By today’s
standards, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s vision for a film adaptation of the classic
sci-fi novel still might have be adventurous, but there is a lot about it which would
just feel familiar. Many of these images and ideas have been seen elsewhere,
but that is only further proof of how influential Jodorowsky’s Dune was despite never being made. The
vision created in a massive pre-production book for the film went on to
influence dozens of remarkable films after the 1975 attempt at a large-scale
science fiction epic failed. This was a filmmaker so far ahead of his time that
it nearly makes George Lucas look like an opportunist and a bit of a
plagiarist. But the same could be said for a dozen other filmmakers as well.
Without the work that went into Jodorowsky’s Dune there might not have ever been an Alien franchise either.
The documentary
allows audiences to finally see a fraction of Jodorowsky’s vision for Frank
Herbert’s novel, mostly through interviews with the filmmaker and excerpts of
the work done for the famous pre-production book. Many of the people who
collaborated on that book went on to use their ideas in other science fiction
films, showing how the work from a film that was never made had an effect on
countless legendary movies. The one place Jodorowsky’s vision for Dune can’t be
found is in the version that was eventually made without him by director David
Lynch.
There is a lot of Jodorowsky’s vision seen in
the simple telling of his preparation to sell the film to studios. He tells a
number of whimsical stories about the obstacles he faced in constructing his
dream team of artists. This includes promises of food specifications for the
ever-indulging Orson Welles, not to mention the absurd requirements of the egomaniacal
Salvador Dali. As well as actors to star in his movie, Jodorowsky compiled
visual artists and musical performers for the soundtrack and design of the
film. Many of the designs from artist H.R. Giger appear to be the first stage
in the development of images eventually used for the designs in the Alien franchise.
The film is
90-minutes long, which is just enough to leave you wanting to see Jodorowsky’s Dune. The special features include over
40-minutes of deleted scenes, which were better left on the cutting-room floor.
Some of it is interesting, but there is just so much talking.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8.5/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
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