Dune director’s dangerous expertise with medicine helped form one very important scene

The universe of Dune is, fairly actually, fuelled by medicine. When writer Frank Herbert created his story within the ’60s, he determined that the plot of Dune would heart across the now-famous Spice Melange.

A naturally occurring substance discovered solely on the planet Arrakis, Spice (as soon as ingested) unlocks elements of the thoughts, extends life, and permits its customers to see visions of the longer term enabling area journey. Its unbelievable properties make the drug essentially the most worthwhile within the galaxy, and the entire battle over Arrakis, between Home Atreides and Home Harkonnen, is attributable to a want to management Spice manufacturing. Famously, ‘He who controls the Spice controls the universe.’

In Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 Dune film, the primary actual look audiences get at Spice comes within the gorgeous scene during which a Sandworm assaults a Spice harvester deep within the Arrakeen desert. Paul Atreides lands on the floor with a view to assist coordinate the rescue of these aboard the harvester, and because the chaos erupts round him Spice is introduced as much as the floor and fills the air.

Inhaling the Spice, Paul Atreides experiences hyper-sensitive visions of the longer term, shedding himself within the current and almost being consumed by the worm earlier than being saved by Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck. Test it out beneath:

It’s an important scene within the movie (which was among the many greatest motion pictures of its 12 months), exhibiting the fantastical properties of the drug whereas additionally being an exhilarating sequence and the primary correct introduction of the big Sandworms. And, a vital a part of Villeneuve’s inspiration for it got here from his personal expertise with medicine; a nasty one.

“The reality is that one factor that helped me tremendously to direct Timothée is: my son had cooked a banana cake a couple of months earlier than we shot the film, and the banana cake was very ‘spicy’ and I had the worst dangerous journey of my life,” the director defined in a dialog on the DGA.

“Nevertheless it tremendously helped me, it sounds silly, however it’s good to expertise issues your self typically. That dangerous journey, on marijuana, deeply helped me to direct Timothée within the visions, to elucidate to him the state I used to be on the lookout for,” he continued, “And, surprisingly, once I talked about the banana cake expertise to Timothée, he obtained it! Right here’s the reality. Don’t do this!”

Whereas the expertise of marijuana and Spice Melange might be very completely different, it’s a reminder that even one of the best science fiction motion pictures have to be grounded in actuality, with relatable reference factors. When the Dune 2 launch date does finally arrive (having simply been delayed to 2024), if the sequel follows the route of Herbert’s ebook audiences will get a a lot nearer take a look at Spice, which performs a bigger position within the second half of the story.

Till then, if you need extra Dune you’ll be able to learn our Dune overview for a refresher, and study in regards to the upcoming Dune The Sisterhood launch date. Or, see why Patrick Stewart nonetheless loves the primary Dune film, and why Villeneuve was in love with the bare Baron Harkonnen.

For extra sci-fi greatness, you can too hold updated with the brand new Star Wars motion pictures, the Star Trek 4 launch date, and all the brand new motion pictures but to come back this 12 months too.