Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000)

My Review

“Frank Herbert’s Dune” is the futuristic story of young Paul Atreides and his family as they relocate from their home planet of Caladan to the resource-rich planet of Arrakis, also called Dune. They face resistance from the previous owners, who try to destroy them, and Atreides must reach out to the natives for help. Director John Harrison put together this ambitious production of Frank Herbert’s 1965 epic science fiction novel “Dune” with outstanding production values, marvelous performances, and an excellent teleplay he wrote himself. This four hour and fifteen minute miniseries first aired on the SciFi Channel, one of its highest rated programs ever, from December 3-6, 2000.

The cast includes Alec Newman as Paul, William Hurt and Saskia Reeves as his parents, James Watson as Duncan Idaho, P. H. Moriarty as Gurney Halleck, Ian McNeice as Baron Harkonnen, Matt Keeslar as Feud-Rautha, Julie Cox as Princess Irulan, and Giancarlo Giannini as Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. “Frank Herbert’s Dune” won two Emmy Awards – Outstanding Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro) and Outstanding Special Visual Effects. It was filmed primarily in Prague, Czech Republic, with post-production at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, Italy. A sequel called “Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune” was released in 2003.