Jodorowsky's Dune

If you are a fan of the novel DUNE you know the story of the crazy Mexican director Jodorowsky and his attempt to make DUNE in the 1970s. Most who know the tale agree it would have been the movie that changed cinema before Star Wars came out and did that job instead.

 

El Topo and The Holy Mountain are weird movies that could have only been made by a madman. And to take on a book such as DUNE was once considered an impossible undertaking. But this crazy Mexican director had a vision and he gathered together some of the great talents of that time (Moebius, Giger, Foss, O'Bannon, Pink Floyd and David Carradine) to produce his masterpiece. Was he insane? The documentary lets you decide that for yourself while watching the director talk about the story with a passion reserved for a man half his age. I loved watching someone so enthusiastic about a property that I love so much. As you all know, DUNE is my favorite book of all time.

 

How he ever came up with that movie without having first read the book amazes me. Then he pulls in Moebius and the great designer Giger to help give a visual punch to his adaptation. GIGER? Are you freaking kidding me - He's the man who designed the ALIEN movie with Dan O'Bannon who did the effects of that classic horror film. Both men met while working on this DUNE project.

The DUNE BOOK that contains all the storyboards for the unmade film actually EXISTS. I understand there are only two copies. I would love to see those storyboards put to life. It's made already with the drawings and the documentary lovingly shows them off. Again, as a pop cultural artifact, it's beyond treasure, like water on Arrakis.

The animated sequences of the storyboards are hypnotic to watch. The opening of the film, as Jadorowsky saw it, would have been epic. Several memorable scenes are also animated using Mobius' original sketches and they look fantastic as well. I see those parts and I actually see this crazy bastard pulling off his grand dream.

He trained his OWN SON two hours a day, 7 days a week for two years with a trainer who taught the boy many types of martial arts and how to fight with a knife and sword. His father TRAINED him to play Paul in the movie. That is crazy dedication.

I found myself lost in the entire story and think I will dream in the future of what COULD have been.

Not only is Jodorowsky enthused but so are the rest of the cult of creativity he gathered around himself who share their remembrances of the time. He was respectful of their artistic vision and believed in his artists and fellow creators.

I find is fascinating that Alajandro was such a motivator and believer in how this film could change HUMANITY, the everyone became infected with his enthusiasm and have fond memory of the crazy time.

And then they start talking about Salvadore Dali as the crazy Emperor of the Universe Shadam IV. YES, the actual Dali. At this point I think my head is about the explode. Dali is one of my artistic heroes. I love his whole loopy persona and his surreal visions.

Giger was a revelation to design the world of Geidi Prime - the home of the evil Harkonnen.

 

 

Mick Jagger as Feyd Ratha? Yup, this movie had that too.

 

 

 

 

It's amazing to also see all the movies and other projects that are a direct result of the failure of this DUNE project. All the artists who were a part of this story went on to create other memorable pop culture properties like Alien and Blade Runner. If DUNE had been successful we might have went into an era of psychedelic space adventure instead of what eventually developed - something more tame and safe and kid friendly like Star Wars.

 

http://blog.ctnews.com/studioandstage/2014/05/06/jodorowskys-dune-a-frank-pavich-film/