Dune

"A world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination."

1984 2h 16m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 3,564

ActionScience FictionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the year 10,191, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe, the vast desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Its native inhabitants, the Fremen, have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah who would lead them to true freedom.

“A world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination.”

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Cast

Kyle MacLachlan
Paul Atreides
Francesca Annis
Lady Jessica
Patrick Stewart
Gurney Halleck
Linda Hunt
Shadout Mapes
José Ferrer
Padisha Emperor Shaddam IV
Freddie Jones
Thufir Hawat
Brad Dourif
Piter De Vries
Richard Jordan
Duncan Idaho

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Lynch
Writers: David Lynch, Richard Malzahn
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 79% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Lynch, shot by Freddie Francis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brian Eno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Antony Gibbs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kyle MacLachlan and Francesca Annis and Patrick Stewart carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0087182 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Lynch directs. Freddie Francis behind the camera. Brian Eno scores. Antony Gibbs cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 79% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
242 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by David Lynch, shot by Freddie Francis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Brian Eno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Antony Gibbs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kyle MacLachlan and Francesca Annis and Patrick Stewart carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination.".
8IMDB entry: tt0087182 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 41 themes, including "witch", "empire", "galaxy", "rebellion".
10Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Freddie Francis
Original score: Brian Eno
Editing: Antony Gibbs
Production design: Anthony Masters
Costume design: Bob Ringwood
Makeup / hair: Mirella De Rossi
Sound: Alan Splet
Stunt coordinator: Richard Humphreys
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $31,502,434
Return: 79% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Dune (1984)

Awards

Saturn Award for Best Costume

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

David Lynch

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522021-09-02
★ 6/10
I know this one has a decent fanbase (both of the novel and movie) but as someone who never read the novel, this first viewing, I found it to be... okay. I can appreciate some of the effects both practical and visual (for its time) but the story and characters never really grabbed me. I was never bored however wasn't engaged and thought, and perhaps this is how it was with the novel), the main character played by Kyle McLaghlan didn't seem to face much conflict outside of a knife-to-knife fight at the end with Sting, which was anti-climactic and underwhelming considering he already got his revenge on his father's murderer. Not sure I have much interest in coming back to this but have some interest to see what Denis Villeneuve does with his adaptation. 3.0/5
badelf2021-11-15
★ 8/10
I read Frank Herbert's book, Dune, when I was in high school and really don't remember it much except that it was great and a little scary. At that age, I probably didn't get the subtext message. I never saw any movies of it so I decided to watch both the 1984 Dune by David Lynch and the 2021 Denis Villeneuve version sequentially. I review Lynch's version here and both versions in my 2021 Dune review. This may not be a popular opinion: Lynch's version (this one) is brilliant and the Villeneuve Dune is absolute shit. Here's why: Are the character's in David Lynch's version kitschy and over the top? Yes! That's one reason it's so much better! It's Sci Fi, duh! You watch Marvel movies and suspend disbelief for super powers? All of Lynch's characters are downright gritty and believable within this particular surreal fantasy. By the end of the Lynch Dune, I had sympathy for nearly every character in the film. Even the villains caught my emotions. Paul Atreides character development was realistic and attractive. But here's the clincher: the screenplay. David Lynch gave us a complete story. Sadly, he didn't have the final cut and disowned his film when the critics panned it. Despite the fact that Lynch is a true artist and genius, the studio took 45 minutes out of the film. 45 minutes! I would LOVE to see the original cut! Even ruined by the studio, even 40 years later, Lynch's film has a clear vision and carries the timeless message that Frank Herbert intended. I can't say that for the Villeneuve version. Do yourself a favor and see David Lynch's version.
Filipe Manuel Neto2022-10-17
★ 1/10
It deserves to be forgotten. I don't read the book on which this film is based, I've never seen it for sale, I have doubts if it will exist in Portuguese bookstores. I'm not particularly fond of fiction set in space, but I recognize the quality when I see it. And I didn't see any quality in this film. The script is totally idiotic: we have an evil galactic empire (someone has been watching “Star Wars” too much), ruled by a tyrant (really original) and a war of resistance in which there is a hero fighting for democracy and freedom on a sandy and inhospitable planet. The problem is that this planet is the only one where it is possible to cultivate a kind of hallucinogenic drug that is vital in the economy and functioning of that empire. Films directed by David Lynch are not to everyone's taste, and although I liked what he did in other works ("Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Dr." are, for me, the director's best works), I don't think he was cut out for making sci-fi movies. He has a very visual and stylized style as a director, and mixing that with special effects, a bizarre setting and an even stranger story was a bad marriage. I also have my doubts regarding the collaboration of Dino de Laurentiis… with very rare exceptions, I didn't really like the films in which this director was involved… at least the ones I've seen so far. Even so, I have no doubt that the potential of the project and the union of efforts of these two names allowed access to a good budget and attracted actors to the cast. However, Lynch doesn't seem comfortable with the material and, aside from some very visual scenes where his signature is present, he doesn't give us much more and isn't able to direct the cast in the best way. I think the director himself is aware of this. Moreover, the weak critical reception and the bad box office results helped to bury the project, which today is conveniently forgotten. The cast is, in general, quite weak, especially considering the budget involved and the names of the director and producers. Sting, the rock singer, appears in the project, but he's not an actor, and he never gives us a real interpretation: he just says what he needs and shows off. The scene where he appears almost without clothes is, to say the least, idiotic. Patrick Stewart and Max Von Sydow are totally out of the limelight and given minor characters in a movie where they could have possibly done more. Virginia Madsen is ineffective and doesn't convince us, Kyle MacLachlan was a casting mistake, and all other actors settle for mediocrity. The film has stylized cinematography and many gimmicks, which would have worked better if the film itself weren't already too unrealistic and imaginative. The visual and special effects don't always work well, and the sets and costumes are, to say the least, of questionable taste. The soundtrack is quite epic, but given the general lack of quality, it sounds too pompous for the movie that it is.