There are many similarities between Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which received the most Oscar nominations this year, and Denis Villeneuve's Dune 2, currently playing at Telluride's Nugget Theater.
The Nugget is showing “Dune 2” nightly from 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $11 at the door 30 minutes before the show starts.
Both films are passion projects developed over many years by non-American, white male directors. Both screenplays are based on well-written books. Both films were shot with his IMAX cameras, and their opening weekend box office numbers were surprisingly similar. “Oppenheimer” earned $82.4 million, and “Dune 2” earned $82.5 million.
The big difference between the two is that “Oppenheimer” has very few women in its cast.
Director Denis Villeneuve puts women's voices front and center in his film adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune (1965). Her first film, Dune, is narrated by Zendaya's Fremen character Chani. She becomes the main character's lover. Timothée Chalamet grows from a young Paul Atreides on her home world of Caladan (similar to the Scottish Highlands) to a young warrior in the second film.
In “Dune”, Chani is primarily seen in Paul's visions. However, it is these visions and research that Paul undertakes that introduces us to the desert planet Arrakis.
The first movie sets the world of this Dune world. One of the most important and dramatic scenes occurs at the beginning of the story. Paul's mother Lady Jessica takes him to be tested by the Bene Gesserit minister Mother. Dressed in a dark black robe and veil, Charlotte Rampling is an intimidating presence. Her use of her voice to command Paul to carry out her own orders sparks a larger conspiracy about how the Bene Gesserit manipulate and control the royal family. These women act as puppet masters to gain power and control, using religious zeal, reproduction, and myth-making.
The mythology and politics that exist in the world of Dune have historical depth. The characters are enriched with complex backstories and shifting loyalties. Despite two films and a long running time, there was too much richness, too many characters and details for director Denis Villeneuve to include. He co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth. And sadly, some of the characters appear, only to be assassinated in the next scene. This is especially true of the first film.
Villeneuve puts female characters front and center in both of his films.
Paul may be our central figure, but his mother plays a huge role in shaping him as a man and as a politician. Rebecca Ferguson is wonderful as Lady Jessica. In a few short scenes, she establishes her love for her partner, Duke Leto Atreides. She not only gave Paul a son when her own order requested a female child from her, but she also trained Paul in the ways of the Bene Gesserit.
Sadly, the story of one of the strong female characters is cut short in the first film. Dr. Liet Cains is an imperial ecologist who appears in the novel. She is played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster in Dune. She is supposed to lead Prince Leto's introduction to Arrakis as a judge of change, but she is an enigmatic character.
Only by reading this book can you find out that Kaineth is Chani's parent. In this book, it is the loss of her father that helps Chani and Paul bond. She is pivotal to the film's narrative as she provides an escape route for Jessica and Paul and is still suitable for escaping an assassination attempt.
The other central character hardly appears in the second film.
She is played by the uncredited Anya Taylor-Joy, who only has a moment of screen time. As Lady Jessica assumes the role of her mother-pastor to the Fremen people, her changes also affect her unborn child. Aria regains her consciousness and she is now a Reverend Mother and a Bene Gesserit.
Florence Pugh plays an important role as the narrator who tells us what is happening inside and outside of Arrakis.
Princess Irulan is the daughter of the Emperor, the ruler of the universe. In this book, each chapter begins with her historical text. In her films, she spends time dictating her own ideas for her prosperity and discussing her political intrigues and power struggles with her father. Princess Irulan is quite passive in this film, but will likely play a larger role in her third film, Dune Messiah. She ends her film with her engagement to Paul, as a political move to save spice production.
The big change from this book is the collapse of time in the story. Dune 2 focuses on the action, rather than the years that unfold in the book as Chani and Paul form a relationship and give birth to a son.
There's a thrilling sandworm ride where Paul himself becomes a Fremen warrior. When Jessica heads south to spread Paul's savior power to the Fremen people, her mother and son are separated. There are many scenes where he is holding his stomach while communicating with Aria. In her novel, Aria is an infant with the mind of an adult, and it is she who kills her baron, not Paul, as in the film.
It's remarkable how blockbuster movies come out of the science fiction/fantasy realm. It was unexpected that a biographical drama based on the famous scientist Oppenheimer would win all the prestigious film awards. It's also unusual to have such a strong female cast in one of the year's most popular films.
“Dune” and “Dune 2” are a galaxy far, far away from “Barbie,” but they're full of images of Zendaya's blue eyes traversing the shimmering sands of Arrakis and Rebecca Ferguson covered in gold chains and veils of tattoos. The face may remain in your memory even afterward. The battle scene has disappeared.
Film Drink Rating: 4 sips of recycled water (out of 5)