David
Lynch wades through dark waters in his adaptation of Frank Herbert's cult
science-fiction novel. In condensing Herbert's rambling and complex book by
eliminating characters and compacting events, Lynch succeeds in rendering
the story incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with the novel and making the
film look like a sketchy greatest hits collection of the book for Herbert
fans. The story takes place in the year 10,191. The universe is governed
through a system of feudal rule, presided over by Padishah Emperor Shaddam
IV (Jose Ferrer), who appears to take his marching orders from something
that resembles a talking vagina. In the kingdom are two rival houses — the
House of Atreides and the House of Harkonnen. Each house is trying to gain
dominion over the universe, but that dominion can only be gained by the
house that controls the Spice, a special substance that permits the folding
of time. The Spice is only available on the desert world of Arrakis, or
Dune. Shaddam, tired of the feuding between the two houses, permits the
Atreides to take over the Spice production on Dune, while secretly working
with the Harkonnens to launch a sneak attack on the Atreides and destroy
them. The leader of the Atreides is Duke Leto (Jurgen Prochnow), who rules
with the help of his concubine Jessica (Francesca Annis) and son Paul (Kyle
MacLachlan). The rival Harkonnens are headed by the pus-oozing degenerate
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan, in a thoroughly through-the-roof
performance) and his two unsavory nephews, Raban (Paul Smith) and Feyd
(Sting). When his father is murdered by the Harkonnens, Paul escapes to
Dune, where he is greeted by the Fremen (the desert dwellers on Dune who
prepare the Spice) as the messiah foretold in Fremen legend. Paul assumes
the mantle of messiah and leads the Fremen in a revolt that topples the
balance of power in the universe. | Francesca Annis | Lady Jessica |
| Leo Cimino | The Baron's Doctor |
| Brad Dourif | Piter De Vries |
| José Ferrer | Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV |
| Linda Hunt | Shadout Mapes |
| Freddie Jones | Thufir Hawat |
| Richard Jordan | Duncan Idaho |
| Kyle MacLachlan | Paul Atreides |
| Virginia Madsen | Princess Irulan |
| Silvana Mangano | Rev. Mother Ramallo |
| Everett McGill | Stilgar |
| Kenneth McMillan | Baron Vladimir Harkonnen |
| Jack Nance | Nefud |
| Sian Phillips | Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam |
| Jürgen Prochnow | Duke Leto Atreides |
| Paul L. Smith | The Beast Rabban |
| Patrick Stewart | Gurney Halleck |
| Sting | Feyd-Rautha |
| Dean Stockwell | Dr. Wellington Yueh |
| Max von Sydow | Dr. Kynes |
| Alicia Witt | Alia |
| Sean Young | Chani |
| Daniel Bryan Corkill | Honorato Magalone |
| Judd Omen | Molly Wyrn |
| Jane Jenkins | |
| Honorato Magaloni | Otheym |
Genre/Type Science Fiction, Space Adventure, Sci-Fi Action
Produced by Universal
Running time - 140 min.
Tales from a Parallel Universe: I Worship His Shadow (1997, Paul Donovan,
Ron Oliver)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner)
Flash Gordon (1980, Mike Hodges)
Judge Dredd (1995, Danny Cannon)
Planet of the Apes (2001, Tim Burton)
Battlefield Earth (2000, Roger Christian)