Fantastic Fest 2013: JODOROWSKY’S DUNE
I love this movie unequivocally. It is at the same time both uplifting and depressing. Depressing because I’ll never get to see this master’s final vision of Dune, a bat-shit crazy surrealist sic-fi epic that would have defined a generation. Uplifting because even though it never came to fruition, the creative process that occurred because of its development directly influenced some of my favorite movies of all time, and even as it stands now in uncompleted form it is an incredible achievement.
Shot in France, England, Switzerland and the United States, this documentary covers director Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, Holy Mountain, Santa Sangre) and his 1974 Quixotic attempt to adapt the seminal sci-fi novel Dune into a feature film. After spending 2 years and millions of dollars, the massive undertaking eventually fell apart, but the artists Jodorowsky assembled for the legendary project continued to work together. This group of artists, or his “warriors” as Jodorowsky named them, went on to define modern sci-fi cinema with such films as Alien, Blade Runner, Star Wars and Total Recall.
It’s going to be hard to separate this actual film, the documentary about Jodorowsky’s Dune, with the non-existent movie Jodorowsky’s Dune. And that is a remarkable achievement from the documentary’s director, Frank Pavich. He presents Jodorowsky’s vision so beautifully and lovingly that the warm, fuzzy feelings you get from watching it make it hard to separate the work it’s analyzing and the documentary itself.
Just a little background on my relationship with Jodo — I’m in love with him. I don’t think my parents like to admit it, but they used to be hippies. Practicing yoga, purchasing counter-culture vinyl records, and the whole being-one-with-the-earth kind of thing. Not only that, but I was raised in a Spanish household. So, though my parents didn’t expose me directly to Jodo’s work, I was essentially primed for it. I always sought out Hispanic film makers when I realized I wanted to get into film — Almodóvar, Cuarón, Del Toro, and… Jodorowsky. El Topo is my favorite of his, if that tells you anything about me. Anyhow, Jodo has been an interesting and vital pillar in the formation of my cinephile foundation, both because of the subject matter he explores and his cultural background.
So with that out of the way, you might say I’m biased to enjoy this movie sight-unseen, and you would probably be right. But there’s a definite objective quality to the documentary itself that is inarguable.
This movie is filled with so many quotable lines, none of which I will ruin here. But the reason it’s filled with these lines is that Jodo is left to be authentic and run wild. He’s such an amazing personality that these moments happen naturally and don’t feel forced at all, and the lens of these documentarians is patient and doesn’t feel manipulative, allowing us to view this epic man naturally. Little touches help — a scene with a cat and another one with money are beautiful examples of humanizing the subject while highlighting what makes them unique.
All of these words and I haven’t even mentioned the astounding subject matter itself. I’d consider myself a big fan of Lynch’s Dune adaptation. I wouldn’t really argue with anyone that hated it though — it has problems. But the vision of Dune presented in this film is extraordinary. As a viewer you get to see storyboards of Jodo’s vision brought to life through animation. You get to see wonderful artwork from the likes of Foss, Giger, and more. And you get to learn about the incredible once in a lifetime casting and music. Nothing like this would-be movie can possibly ever be made again — it combined too many of-the-moment pieces of history. Even if you’re not a fan of Jodo or Dune, there’s so much detail about the process of making one of the craziest possible movies ever that it is fascinating.
I don’t have much else to say. I could talk for longer than the film’s run-time about why exactly it works. It will surely be in my top 10 of the year. See it.
