MIFF 2014 - Day 11

Are you tired of me complaining about MIFF flu? I'm definitely tired of it. Here's hoping it's gone tomorrow.

Jodorowsky's Dune

One of the great what-ifs of cinema. Back in 1975, Alejandro Jodorowsky had made El Topo and The Holy Mountain. When his producer asked him what he'd like to do next, he said Dune! He'd never read the novel, but friends had told him it was cool. From that moment, the future of science fiction cinema was being shaped. Jodorowsky gathered around him a group of talented artists to help define the look and feel of the movie. Moebius, Chris Foss and HR Giger were his concept artists. Dan O'Bannon was hired to manage the special effects. The four would later reconvene on a little film called Alien, and from there, they went on to other films, defining the look of science fiction cinema for decades. The story of how the film came together, only to fall apart just as production was about to commence, is both heartbreaking and altogether predictable. Jodorowsky's Dune was a film of incredible ambition, with effects that weren't successfully attempted until decades later in some cases. It's one of those things that you wish existed if only to see how close they could have come to the vision described. Jodorowsky's passion for the project continues, and you get to experience it through this film. And yes, he does comment on David Lynch's version, and it's a very smart comment.