Since the great interview that Denis Villeneuve gave to Press before the world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Dune took the poster in Europe by rallying public and critics. In France alone, 2.5 million spectators flocked to theaters in one month. As this new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel, whose headliners are Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and a few others, is finally getting ready to hit the big screens in Quebec, we invite you to offer new portions of our conversation with the Quebec filmmaker.
A film that looks like him
« Ce film m’a mis en contact avec une partie de moi-même qui avait envie d’exister depuis très longtemps. On fait du cinéma avec tout son être et il y avait en moi cet adolescent qui ne s’était pratiquement jamais exprimé. Face à certaines images, je vis avec une joie profonde une émotion que je ne pensais jamais ressentir. J’ai commencé à m’intéresser au cinéma grâce à des films américains populaires et j’ai eu l’impression de renouer avec amour-là. En partant à Los Angeles après Incendies, un film qui m’est aussi très proche, je craignais de m’égarer un peu mais c’est comme si, grâce à Dune, j’étais revenu au plus près de mon identité. »
Un alter ego prénommé Paul…
PHOTO FOURNIE PAR WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Josh Brolin et Timothée Chalamet dans Dune
« Paul [Atréides, le jeune héros du roman de Frank Herber] is a young intellectual in crisis who makes peace with his identity by coming into contact with another culture. That’s what struck me when I read the book as a teenager. I was fascinated by the way Frank Herbert explores the genetic weight of the past, the unconscious inner voices that hinder your freedom. There were things there that touched me without my being able to name them, which I then began to understand through my own experiences. This reading is one of the highlights of my life. Fires is another, thanks to this contact with Wajdi Mouawad. Exploring his thinking has been very educational. Ingmar Bergman also influenced me a lot and helped me understand the challenges of humanity. Same thing with Dune and that’s what I find great. I fully embrace the idea of a popular film that can reach people of all ages, both teens and older viewers. So, yes, I see Paul as an alter ego! ”
Get as close as possible to emotions
“This is the most difficult aspect to master. I learn from film to film. You have to find the right measure, in a cinematographic language where you try to create something a little avant-garde, but which is also rooted in a certain familiarity. People have to come together. I must say that I go on instinct. You can feel it during the shoot when the desired emotion is there or not. I don’t go after the actors, but I can sometimes do 25 takes of the same scene. ”
A novel deemed unsuitable
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Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Timothée Chalamet in Dune
“The first thing was to decide to make the film in two parts [la deuxième partie n’est pas encore tournée]. You can’t condense such a novel into a single feature film without breaking your nose. Eric roth [coscénariste avec Jon Spaihts et le cinéaste] then had the task of figuring out how to tell this story from the point of view of women. Lady Jessica [Rebecca Ferguson] is behind the whole dramatic arc of the story of Dune. Some really strong ideas flow from the order of Bene Gesserit, of which she is a part. It gives rise to a discourse on religion, on colonialism, on the condition of women, on the relationship to time, in short, all of this is so powerful that we had to put it all in the foreground. The story of the film revolves around the relationship between Paul [Timothée Chalamet] and his mother. This was our starting point. We also quickly came to an understanding about the interiority of the characters, which had to be evoked other than with voice-overs. ”
A musical track in symbiosis with the images
“Hans [Zimmer, le compositeur], who understands the novel perfectly well, has managed to evoke the descriptions and the inner thoughts of the characters thanks to its musical framework. There was in him a deep desire to offer something new, completely in symbiosis with the images. He knew how to create sacred moments. And then we also used close-ups. The staging is also articulated around extreme contrasts between the great spaces and the intimate thoughts of the characters. ”
A completely assumed film
PHOTO JOEL C RYAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Javier Bardem, Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgård, Chang Chen, Oscar Isaac, Sharon Duncan Brewster, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista and Josh Brolin accompanied Denis Villeneuve to the Venice Film Festival, where the grand premiere of Dune.
“After working on the postproduction of this film, the longest I have ever done, I would say that I am at peace today. I love it deeply, but a film is also made of moments of pain and anger, of a succession of happiness and failure. In the case of Dune, I feel a joy like I have rarely known. Whatever happens, I take full responsibility for this film! ”
Read “Denis Villeneuve frankly” Read our review at the time of the presentation at the Venice Film Festival
Dune – Part One (Dune – Part 1 in French version) premieres on October 22.