scale or tone as the likes of Rings or Dune.
At any rate, the new film made a fan of me and finally compelled me to start reading the book. I'm so glad Villeneuve not only got the opportunity to take on the project with all the resources a filmmaker could hope for, but he succeeded where both Lynch and Jodorowsky failed.
Hollywood is in a sorry state these days, but it ain't dead as long as films like this can be made and made well. Looking forward to the sequel in a way I haven't with anything for years.
Completely agree
I thought it was just me, feels great to know I'm not alone
Right there with ya. Visually stunning. Talk about emotional viewing
Anyone that thought this Dune movie was boring, was a TicToker and had no attention span. ALL of the world building in the beginning was just as you’ve described and GENIUS. That was made even more apparent when people I know that were newbies and got interested, found themselves digging to find more, and then coming back to the movie, found it that much more enriching. 🏆
Yes ,I enjoyed Dune , lets hope they dont ruin the saga with today's BS
I found the movie boring and didn't enjoy it and I don't even use tiktok
What kind of absurd generalization is this?
@@kashutosh9132
Its slow at times, but maybe its just not your thing. Movie is deep, with loads of details, great scenery, gives you glimpse of politics, conspiracy, religion, mysticism and action.
It builds in its own pace
What would be your top movies?
@@territmoderitmo9190
Hard to answer - what will be my top movies,since I don't see films like that. Still some that come to my mind -
Prestige,martian,matrix trio,3 idiots,OMG,makhi,Interstellar and many others.
@@kashutosh9132
Good movies 👍
Dune is not your kind of movie, so it seems
This is the kind of content i want to see on RUclips.
Frank Herbert himself said he derived much of his storytelling from his study of Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung. Dune is a rich archetypal story and i'm very glad there's people out there putting more in depth analysis on it.
I recommend you look up Doc Sloan's Science Fiction Station, he reads through his PHD dissertation and goes deep into the background that FH references.
Carl Jung got his info from channeling a demon.
AH!! i love Carl Jung. i wanna get he's "the red book".
Jung is the GOAT
I hadn’t read this when I made my comment. Herbert , Jung, says it all. Just need the Freud psycho for the trifecta
Jamis in Paul's vision: "We will walk the desert together my friend."
That moment when you realise that's Jamis who Paul is going to have to fight to be accepted among the Fremen: the man who should have been his great friend. One of the few truly tragic moments I've seen in a recent film.
Yes I caught that as well. I think it showed the duality of the choices Paul is going to have to make . That path he sees is not always the path that will happen. Since it's his visions but the choices other people make can effect the future. He saw the vision and path that he wanted he did not want to kill Jamis but Jamis decision to fight altered the path of the future. He learns that his visions are not set In stone its the free will and whims of people emotions and choices that can alter the course of the future in a heart beat. And thus begins him needing to see multiple versions of the future and hopefully choose the right path.
In a way though, it still happened, just not in an overt way.
In killing Jamis, he has killed Paul, and becoming Maudib, and the lesson of taking Jamis' life will be carried with him on his journey into the desert, guiding him in his future decision making.
Due to the nature of Paul's ability, Jamis WAS his teacher. In another life, Jamis and Paul are friends and Jamis teaches him the way of the fremen. Prescience is a helluva drug.
He was supposed to be his teacher and he ended up teaching Paul
Paul will keep having visions. It will be Jamis talking to him in these.
what the hell is wrong with people? this movie is so mesmerizing and enchating.
i felt like a 10 year old kid again, totally fascinated, hypnotized, realizing i'm watching something truly special.
so well written, shot, directed.
so sad that there so many people excited about the new spiderman movies and not this.
Paul’s deathblow on Jamis was pretty matador-esque… he just side-steps him, and stabs him in the back.
OMG! True!
After reading the book and watching the movie, these essays have helped me appreciate the nuances of the story telling so much more. Thank you for the hard work you put into it
It's interesting how you can see Paul almost bull fighting Jamis at 19:40 ish. His final blow is standing still while Jamis charges him, he then sidesteps like a bull fighter, then stabs Jamis as he passes by, like a man fighting an animal.
Paul Like his grandfather!!
glad you said this, i had no idea - i thought it was sort of cowardly but i guess with someone as ferocious as jamis you can't play fair
@@LemonSte also showcasing the Atreides fighting style: quick defense, slow offense
@@LemonSte how is sidestepping unfair? It's a fighting tactic when your opponent is of superior build or strength to yourself.
Jamis is described as being quick to anger and unable to stop himself. In a movie with test after test about self control its interesting to see how jamis loses his while paul gains his, allowing paul to gain the upper hand and win :*
Regarding the Kangaroo mouse, the Jerboa which is an actual desert critter that looks a bit like a Kangaroo, is the symbol of the British 7th Armoured Division known as the Desert Rats that fought in Africa in ww2, they were very effective. The Jerboa was adopted because of it's tenacity in the harsh deset environment. Its possibly a coincidence but maybe it influenced Herbert. The Brits did a lot of daring fighting in the desert, their SAS originates from that period, they raided german air bases in trucks bristling with machine guns, wrecking aircraft then disappeared back into the desert. Look up some pics of the LRDG, Long Range Desert Group, they look like gnarly Fremen.
By the time of Vilnuve’s Dune I had read every Dune book written, twice. At least. I had seen all the films, watched all the mini series. To say I was excited was an understatement. And for who was directing it, my expectations were extraordinarily high. I will not say the film was perfect, several of my favorite scenes had been left out. But I was far from disappointed. Denis Villeneuve delivered on everything he showed us.
Furthermore, if any of you liked the film and have not read the books I urge you to read it. The film does a marvelous job of putting what is on the page onto the screen but the pages themselves will give you such a deeper understanding of these characters.
I tried to read the book at 19 and was just too stupid to appreciate the meaning. Now at 62 I have read it again and seeing the movie appreciate and understand more. Your insightful essays have helped me understand the nuances of the story I missed.
Nicely done!
I watched this movie on HBO max on a whim. I was totally caught by surprise. I went to a theme park and went on all the crazy rides, when before I wouldn't go on them. When my son asked me why the change, I told him fear is the mind killer.
As an Arabic speaker, hearing some of the words like muaddib and Mahdi give additional depth and meaning.
Wat does Mu'aDib mean my brother?
@@rabbannibey1128 I'm not so sure but it might mean a person who disciplines someone/others
I think Villeneuves film adaptation breaks a form of fourth wall for those that have read the books. There’s a scene after Paul’s awakening to his Sense of Terrible Purpose’ as it’s known in the Books, where we se a small mouse like creature on the crest of a Dune.
This creature is Known as Muad’Dib. We don’t get told that in the Movie, it’s specifically put there because the book readers will understand it’s significance.
EDIT: Haha! Never mind you mention it at the end that’s amazing! 😅
Well done, sir. Dune has always held sway over me since I was young, so much so that I've spent the past 17 years in the Mojave, training men to fight in the desert. I don't know if Herbert ever lived in the desert for any length of time, but he nails its contrasting rhythms of the requirement for immediate care and its eternal obstinance. It is a stone that the mind and the soul sharpens themselves against. No prophet has ever transited a temperate forest to find himself or his God. Out here, the sand, the rocks, and the sun all pull you out of yourself and in doing so, you face God...on his terms.
Dune was an idea that started in FH's mind when he was doing research on an article about shifting sand dunes which is why the dedication at the start of the first book is dedicated to dry land ecologist.
Isn't that kind of an ironic supposition? Given that the Fremen are descendants of Zensunnism; Buddhism being a product of a prophet in a subtropical environment who found enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, and Zen Buddhism especially, which is most associated with temperate and forested places? Deserts are special, certainly, and have the greater impact on me, but I don't agree with the universal declaration. Temperate forests are themselves powerful places.
@Mary M but look at where the Abrahamic faiths developed. That specific "God on his terms" I think is noticing how the stories of the Dune books show that our ecology informs our culture drastically. It comes first
@@partydean17 yes deserts are very monotheistic, that's only one type of God, obviously the op isnt taking into account anything but Abrahamic
@@marym4148 not really the sunni part is from Islam. It's basically a zen like version of Islam more than Buddhism
This was a great movie. I’m glad someone is discussing this. The book was hard to put down.
After watching the movie in theatres twice, I had to pick up the book too. I'm now 60 pages into the 4th book :)
Fantastic video. I loved the film, but I could not exactly explain everything I loved about it. This not only explores what I could not explain, but gave a perspective of it which I am thankful to have learned
Same. And agreed. I saw the '84 film depiction that year at the movies with my father & sister and have been hooked onto the movie ever since. The whole "Bull fighting" montage in the film brings me to a whole new perspective that I always knew wat was the premise in the movie about fighting tyrants, but wit the scene with Jamis and how angry he got in getting "toyed" with by Paul now makes so much more sense as well as sends the premise home that the Atredies are a family of "Bully fighters". And with Paul having Harkonen blood running thru him he is "purifying" that "side" or lineage of that family by ultimately taking it over and ruling as Emperor of the Known Universe by the end of the franchise.
Dune is incredibly difficult to adapt into a film and I think that Villeneuve did very well and the film is not bad at all - in any case much better than what I had expected. Those who read and liked the book, had no problems understanding anything and probably didn't find the film boring, even though they might have disliked some of the choices made. However, the book itself has a number of problems that the film simply could not avoid, so that's really it's largest limitation.
The Dune books changed me, as a young teen. Reread several times. Frank Herbert was genius and you must read his other books. His is a philosophy to be appreciated, and his symbolism was so spot on.
ive only read the first dune book. which others of frank herbert's books would you recommend?
This analysis is just... I'm lost for words. All I can say right now is thank you
I just noticed that in the film, following the "tooth" scene, the baron ends up on the ceiling of the room like the bull's head. Anyway, I enjoyed your video, which helped me better appreciate the film. Having reread the novel recently, I can't help but feel a little disappointed by the flattening of its sociological storytelling in the screenplay, but the psychological storytelling is nuanced (as becomes more apparent with every closer look), and as a visual realization of Herbert's world, it's as glorious as I hoped it would be.
I've been waiting for this. More keen analysis from Empire of the Mind. Two thumbs up!
I loved that we got a big blockbuster movie that wasn't afraid to use art house flourishes to tell its story. And that it was a success too!
This video analysis is a work of art. Beautifully done as always.
So true! Everything in this world is connected, and it's incredible that we can see a little bit of ourselves in even the simplest things. I haven't seen the film yet, but I'm actually glad I watched this first because I'm probably gonna love it even more now. Amazing video, as always.
Dune will always be a fan fav.
It'll never be for the mainstream audience.
It is a bit overrated, and for fans of the books it's probably moreso because of the tonal discrepancy between the books and the film. Dune (2021) doesn't seem to thematically encompass its source material.
@@Thomas-cd6im I just read the book with my son, and I wholly disagree about "tonal discrepancies". The movie gets the feeling of the book basically dead on.
@@Thomas-cd6imonestly the same criticism i hear over Dune is the sort of nonsensical book purist stuff you even heard from LOTR. Now I’m not comparing it to the latter, I’m just saying that book purists can have a stick up their ass most of the time because no, it’ll never be perfect, but god can you appreciate the work that went into at least, the actual care that this director and artists took that not many adaptations actually receive
@@Thomas-cd6im if the movie didn’t hit the notes for you, you read the book wrong
Your presentation is like a diamond in a perfect setting. Its valuable insights are dressed in your great timing , tone and timber. Your presentations are art in their own right. Thank you.
Awesome! Thank you so much for this insightful video! I LOVED the film even though I didn't notice much of what you pointed out. Can't friggin wait for pt. 2! (and hopefully a pt. 3!!)
People are disappointed by the film. I'm disappointed that more people haven't read the book/series. Life goes on.
Really? it seemed to me most people loved it
Mostly its been a positive reaction and its reflected in the box office.
@@rosameltrozo5889 An overwhelmingly positive reception from those who have lived with Dune for a very long time, and had waited in vain for a film treatment that did it justice. So yes, most that saw the film and had a personal history with the book and it's companion volumes enjoyed the film. I refer to those who have not read the book, have no sense of the stories history in film, and were no doubt expecting Star Wars with giant worms. I myself loved the film. It was, for me, all it should have been and I pray that I live long enough to see it's conclusion. I have always preferred books to films so I accept my bias and hope always for excellence in a film treatment of this much, and widely loved story.
@@purefoldnz3070 Here's hoping the financial results are encouraging enough for studios to start putting out some serious science fiction films. ( I'm not yet fed up with Marvel, but i may be soon).
I think my favorite complaint/critique is that it reminds them of Star Wars. It makes me laugh because George Lucas even said that many of his ideas for Star Wars were influenced by Frank Herbert’s novels. I am so grateful that Vilneuve was the director tied to these 2 films and that he’ll do Rendezvous with Rama after he’s finished with Dune
This video was a beautiful reminder of a time in my younger life when I was introduced to the way of interpretation, symbolism, exploration, and moral discovery. Thanks for my guides, and thanks for this essay!
Sir, you have presented a masterful essay on the symbolism of not only the Dune novel but also on Denis Villeneuve's cinematic adaptation. Kudos!
Just the video essay I was waiting for!! Excellent analysis!! Can't wait to watch the movie again with this insight, the sequel and you video on the sequel. Thanx!!!
This is what I needed. Spoke right to what I came to RUclips for. Thank you, keep going. I’m subscribing
Great video, such a deep and intense analysis with some unexpected elements. Only a few person who really observed every small details could have understand. Thanks you for this beautiful content, the good storytelling !
Literally this video is my corner stone in an Aesthetics essay
Really good material yet so unnoticed. Keep it up man it'll come :)
Your breakdown was the best I’ve seen of the new Dune film! It was insightful, well written, & remarkable. Thank you!
Very nice introduction to the movie and it's world. This is Dune about, the worlds and we who are in it's pocket, we are shaped by, yet we shape, the world.
I really love the metaphor with the pocket. It was a very pleasant surprise for me that i couldn't find any significant flaw to the movie, as i know the books.
Villeneuve's choices feel very appropriate, considering the challenge, this is quite a feat.
Beautiful review. I’m inclined to view it in the same light but you’ve enriched the experience. Thank you.
What a great video. I read the first two books for the first time right before the film came out and completely fell in love with the film. It's been on my mind ever since it release. This video made me see the connection between symbols I hadn't thought before, especially the bull and the matador. I want to share this video with my friends but I don't wan't to spoil the Harkonnen connection, just in case they reveal it in Part 2. Thank you so much. You got yourself another subscriber :)
Really great! I am happy I picked up much and you reveal so much more!
Really appreciate this video and your analysis. Would love for you to do one for Dune part 2 now that it’s out!
It's interesting to see that some viewers may have described Dune as "boring" - I assume those to not be from Europe. Here, the film got a very good reception and did incredibly well at the box office.
Underrated channel. Keep it up
Thank you for capturing the symbolism and richness of this movie. Extraordinary.
Amazing video as usual, and you released it just after I watched the movie. Probably my favourite movie of the year, this or Green Knight.
There are people out there who found Dune 2021 to be boring?
Love your work, man!
Ok, just watched till the end. Fantastic job.
Nicely done video, sir.
Love that you address the Harkonnen name as it is in Finnish and the correlation to the Bull fighting. Fantastic.
Most thorough and excellent interpretations and explanations.
This is a great analysis. It has added to my understanding of the film.
Thank you .. thank you .. Thank you! Yes! Finally, a brilliant and profound analysis of this stupendous Film Experience. I have watched and been absorbed in Dune four times at the cinema. Intoxicating!
Some excellent points. Thank you.
The World is Gods spoken language incarnated. That’s so profound. And furthermore, humanity judges their world based subjectively on their infinitely limited understanding of that language. That is just profound. I’m minutes in and I already have to take one like and think about it
Has anyone remarked on the similarity between the 'Colonel Kurtz' shot of Baron Harkonnen and the appearance of the First Moon of Arrakis?
I absolutely love Bladerunner 2049, but I think the Dune movie topped it... and that's saying something because I think 2049 was a masterpiece of it's own. Thank you for making this video, I didn't necessarily think of these connections as I watched film even if I did notice the things you are referring to and so you're clearly not speaking out of nothing.
Honestly I was just so in awe of seeing a genuinely heartfelt hand-crafted view of what society may look like in 8000 years or whatever. There's no 80's star wars here or 60's star trek, it's just fantasy but with a hint of the feeling that this makes sense - you just can't understand it. And still there's humanity. I loved this film and I look forward so much to the next one.
Bravo, insightful and precise...
THANK YOU for your expertise! What are you doing here is really expertise done by high cultivated person. I'll follow your channel with increasing interest.
A brilliant analysis.
Perhaps, the bull represents Europa, Crete, and the ancient lineage of House Atreides (Atreus).
Cheers.
The island of Crete or "the island of the creature/creator" inhabited by the minoans where the great labyrinth (labor) lay, at its center or bull's eye is the minoan taurus they call the mino-taur. Creation begins in the spot where the bull must be slain. And as depicted by the Minoan graphiti along its walls, the victor will dance around dodging the mighty bull ram with deft and grace, much in the spirit of the victor.
The burning palms are Phoenician symbol of the Phoenix. Quite intentional, as the Reverend Mother says Paul is going into the fire, like the Phoenix, to "rise" a new being.
Just watched this movie again - I find it utterly mesmerising and is a fully immersive experience
Ok. Thank you soooo much for this move analysis, this means and meant so much for me
Movie*
Fantastic essay! This isn’t some mindless film you can just slap on. It’s a multi layered experience and true cinema.
Well done!
Definitely, one the greatest films I’ve ever seen. A lot of food to think about and it really provokes such a strong desire to learn more about the nature of this plot…
I was quite moved by Jamis' funeral service, up until then he seems like such an asshole, then as people describe the times when Jamis was a friend to them it makes his death seem so sad. I hope he appears again in Paul's visions in part two.
are you going to do one for part 2? It was magnificent
I love tour perspectives thank you friend
most people today only watch films for entertainment and the " new "special effects. i have not seen the film but did read the books about 30 years ago and i found the writing style vert difficult to get into at first. you have made me want to watch this version as the last version was so flimsy of the original story. thank you for all your thoughts and uploads.
Good job!
I loved it. I can't wait for the second
Excellent video, totally agree with everything you say
Great analysis! Thank you for drawing attention to how Villeneuve efficiently and elegantly shows Paul being shaped by various teachers including his mother.
Please note that in the film itself Jessica’s and thus Paul’s connection to the Harkonnen is not revealed. Villeneuve clearly decided to save it for part 2.
I really enjoyed this film, even watching it at home on HBO on a smaller TV. I watched it twice, and I truly hope they get approved for a sequel.
The sequel has already been announced for 2023. =]
this movie made me get into film and cinema, and for that, i will be forever grateful for dune and love it till the end of time
Having read the book and seen the movie, I really think that the movie does it justice. My favorite scene has to be the sand-worm eating the spice harvester because of how much better it is from the book (imo). This movie is incredible and you feel the craft and love in every scene.
I didn't completely understand Dune when I watched it, but none the less, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to see part 2.
Excellent breakdown. I really enjoyed the books, and thought the movie was excellent!!
Commenting on your rather excellent critique over year after you posted probably means you'll be blissfully unaware of my ramblings. I too found Villeneuve's Dune spectacular, fascinating and indeed beautiful. I've just watched your excellent video on Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (also one of my favourite films) and I was struck by the similarities....
Lawrence's pain endurance (the burning match) - Paul's test by the Bene Gesserit reverend mother.
Lawrence's craving for the desert- Paul's craving for Dune.
How easily Lawrence and Paul adapt to the desert, the way they both embrace and respect an alien culture.
How Lawrence becomes prophet and Paul starts to become a messianic figure.
And probably most importantly how the act of killing ends their pre-intermission narrative arc transforming them into different people.
Heroes, monsters and victims seems to be a universal truth we are all the heroes of our own story, the villain of someone else's and the victim of what life throws at us even if it is our own stupidity or hubris that causes it.
It was fascinating watching your two videos back to back. Many thanks
You weave impressive word(edit)play, sir.
Your observation of the bull fighter symbolisn is truly genius 👏👏👏🖤
I've looked at drab unsightly things and appreciated what significance lies in them, nothing is ever boring
Sublime and Superb
This movie was hypnotic and atmospheric and he does well with that
I found the movie kinda like sunbathing. In the contrast of so much noisy Hollywood action spectacle, it was so relaxing and refreshing to spend 2.5 hours with a very slow, deep movie where you can more easily take in all the richness. Considering that I easily get bored with mediocre movies, it is remarkable that I watched this in one go, knowing the Dune story so well from previous movies and TV shows, yet there was not a moment of boredom. - That is the art of adding je ne sais quoi to something and teaches about the essence of great screen entertainment: Whatever style you choose to pursue, the end result has to be that it captivates the audience in some way. And it shouldn't fit all tastes, but dutifully serve the audience it seeks. You can make a movie for a very niche subculture and it can be both cheered among it or neglected. But it is the same skill challenge for mass appeal products.
I also appreciate the interesting refreshing melee combat complexity that is added with those personal shields that block fast attacks but not slow ones. That made even the blatant action scenes very appealing to observe.
But rewatching has value, because I mistook the scene where he was to die. I understood his reaction as establishing his own way instead of fully giving in to Bene Gesserit out-there mind games asking him to be killed in the fight, i.e. not being a pawn of fate determined by that sect. I understood it as based on the pain box where suffering was shown as illusory, so I thought they actually expected him to get himself killed and trust that it will somehow be fine for the fate of the world, while he established that he cannot be the messiah if he is nothing but an obedient actor following prophecies.
This is better than National geography! Liked and subscribed!
I loved Dune! just the cinematography and Zimmer's score had me completely mesmerized!
This was Denis’ best film until part 2 came out
Fantastic analysis
Having watched this rendering of Dune on the big screen I was struck by how often the grandfather's bull motifs appeared again and again. I conceptualized the link across generations of Atriedes down to Paul, but not the importance of actually fighting the Harkonnen. I also primed me to watch for these symbolic subtleties, like the kangaroo mouse catching water in his oversized ears. The sacred palm trees were added, right? They weren't in the book or their destruction during the overthrow of the Atriedes, if I remember correctly. I noted that the left off the whole sub economy of recovering water from waste rags and how the Duke disrupted this market and instead made the wet rags available for free.
All in all, I enjoyed this version of "Dune" and look forward to the next movie. I'm hoping they tackle the second book as well, since the second "Dune Messiah" was actually split off from the original draft of Dune.
Villeneuve is a genius, and you could see what he did and explain it to us. Thank you.
Thank you.
Bravo!
It's interesting that the Harkonnen name and it's meaning is referenced here as Frank Herbert himself said he had taken it from a phone book because it had a "feel" to it whereas the Atradies name is one that reaches back to Greek mythology to before the battle of Troy (this was deliberately done by FH) and isn't mentioned.
I AGREE WHOLE- HEARTEDLY!
I really enjoy your content, you've awakened my inner nerd,lol
I would love a 4-6hr extended cut.
this is my fourth comment so far, but great video, dude 🤙
4:28.. spoiler alert but that bullfighting metaphor really comes full circle in how the fight against Feyd-Rautha
I had to watch it twice at the cinema. The first time we went, there was a group op people who clearly didn't know what movie they were going to watch on a Friday evening. I love Villeneuve's movies, and have been into the Dune lore ever since I played Dune 1 and 2.