![]() ![]() ***NOTE – This article contains spoilers for David Lynch’s 1984 film, Dune, as well as Frank Herbert’s original novel. (in attempted chronological order of the film…) We put ourselves into the shoes of filmmakers who are trying to pitch this monstrosity to skeptical audiences who have better ways to spend 2 hours of their time. What’s certain about 1984’s Dune is that you will never see another film like it.Īnd to prove to you just how such a troubled film could actually be considered enjoyable, Jordan and I decided to list 50 of the differences between the book and the movie and try our best to frame them with a positive spin. Instead of dwelling over what it could have been, you just have to appreciate the untamed spectacle of what it is. ![]() It is a film that is so wild and out of control you can’t help but be at least a little bit impressed by its ambition and uniqueness. These fans have embraced the blemishes of the film not as demerits, but as strengths. Unsurprisingly, Lynch didn’t want anything to do with the film because he felt that the final version didn’t represent his vision.īut for everything that is wrong with Lynch’s Dune, it has grown a strong and dedicated following. And it wasn’t just a matter of the film being too far ahead of its time for audiences to properly enjoy it, the film was bad in almost all regards. The film was a box-office disaster and was utterly crushed by critics. In the face of such adversity, including the always detrimental impact of unwelcome studio and financier intervention, 1984’s Dune did not have a satisfactory release into theaters. In addition to the complexities associated with the source material, the film was given a large budget in order to try to be competitive with Star Wars in the blockbuster sci-fi realm. ![]() When David Lynch agreed to direct a feature film adaptation in the early 1980’s, he faced an uphill battle to say the least. While the pug would have been (unfortunately) out of place in Villeneuve's epic, awe-inspiring adaptation, Lynch's film is already hilariously campy - the jovial House Atreides pug is simply the cherry on top.Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel Dune has been notoriously difficult to translate to the big screen. And the dog playing Pug Atreides seems like an absolute delight, taking his responsibilities as an actor as seriously as his costars in Lynch's "Dune." Regardless, it's a joy to see him trotting through the halls of the Atreides family palace on Caladan, or sitting calmly on Paul's lap as the family travels to Arrakis in a spaceship. It seems like the significance of the pug in the 1984 "Dune" will remain a fun little mystery for now. For instance, would seasoned warrior Gurney really carry the pug into battle? How did the pug survive the fall of House Atreides and Paul's journey amongst the Fremen to become the Kwisatz Haderach? Do other Houses in "Dune" have dogs? It'd make sense, then, that the Atreides would have a pug as a pet - even though "Dune" takes place thousands of years in the future, the Atreides family is still considered high-ranking members of the Imperial court, and a powerful House in their own right.īut even if that was the rationale for including the pug, his inclusion in the film's key scenes still raises more questions than answers. Maybe the pug in Lynch's version was meant to be a historical reference, since, according to the American Kennel Club, pugs were first bred for emperors of ancient China and their courts, and were later favored by monarchies in Holland and Britain. The filmmaker himself has never really explained why he chose to feature the pup (Lynch later disavowed the film entirely), and there's no mention of an Atreides pug in Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, which provided the source material for Lynch's "Dune" and Denis Villeneuve's brilliant new adaptation, out October 22. Patrick Stewart (center) with the pug in the 1984 version of "Dune."Īnd although most of the Atreides forces are killed during the battle, the pug somehow survives, making his final appearance during Paul's dramatic knife fight with Feyd-Rautha (Sting) at the end of the movie.Īs a diehard fan of "Dune," I've long wondered why the pug was included in Lynch's film. ![]()
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