‘Dune’ – A cinema defining event in the making
We are on the eve of the release of first trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, a cinema adaptation that has been long in the making and for which many are excited to witness.
In a special event, IMAX cinemas the world over have offered a look into the making of Dune as presented by Villeneuve and his cast, and I, having witnessed this presentation, can say that Dune is going to make for one of the most epic cinema events of all time.
Featuring key interviews with director Denis Villeneuve and key cast members including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Stellen Skarsgard, Villeneuve presented audiences with the first 10 minutes of the film. And in the IMAX presentation format this film is going to be on a whole other level. Having first read the book at the age of 17 I know how epic this story is, but seen through Villeneuve’s eyes all I can say is that this is cinema taken to a new level of artistry.
Villeneuve has long stated that a feature length adaptation of Dune was his lifelong dream. And he has surely achieved it with this film. With this presentation I can clarify that Villeneuve is taking us inside the theatre of his mind with this work and the scope and scale of this project is both grand and immense. Design and photography capture images that are dreamlike and wrapped in a sense of etheral beauty. And these first images shown were shaped with both an influence of nature, along with that of an almost Brutalism style. It was only a snippet of what is to come, but it is clear that so much thought, time and energy has gone into this work, and the results are utterly amazing.
Alongside the first 10 minutes of footage, Villeneuve also interviewed key collaborator and Academy Award winning composer Hans Zimmer who has composed the film’s score, and for Zimmer this was a life long dream come true. The talented composer talked about how he strove to achieve a sound that was not of this earth, and thus has steered away from traditional orchestration for this work. Instead his score relieved heavily on organic percussion sounds, alongside resampled vocalisations of many different performers to establish a sound that is unique to each principle character, and the families and worlds they inhabit and hold allegiance to.
Audiences at this event were also treated to a very special treat as well, and all I’ll say that after this was played for us, I’m even more psyched than ever before for what comes next with Dune. This presentation from IMAX and Warner Brothers clearly displays how powerful and potent Dune will be as a filmatic presentation, and with the trailer just hours away from release fans the world over will experience the power of this epic story in all its glory soon.
Here’s the official synopsis:
In the far future of humanity, Duke Leto Atreides accepts stewardship of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, the only source of the most valuable substance in the universe, “melange” (also called “spice”), a drug that extends human life, provides superhuman levels of thought, and makes faster-than-light travel practical. Though Leto knows the opportunity is an intricate trap set by his enemies, he takes his Bene Gesserit concubine Lady Jessica, young son and heir Paul, and most trusted advisors to Arrakis. Leto takes control of the spice mining operation, which is made perilous by the presence of giant sandworms. A bitter betrayal leads Paul and Jessica to the Fremen, natives of Arrakis who live in the deep desert.
Dune is a film that will literally re-define the very nature of the cinema itself and it is a release that MUST be seen in IMAX. The power of these images is immense and this is certain to be a grand achievement in the very nature of storytelling itself.
Dune arrives IN CINEMAS on October 21.
Image: Warner Brothers Pictures
