Book Review: The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two

Considered to be a seminal science fiction novel, Dune by Frank Hebert combines ecological issues, religious fanatism, and political manoeuvring into a family drama with an epic scope that one wonders what would have happened if David Lean actually got the opportunity to make the adaptation considering what he was able to achieve with Lawrence of Arabia.  Ridley Scott step aside after the death of his older brother and later decided to make the cinematic classic Blade Runner. However, the big screen did finally beckon with David Lynch and subsequently the small screen with John Harrison.  Following in their footsteps is Denis Villeneuve who made the creative choice to split the story into two blockbuster movies for Warner Bros. with the second half being the subject of The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two by Tayna Lapointe and Stefanie Broos on behalf of Insight Editions.  Making literary contributions are Villeneuve himself in a foreword and an introduction by the writing duo that expanded the world of the books Brian Herbert, the son of the late of author, and Kevin J. Anderson.  Lapointe has been given full access to the cast and crew because of her role as a producer and the readership benefits greatly as they are given an intimate perspective into what it takes to design, create and execute a monumental undertaking which has so many moving parts that have to come together into a unified whole.

The narrative is broken down from the development of the script to production to the final release with the real highlight is getting the chance to peruse the various concept art which illustrates how the design language came to be and laid the foundation for the final cinematic experience.  A great amount of detail went into visualizing everything from the Smuggler Harvester to Fadaykin warriors to the Brion Sanctuary.  Then there are the creative choices outside of the practical builds such as shooting the scenes on the House Harkonnen planet of Giedi Prime through the lens of infrared, thereby creating stark black-and-white imagery that reflects the harshness of the culture and environment.  Also, what does it actually take not only to ride a sandworm but assemble the jigsaw pieces together in a way that measures up and even surpasses the expectation of fans?  Storyboards were drawn, a separate camera unit was put together, rigs were constructed to emulate the creature, sand colour screens were assembled to ensure the proper bounce light, and lots of dust was produced by the special effects team.  What is a fascinating is being able to go deep into cave dwellings of the Fremen civilization and marvel at their ingenuity.  And it is cool to see how the ornithopter has transformed from a mechanical dragonfly into a heavy-duty bumblebee.

If you want to get extras included like digitally signed prints there is also the Collector’s Portfolio Edition.  Either way, The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two is an intriguing ride into the world of Desert Power through artisan eyes.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.