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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

India and Nepal

 

 

Introduction

 

In October 2012 we travelled to Nepal and South India. We had been to North India a couple of years ago and wanted to see more of this fascinating country; that will be the most populous country in the World within the next two decades. 

In many ways India is like a federation of several countries; so different is one region from another. For my commentary on our trip to Northern India in 2009 Read here...

For that matter Nepal could well be part of India as it differs less from some regions of India than do some actual regions of India. 

These regional differences range from climate and ethnicity to economic wellbeing and religious practice. Although poverty, resulting from inadequate education and over-population is commonplace throughout the sub-continent, it is much worse in some regions than in others.

Read more: India and Nepal

Fiction, Recollections & News

Recollections of 1963

 

 

 

A Pivotal Year

 

1963 was a pivotal year for me.  It was the year I completed High School and matriculated to University;  the year Bob Dylan became big in my life; and Beatlemania began; the year JFK was assassinated. 

The year had started with a mystery the Bogle-Chandler deaths in Lane Cove National Park in Sydney that confounded Australia. Then came Buddhist immolations and a CIA supported coup and regime change in South Vietnam that was both the beginning and the begining of the end for the US effort there. 

Suddenly the Great Train Robbery in Britain was headline news there and in Australia. One of the ringleaders, Ronnie Biggs was subsequently found in Australia but stayed one step of the authorities for many years.

The 'Space Race' was well underway with the USSR still holding their lead by putting Cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova into orbit for almost three days and returning her safely. The US was riven with inter-racial hostility and rioting. But the first nuclear test ban treaties were signed and Vatican 2 made early progress, the reforming Pope John 23 unfortunately dying midyear.

Towards year's end, on the 22nd of November, came the Kennedy assassination, the same day the terminally ill Aldous Huxley elected to put an end to it.

But for sex and scandal that year the Profumo Affair was unrivalled.

Read more: Recollections of 1963

Opinions and Philosophy

A new political dawn

 

 

The State election on 26th March saw a crushing political defeat for the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales. Both sides of politics are still coming to terms with the magnitude of this change.  On the Labor side internal recriminations seem to have spread beyond NSW.  The Coalition now seem to have an assured eight and probably twelve years, or more, to carry out their agenda.

On April 3, following the advice of the Executive Council, the Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, gave effect to an Order to restructure the NSW Public Service. Read more...

It remains to be seen how the restructured agencies will go about the business of rebuilding the State.

 

Read more: A new political dawn

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