Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/16/jodorowsky-reviews-villeneuve.html
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That’s why I refuse to watch any new Dune adaptation that cost more than three hundred dollars to produce.
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I’ll always have a soft spot for Jodorowsky’s films.
He’s certainly not shy of speaking his mind either!
From the article…
“‘Dune’ is a book that’s like Proust. It’s science fiction but it’s very, very literary,” Jodorowsky told IndieWire. “It’s very difficult to find images to put in the film because pictures are optical…The first time they said it was safe to do ‘Dune,’ and [David Lynch] did it, I was ill, because it was my dream. They showed the picture in Paris, and my son said, ‘You need to see the picture.’ I was ill to do that. Ill. And then they start to show the picture, and step by step, I was so happy because it was a shitty picture. I realized, ‘Dune,’ nobody can do it. It’s a legend.”
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May his passing cleanse the world.
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I understand the point Jodorowsky is trying to make but it is perhaps too optimistic or naive to think that a movie that needs to tackle the magnitude of Dune these days would not need to make compromises. To make a Dune movie that does not prioritize entertainment but rather a deep message might make it confusing or less appetizing to the standard person, and would not be financially viable so it just wouldn’t get made. So any undertaking would be inherently held hostage to needing to make money from the project.
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That Instructable costume is delightful, thanks for pointing it out!
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Hopefully the future holds a post-scarcity version of humanity that can satisfy Jodorowsky’s cinematic desires.
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I think it might be possible to get somewhat closer to a more dense version of the story by going the route of an adult animated series but the US is typically very stubborn about telling mature stories in animated form. Would be interesting if Japan or Korea decided to have a go at it but also don’t have any expectations for that sort of thing ever happening.
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Seems like a criticism of hollywood and not just this movie. Have we previously had big production/value movies that also advance the art and are also socially meaningful? I understand the economy problem but I also appreciate advocating for the arts, which of course is where Jodorowsky has made his career.
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I would say the Sci-Fi Dune miniseries came close to telling the full story of Dune. No, it’s production value wasn’t the highest, but it was a lot more complete than the David Lynch movie. It helps that it was a 6 hour series, so it could spend more time exploring things.
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Sure. Schindler’s List, 12 Years a Slave, Black Panther, Selma, Amistad, etc…
Roger that.
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Butthurt
I think you should probably read the source material but I’m not a filmmaker
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It didn’t have a massive budget compared to a LOTR or Marvel film, but There Will be Blood was backed by major studios, had off the charts production values and is, IMO, the single greatest film of the 21st C. Honestly, most of that is true of many of PTA’s films; Magnolia & The Master (still have to see Phantom Thread!) are perfect.
The same can be said about the Cohen Brothers, Darren Aronofsky (despite people shitting on it, Mother! made 50% over budget and is a fucking masterpiece), Charlie Kaufman (his box office figures notwithstanding) and a number of others I’m not remembering at the moment.
To be honest, I feel like the whole idea of auteur cinema being lost because people love Captain America is utter bullshit. It was all but impossible to make an independent film before the ‘70s and for every Jodorowski film there are a million absolutely wretched studio turds. I can’t really think of another era in which really amazing directors and screenwriters are given significant budgets to make artist-driven visions that really push the medium.
Now, if we can actually achieve parity for women on and behind the camera, this list will expand massively!
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I think he’s completely right. But first how Villeneuve was rewarded w/ Dune after the dogshit that was BladeRunner 2049 is questionable. Sci-fi is the most expensive genre to pull off. The more money,
the more executive snout in the trough. Demanding security. Which equals less risk. When you think of whole genre. There’s barely 10 quality adult sci-fi movies made. Yes, this movie will look nice. Be nice. But I agree w/ Jodorowsky it’ll be family entertainment. In fact, anyone remotely creative, w/ balls, would’nt go near this, its been so picked over. Good news is that CG is bringing down the costs. Meaning more risk. More of a chance for Art.
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I really don’t understand the whole belief that anything made for families must inherently be anti-art.
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obviously Art can be anything, for everybody. But the genre of Sci-Fi is squarely in the safe economic family zone. Imagine every romance you ever see, nine times out ten, its walt disney
I’m still holding out for the Supermarionation version. Or at least a Ray Harryhaussen/Dynamation version.
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I’m not sure I totally agree with you. There are more 10 sci-fi movies for adults unless you’ve decided anything that’s not Stalker, World on a Wire, or Alaphaville isn’t for adults (even then I could likely come up with well more than ten). And heck, I even just named three sci-fi movies that did not cost all that much to make and certainly didn’t have over meddling executives.
I agree some projects like A Topiary will struggle to get made as they push the financial / audience barrier. But I also gotta be honest, I read the brilliant script and know like three people who would love it and about forty who would hate hate hate it.
I think a lot of this comes down to people treating the source material as sacred (it isn’t… no book is and Dune should be rethought, remixed, and reconstructed as aggressively as possible by as many people who want to) and the idea (as expressed by Jodorowsky) that no-one can properly make Dune.
Let’s instead celebrate that even if it’s not going to be perfect we have a studio taking a chance on large budget sci-fi movies. Even if the story is muddled and off it’ll likely going to have beautiful alien landscapes for us to look it. But, perhaps this one will be great (or earn money at least) and perhaps someday they’ll find a producer willing to make another adult sci-fi movie.
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Your last point first. The studio has not taking any, any chances (risk) w/ Dune. They’re doubling down on a safe bet. Mildly pleasant BladeRunner 2049 won bc of reputation/name recognition. Partly same again w/ Dune. Real risk. Taking a chance. Get the guy that made “Hardcore Henry” to make a fucked up version of Old Mans War. “Come and See” meets “Lethal weapon” in space w/ all unknown actors.
Books versus movies are generally opposing formats. One is 1hr 30mins the other 10 hours. But the overall argument… fuck it…hope you enjoy it… I’ll go to it too anyway
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