Frank Herbert's Dune

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Frank Herbert's Dune
Dune-miniseries.jpg
DVD cover
Based on Dune
by Frank Herbert
Screenplay by John Harrison
Story byFrank Herbert
Directed byJohn Harrison
Starring
Music by Graeme Revell
Tim Simonec
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Germany
Italy
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Richard P. Rubinstein
Mitchell Galin
ProducerDavid R. Kappes
Production locations Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic
Cinematography Vittorio Storaro
Running time265 minutes
295 minutes (Director's cut)
Production companiesNew Amsterdam Entertainment
Blixa Film Produktion
Victor Television Productions
Budget$20 million [1] [2]
Original release
Network Syfy
ReleaseDecember 3, 2000 (2000-12-03)
Related

Frank Herbert's Dune is a 2000 science fiction television miniseries, based on the 1965 novel of the same title by Frank Herbert. It is written for the screen and directed by John Harrison, and stars Alec Newman as Paul Atreides, William Hurt as Duke Leto Atreides, and Saskia Reeves as Lady Jessica, along with Ian McNeice, Julie Cox, and Giancarlo Giannini. It was an international co-production between the American cable network Syfy, and companies in Germany, Canada, and Italy. This is the second overall filmed adaptation of Herbert’s novel, following the 1984 film directed by David Lynch, and preceding Denis Villeneuve’s two-part film adaptation (2021 and 2024).

Contents

The series was first broadcast in three installments, beginning on December 3, 2000. It was released on DVD in 2001 by Artisan Entertainment, with an extended director's cut appearing in 2002. [3] It received generally positive reviews, and was praised by both critics and audiences for its faithfulness to Herbert’s novel. The series was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and won two, for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects.

A 2003 sequel miniseries titled Frank Herbert's Children of Dune continues the story, adapting the second and third novels in the series (1969's Dune Messiah and its 1976 sequel Children of Dune ). Both miniseries are among the highest-rated programs ever to be broadcast on the Syfy Channel.

Cast

Production

Development

Acquiring the television rights to Frank Herbert's original six Dune novels, executive producer Richard P. Rubinstein envisioned the complex material adapted in a miniseries format, as he had done previously with Stephen King's The Stand and The Langoliers . He told The New York Times in 2003, "I have found there's a wonderful marriage to be had between long, complicated books and the television miniseries. There are some books that just can't be squeezed into a two-hour movie." Around the same time Rubenstein was first developing the material, the Sci Fi Channel's president, Bonnie Hammer, was spearheading a campaign for the channel to produce "blockbuster miniseries on a regular basis". [4] The Dune miniseries was greenlit in November 1999. [5]

Released in 2000, Frank Herbert's Dune was the first of the Sci Fi Channel's miniseries, followed by Steven Spielberg's miniseries Taken in 2002, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune and Battlestar Galactica in 2003. Rubenstein called his two Dune miniseries "science fiction for people who don't ordinarily like science fiction" and suggested that "the Dune saga tends to appeal to women in part because it features powerful female characters". [4]

Filming

Though the production initially scouted filming locations in Morocco, these proved unfeasible. Dune was shot entirely in the Czech Republic at Barrandov Studios in Prague, with post-production taking place at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy. [6] The miniseries was shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro in his proprietary Univisium (2.00:1) aspect ratio, although it was broadcast in 1.78:1. The sets were designed by production designer Miljen Kljaković, and the costumes by Theodor Pištěk. [6]

Comparisons to source material

Director John Harrison has described his adaptation as a "faithful interpretation" in which any changes he made served to suggest what Herbert had explained subtly or not at all. The miniseries introduces elements not found in Herbert's novel, but according to the director, these serve to elaborate rather than to edit. [7] Hurt was the first to be cast in the 2000 adaptation. A fan of the novel, he told The New York Times , "I was a science fiction junkie ... [Harrison] captured Herbert's prophetic reflection of our own age, where nation-states are competing with the new global economy and its corporate elements." [8]

Herbert's novel begins with lead character Paul Atreides being 15 years old and aging to 18 over the course of the story. Harrison aged the character to adulthood in order to draw upon an adult acting pool for this crucial role. [9]

The miniseries invents an extensive subplot for Princess Irulan, a character who plays little part in the plot of the first novel. Harrison felt the need to expand Irulan's role because she played such an important part in later books, and epigraphs from her later writings opened each chapter of Dune. [7] [10] Additionally, the character gave him a window into House Corrino. [7] Besides the final scene, the only one of Irulan's appearances based on an actual excerpt from the novel is her visit to Feyd-Rautha. However, in the book it is a different Bene Gesserit, Margot Fenring, who visits the Harkonnen heir, on assignment from the Bene Gesserit to "preserve the bloodline" by retrieving his genetic material (through conception) for their breeding program. The miniseries does not suggest this as Irulan's motive.[ citation needed ]

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album for the miniseries was released by GNP Crescendo Records on December 3, 2000. It contains 27 tracks composed by Graeme Revell and Tim Simonec and performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. [11]

Reception

Ratings

Frank Herbert's Dune aired in three parts, starting Sunday, December 3, 2000. [12] The first installment achieved a 4.6 rating with 3 million homes, and the miniseries averaged a 4.4/2.9 million households over all three nights. [12] This doubled all viewership records for Sci Fi, placing Dune among the top ten of basic cable's original miniseries in the five years previous. [12] Two of the three installments also rated among the year's top 10 original cable movies. [12] As of 2007, the 2000 Dune miniseries and its 2003 sequel were two of the three highest-rated programs ever to be broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel. [2] [13]

Critical response

Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com deemed the miniseries a better adaptation than the 1984 Lynch film, but wrote that "it doesn't reach spectacular heights due to the desire to be as close to the written text as possible." She wrote that "the story naturally drags at certain points in the book that work in prose but not on screen", and added that "the narrative gets over-explained in an effort to be sure that no one watching is left behind." Asher-Perrin suggested that Harrison's choice to cast adult actor Newman as Paul is problematic because the character is written in the script as less mature and observant than he is in the source novel, but she praised many members of the cast, in particular McNeice (Baron Harkonnen) and Cox (Irulan). Asher-Perrin also complimented the special effects, set design, and costuming. [2]

The series was also praised by several critics, including Kim Newman. [14]

Awards and nominations

AwardYearCategoryNominee(s)Result
American Society of Cinematographers Award 2001 Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture, Limited Series, or Pilot Made for Television Vittorio Storaro Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Award 2001 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movie or Limited Series Larry Stensvold, Pete Elia, Michal HolubecNominated
Hugo Award 2001 Best Dramatic Presentation John Harrison, Frank Herbert Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Award 2001Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Effects & FoleyJay Wilkinson, Erik Aadahl, Andrew Ellerd, Bruce Tanis, Victor IorilloWon
Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Dialogue & ADRJay Wilkinson, Erik Aadahl, Bruce Tanis, Victor Iorillo, Andrew Ellerd, Bob Newlan, Ulrika Akander, David Grecu, Sonya Lindsay, David Beadle, Jeff Rosen, Larry Goeb, R.J. Palmer, Helen Luttrell, Patrick Hogan, Joshua Winget, Dale W. PerryNominated
Primetime Emmy Award 2001 Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie [15] Vittorio StoraroWon
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special [16] Jay Wilkinson, Erik Aadahl, Bruce Tanis, Victor Iorillo, Andrew Ellerd, Bob Newlan, Ulrika Akander, David Grecu, Sonya Lindsay, David Beadle, Jeff Rosen, Larry Goeb, R.J. Palmer, Helen Luttrell, Patrick Hogan, Joshua Winget, Dale W. PerryWon
Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special [17] Ernest Farino, Tim McHugh, Laurel Klick, Frank H. Isaacs, Elaine Essex Thompson, Jim Healy, Greg Nicotero, Tony Alderson, Chris ZaparaNominated

Alternate versions

A director's cut special edition was released on DVD featuring expanded footage and dialogue. [3] [18] [19]

Video game

The 2001 3D video game Frank Herbert's Dune by Cryo Interactive/DreamCatcher Interactive is styled after the 2000 miniseries. [20] [21]

Sequel series

A 2003 sequel miniseries titled Frank Herbert's Children of Dune continues the story, adapting the second and third novels in the series (1969's Dune Messiah and its 1976 sequel Children of Dune ). [4] [22]

Relation to other adaptations

John Harrison and Richard P. Rubinstein are credited as executive producers of the Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024), the two-part theatrical film adaptations of the novel released by Warner Bros. [23] [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Harkonnen</span> Fictional character in the Dune universe

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is a fictional character in the Dune franchise created by Frank Herbert. He is primarily featured in the 1965 novel Dune and is also a prominent character in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999–2001) by Herbert's son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson. The character is brought back as a ghola in the Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007).

<i>Dune Messiah</i> 1969 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert

Dune Messiah is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Frank Herbert, the second in his Dune series of six novels. A sequel to Dune (1965), it was originally serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1969, and then published by Putnam the same year. Dune Messiah and its own sequel Children of Dune (1976) were collectively adapted by the Sci-Fi Channel in 2003 into a miniseries entitled Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Atreides</span> Fictional character in Dune

Paul Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is a main character in the first two novels in the series, Dune (1965) and Dune Messiah (1969), and returns in Children of Dune (1976). The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels which conclude the original series, Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007), and appears in the prequels Paul of Dune (2008) and The Winds of Dune (2009). According to Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert's son and biographer, House Atreides was based on the heroic but ill-fated Greek mythological house of Atreus.

<i>Dune</i> (novel) 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert

Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials in Analog magazine. It tied with Roger Zelazny's This Immortal for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966. It is the first installment of the Dune Chronicles. It is one of the world's best-selling science fiction novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bene Gesserit</span> Fictional organization in the Dune franchise created by Frank Herbert

The Bene Gesserit are a group in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. A powerful social, religious, and political force, the Bene Gesserit is described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and abilities that seem magical to outsiders. The group seeks to acquire power and influence to direct humanity on an enlightened path, a concerted effort planned and executed over centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurney Halleck</span> FIctional character in the Dune franchise

Gurney Halleck is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is a major character in Herbert's Dune (1965) and Children of Dune (1976) as the War Master of House Atreides, acting as mentor, friend, and advisor to Paul Atreides. He also appears in some of the prequel/sequel novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan Idaho</span> Fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert

Duncan Idaho is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He was introduced in the first novel of the series, 1965's Dune, and became a breakout character. He was revived in 1969's Dune Messiah. He is the only character to feature in all six of Herbert's original Dune novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Jessica</span> Fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert

Lady Jessica is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. A main character in the 1963–65 novel Dune, Jessica also plays an important role in the later installment Children of Dune (1976). The events surrounding Jessica's conception, her birth and her early years with Leto are chronicled in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999–2001) and the Caladan Trilogy (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The character is brought back as a ghola in the Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alia Atreides</span> Fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert

Alia Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. She was introduced in the first novel of the series, 1965's Dune, and was originally killed in Herbert's first version of the manuscript. At the suggestion of Analog magazine editor John Campbell, Herbert kept her alive in the final draft. Alia would next appear as a main character in both Dune Messiah (1969) and Children of Dune (1976). The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson conclusion to the original series, Sandworms of Dune (2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaius Helen Mohiam</span> Fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert

Gaius Helen Mohiam is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. She is a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, and initially appears in the 1963–65 novel Dune and its 1969 sequel, Dune Messiah. Mohiam also has a major role in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999–2001) and the Caladan Trilogy (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chani (character)</span> Fictional character

Chani is a fictional character featured in Frank Herbert's novels Dune (1965) and Dune Messiah (1969). Known mainly as the Fremen wife and legal concubine of protagonist Paul Atreides, Chani is the daughter of Imperial Planetologist Liet-Kynes and his Fremen wife Faroula, and later the mother of the twins Ghanima and Leto II Atreides. The character is later resurrected as a ghola, appearing in Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007), Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's novels which complete the original series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Irulan</span> Fictional character in the Dune universe

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<i>Frank Herberts Children of Dune</i> Television series

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margot Fenring</span> Fictional character created by Frank Herbert

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References

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