4 Things You Probably Didn’t Notice in Dune (2021)
The passion project of Denis Villeneuve, Dune is at theaters. As a big fan of the franchise, I couldn’t help but notice a few things in the movie that the newcomers to the series may not notice. Enjoy!
This piece contains major spoilers about Dune franchise, both movie and the books.
1) Multiple Figures of Matadors
At the beginning of the movie, some matador figures such as statues were shown. In the next movies there certainly will be some references to this, but here is the story:
Paulus Atreides aka the Old Duke, the father of Duke Leto was a matador. One day, while he was bullfighting to show off his people, he was betrayed and killed. Fun fact: Duncan Idaho was the one to notice this betrayal and then became Paul’s best friend. The bullhead in the movie is the head of the bull who killed Duke Leto I and it was considered sacred by Atreides and they use it wherever they go. Also, it was a motif for death. Every time it appears to remind the viewer that death is coming.
2) Muad’Dib
In the Fremen language, the name for the desert mouse is muad’dib. That’s also the name Paul Atreides takes after being accepted into the Fremen culture later in the first novel. Each chapter of Dune starts with a retrospective excerpt from future writings about Paul’s life, all of which refer to him as Muad’Dib.
The main reason behind Paul picking Muad’Dib as his Fremen name is the cultural and spiritual importance the desert mouse has on Arrakis. The muad’dib is viewed as a wise animal, able to endure the cruelty of the desert through nighttime action and the ability to create its own water. Even though he’s still a youngster, Paul has as of now confronted incredible difficulties in his day to day existence, with his world being torn separated after the consolidated powers of the Emperor and House Harkonnen killed his dad. In spite of being an aristocrat’s child, Paul has been prepared since early on to adapt — he’s a survivor, actually like the desert mouse. Paul picks the name after joining Stilgar’s Fremen clan, and he’s complimented thereafter for choosing a particularly powerful name as Muad’Dib.
Paul sees Muad’Dib three times in the movie.
The first time is in the past when he sees the projection of one on his filmbook. Next, he catches a glimpse of the desert mouse when he exits the tent with the sand compactor in the present. Lastly, near the end of the movie, he has a vision of the future with himself and Chani looking at Muad’dib in a nest inside a cavern.
3) Collective Mind of Bene Gesserit
The Bene Gesserit are a sisterhood of powerful women often referred to as “witches” due to their extraordinary powers. While the Bene Gesserit powers might seem supernatural, they are actually the fruit of years of intensive training. Each Bene Gesserit candidate pushes her body and mind to the limit in order to achieve a higher level of consciousness.
While the Bene Gesserit have many powerful tools at their disposal during Herbet’s book saga, the film focuses on just a couple of these powers to properly introduce them to newcomers. For example, the movie clarifies that the Bene Gesserit share some kind of collective consciousness, being able to access the knowledge of other members of the sisterhood. One indicate is that when something happens related to Bene Gesserit, you can hear women whispers from the background. It’s also shown that the Bene Gesserit are Truthsayers, capable of pointing out lies told by any person. It’s no wonder prominent political figures on the Imperium, such as the Padishah Emperor, keep the Bene Gesserit close by, using their powers to uncover their enemies.
4) Significance of Duel of Paul and Jamis
During Paul’s duel with Jamis, after Paul beats him, but does not kill him, three times in a row Stilgar asks to Lady Jessica: “Is he toying with him?”. Which is an amalgamation of two book lines: “Have an end to it, lad,” Stilgar muttered. “Don’t play with him.” and “The crowd in the cavern began to mutter. They think Paul’s toying with Jamis, Jessica thought. They think Paul’s being needlessly cruel.” This seems like such a minor line but such major implications. Beyond the reveal that this is Paul’s first kill. It shows the brutally stark way Fremen live, that Paul’s attempts at mercy are instead interpreted as something Paul did to torture Jamis . You immediately get a sense of how harsh a life these Fremen truly live.
Also, the person Paul fights being Jamis has a major importance too. This duel might seem confusing if you recall Paul’s visions throughout the film. In one of his dreams, Jamis appears to be Paul’s mentor and guide. In Paul’s visions he sees Jamis as a friend who is constantly smiling at him and showing him the way through the tunnels, but then when he meets him Jamis is an enemy who he must defeat. This vision shows two things, literal and metaphorical.
Literally, it shows that his visions are not always correct. He sees different possible futures and Paul being friends with Jamis is a possible alternative future. We also see one where Paul is killed by Jamis.
In the visions we also see Jamis showing Paul a path through the tunnels. Metaphorically, Jamis is showing Paul the path through his own prescience. I think after killing Jamis, Paul now understands how his prescience works and so Jamis actually did help him show the way. The tunnels we see Jamis guiding him through are the metaphorical tunnels of Paul’s mind.
