@@DanielEzraMusicFacts. It’s so powerful, because in that moment, he knows what he’s about to unleash. He has made the decision to let billions die, including his friends. Because it must be done.
2 points: - Léa Seydoux is an Actress with a capital 'A'. With only ~4 min of screen time [1], she makes every single tonal inflection, body movement, and her sheer screen presence count. - The encounter between Margot and F.R. is definitely the most sensual scene Villeneuve has shot. It would be perfect as a gonzo high-end perfume or fashion campaign ad/short film. *Footnote* [1] I've seen the film 5 times now, so I definitely counted!
The silence between Paul and Feyd in their fight was sublime, It really brought home the tension, Same thing with Batman fighting bane in the Dark Knight Returns
I love soundtracks and listen to them more than any other type of music, but nothing can be more powerful than letting the natural sounds speak for themselves in the right moments.
The phrase “show…don’t tell” gets tossed around screenwriting groups and filmmaking classes often, but few understand the emotional power unleashed when an audience *watches* the truth of the story and of the characters unfold as actions and activity rather than having to listen to words spoken about the things which never get filmed. It takes a lot more planning to build a primarily visual story, but watching movement play out on screen is the thing that moves (emotionally speaking) an audience. It hits them in the gut and that’s what people remember most.
The moment I loved the most in the film was when Paul convinces all the tribes to follow him. And he does it with words. Words are essential in my opinion. I would have provably liked the film better if it had more dialogs.
@@Ignasimp Well placed (and phrased) words are certainly and essential part of the magic, but they are usually most effective set in contrast to the action rather than the words having to carry too much of the story.
The idea actions and activity are somehow inherently more emotionally engaging than dialogue fits the theme of this video, but isn’t true whatsoever in writing or cinema. Nor are action and dialogue separate elements, that’s a false dichotomy. “Show don’t tell” (IE summary v. scene) is the most common and basic rules of writing (meaning great writers break it all the time) but it refers to narrative exposition, not characters talking. _We had a terrible fight_ is summary, hearing the argument is scene. Even though it’s all “talking” it’s still action. Villeneuve’s style deserves study and appreciation, but we don’t need to pretend it’s the best or only way. Try writing banter sometime and tell me it takes a lot more planning to tell a visual story. 😆
@@IgnasimpTrue. that scene was one of the most powerful ones in the movie. But also entirely by design since its the moment that we have been waiting for since the first movie. But you are right. The words are whats powerful here, delivered really well. But you can also think that maybe the sudden burst of prophetic words shocks us that extra just because the rest of the movie is concentrated with such visual and non verbal storytelling and a ”show don’t tell” philosophy. Perhaps the weight of the words in that scene are heavier because of it.
It's crazy and amazing how Deni gets better and better with every new film. Deni is a true genius at world building. Fraser has also improved again, the composition of his shots are visually stunning in every scene. Like I love how he used a infrared camera for Giedi Prime. I think they both cement their status with Dune as legends in the film world through their outstanding work.
That transition of the Bene-Gesserit robes from black to white in one take was stunning and was a great way of explaining what was going on visually to the viewer. So much attention to detail.
@@NainGeantMiniatureThat transition made me sit right up in my chair! My brain was just going Holyshitholyshitholyshit, what the hell is happening?? This film just set a new standard for epic filmmaking in all departments.
he's talked about his progression as a film maker. He's talked about how he only takes on a project that he feels he is capable of and he won't take something that would be beyond what he believes he can handle. He used the example that he wouldn't have attempted Dune before Arrival because he didn't believe he had the technical skills, but Arrival, then 2049 helped him learn them so he dove in on Dune. Even DP2 he said he took what he learned on DP1 and pushed further.
The sandworm scene is just brilliant. The sound design of the sand running over paul like waves makes the audience actually feel like theyre there on the worm bouncing along the dunes, like Greg mentioned. Just genius
Denis has talked about his story boarding process and explained that he sees images for every shot before anything else. He's not hearing dialog or tone, he's seeing a frame. He takes every script, creates a thorough storyboard (with the help of a longtime collaborator artist) and during the process the movie evolves. So he then rewrites the script to line up with the storyboard. His saying is that "the storyboard precedes the script, and nature precedes the storyboard". In other words, only at-the-moment inspiration will cause him to deviate from the storyboard. Pretty interesting approach and it permeates his movies.
From the first shot of the movie showing the Harkonnen soldiers descend on the sand dunes with the bright orange-red haze in the background I was like "Oh this is not a movie! I am literally in another world right now and nothing is gonna pull me out!"
The ending of Dune 2 hits hard. The bombardment of visuals, sound, emotions, terrific acting and plot all condensed into the last 20 minutes of the film. I've seen it a few times and the audience has always stayed for a while when the credits started to roll.
I laughed out loud in the theater at the VERY overt sexual tension between Feyd and Lady Fenring when she leads him into her room she says "put your hand in the box" - what a euphemism! I also liked how that scene was a perverted reflection of Paul and the Reverend Mother in the first film, where that scene showcased the authoritativeness of the Bene Gesserit, and the scene with Feyd and Margot showcased the sexual power of the Bene Gesserit. Cool stuff.
My tongue was about to loll out of my mouth when I watched it the first time! That scene is definitely the most sensual throughout D.V.'s career and, with some minor retooling, can work as a gonzo luxury perfume or fashion campaign ad!
Its infinitely scarier than "Kill them all" because of the genuine belief that they're helping people by killing them. Herbert did say he took inspiration from Jonestown
I absolutely agree that a filmmaker should start from the point that dialogue should be as minimal as possible, and I'd add to that that a take should be as long as possible. No unnecessary words, no unnecessary cuts. Tell the story visually and let it flow!
A great way to explain this using one filmmaker doing it really well, and really poorly is Nolan. The Hong Kong sequence in TDK is perfect action, but then you have the rooftop fight in TDKR that has terrible choreography that can't be saved by the quick cuts. Nolan's weakest moments on film are his hand to hand combat scenes. I don't know if he just doesn't understand how to shoot it, or if he doesn't put the time in to make the choreography believable.
I mean minimal dialogue is just one way to make a movie and to act like it is inherently better than lots of dialogue is dumb. Take The Social Network for example, that is a great movie that has a lot of fast dialogue and doesn’t have particularly long takes.
@78TBGAMER yeah totally get that. There's definitely a place for dialogue heavy film and TV. My personal preference and challenge is to tell a story with as little exposition and dialogue as possible, using the image and sound to create mood and elicit an emotional response. I've come to the same place recently in terms of the image, where I start with complete darkness and add only the necessary light to create the mood I want. There's something appealing about the purity of starting with nothing and telling an emotional story with as little as possible added.
@@adventurefilmclub2549 I think that it’s fine to have minimal dialogue, and to have no wasted moments in a script. Under the Skin is a fantastic movie if you haven’t seen it, and it has zero wasted moments. My personal approach though is that everything should be done with the intent of telling the story in the best way possible. I think it can be fun to challenge yourself to be as minimal with dialogue as possible as an exercise, but giving yourself that challenge means you aren’t challenging yourself to write the best story possible. Because sometimes the best way to tell a particular story involves heavy dialogue. I just feel like focusing on trying to tell a story in a particular way can be limiting, and can lead people to write worse stories. Like I personally feel like Dune Part 2 was a bit of a let down. The best example of why is Chani and Paul’s relationship. I felt like they didn’t have a ton of natural chemistry, and since there was so little dialogue between them to build the stakes of their relationship, I found myself not very invested in their relationship. So when Paul betrays her, I didn’t really care.
I remember someone asked me how was Blade runner 2049, when i saw it in Cinema, and I remember telling that more than entertaimment, it is an experience, story telling at its best, the visuals the world created just takes you in as if you are there, same goes for Dune 2, and there are hardly any films that I could say the same for. So we are lucky to be experiencing such films 🙂.
That's how I'd describe most of his movies since polytechnic onward. I remember going to see that in cinema simply on the strength of the word to mouth at the time (which was incredible). Incendie felt similar. Pretty much every Villeneuve movie I'd describe as an experience. It's the common thread in his cinema ever since he took a hiatus after his first two movies left him dissatisfied. Something changed in the man and he started making different kinds of movies.
I saw Blade Runner 2049 3 times in the cinema. It is an EXPERIENCE. The commitment to realism due to his documentary roots, like Roger Deakins, just made it so effing great.
@@NainGeantMiniature He said in several interviews early in his Hollywood career that he felt his first two films were shallow, and he was unhappy with his storytelling style. He needed to work on finding his voice. He was also super uncomfortable with the rate he was pressuring himself to make films. He took 9 years off from filmmaking work to spend time in theatres learning how to work with actors, learning how to write better. and just listening better. When I read about that, my respect for him just shot to the skies. Yet he still remains humble and uncomfortable with some parts of Dune Part 2 (watch his Vanity Fair breakdown of the worm ride, at the end of the video). The man does not let ego get in the way of the final product.
I love that whole sand worm scene. It was so cool i literally jumped out of my seat in the theater it felt so sick and imersive and real and the sounds were just amazing
So true about Sicario - everything I remember is in the visuals and the anxious tension. Loved Dune 2 - it was was such an experience watching it - felt like a kid watching Star Wars for the first time again - not that they that comparable - just that captivating magical cinema experience! I loved how grounded the cinematography was in this, you are right there on the ground with the characters - the sense of scale was overwhelming. No horrible crazy CGI cameras flying all over the place. Great vid as always and loving your warm practical era.
Sicario is possibly my favourite film of all time. It’s the visuals with the music, and the subtle dialogue, that creates a massive sense of foreboding throughout.
It's interesting that you mention Star Wars because I think there's more to a good movie than just visual vs dialogue and the Star Wars movies kinda make that point. For me the best of the movies was the first one released, Star Wars 4: A New Hope. The dialogue was a bit cheesy at times but they pull it off, and the visuals were actually pretty good for that time period, with a few shots standing out in my memory but not a lot. Then we compare it to Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace. The dialogue was still a bit cheesy but the actors still pull it off, largely thanks to Liam Nelson.The visuals however were quite incredible and mind-blowing for that time period (we've come to take such for granted nowadays) So if the visuals were so great compared to SW4, why do I like SW4 so much more? It certainly wasn't the dialogue.For me, it comes down to the 'heart' of the story. Those visuals in SW1 were beautiful, but the movie never touched my heart. I never felt any compassion or empathy to young Anikin Skywalker - and I really should have. It was something I needed to feel, but it was completely lacking. Cheesy dialogue and so-so visuals aside, SW4 had heart in abundance. It 'connected'. The actors are a very important component in the movie making process. The wrong actor in the wrong part can kill a movie. The right actor in the right part can make cinema gold. For example: Iron Man. RDJ will always be remembered for this role, but it almost went to Tom Cruise. No shade to Mr. Cruise, he's a great actor, but I cannot imagine him as Iron Man.The movies would have been very different, even if the shots and dialogue had remained the same. --just a thought to throw into the mix!
I feel like the Denis Villeneuve+Greig Fraser+Hans Zimmer trio brought back the magic & wonder of Cinema for me, someone who hasn’t enjoyed going to the theatre in YEARS.
You're right in saying that watching Dune: Part 2 was like being in this dream. All of his films are like that - Denis Villeneuve's films are all home for me. I remember the feelings and the visuals deeply (haha Denis' favourite word) imprinted in my brain. Your favourite is Sicario, mine is Arrival. The flash forward sequences and some of the shots when Louise was out in the field gives this indescribable feeling every time. I gotta say, Joe Walker's editing also makes all the difference in Denis' films: Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune films. There's a rhythm to it that also makes these visuals resonate. I've had people say Dune Part 2 was too fast, but for me it was just right, if you look at the trajectory of Paul's journey from Part 1 to Part 2. The worm ride was CHEF'S KISS. Seeing it come to life after reading that dense book decades ago in college was a fucking fever dream come true. I've watched Dune Part 2 5 times already on IMAX and I still cannot get enough of it. Even Hans Zimmer's score hit home for me this time (I'm not a huge fan of him) - it's JUST FUCKING RIGHT.
people have been dumbed down, I don't understand any complaints about editing or pacing, it was just right - nothing felt out of place, not too slow or too fast.
The difference between an auteur and someone who makes "big movies" is to imagine what Dune would have been in the hands of a guy like Joss Whedon. Imagine all the unnecessary talking and banter he would add to almost every scene. He would never give a scene time to breath and he would kill any tension with a pointless snarky quip. Thankfully we have Denis who understands film is a visual medium first and foremost, not a vehicle for sitcom-esque constant dialogue.
Even the dialogue from Terminator " I'll be back " works better because of the visual storytelling that happens before and after that dialogue. The dialogue was iconic not because of the dialogue alone but because of the way it built to that moment
Dune book: a lot of mental scheming and analyzing by the characters. More internal dialogue than external. Dune movies: Filmed by a director that insists on limiting dialogue to a minimum and showing story mainly through expressions and imagery. What a fucking great combo
In a world of bland assembly line Blockbusters people have forgotten that films can be both crowd-pleasing and works of art. Dune has proven that a strong vision by a talented team of artists can produce a masterpiece with mass appeal.
“I hate dialogue” He proceeds to write some of the most memorable lines in movie history in this film I’ve been adding a few to the IMDB memorable quotes section 😁
I thought it was a value for the script because you really care and every line is so important to a scene rather than you try to explain anything by that lines rather than by images or how a scene it tell you.
@@impatrickt even you didnt remember two of those iconic lines for me, "lead them to paradise" and "may thy knife chip and shatter"? There's so much iconic lines in these two parts dune movies.
Totally, a great analysis. I think too, that being in the place for the shots creates so much connection with the scene, the movie, and the purpose of the shot. Making the whole action, for the actors, for the crew a much more immersive situation that contributes to the scene, and the movie in general. Be there, it's a real situation for everyone. It's the natural environment for all to be with.
It's one of the most frustrating things for a cinema fan to sit through unnecessary exposition. Yes there are times when things have to be explained in dialogue, but if the director can show the thing - it's much more powerful
It's not CGI! Often, when 'it's not CGI,' it is actually a real effect/model with CGI enhancement. (even if it's just enhancing the background, adding elements to the scene, or fixing small details, there's CGI.) There's been some excellent videos on this, worth checking out.
yeah you can Denis loves David Leans work too because he said the same thing. Which is why Denis goes for cinematographers like Deakins, Fraser, and Bradford Young in the way David worked with Freddie Young. Cinematographers that are great with conveying an emotional response with a camera. Its such beautiful work. Its the way like to shoot as well.
Denis is so right about dialogue. The scenes I remember from every Nolan film is the image. Same counts for every Denis film. Same counts for the Batman (2022). Same counts for Top Gun Maverick. Same counts for the Creator. Images stick most of the time. Dialogue almost never (sometimes it does but it’s rare). The only dialogue that actually impressed me is in the Dark Knight: “You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain”. I can name about 20 strong images of the top of my head: Top Gun Maverick: - Mav standing outside of the bar looking at Rooster playing Great Balls of fire - Rooster’s helmet zoom in after Mav is shot down - Mav seeing Rooster get shot down The Batman (2022) - Batman and Catwomen standing on a highrise construction building at sunrise The Dark Knight - Batman standing at the place where Harvey Dent was burned whilst firemen are cleaning it up The Dark Knight Rises - Batman’s statue unveiling Tenet The protagonist standing with his helmet by his side whilst entering the turnstyle before the final scene in stalsk-12 on the ship Dune - Gurney and the Atreides watching their ships get blown up whilst being invaded by Harkonnen and Saudakar Dune Part Two - Harkonnen at the top of a mountain during the eclipse - Paul becoming the messiah in the cave I have shared this view with Denis ever since I fell in love with cinema in 2017. He gets it.
Several times watching it "How the fuck did he look in my mind and see what I saw" particularly in the Water of Life scenes of both Jessica and Paul. It's amazing.
Less dialogue means you aren't sitting there TELLING your audience what to think and feel - you are giving them the autonomy to have their own unique experience.
The Nuke in Oppenheimer look small. I know it's not small but compare the real one, it is. We have real footage of trinity test. The explosion in film might work better if we never seen the real footage.
Have you read the books? If so, you will definitely enjoy it, but maybe feel it didn’t live up to the massive praise everyone seemed to give it as the book is so dense they had no choice but to not include a lot of rich detail. If you haven’t read the book, you’ll love now that the second one is out. The only flaw of film 1 is it ends half way through a story, but you can just see part 2 straight away now
The Oppenheimer nuke was honestly really disappointing. Nukes don't look like a gasoline fueled fireball, and portraying it as such really made it seem... meh. Everything else was really cool, but Nolan DID use CGI for some scenes, so it would have been super easy to just allocate the budget to get a much nicer looking nuke explosion. The atomics scene in Dune 2 looked like a much better nuke explosion.
@@impatrickt to each their own I guess, but for a movie that spends hours building to the single detonation of an atom bomb, it just looked like someone slowmo'd a pyrotechnic. He had the budget to make a better, more realistic looking explosion, but chose not to just to say there was no full CGI shot? Seems silly.
I love Sicario. I watch it multiple times a year. I thought Dune 2 was great, but it didn't stick with me much past the next day or two. It's leagues above most of the current block busters but I didn't think it was the second coming.
I agree. Dune 2 is slightly overhyped, but deserves attention because finally there is an antithesis to CGI fest that is Marvel flicks (i love some of them, but they created a trend with CGI and superhero stuff). So, people are fatigued and oversaturated. Besides, there is going to be another Nolan like cult director and it is Villeneuve. Dune 2 is deeply flawed, relies heavily on set pieces, giving little to no character development. With dune specifically, Villeneuve couldnt overcome his ego of making "pure" movies. But with Dune one needs exposition, some info dumb (which should have been Part 1).
Agree. Villeneuve is a breath of fresh air in the mainstream, a director that truly cares about art and quality not being boring and anal at the same time (like Nolan). Having said that Dune 2 didn't stick with me anywhere near the first installment did, not to mention Sicario and early Villeneuve work like Incendies.
They must ride until the worm is too tired to go on and bother with its passengers, so I imagined this back when there was only the book, they let go of the hooks and the tired worm then slowly plunge into the sand gently leaving our riders on ground level. If I remember well, Fremens calculate long distances by the number of worm rides they must take for the journey.
The problem with Nolans "nuke" for me is that... It just felt so tiny. The gas station explosion in the first Robocop had a much bigger feeling explosion. And that was a gas station. Not a Kiloton nuke. The Beirut fertilizer explosion looked more like a nuke than the "Trinity" nuke. Heck. The best one I can think of, apart from the real test footage from Lawrence Livermore Labs UA-cam Channel, is the CG nuke in Twin Peaks The Return ep 8. So. I am sorry. But you are the wrong one there, I type in a youtube comment using a jovial tone. :P
Yes, I love the visual art of his. It is breathtaking. It is sometimes better to draw you into the story by what you see than what you hear. But I did miss the right meaningful words. Because those words talk to my other part of my brain. I guess the best would be a skillful mix. I liked his Blade Runner much more than the Dune 2. But it might be also the story that clicked more than the Dune 2.
I think it could have been taken further in some ways, specifically the scene where Paul rides the sandworm. A few times it cuts back to the fremen watching and dropping 1 liners, I feel it would be better served with just a multi-minute no dialogue scene from Paul's perspective. The main example is Paul hitting the sand and not making the distinctive thumping sound that indicates where a thumper should be placed. It cuts to Chani saying "lower" before Paul moves down the dune a bit and tries again, this time making the sound. IMO it would have worked better if it just showed his attempts without interruption, you still know what's going on because the thumping sounds have been established so the cutting just breaks the flow for me.
The irony, of course, is that scaling back the dialogue in this film makes the choice lines far more memorable. These days, too many writers want to be Tarantino or Sorkin and try to cram every memorable or clever quip and exchange and imaginary argument where they always win into their scripts. This can make a scene feel overstuffed and has almost a numbing affect, if every line is clever...no line is clever. On top of that, I think Denis cares very much about the dialogue. Like the Bene Gesserit Sisters, he chooses every word very carefully, and he understands that an innocuous-seeming line on the page can have great power when delivered with the right intention. We all love to talk about Denis' technical knowledge and mastery, but I don't think he gets enough credit for his love and understanding of actors. Because he talks about the necessity of performance constantly in interviews!
6:23 nah ur spot on... idgaf if its cringe... it legit felt like i was sent into withdrawals from being pulled out of the immersion when i realized the movie had ended. it is fucking BURNED in my brain and i cant stop thinking about it lol
I get what you're trying to say and I'm sorry but, if Sicario is one of your favorite movies, how do you not remember, "...... you went up the wrong tunnel... you saw things you weren't supposed to see" or "Time to meet God". Funnily enough, "you went up the wrong tunnel" was improved because Brolin forgot his line.
One of the main rules in filmmaking is "show don't tell". This is especially relevant in cases where filmmakers sometimes resort to using dialogue to forward the story using exposition. Such a choice can sound forced, when characters are literally telling the audience what will - or may - happen next. Dialogue is important. But, movies - compared to books, etc. - are a visual medium. As such, good filmmakers lean on this feature. Another great movie that doesn't have a whole lot of dialogue is Blade Runner. So many of the most powerful moments in Blade Runner are visual. The final scene in particular. I prefer the Final Cut, because the voiceover was removed. To me, the final scene with Roy Batty and Deckard was more powerful because there was no voiceover. After Batty says, "Time to die", they cut to Deckard. Without the voiceover, I saw compassion in Deckard's face. That is what stood out to me. The voiceover was distracting and took away from that moment, in my opinion. Anyway. Great commentary as usual. Thank you.
Not even just film. The same goes for pretty much all storytelling. Show dont tell is the reason Malazan is such an incredible series of books. I wish Villeneuve was into fantasy enough to adapt Malazan into a TV series, cause I feel like hes the only person who could do it justice. So many authors stumble by simply explaining shit to the reader in infodumps or directly mentioning things the characters already know.
About a week after seeing Dune Part 2 I had a really intense and vivid dream that I was on Arrakis scouting the deep south for a place to hide from the Harkonnens. As someone who wants to make great films, that dream and that feeling is inspiring.
I love how the segments that have his face are color graded to the style of dune in imax-like proportions 😭. Just makes it so much more cinematic of a video.
I must say that the Oppenheimer nuke was a little bit dissapointing for me, I have studied and looked at a lot of Nuclear explosions and the Gas explosions just didnt look right for me. You could see the lack of "scale".
Have you ever thought it’s because you’ve looked up nuclear explosions before? I don’t think that’s common. I actually watched the real tests after Oppenheimer and thought he nailed it.
@@impatrickt Yeah its definetely because of my expectations being warped by extensive watching of nuclear explosions. It was a case of high expectations not being personally satisfied completely
Back when Colin Trevorrow left Star Wars Episode IX in 2017, I told friends that I thought Denis should get the job. And this feels like a little bit of vindication: George Lucas has said in the past that the Star Wars films work best as pictures and music, without dialogue, communicating emotional intent and grand scope. And it feels like Denis does this - and Christopher Nolan, despite his love of words.
Something Dun has that marvel or DC doesn’t is real weight in the film. Every fight in a marvel movie is so full of video game graphics nothing feels real, but Dune really felt like we were in another universe of film
I don't know why, but Dune reminds me of The English Patient. I mean obviously without mentioning the common denominator; sand. There is just something about the vibe of both movies that match, for me.
I feel you. (Despite not even seeing Part II... Cause I felt that after seeing Part I.) One random thought that came to my mind: what do you 'feel' about Xavier Dolan's movies and filmography in general? I'm mostly thinking about 'Mommy' and ' Laurence Anyways'. I don't know if you know his works well or even if you know him well, but I am assuming you do. I love your videos' aesthetics and 'conversations' on movie-making art. Please keep posting them!
Yeah he’s a great visual director. I think the scripts are lacking and I don’t typically get much narratively from his films but the visuals are fantastic.
Musicbed is the only service of its kind that lets you search by Key. Literally smacked my forehead when I found out and wondered WHY no other service has done this. It saves me hours when I'm trying to blend tracks to play around with dynamics. Also RE: Denis- he was adamant in the same way with Arrival (my fav movie) he said if it can be done without CGI we're doing it. The iconic upside down silhouette shot in the spacecraft, I was gobsmacked when I found out Denis had the entire interior constructed to scale. And it really has an impact as a result. (Hope they bring it back to cinema in 2 years time for the 10 year anniversary) Holy heck this is the longest YT comment I've ever left ☠️
Arrival is my favourite Denis movie, too. That film is a lightning in a bottle type of production - family comedy producers, horror screenwriter, French-Canadian dude who's only done drama, Amy Adams in Enchanted and American Hustle and freaking Hawkeye and the King of Scotland, what the what?? That film really paved a way for Denis to Dune. The adaptation from Ted Chiang's short story to the film is just insane. AND THE EDITING, TOO!
@flodobaggins 100% it paved the way! Nice to meet a fellow Arrival fan. It certainly was an unlikely collective that came together to make the movie, but under Denis' vision and Bradford Young's cinematography it's (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful stories ever put on screen.
Chris Nolan is like this, too. Neither of them is afraid to lean on VFX when the situation calls for it, but because they're not usually building everything in the movie from the ground up without any reference, the VFX teams are able to focus much more narrowly on really important moments that sell the scene. Dune Part II was the first time in quite a while where I was never thinking about VFX during the movie--I was just too immersed.
@@Crazy_Diamond_75 100% ! I watched BTS for Interstellar and was equally as amazed when the Millers Planet scenes were just shot in the North Atlantic Ocean 😂
I think I'm wired the polar opposite way of Villeneuve, although no disrespect whatsoever; just talking in terms of my personal tastes. When he wrote this: >> [...] Dialogue is for theatre and television. I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I’m not interested in dialogue at all. [...] It's like I encountered someone with the polar opposite brain from mine (in a cool way, mind you; I want to become best friends to explore our differences). My favorite director of all time so far is Tarantino, for example, who places maximum focus on dialogue and the way I remember his films is through the dialogue first and foremost (and my favorite Tarantino film is The Hateful Eight which is probably the most dialogue-heavy of all of his films). I think of films like "visual and auditory books"; I have a better memory for literature and the medium of words than illustrations, so I love dialogue and I even love films that feature copious amounts of voiceover like Million Dollar Baby, Sin City, and the original Lynch version of Dune. I think of it like visuals augmenting dialogue and narration, not visuals being the primary mode of storytelling. Visuals don't tend to connect me to the characters (unless the visual body language of a character does so much work by the most skillful of actors) as deeply as dialogue and inner reflections. I had a similar difficulty appreciating Zack Snyder's films as I did with Villeneuve's with the exception of Watchmen. Zack Snyder also seems to be a most visually-oriented director who probably doesn't care that much about dialogue, and lots of people love Zack Snyder and I have no qualms about that whatsoever, but I'm definitely outside of his target demographic as one who enjoys the bulk of the storytelling being communicated to me verbally rather than through visuals. As for my favorite line of dialogue, I have so many. To try to constrain them to sci-fi to fit the discussion of Dune, one of them is Captain Picard's speech in TNG: >> It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life. I find that really interesting philosophically because it's contrary to act consequentialism but I subscribe to probabilistic consequentialism. For example, calling all-in from the big blinds to a shove in no-limit Texas Hold Em is always the best move, even when you lose the pot to an unlucky draw. It's still the best possible decision anyone can make in this situation because we can't perfectly foresee the future and repeatedly putting ourselves in this situation over and over will make us rich since we're putting money in the pot when the odds are stacked in favor of us given what we can possibly know. So it's not the actual consequences that make a decision the best possible decision, but the probabilistic consequences (the odds of a good vs. bad result) given what we know vs. don't know that make a decision good or bad: the right move or a mistake. My favorite quotes are often like this; they have me thinking about them for a very long time and revising and revising the way I interpret them over years.
Disagree. Fetal Alia talking to Jessica was brilliant, and combined with the brief time we had with adult Alia in Paul’s vision, was probably better than a 3-4 year old child actor could be. One can never known, but I think Villenueve is justified for not wanting to put so much narrative pressure on a 3-4 year old actor. Even worse if they had to cgi it. Paul killing the Baron is a great scene. As for Chani, idk Chani in the books is fine but she doesn’t really do much and I find her quite forgettable, and this is from someone who has read the book multiple times. I think Villenueve’s Chani feels like a fully fleshed out character, and her being the only Fremen to not see Paul as a messiah made sense, as she loved him for who he was as just a normal person, and arguably knew him best. She does come off as wrong by the end of the movie, but her motives are perfectly understandable.
Good video. Sometimes less is more. Minimalist, sparse, when there's not a lot of clutter, what does get shown stands out. I have been beating the drum for a long time now that one of the great American novelists is Elmore Leonard. And I love his prose for some of the same reasons. Less is more. Sure, I can appreciate Aaron Sorkin, but nobody really talks like that in real life. Okay, maybe 1 in a million people do.
I hate when movies have some character do exposition and explain backstory, etc. It never flows. I always feel like the director thinks we’re too stupid to figure out. I’m so glad it’s not just me.
Pls tell me how to get the tiny sweatshirt for le dog. I have a dog that looks like yours but slightly more mentally unstable and i need the kirkland sweatshirt pls.
when you read a book you get to use the words to build the world you see. when you watch a film you should be allowed to build the world too. denis knows that only needed dialogue allows that to happen. sicario is amazing because it builds the world visually for you and the dialogue is more of what you would expect to hear just observing that world around you. you remember the end scene staring into benicios eyes, you dont need to remember what he says because you have witnessed the culmination of the story, not the actor.
My favourite line is when Paul says "Green Paradise" to Stilgar in the speech. Look at it from Stilgar's perspective. He tells Jessica at the water well at the start of the film: "The lisan al gaib will bring back trees, a green paradise.". Paul saw this conversation with his prescience and uses it to fold Stilgar in only two words. This is why Stilgar falls to his knees, no longer any doubt left in him, and asks Paul to show him the way. Stilgar is no longer an individual after Paul says these two words. He is a slave. Villenueve COOKED
The greatest proof Denis doesn't care about about Dialogue is the most iconic one in Dune 2 is in a totally made up language. Even though we couldn't understood one word Paul was saying if it wasn't for the subtitles, we felt him becoming the lisan al gaib. And that's what Hollywood is truelly missing today
Understanding a great image is a talent indeed. Yet reducing the dialog did not have the same effect to me as you. I disliked the movie because so many things were left unsaid. I maybe biased because I wateched the original movies and series and read the book, still sci fi without dialog does not work for me, can you Imagine Star Trek without dialog? If you like watching paintings, the Art museum is better. :)
The line that really slayed me... like Dirty Dancing Patrick Swayze slayed me... was when Paul tells Chani that he'd "...very much like to be equal to you." I think that got a genuine loud sob from me in the theater!
hey bud especially in the case of sicario, thats actually how we as military and law enforcement talk, we dont wax poetic about the obvious, we live through brevity and body language
This is exactly why I very much hope that Denis Villeneuve takes up the outsized mantle, that would crush most directors, of making "Rendezvous With Rama." I've been waiting for this movie for literally forty years. It's one of the top science fiction novels (by Arthur C. Clarke) that literally no one has ever even dared to touch. It's a fantastic story. I feel like Villeneuve could do this story justice - because the story itself is extremely visual. Dialogue is almost irrelevant. This is the because main character of the story isn't a human being. Indeed, the main character of the story isn't even a biological organism. The main character of the story is the vast alien spaceship itself, that the humans are merely incidentally exploring. It's passage through our solar system is... Well, I've already said too much, because I don't want to give any spoilers in this post. I've always considered this to be the best science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke, and one of the best science fiction novels ever written. When the Oumuamua asteroid arrived in our solar system, the very first thought that occurred to me was how striking its discovery was to what Clarke wrote about in "Rendezvous With Rama." To see Villeneuve make the movie of "Rendezvous With Rama" would be a dream, a hope, an aspirational wish come true.
Just finished reading Rama and yeah, Villeneuve couldn't be more perfect for the job. I'm sure he'll do it because its definitely his exact thing and rumours are already circulating
what's your favorite line of dialogue?
In Dune? "Your mothers warned you of my coming" is such a cold badass line. His whole speech was sooooo good.
@@RafitoOoO i wish i remembered that one. that sounds crazy
"Lead them to paradise" hit me so hard.
@@DanielEzraMusicFacts. It’s so powerful, because in that moment, he knows what he’s about to unleash. He has made the decision to let billions die, including his friends. Because it must be done.
"I got robbed by a sweet old lady on a motorized cart. I didn't even see it coming."
The encounter between Feyd and Lady Fenring proved to be unexpectedly sexy: "put your right hand in the box" while making longing eye contact
I agree. Lea really sold me that she was pretty seductive in everything she did on that scene
2 points:
- Léa Seydoux is an Actress with a capital 'A'. With only ~4 min of screen time [1], she makes every single tonal inflection, body movement, and her sheer screen presence count.
- The encounter between Margot and F.R. is definitely the most sensual scene Villeneuve has shot. It would be perfect as a gonzo high-end perfume or fashion campaign ad/short film.
*Footnote*
[1] I've seen the film 5 times now, so I definitely counted!
Yeeeees loved that scene
"God I wished that was me"
Leading directly to pain, which feyd likes
The silence between Paul and Feyd in their fight was sublime, It really brought home the tension, Same thing with Batman fighting bane in the Dark Knight Returns
The sounds of their knives clashing was *chef's kiss*.
I love soundtracks and listen to them more than any other type of music, but nothing can be more powerful than letting the natural sounds speak for themselves in the right moments.
I may be stupid but isn’t it Dark Knight Rises? Or is there an older movie idk about
what tension? :DDDD they just started fighting out of the blue.
Except Batman vs Dune looked horrible
The phrase “show…don’t tell” gets tossed around screenwriting groups and filmmaking classes often, but few understand the emotional power unleashed when an audience *watches* the truth of the story and of the characters unfold as actions and activity rather than having to listen to words spoken about the things which never get filmed. It takes a lot more planning to build a primarily visual story, but watching movement play out on screen is the thing that moves (emotionally speaking) an audience. It hits them in the gut and that’s what people remember most.
The moment I loved the most in the film was when Paul convinces all the tribes to follow him. And he does it with words. Words are essential in my opinion. I would have provably liked the film better if it had more dialogs.
@@Ignasimp Well placed (and phrased) words are certainly and essential part of the magic, but they are usually most effective set in contrast to the action rather than the words having to carry too much of the story.
The idea actions and activity are somehow inherently more emotionally engaging than dialogue fits the theme of this video, but isn’t true whatsoever in writing or cinema. Nor are action and dialogue separate elements, that’s a false dichotomy.
“Show don’t tell” (IE summary v. scene) is the most common and basic rules of writing (meaning great writers break it all the time) but it refers to narrative exposition, not characters talking. _We had a terrible fight_ is summary, hearing the argument is scene. Even though it’s all “talking” it’s still action.
Villeneuve’s style deserves study and appreciation, but we don’t need to pretend it’s the best or only way.
Try writing banter sometime and tell me it takes a lot more planning to tell a visual story. 😆
Scarface… legendary lines… beautiful non dialogue scenes
@@IgnasimpTrue. that scene was one of the most powerful ones in the movie. But also entirely by design since its the moment that we have been waiting for since the first movie. But you are right. The words are whats powerful here, delivered really well. But you can also think that maybe the sudden burst of prophetic words shocks us that extra just because the rest of the movie is concentrated with such visual and non verbal storytelling and a ”show don’t tell” philosophy. Perhaps the weight of the words in that scene are heavier because of it.
It's crazy and amazing how Deni gets better and better with every new film. Deni is a true genius at world building. Fraser has also improved again, the composition of his shots are visually stunning in every scene. Like I love how he used a infrared camera for Giedi Prime. I think they both cement their status with Dune as legends in the film world through their outstanding work.
That transition of the Bene-Gesserit robes from black to white in one take was stunning and was a great way of explaining what was going on visually to the viewer. So much attention to detail.
@@NainGeantMiniatureThat transition made me sit right up in my chair! My brain was just going Holyshitholyshitholyshit, what the hell is happening?? This film just set a new standard for epic filmmaking in all departments.
he's talked about his progression as a film maker. He's talked about how he only takes on a project that he feels he is capable of and he won't take something that would be beyond what he believes he can handle. He used the example that he wouldn't have attempted Dune before Arrival because he didn't believe he had the technical skills, but Arrival, then 2049 helped him learn them so he dove in on Dune. Even DP2 he said he took what he learned on DP1 and pushed further.
The sandworm scene is just brilliant. The sound design of the sand running over paul like waves makes the audience actually feel like theyre there on the worm bouncing along the dunes, like Greg mentioned. Just genius
Denis has talked about his story boarding process and explained that he sees images for every shot before anything else. He's not hearing dialog or tone, he's seeing a frame. He takes every script, creates a thorough storyboard (with the help of a longtime collaborator artist) and during the process the movie evolves. So he then rewrites the script to line up with the storyboard. His saying is that "the storyboard precedes the script, and nature precedes the storyboard". In other words, only at-the-moment inspiration will cause him to deviate from the storyboard. Pretty interesting approach and it permeates his movies.
George Miller did it similar for Mad Max Fury Road.
From the first shot of the movie showing the Harkonnen soldiers descend on the sand dunes with the bright orange-red haze in the background I was like "Oh this is not a movie! I am literally in another world right now and nothing is gonna pull me out!"
*ascend
The amount of care and detail that went into every shot of both films is bonkers.
The ending of Dune 2 hits hard. The bombardment of visuals, sound, emotions, terrific acting and plot all condensed into the last 20 minutes of the film. I've seen it a few times and the audience has always stayed for a while when the credits started to roll.
I laughed out loud in the theater at the VERY overt sexual tension between Feyd and Lady Fenring when she leads him into her room she says "put your hand in the box" - what a euphemism! I also liked how that scene was a perverted reflection of Paul and the Reverend Mother in the first film, where that scene showcased the authoritativeness of the Bene Gesserit, and the scene with Feyd and Margot showcased the sexual power of the Bene Gesserit. Cool stuff.
My tongue was about to loll out of my mouth when I watched it the first time! That scene is definitely the most sensual throughout D.V.'s career and, with some minor retooling, can work as a gonzo luxury perfume or fashion campaign ad!
@@KnarfSteinmore sensual than the hologram threeway in 2049?
You're right. I can't stop thinking about Dune 2. I've seen it twice and it's just such a dream to watch. LOVE IT!!!
Agree, watched it 3 times in cinema!
“Lead them to paradise!” You remember this line from Dune because of the weight behind it
Its infinitely scarier than "Kill them all" because of the genuine belief that they're helping people by killing them. Herbert did say he took inspiration from Jonestown
I absolutely agree that a filmmaker should start from the point that dialogue should be as minimal as possible, and I'd add to that that a take should be as long as possible. No unnecessary words, no unnecessary cuts. Tell the story visually and let it flow!
A great way to explain this using one filmmaker doing it really well, and really poorly is Nolan. The Hong Kong sequence in TDK is perfect action, but then you have the rooftop fight in TDKR that has terrible choreography that can't be saved by the quick cuts. Nolan's weakest moments on film are his hand to hand combat scenes. I don't know if he just doesn't understand how to shoot it, or if he doesn't put the time in to make the choreography believable.
I mean minimal dialogue is just one way to make a movie and to act like it is inherently better than lots of dialogue is dumb. Take The Social Network for example, that is a great movie that has a lot of fast dialogue and doesn’t have particularly long takes.
@78TBGAMER yeah totally get that. There's definitely a place for dialogue heavy film and TV. My personal preference and challenge is to tell a story with as little exposition and dialogue as possible, using the image and sound to create mood and elicit an emotional response. I've come to the same place recently in terms of the image, where I start with complete darkness and add only the necessary light to create the mood I want. There's something appealing about the purity of starting with nothing and telling an emotional story with as little as possible added.
@@adventurefilmclub2549 I think that it’s fine to have minimal dialogue, and to have no wasted moments in a script. Under the Skin is a fantastic movie if you haven’t seen it, and it has zero wasted moments.
My personal approach though is that everything should be done with the intent of telling the story in the best way possible. I think it can be fun to challenge yourself to be as minimal with dialogue as possible as an exercise, but giving yourself that challenge means you aren’t challenging yourself to write the best story possible. Because sometimes the best way to tell a particular story involves heavy dialogue. I just feel like focusing on trying to tell a story in a particular way can be limiting, and can lead people to write worse stories.
Like I personally feel like Dune Part 2 was a bit of a let down. The best example of why is Chani and Paul’s relationship. I felt like they didn’t have a ton of natural chemistry, and since there was so little dialogue between them to build the stakes of their relationship, I found myself not very invested in their relationship. So when Paul betrays her, I didn’t really care.
not only the visuals but the audio was amazing especially in imax feeling the sound made it even more special
Stilgar reminded me of "Life of Brian" every time he reacted to Paul xD
Quite an achievement ^
I remember someone asked me how was Blade runner 2049, when i saw it in Cinema, and I remember telling that more than entertaimment, it is an experience, story telling at its best, the visuals the world created just takes you in as if you are there, same goes for Dune 2, and there are hardly any films that I could say the same for. So we are lucky to be experiencing such films 🙂.
That's how I'd describe most of his movies since polytechnic onward. I remember going to see that in cinema simply on the strength of the word to mouth at the time (which was incredible). Incendie felt similar. Pretty much every Villeneuve movie I'd describe as an experience. It's the common thread in his cinema ever since he took a hiatus after his first two movies left him dissatisfied. Something changed in the man and he started making different kinds of movies.
I saw Blade Runner 2049 3 times in the cinema. It is an EXPERIENCE. The commitment to realism due to his documentary roots, like Roger Deakins, just made it so effing great.
@@NainGeantMiniature He said in several interviews early in his Hollywood career that he felt his first two films were shallow, and he was unhappy with his storytelling style. He needed to work on finding his voice. He was also super uncomfortable with the rate he was pressuring himself to make films. He took 9 years off from filmmaking work to spend time in theatres learning how to work with actors, learning how to write better. and just listening better. When I read about that, my respect for him just shot to the skies. Yet he still remains humble and uncomfortable with some parts of Dune Part 2 (watch his Vanity Fair breakdown of the worm ride, at the end of the video). The man does not let ego get in the way of the final product.
@@flodobaggins totally agree with you 🙌
I love that whole sand worm scene. It was so cool i literally jumped out of my seat in the theater it felt so sick and imersive and real and the sounds were just amazing
So true about Sicario - everything I remember is in the visuals and the anxious tension. Loved Dune 2 - it was was such an experience watching it - felt like a kid watching Star Wars for the first time again - not that they that comparable - just that captivating magical cinema experience! I loved how grounded the cinematography was in this, you are right there on the ground with the characters - the sense of scale was overwhelming. No horrible crazy CGI cameras flying all over the place. Great vid as always and loving your warm practical era.
Sicario is possibly my favourite film of all time. It’s the visuals with the music, and the subtle dialogue, that creates a massive sense of foreboding throughout.
It's interesting that you mention Star Wars because I think there's more to a good movie than just visual vs dialogue and the Star Wars movies kinda make that point. For me the best of the movies was the first one released, Star Wars 4: A New Hope. The dialogue was a bit cheesy at times but they pull it off, and the visuals were actually pretty good for that time period, with a few shots standing out in my memory but not a lot. Then we compare it to Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace. The dialogue was still a bit cheesy but the actors still pull it off, largely thanks to Liam Nelson.The visuals however were quite incredible and mind-blowing for that time period (we've come to take such for granted nowadays) So if the visuals were so great compared to SW4, why do I like SW4 so much more? It certainly wasn't the dialogue.For me, it comes down to the 'heart' of the story. Those visuals in SW1 were beautiful, but the movie never touched my heart. I never felt any compassion or empathy to young Anikin Skywalker - and I really should have. It was something I needed to feel, but it was completely lacking. Cheesy dialogue and so-so visuals aside, SW4 had heart in abundance. It 'connected'. The actors are a very important component in the movie making process. The wrong actor in the wrong part can kill a movie. The right actor in the right part can make cinema gold. For example: Iron Man. RDJ will always be remembered for this role, but it almost went to Tom Cruise. No shade to Mr. Cruise, he's a great actor, but I cannot imagine him as Iron Man.The movies would have been very different, even if the shots and dialogue had remained the same. --just a thought to throw into the mix!
I feel like the Denis Villeneuve+Greig Fraser+Hans Zimmer trio brought back the magic & wonder of Cinema for me, someone who hasn’t enjoyed going to the theatre in YEARS.
You're right in saying that watching Dune: Part 2 was like being in this dream. All of his films are like that - Denis Villeneuve's films are all home for me. I remember the feelings and the visuals deeply (haha Denis' favourite word) imprinted in my brain. Your favourite is Sicario, mine is Arrival. The flash forward sequences and some of the shots when Louise was out in the field gives this indescribable feeling every time. I gotta say, Joe Walker's editing also makes all the difference in Denis' films: Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune films. There's a rhythm to it that also makes these visuals resonate. I've had people say Dune Part 2 was too fast, but for me it was just right, if you look at the trajectory of Paul's journey from Part 1 to Part 2. The worm ride was CHEF'S KISS. Seeing it come to life after reading that dense book decades ago in college was a fucking fever dream come true. I've watched Dune Part 2 5 times already on IMAX and I still cannot get enough of it. Even Hans Zimmer's score hit home for me this time (I'm not a huge fan of him) - it's JUST FUCKING RIGHT.
people have been dumbed down, I don't understand any complaints about editing or pacing, it was just right - nothing felt out of place, not too slow or too fast.
The difference between an auteur and someone who makes "big movies" is to imagine what Dune would have been in the hands of a guy like Joss Whedon. Imagine all the unnecessary talking and banter he would add to almost every scene. He would never give a scene time to breath and he would kill any tension with a pointless snarky quip. Thankfully we have Denis who understands film is a visual medium first and foremost, not a vehicle for sitcom-esque constant dialogue.
Even the dialogue from Terminator " I'll be back " works better because of the visual storytelling that happens before and after that dialogue. The dialogue was iconic not because of the dialogue alone but because of the way it built to that moment
Funny too schwarzenegger didn’t like the line and Cameron was like “trust me, just say it.”
Dune book: a lot of mental scheming and analyzing by the characters. More internal dialogue than external.
Dune movies: Filmed by a director that insists on limiting dialogue to a minimum and showing story mainly through expressions and imagery.
What a fucking great combo
In a world of bland assembly line Blockbusters people have forgotten that films can be both crowd-pleasing and works of art. Dune has proven that a strong vision by a talented team of artists can produce a masterpiece with mass appeal.
Dude can i just say youre visuals and audio and whole vibe are great like super great
thanks so much! I honestly enjoy that part more than the talking part 😅
“I hate dialogue”
He proceeds to write some of the most memorable lines in movie history in this film
I’ve been adding a few to the IMDB memorable quotes section 😁
I thought it was a value for the script because you really care and every line is so important to a scene rather than you try to explain anything by that lines rather than by images or how a scene it tell you.
I legit don’t remember any lines from dune except “cultivate desert power”
@@impatrickt even you didnt remember two of those iconic lines for me, "lead them to paradise" and "may thy knife chip and shatter"? There's so much iconic lines in these two parts dune movies.
@@BrushWayne47 book lines aren't great dialogue lol
@@impatrickt They are if the context is interesting
One of the only lines I remember from Dune Part 2 is one off my favorites in cinema ever: “I’d very much like to be equal to you.”
I legit teared up at that scene. Love blossoming like a rose in the dessert.
Totally, a great analysis. I think too, that being in the place for the shots creates so much connection with the scene, the movie, and the purpose of the shot. Making the whole action, for the actors, for the crew a much more immersive situation that contributes to the scene, and the movie in general. Be there, it's a real situation for everyone. It's the natural environment for all to be with.
Yes! I watched him make this comment to and I think you've done a marvelous job of explaining his real meaning. Thank you.
It's one of the most frustrating things for a cinema fan to sit through unnecessary exposition. Yes there are times when things have to be explained in dialogue, but if the director can show the thing - it's much more powerful
I want to thank DV for not having the action on the screen explained to me by a cast member. Its insufferable.
Couldn't have said it better myself! Thanks for posting! 👍🏾
Dude! Subscribed a year or two ago, and you feel so much more free and comfortable. Love to see that. Love the edits, and the add read!
Appreciate you! Thanks for sticking around.
I felt the same way watching Bladerunner 2049. It felt like a dream at times.
showing is better than telling
You knew what you were doing baiting all us Feyd-Rautha groupies with that thumbnail 🥵
Patrick: We only remember moments from movies
George Lucas: Hold my Jar Jar Binks promotional cup
It's not CGI! Often, when 'it's not CGI,' it is actually a real effect/model with CGI enhancement. (even if it's just enhancing the background, adding elements to the scene, or fixing small details, there's CGI.) There's been some excellent videos on this, worth checking out.
i've made videos about it - nobody is challenging CGI, especially in this video.
Yea the Oppenheimer explosion felt real.. real conventional explosion.
I like your warm colors and creamy out of focus backgrounds. What camera do you shoot with?
yeah you can Denis loves David Leans work too because he said the same thing. Which is why Denis goes for cinematographers like Deakins, Fraser, and Bradford Young in the way David worked with Freddie Young. Cinematographers that are great with conveying an emotional response with a camera. Its such beautiful work. Its the way like to shoot as well.
Denis is so right about dialogue.
The scenes I remember from every Nolan film is the image.
Same counts for every Denis film.
Same counts for the Batman (2022).
Same counts for Top Gun Maverick.
Same counts for the Creator.
Images stick most of the time. Dialogue almost never (sometimes it does but it’s rare).
The only dialogue that actually impressed me is in the Dark Knight:
“You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain”.
I can name about 20 strong images of the top of my head:
Top Gun Maverick:
- Mav standing outside of the bar looking at Rooster playing Great Balls of fire
- Rooster’s helmet zoom in after Mav is shot down
- Mav seeing Rooster get shot down
The Batman (2022)
- Batman and Catwomen standing on a highrise construction building at sunrise
The Dark Knight
- Batman standing at the place where Harvey Dent was burned whilst firemen are cleaning it up
The Dark Knight Rises
- Batman’s statue unveiling
Tenet
The protagonist standing with his helmet by his side whilst entering the turnstyle before the final scene in stalsk-12 on the ship
Dune
- Gurney and the Atreides watching their ships get blown up whilst being invaded by Harkonnen and Saudakar
Dune Part Two
- Harkonnen at the top of a mountain during the eclipse
- Paul becoming the messiah in the cave
I have shared this view with Denis ever since I fell in love with cinema in 2017. He gets it.
Several times watching it "How the fuck did he look in my mind and see what I saw" particularly in the Water of Life scenes of both Jessica and Paul. It's amazing.
Less dialogue means you aren't sitting there TELLING your audience what to think and feel - you are giving them the autonomy to have their own unique experience.
The Nuke in Oppenheimer look small. I know it's not small but compare the real one, it is. We have real footage of trinity test. The explosion in film might work better if we never seen the real footage.
Wrong 🫶
@@impatrickt Sir please. Hear me out. No, you're wrong.
3:12 ngl, the nuke explosion didnt feel as large. this is where cgi assistance wouldve came in clutch.
I think he is the best working director today, and in the top five of all time. What a legend already.
Is the 1st dune good?
It's a great film!
It is! I think it’s even more of a tone poem visual experiment than the second one even.
@@impatrickt cheers im gonna check these out
Have you read the books? If so, you will definitely enjoy it, but maybe feel it didn’t live up to the massive praise everyone seemed to give it as the book is so dense they had no choice but to not include a lot of rich detail. If you haven’t read the book, you’ll love now that the second one is out. The only flaw of film 1 is it ends half way through a story, but you can just see part 2 straight away now
The Oppenheimer nuke was honestly really disappointing. Nukes don't look like a gasoline fueled fireball, and portraying it as such really made it seem... meh. Everything else was really cool, but Nolan DID use CGI for some scenes, so it would have been super easy to just allocate the budget to get a much nicer looking nuke explosion.
The atomics scene in Dune 2 looked like a much better nuke explosion.
i love it - i felt nothing in dune 2's explosion. it's mind numbing.
@@impatrickt to each their own I guess, but for a movie that spends hours building to the single detonation of an atom bomb, it just looked like someone slowmo'd a pyrotechnic.
He had the budget to make a better, more realistic looking explosion, but chose not to just to say there was no full CGI shot? Seems silly.
@@RaviPatel-lb7uc Nah what the hell i'm a dune fanatic but the atomic scene in dune is a footnote, in oppenheimer it is epic
@@maximumbrexit4503 Ok bud. It was literally just a gasoline fireball in slow motion.
@@RaviPatel-lb7uc Sorry were you at Hiroshima in 1945 how tf do you know
I love Sicario. I watch it multiple times a year. I thought Dune 2 was great, but it didn't stick with me much past the next day or two. It's leagues above most of the current block busters but I didn't think it was the second coming.
I agree. Dune 2 is slightly overhyped, but deserves attention because finally there is an antithesis to CGI fest that is Marvel flicks (i love some of them, but they created a trend with CGI and superhero stuff). So, people are fatigued and oversaturated. Besides, there is going to be another Nolan like cult director and it is Villeneuve.
Dune 2 is deeply flawed, relies heavily on set pieces, giving little to no character development. With dune specifically, Villeneuve couldnt overcome his ego of making "pure" movies. But with Dune one needs exposition, some info dumb (which should have been Part 1).
Agree. Villeneuve is a breath of fresh air in the mainstream, a director that truly cares about art and quality not being boring and anal at the same time (like Nolan). Having said that Dune 2 didn't stick with me anywhere near the first installment did, not to mention Sicario and early Villeneuve work like Incendies.
😊
2:36 can’t wait to see how they get off of the worms 😅 I believe there’s an interview where he said if he gets to make a part 3 we’d see that.
They must ride until the worm is too tired to go on and bother with its passengers, so I imagined this back when there was only the book, they let go of the hooks and the tired worm then slowly plunge into the sand gently leaving our riders on ground level.
If I remember well, Fremens calculate long distances by the number of worm rides they must take for the journey.
The problem with Nolans "nuke" for me is that... It just felt so tiny. The gas station explosion in the first Robocop had a much bigger feeling explosion. And that was a gas station. Not a Kiloton nuke. The Beirut fertilizer explosion looked more like a nuke than the "Trinity" nuke.
Heck. The best one I can think of, apart from the real test footage from Lawrence Livermore Labs UA-cam Channel, is the CG nuke in Twin Peaks The Return ep 8.
So. I am sorry. But you are the wrong one there, I type in a youtube comment using a jovial tone. :P
I love Nolan but this. He's so obsessed with practical effects he doesn't use CGI even if it was a better fit.
Yes, I love the visual art of his. It is breathtaking. It is sometimes better to draw you into the story by what you see than what you hear. But I did miss the right meaningful words. Because those words talk to my other part of my brain. I guess the best would be a skillful mix. I liked his Blade Runner much more than the Dune 2. But it might be also the story that clicked more than the Dune 2.
I think it could have been taken further in some ways, specifically the scene where Paul rides the sandworm. A few times it cuts back to the fremen watching and dropping 1 liners, I feel it would be better served with just a multi-minute no dialogue scene from Paul's perspective.
The main example is Paul hitting the sand and not making the distinctive thumping sound that indicates where a thumper should be placed. It cuts to Chani saying "lower" before Paul moves down the dune a bit and tries again, this time making the sound. IMO it would have worked better if it just showed his attempts without interruption, you still know what's going on because the thumping sounds have been established so the cutting just breaks the flow for me.
The irony, of course, is that scaling back the dialogue in this film makes the choice lines far more memorable. These days, too many writers want to be Tarantino or Sorkin and try to cram every memorable or clever quip and exchange and imaginary argument where they always win into their scripts. This can make a scene feel overstuffed and has almost a numbing affect, if every line is clever...no line is clever.
On top of that, I think Denis cares very much about the dialogue. Like the Bene Gesserit Sisters, he chooses every word very carefully, and he understands that an innocuous-seeming line on the page can have great power when delivered with the right intention. We all love to talk about Denis' technical knowledge and mastery, but I don't think he gets enough credit for his love and understanding of actors. Because he talks about the necessity of performance constantly in interviews!
6:23 nah ur spot on... idgaf if its cringe... it legit felt like i was sent into withdrawals from being pulled out of the immersion when i realized the movie had ended. it is fucking BURNED in my brain and i cant stop thinking about it lol
I think it's more like he is complaining about the fact that modern movies puts more effort in dialogue rather than visuals
That’s not what he said
I get what you're trying to say and I'm sorry but, if Sicario is one of your favorite movies, how do you not remember, "...... you went up the wrong tunnel... you saw things you weren't supposed to see" or "Time to meet God". Funnily enough, "you went up the wrong tunnel" was improved because Brolin forgot his line.
Denis Villeneuve is the Mahdi.
One of the main rules in filmmaking is "show don't tell". This is especially relevant in cases where filmmakers sometimes resort to using dialogue to forward the story using exposition. Such a choice can sound forced, when characters are literally telling the audience what will - or may - happen next. Dialogue is important. But, movies - compared to books, etc. - are a visual medium. As such, good filmmakers lean on this feature.
Another great movie that doesn't have a whole lot of dialogue is Blade Runner. So many of the most powerful moments in Blade Runner are visual. The final scene in particular. I prefer the Final Cut, because the voiceover was removed. To me, the final scene with Roy Batty and Deckard was more powerful because there was no voiceover. After Batty says, "Time to die", they cut to Deckard. Without the voiceover, I saw compassion in Deckard's face. That is what stood out to me. The voiceover was distracting and took away from that moment, in my opinion.
Anyway. Great commentary as usual. Thank you.
Not even just film. The same goes for pretty much all storytelling. Show dont tell is the reason Malazan is such an incredible series of books. I wish Villeneuve was into fantasy enough to adapt Malazan into a TV series, cause I feel like hes the only person who could do it justice.
So many authors stumble by simply explaining shit to the reader in infodumps or directly mentioning things the characters already know.
About a week after seeing Dune Part 2 I had a really intense and vivid dream that I was on Arrakis scouting the deep south for a place to hide from the Harkonnens. As someone who wants to make great films, that dream and that feeling is inspiring.
I think Denis' style is very similar in feel to Kubrick. It's layered and lived in. 😊
I love how the segments that have his face are color graded to the style of dune in imax-like proportions 😭. Just makes it so much more cinematic of a video.
I think it would awesome if guys like Aaron Sorkin could work together on a project Denis Villeneuve.
I must say that the Oppenheimer nuke was a little bit dissapointing for me, I have studied and looked at a lot of Nuclear explosions and the Gas explosions just didnt look right for me. You could see the lack of "scale".
Have you ever thought it’s because you’ve looked up nuclear explosions before? I don’t think that’s common. I actually watched the real tests after Oppenheimer and thought he nailed it.
@@impatrickt Yeah its definetely because of my expectations being warped by extensive watching of nuclear explosions.
It was a case of high expectations not being personally satisfied completely
Back when Colin Trevorrow left Star Wars Episode IX in 2017, I told friends that I thought Denis should get the job. And this feels like a little bit of vindication: George Lucas has said in the past that the Star Wars films work best as pictures and music, without dialogue, communicating emotional intent and grand scope. And it feels like Denis does this - and Christopher Nolan, despite his love of words.
Something Dun has that marvel or DC doesn’t is real weight in the film. Every fight in a marvel movie is so full of video game graphics nothing feels real, but Dune really felt like we were in another universe of film
I don't know why, but Dune reminds me of The English Patient. I mean obviously without mentioning the common denominator; sand. There is just something about the vibe of both movies that match, for me.
I just read the first book of dune and i can agree with you, even in the book it's shows a lot of describtion, not much dialogue
I feel you. (Despite not even seeing Part II... Cause I felt that after seeing Part I.) One random thought that came to my mind: what do you 'feel' about Xavier Dolan's movies and filmography in general? I'm mostly thinking about 'Mommy' and ' Laurence Anyways'. I don't know if you know his works well or even if you know him well, but I am assuming you do. I love your videos' aesthetics and 'conversations' on movie-making art. Please keep posting them!
Yeah he’s a great visual director. I think the scripts are lacking and I don’t typically get much narratively from his films but the visuals are fantastic.
Ngl I watched Dune: 2 on my laptop as I lost my job recently but even that was incredible. Gonna have to see it again in imax if possible
how tf bro there are only camera versions ffs
A good explanation would be: It's a big blockbuster, but still feels like an indie movie.
8:02 bro i hoped for see you dune
😂
Musicbed is the only service of its kind that lets you search by Key. Literally smacked my forehead when I found out and wondered WHY no other service has done this. It saves me hours when I'm trying to blend tracks to play around with dynamics.
Also RE: Denis- he was adamant in the same way with Arrival (my fav movie) he said if it can be done without CGI we're doing it.
The iconic upside down silhouette shot in the spacecraft, I was gobsmacked when I found out Denis had the entire interior constructed to scale. And it really has an impact as a result. (Hope they bring it back to cinema in 2 years time for the 10 year anniversary)
Holy heck this is the longest YT comment I've ever left ☠️
Arrival is my favourite Denis movie, too. That film is a lightning in a bottle type of production - family comedy producers, horror screenwriter, French-Canadian dude who's only done drama, Amy Adams in Enchanted and American Hustle and freaking Hawkeye and the King of Scotland, what the what?? That film really paved a way for Denis to Dune. The adaptation from Ted Chiang's short story to the film is just insane. AND THE EDITING, TOO!
@flodobaggins 100% it paved the way! Nice to meet a fellow Arrival fan. It certainly was an unlikely collective that came together to make the movie, but under Denis' vision and Bradford Young's cinematography it's (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful stories ever put on screen.
@@KROMAprd Bi-lal kaifa! 🥹
Chris Nolan is like this, too. Neither of them is afraid to lean on VFX when the situation calls for it, but because they're not usually building everything in the movie from the ground up without any reference, the VFX teams are able to focus much more narrowly on really important moments that sell the scene. Dune Part II was the first time in quite a while where I was never thinking about VFX during the movie--I was just too immersed.
@@Crazy_Diamond_75 100% ! I watched BTS for Interstellar and was equally as amazed when the Millers Planet scenes were just shot in the North Atlantic Ocean 😂
3:14 'i think you're wrong' LMAO
I think I'm wired the polar opposite way of Villeneuve, although no disrespect whatsoever; just talking in terms of my personal tastes. When he wrote this:
>> [...] Dialogue is for theatre and television. I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I’m not interested in dialogue at all. [...]
It's like I encountered someone with the polar opposite brain from mine (in a cool way, mind you; I want to become best friends to explore our differences). My favorite director of all time so far is Tarantino, for example, who places maximum focus on dialogue and the way I remember his films is through the dialogue first and foremost (and my favorite Tarantino film is The Hateful Eight which is probably the most dialogue-heavy of all of his films).
I think of films like "visual and auditory books"; I have a better memory for literature and the medium of words than illustrations, so I love dialogue and I even love films that feature copious amounts of voiceover like Million Dollar Baby, Sin City, and the original Lynch version of Dune. I think of it like visuals augmenting dialogue and narration, not visuals being the primary mode of storytelling. Visuals don't tend to connect me to the characters (unless the visual body language of a character does so much work by the most skillful of actors) as deeply as dialogue and inner reflections.
I had a similar difficulty appreciating Zack Snyder's films as I did with Villeneuve's with the exception of Watchmen. Zack Snyder also seems to be a most visually-oriented director who probably doesn't care that much about dialogue, and lots of people love Zack Snyder and I have no qualms about that whatsoever, but I'm definitely outside of his target demographic as one who enjoys the bulk of the storytelling being communicated to me verbally rather than through visuals.
As for my favorite line of dialogue, I have so many. To try to constrain them to sci-fi to fit the discussion of Dune, one of them is Captain Picard's speech in TNG:
>> It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.
I find that really interesting philosophically because it's contrary to act consequentialism but I subscribe to probabilistic consequentialism. For example, calling all-in from the big blinds to a shove in no-limit Texas Hold Em is always the best move, even when you lose the pot to an unlucky draw. It's still the best possible decision anyone can make in this situation because we can't perfectly foresee the future and repeatedly putting ourselves in this situation over and over will make us rich since we're putting money in the pot when the odds are stacked in favor of us given what we can possibly know. So it's not the actual consequences that make a decision the best possible decision, but the probabilistic consequences (the odds of a good vs. bad result) given what we know vs. don't know that make a decision good or bad: the right move or a mistake. My favorite quotes are often like this; they have me thinking about them for a very long time and revising and revising the way I interpret them over years.
Denis Villeneuve’s filmmaking style is like if Rick Rubin did movies instead of producing music.
I wish Denis stayed true to Chani and Alia. It would have been great if the movie ended the way the damm book did.
I prefer the new ending
@@impatrickt I would guess you have not read the book yet. The ending with Alia is... Wow!
@@uniblonder5606 I did!
Disagree. Fetal Alia talking to Jessica was brilliant, and combined with the brief time we had with adult Alia in Paul’s vision, was probably better than a 3-4 year old child actor could be. One can never known, but I think Villenueve is justified for not wanting to put so much narrative pressure on a 3-4 year old actor. Even worse if they had to cgi it. Paul killing the Baron is a great scene.
As for Chani, idk Chani in the books is fine but she doesn’t really do much and I find her quite forgettable, and this is from someone who has read the book multiple times. I think Villenueve’s Chani feels like a fully fleshed out character, and her being the only Fremen to not see Paul as a messiah made sense, as she loved him for who he was as just a normal person, and arguably knew him best. She does come off as wrong by the end of the movie, but her motives are perfectly understandable.
You gotta account for the fact that creepy 4 year old girl acting doesn't ever work. Watch any horror movie ever with that premise they are all shite
Thanks for keeping this spoiler free
Good video. Sometimes less is more. Minimalist, sparse, when there's not a lot of clutter, what does get shown stands out. I have been beating the drum for a long time now that one of the great American novelists is Elmore Leonard. And I love his prose for some of the same reasons. Less is more. Sure, I can appreciate Aaron Sorkin, but nobody really talks like that in real life. Okay, maybe 1 in a million people do.
I hate when movies have some character do exposition and explain backstory, etc. It never flows. I always feel like the director thinks we’re too stupid to figure out. I’m so glad it’s not just me.
I only watched it 2 times... what a shame, I hope there still time for 3rd time, what a movie, a real spectacle
A picture is worth a thousand words so if you craft that picture carefully you can tell more than with long dialogue scenes.
Pls tell me how to get the tiny sweatshirt for le dog. I have a dog that looks like yours but slightly more mentally unstable and i need the kirkland sweatshirt pls.
Costco! Kirkland!
Well, I can toss the idea I had for the same video, you nailed it 😂
Make it!
I'm toeing the line between a silent film and mumbles, let the visuals whisper to the consciousness of the audience.
when you read a book you get to use the words to build the world you see. when you watch a film you should be allowed to build the world too. denis knows that only needed dialogue allows that to happen. sicario is amazing because it builds the world visually for you and the dialogue is more of what you would expect to hear just observing that world around you. you remember the end scene staring into benicios eyes, you dont need to remember what he says because you have witnessed the culmination of the story, not the actor.
A movie without dialogue can still be a movie but a movie without image is not a movie.
My favourite line is when Paul says "Green Paradise" to Stilgar in the speech. Look at it from Stilgar's perspective. He tells Jessica at the water well at the start of the film: "The lisan al gaib will bring back trees, a green paradise.". Paul saw this conversation with his prescience and uses it to fold Stilgar in only two words. This is why Stilgar falls to his knees, no longer any doubt left in him, and asks Paul to show him the way. Stilgar is no longer an individual after Paul says these two words. He is a slave. Villenueve COOKED
Come on, man. I remember at least one line of dialogue.
Repeated.
Over and over again...
LISAN AL GAIB!
As it was written!
The greatest proof Denis doesn't care about about Dialogue is the most iconic one in Dune 2 is in a totally made up language. Even though we couldn't understood one word Paul was saying if it wasn't for the subtitles, we felt him becoming the lisan al gaib. And that's what Hollywood is truelly missing today
"The story is told in the cut" leads to "The meaning comes from what is not said rather than what is."
Nice video but why do you remind me of Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting
Understanding a great image is a talent indeed. Yet reducing the dialog did not have the same effect to me as you. I disliked the movie because so many things were left unsaid. I maybe biased because I wateched the original movies and series and read the book, still sci fi without dialog does not work for me, can you Imagine Star Trek without dialog? If you like watching paintings, the Art museum is better. :)
It's not just your, bro! It won't leave me alone!
The line that really slayed me... like Dirty Dancing Patrick Swayze slayed me... was when Paul tells Chani that he'd "...very much like to be equal to you." I think that got a genuine loud sob from me in the theater!
hey bud especially in the case of sicario, thats actually how we as military and law enforcement talk, we dont wax poetic about the obvious, we live through brevity and body language
I mean sicario is still a heavy exposition dump film through Emily Blunt’s character. That’s cool though!
This is exactly why I very much hope that Denis Villeneuve takes up the outsized mantle, that would crush most directors, of making "Rendezvous With Rama." I've been waiting for this movie for literally forty years. It's one of the top science fiction novels (by Arthur C. Clarke) that literally no one has ever even dared to touch. It's a fantastic story.
I feel like Villeneuve could do this story justice - because the story itself is extremely visual. Dialogue is almost irrelevant. This is the because main character of the story isn't a human being. Indeed, the main character of the story isn't even a biological organism. The main character of the story is the vast alien spaceship itself, that the humans are merely incidentally exploring. It's passage through our solar system is...
Well, I've already said too much, because I don't want to give any spoilers in this post. I've always considered this to be the best science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke, and one of the best science fiction novels ever written. When the Oumuamua asteroid arrived in our solar system, the very first thought that occurred to me was how striking its discovery was to what Clarke wrote about in "Rendezvous With Rama."
To see Villeneuve make the movie of "Rendezvous With Rama" would be a dream, a hope, an aspirational wish come true.
Just finished reading Rama and yeah, Villeneuve couldn't be more perfect for the job. I'm sure he'll do it because its definitely his exact thing and rumours are already circulating
you defo should've put SILENCE in the thumbnail
I like it sexy