Jodorowsky's Dune

This is the only movie I watched twice at the True/False film festival in Columbia, Missouri in 2014. I am a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune and was pulled into the epic mythos of this 1970s film that never was.

Although the story of this "failed" project is fascinating, it was Jodorowsky's passion and drive that made me pay to see this movie twice. This is an absolute must-see for sci-fi fans but should also be viewed by artists, writers, film makers, sculptures, dancers, foley artists or anyone who has creative passion.

It is inspiring to see a man, albeit a near lunatic, with such vision, scope and ambition.

This documentary is about the making of the movie "Dune". No, not the 1984 mess of a film and financial disaster helmed by David Lynch, but an earlier version by the surrealist director, Alejandro Jodorowsky...a version that never ended up being made.

The film gathers together the surviving members of the production crew to talk about the Jodorowsky version and how great it might have been. And, through the course of this film, you see many of the story boards, concept art and more.

As I watched this film, I couldn't help but think that if the Jodorowsky movie had been made, it probably would have been much weirder, much more violent* and much more confusing than the Lynch version. The Lynch film was mostly confusing because it was cut to pieces and should have been at least a 3-4 hour movie. The Jodorowsky version, in contrast, would have been so surreal as to make Lynch seem like an ordinary filmmaker! So, while everyone associated with this project thought the movie would have been great, I just have no idea WHO would have actually gone to see it...especially since Jodorowsky wanted to make a 12-20 hour film AND completely re-write the ending, in which Paul would die! I just can't see the fans wanting to see this...especially when in this documentary Jodorowsky talked about wanting to 'rape Frank Herbert" (not in a literal sense)!

It's a fascinating film where you get to follow Jodorowsky's thinking and the steps taken to try to get the film made. However, I cannot see this as a 'masterpiece' as some have said. First, it never got made...so how can it be a masterpiece? Second, while it could have been an amazing film (who knows?), it also might easily have been one of the biggest debacles in movie history, though the chances of the film being made seem insanely remote as you watch the documentary.

Overall, the documentary was fascinating and well worth seeing....the "Dune" project, however, sounded like a nutty gamble to say the least!



*If you don't think the film would have been uber-violent, watch Jodorowsky's "El Topo" and listen to some of the ideas the filmmaker wanted to incorporate into the movie (castration, dismemberment, etc.).

If you love Sci-Fi films, you have to see this. Or no: If you love films you have to see this. Even better: If you love art in general, you absolutely have to see this. This documentary had me grinning at first and drop my jaw soon later; the grinning was induced by the witty, charming narration by Alejandro Jodorwsky himself (a natural born story teller, if there ever was one) – the jaw dropping came by way of hearing the most incredible anecdotes about how one person got some of the most famous and daring pioneers of their respective arts to participate in one single project: Jodorowsky's 'Dune'.

In 1975, Alejandro Jodorowsky got a group of "warriors" together to make the film version of Frank Herbert's 'Dune', and the way he did this (or the way he tells he did this) is so outright unbelievable and entertaining that it simply must be true (actually, there's an amazing story for another film right there). Can you imagine Salvador Dali, Orson Welles and Mick Jagger all starring in a Science-Fiction film scored by Pink Floyd? Watch this Documentary if you want to know how this - nearly - came about. Or did you know that Dan O'Bannon, Moebius, H.R. Giger and Chris Foss all made fantastic designs for a Science-Fiction film that was NOT 'Alien'? Watch this documentary If you like to know more.

Telling the story of arguably the most influential Sci-Fi film never made, this documentary is a pleasure to behold and essential viewing for Sci-Fi geeks, film fans and lovers of art alike. 10 stars out of 10.

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

This documentary tells the story of director Alejandro Jodorowsky's unfinished masterpiece: his attempt to produce a film adaptation of Frank Herbert's sprawling science-fiction novel 'Dune' in the mid-1970s -- a project which was never completed, in part because it collapsed under the weight of the director's incredibly ambitious vision for the movie. It was to have been a larger-than-life epic, as grand as Stanley Kubrick's '2001.'

All that survives of Jodorowsky's 'Dune' are the script, storyboards, and concept artwork. Using these, combined with talking-heads interviews of those involved, the documentary tries to show us how the finished film would have looked.

What makes all this so captivating are the interviews with Jodorowsky himself, and his incredible passion as he recounts the tale of an unfinished project from 40 years ago. Entering into Jodorowsky's world is like falling into a visionary dream where anything and everything is possible. And as his vision progresses, it becomes more and more ambitious: Salvador Dalì, Mick Jagger, and Orson Welles agree to star. Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger will design the sets and costumes. Pink Floyd will provide the score. It's hard to imagine a more ambitious movie, considering the technical limitations of the time.

Yet, as the documentary shows, the ripples from this never-completed, ahead-of-its-time film spread out in many directions, inspiring different ideas that made their way into later films such as 'Star Wars' and 'Alien' -- and which continue to inspire filmmakers today.

I found that my public library has this BluRay edition of this 'movie'. There were zero online requests for it and the cover art looks interesting. So I snagged it.

And last night I popped the disc in. Quite a lot of the first part is just talking to set the stage and explain who Jodorowsky is and what kind of movies he made. As it moves along it gets more interesting as we are shown some of the drawings and the out-of-this-world concepts in this 'Dune' movie. That of course never got made.

This is a great program for dune-fan-atics. For me is was just of mild interest. I watched some, skipped forward some, and never watched it to its conclusion. I just wasn't that interested in a movie that never got made.