Jodorowsky's Dune

Jodorowsky's Dune
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Frank Pavich
Produced by	Frank Pavich Stephen Scarlata Travis Stevens
Starring	Alejandro Jodorowsky Michel Seydoux H. R. Giger Chris Foss Nicolas Winding Refn Amanda Lear Richard Stanley
Music by	Kurt Stenzel
Cinematography	David Cavallo
Edited by	Paul Docherty Alex Ricciardi
Production company	City Film Snowfort Pictures
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics
Release dates	May 18, 2013 (2013-05-18) (Cannes) March 21, 2014 (2014-03-21)
Running time	90 minutes[1]
Country	United States France
Language	English French German Spanish
Box office	$647,280[2]

Jodorowsky's Dune is a 2013 American-French documentary film directed by Frank Pavich. The film explores cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's unsuccessful attempt to adapt and film Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel Dune in the mid-1970s.

Background

In 1973, film producer Arthur P. Jacobs optioned the film rights to Dune but died before a film could be developed. The option was then taken over two years later by director Alejandro Jodorowsky, who proceeded to approach, among others, Virgin Records, with the prog rock groups Tangerine Dream, Gong and Mike Oldfield before settling on Pink Floyd and Magma for some of the music; artists H. R. Giger, Chris Foss, and Jean Giraud for set and character design; Dan O'Bannon for special effects; and Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles, Gloria Swanson, David Carradine, Mick Jagger, Amanda Lear, and others for the cast.^[3]

Herbert traveled to Europe in 1976 to find that $2 million of the $9.5 million budget had already been spent in pre-production, and that Jodorowsky's script would result in a 14-hour film ("It was the size of a phonebook", Herbert later recalled). Jodorowsky took creative liberties with the source material, but Herbert said that he and Jodorowsky had an amicable relationship. The project ultimately stalled for financial reasons. The film rights lapsed in 1982, when they were purchased by Italian filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis, who eventually released the 1984 film Dune, directed by David Lynch.

Content

The film notes that Jodorowsky's script, extensive storyboards, and concept art were sent to all major film studios, and argues that these were inspirational to later film productions, including the Alien, Star Wars, and Terminator series.^[4] In particular, the Jodorowsky-assembled team of O'Bannon, Foss, Giger and Giraud went on to collaborate on the 1979 film Alien.^[5]

"It was a great undertaking to do the script," Jodowrosky says in the film. Speaking of Herbert's novel, he says: "It's very, it's like Proust, I compare it to great literature."

Production

The project was officially announced in May 2011.^[6] Director Pavich filmed an extensive series of interviews with the principal players involved in the failed 1970s adaptation, shooting in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Release

Jodorowsky's Dune premiered at the Director's Fortnight at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in May 2013.^[7] Sony Pictures Classics acquired the North American distribution rights to the film in July 2013,^[8] and later announced a theatrical release date of March 7, 2014.^[9] The film was released on DVD and on-demand on July 8, 2014.

Reception

The film has received critical acclaim. Variety called the film a "mind-blowing cult movie" and said that director Pavich "happens upon a compelling theory: that even in its still-born form, the film manifested the sort of collective conscious that Jodorowsky was trying to peddle through its plot, trickling down to influence other sci-fi films that followed".^[10] The Hollywood Reporter declared the "entertaining documentary makes the case for this overblown epic as a legendary lost masterpiece".^[11] Entertainment Weekly named Jodorowsky's Dune as one of its 10 Best Movies of 2014.^[4]

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave Jodorowsky's Dune a 98% "Certified Fresh" rating based on reviews from 108 critics. The site's consensus states: "Part thoughtful tribute, part bittersweet reminder of a missed opportunity, Jodorowsky's Dune offers a fascinating look at a lost sci-fi legend."^[12] Metacritic gives the film a 79/100 rating based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[13]

Awards and nominations

Top ten lists

The film appeared on several critics' year-end lists. ^[31]

References

External links

• Official website
• Official website (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Jodorowsky's Dune at the Internet Movie Database
• Jodorowsky's Dune at Box Office Mojo
• Jodorowsky's Dune at Rotten Tomatoes
• Jodorowsky's Dune at Metacritic
• "Doomed Dune Was Generations Ahead of Its Time". NPR. March 22, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014. 
• O'Connell, Max (March 18, 2014). "Jodorowsky's Dune Director Frank Pavich on 2,000 Defecating Extras and How Dune Became Part of the Cosmic Consciousness". Indiewire. Retrieved August 18, 2015. 
• Corliss, Richard (March 20, 2014). "Jodorowsky's Dune: A Great Dream of Movie Madness". Time. Retrieved October 13, 2015.