Dune and psychedelic desert messiahs

[Joseph Tracy]

I think the disparity of reviews you mention, (I haven’t read them), is quite understandable. My own feelings went from an immediate post-film reverie to a more critical review which could have spun into the “overwrought-yet empty…” conclusion. But that criticism seemed unfair to the filmmaker and much more to be laid at Frank Herbert’s feet. My own reverie reaction was partly caused by the fact that the young desert maiden looks like a woman I have drawn many times and bears some resemblence to my mixed race daughter. That did do a bit of a “trip” on my emotional brain. Which brings me to “tripping”, not in the substance sense but in the sense of emotional engagement with a narrative that is essential to the power of a drama or novel.  The Frank Herbert series grew into popularlarity at a time when reaction to the Vietnam War was provoking an intense and broad criticism of the Imperial Wars and cast our perhaps delusional and mostly advertising based sense of being part of an enlightened, humanist, post imperialist world into question throughout the world. Herbert thought feudal power structures were natural to human nature and there is clearly some truth to that, but it is also true that this violent in-fighting is not natural to most tribal societies. This was also a time when LSD and other psychedelics made a bold entry into the culture and into Herbert's experience. The creation of spice and its relation to the oppression and dessication of a  planet, its dual role as visionary drug and necessary tool for transport was a stroke of metaphoric genius. 

  Eco science, trans-religious mystical vision, challenges to the violent oppressions of empire, the return of the archaic/tribal/shamanic, time tripping, all were part of the 60s “revolution” and find their way into Dune. The problem for me revolves around the messianic structure and Paul Atraides seduction into imperial schemes. It is hard to imagine this having the same appeal to seasoned critics of today, the territory has been well trodden. Even as metaphor it is tired and bloody. I doubt any movie that is  faithful to Herbert’s original could have overcome this, though it might have been interesting to see what Jodorawski had in mind. 
    This is not to say that Dune is unworthy of discussion, far from it. It approaches all the right topics and they are all still prominent in our cultural debates. The story also has the quality of realpolitik that has to be faced in taking up such large themes. 

  Again I probably write too much but your brief comments struck some chords. 
> On Oct 23, 2021, at 3:51 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Good to hear it’s not a dog.  Early reviews said it was either sublime or an overwrought-yet empty mess.  Sounds like it relies on tripping?  THAT could be a mess (usually is in film).
> 
>  Thanks 
> DM
> 
> On Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 3:44 PM Bruno <bruno.laze at gmail.com <mailto:bruno.laze at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Saw it yesterday as well. A shout-out to Villeneuve's fidelity to early
> sci-fi aesthetics.  Reminds me of John Harris and pre-90s book covers.
> Villeneuve shows much skill in making authorial, fringe ergotic sci-fi.
> What not to love when a genre goes artistic?
> 
> Space travel: spice. A hallucinogen. To travel light is to get rid of brain
> patterns.
> 
> Le sam. 23 oct. 2021 à 12:50, Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net <mailto:brook7 at sover.net>> a écrit :
> 
> > Went to see Dune last night, mostly Williams College kids attending,
> > needed some escapist nonsense. It was well done I thought, good acting,
> > good music and sound effects if slightly over the top with the big drums.
> > Visually severe, engaging, ominous in story-appropriateriate ways. I
> > wondered if the whole heroic desert freedom fighters with Islamic style
> > might shake up the imagination of young watchers shaped by anti-Muslim
> > cultural atmosphere. Stayed quite close to the book, more condensed. Not
> > sure visionary psychedelic messiahs leading desert rebels against the
> > exploitation of a cruel empire has serious relevance, but it could be a lot
> > worse. It is only half the first book.
> >   I thought Herbert made a big mistake killing off the ecologist when I re
> > read the book most of a year ago. I still think so, too central as a
> > redeeming theme.
> >
> > I have an increasingly hard time with big Iron machines traveling light
> > years through space while people fight with swords.  We are so fucking far
> > from real space travel.
> >
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