I finally watched the new 'Dune' movie and that one scene just... broke me.

I was at home last night, so excited to see the adaptation of my favorite book. The scene where Paul meets the Reverend Mother for the test... they completely cut the internal monologue. In the book, his thoughts are frantic, a whole page of pure fear. The movie just showed him sweating. It felt so empty and I actually paused it to just stare at the wall for a minute. That internal struggle was the whole point. Has anyone else felt a key character moment got totally lost like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_james3mo ago

Oh man, that scene got me too! I read an interview where the director said he had to cut internal monologue because it doesn't work on screen. He said he had to show the fear through the actor's face and body instead. But you're right, it loses so much of what makes Paul's moment so scary. The book makes you feel his panic in your own head. The movie just feels like watching a tough test.

casey8433mo ago

Did you try reading that chapter again after? It helped me reconnect with the book's version.

iris_jones891mo ago

Got a weird thing where I re-read a chapter and it totally changed my mind on the whole book. I read The Left Hand of Darkness a few years ago and hated it, then someone told me to just read the chapter about the kemmer stuff again and suddenly everything clicked. @the_james probably knows what I mean about that moment when you finally get why the author did something a certain way. It's like the first time I watched Blade Runner and fell asleep, then rewatched it and actually caught the theme about what makes someone human. Books are weird like that, they need a second chance sometimes.