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Back in 2021 I went to see the first installment of ‘DUNE’ and was slightly 'put out' to discover that it ended half way through the (first) book.

It was the second big-screen attempt to make a movie of the book, if you don’t count the first ‘Star Wars’, that borrows shamelessly from Frank Herbert’s Si-Fi classic, and I thought it a lot better.

Now the long-awaited second part has been released.

 

Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay by Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
Based on Dune by Frank Herbert
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler' Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista
Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem
Cinematography Greig Fraser, Edited by Joe Walker
Music by Hans Zimmer
Running time 165 minutes

 

 

As I said back in 2021: Frank Herbert (Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. 1920 –1986) was, and remains, a favourite author of mine. See: DUNE

I commented that bringing the book to the screen was a big challenge, as the book is complex and, I doubt, 'comes across' in a simple sequence of events and characterisations, to anyone who hasn't read it. 

So, how has director, Denis Villenueve, done this time? 

It will please my daughter, Emily, that there is more emphasis on the Bene Gesserit's overarching agenda of genetic and religious manipulation and implicitly in Jessica's actions, first in persisting in having a boy, then on inducting her unborn daughter, that have 'put a spanner in the works'. This future manipulating aspect of Herbert's 'Dune' novels is SiFi mainstream echoing Asimov's groundbreaking 'Foundation' series, published in the 40's and 50's.

Part One was highly awarded for its cinematography, special effects and creative costumes. 

Part Two steps all these 'up a notch'.  The cinematic effects combined with the sound-track are truly spectacular. The central members of the original cast are now joined by some 'big names', including Javier Bardem and Christopher Walken, with additional character development. Despite the complexity, editing is tight, yielding a running time of two hours and 45 minutes with not a boring scene. Hard to achieve when merging AI generated battle scenes and live action.

Expect it to take out the next series of awards. 

It is less 'edge of seat thriller' and more thoughtful than the first. There is one particularly dark moment when we might be in Gaza, during an Israeli bombardment.  Elsewhere it's quite humorous like in a 'Life of Brianesque' scene when Paul denies being the prophesied messiah. Stilgar (Javier Bardem) says that by denying this he proves that he is the messiah. It got a good laugh from the local cinema audience.

I left the cinema quite satisfied, feeling that, although I was sure that there were significant alterations, this time it pretty well reflected Herbert's intensions. 

The ending sets the scene for the next novel, Dune Messiah, then there are just four more novels to go: Children of Dune; God Emperor of Dune; Heretics of Dune; and Chapterhouse: Dune. After that  Frank Herbert died but I'm sure that's no barrier to the film industry. 

I can recommend it.

So now I'm ready to read the book once more, with new imagery in my head thanks to Villenueve, and to check again on just how much of the holy text has been altered.  

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Travel

Southern England

 

 

 

In mid July 2016 Wendy and I took flight again to Europe.  Those who follow these travel diaries will note that part of out trip last year was cut when Wendy's mum took ill.  In particular we missed out on a planned trip to Romania and eastern Germany.  This time our British sojourn would be interrupted for a few days by a side-trip to Copenhagen and Roskilde in Denmark.

Read more: Southern England

Fiction, Recollections & News

The Coronation

Last Time

 

 

When George VI died unexpectedly in February 1952, I was just 6 years old, so the impact of his death on me, despite my parents' laments for a good wartime leader and their sitting up to listen to his funeral on the radio, was not great.

At Thornleigh Primary School school assemblies I was aware that there was a change because the National Anthem changed and we now sang God Save The Queen.

Usually, we would just sing the first verse, accompanied by older children playing recorders, but on special occasions we would sing the third verse too. Yet for some mysterious reason, never the second.

The Coronation was a big deal in Australia, as well as in Britain and the other Dominions (Canada, South Africa and New Zealand) and there was a lot of 'bling': china; tea towels; spoons; and so on. The media went mad.

Read more: The Coronation

Opinions and Philosophy

The Fukushima Nuclear Crisis

 

 

Japan has 55 nuclear reactors at 19 sites.  Two more are under construction and another twelve are in the advanced planning stage.  Net Generating capacity is around 50 GW providing around 30% of the country's electricity (more here).  

As a result of Japan’s largest earthquake in history on March 11 and subsequent tsunami all reactors shut down automatically as they were designed to do but cooling systems associated with two sites had been damaged. 

Three reactor sites are adjacent to the earthquake epicentre and two were in the direct path of the tsunami.  The Fukushima-Daiichi plant belonging to Tokyo Electric Power Company was particularly hard hit.  It lost all grid connections, providing electricity, and its backup power plant was seriously damaged. 

Read more: The Fukushima Nuclear Crisis

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