Dune In

 The theme for many modern films these days is taken from the Bob Fosse musical, Chicago. Lyrics from that great American poet, Fred Ebb.

Give 'em the old razzle dazzle

Razzle Dazzle 'em

Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it

And the reaction will be passionate

Give 'em the old hocus pocus

Bead and feather 'em

How can they see with sequins in their eyes?

Current practitioners of the Old Razzle Dazzle are Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and several others, including the director of Dune Pt. 1.

Frank Herbert’s massive novel has been rendered by the director of Blade Runner 2049 into a solemn, self-important religious narrative about a Mahdi played by an actor who possesses the screen presence of a potato.  (Where is Chinese Gordon when we need him?). Timothée Chalamet has just enough charisma to be a singer in a boy band.  Lost in the shuffle. 

The young savior of the planet Dune is aided by a band of desert dwelling lunatics, more Klingon than Arabs, who could be tamed by monthly supplies from the Arrowhead water delivery man. As it stands they would kill a hapless intruder for the piss in his urinary bladder.

Before directing Citizen Kane, Orson Welles screened John Ford’s Stagecoach dozens of times.  Director  Denis Villeneuve  would do well to follow Welles’ example and take a look at David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia.  The narratives of Dune and Lawrence have much in common.

Final note:  Sam Colt’s 1836 patent of his  Patterson revolver rendered sword fighting pretty much obsolete.  The folks in Dune had interstellar travel, anti gravity devices and all manner of groovy science fiction stuff. Couldn’t they do better than bladed weapons?