@nicholas_saunders that's just in the movie, her role in the book is a lot subtler. The whole "religious fanaticism" thing is something Villeneuve has been leaning in heavily but it's not particularly big in the book.
@gabrielesvelto yeh. He seems quite critical towards Stilgar also, who was quite complex. When white space Jesus performs miracles, who wouldn't find religion?
I was surprised at how cynical Jessica was in the novel, but she really, at least as I recall, came around to embrace the fremen.
@gabrielesvelto yeh, the fremen I remember were eminently practical as a result of such harsh conditions. Their religiosity, as I recall, was as much a manipulation as anything else.
@nicholas_saunders yeah, one of my takeaways from the book is that the road towards the jihad starts with the Bene Gesserit manipulations. In the end none of the characters can do anything about it - and Paul realizes it - it's just gonna happen. They shouldn't have tried to manipulate the fremen in the first place.
Very much like the Dosadi Experiment, where he explored ? hydraulic despotism? and its effects.
In fairness, difficult to adapt and there's going to have to be some simplification and "messaging" with regards to the realpolitik of Dune.
I don't think Herbert was quite so adamantly antireligious, but maybe. More of a cautionary tale about theocracy and charismatic leaders. Villeneuve maybe has an axe to grind.
@nicholas_saunders yes, adapting the story as it's told in the book is really hard, especially given that a lot of aspects are deliberately subtle. It's part of what makes it so good. I agree that it's a cautionary tale about charismatic leaders rather than religion. Herbert was extremely fascinated by Islam, here's an excellent article on the topic and how it interacted with his political views: https://newlinesmag.com/review/dune-frank-herbert-the-republican-salafist/
Add comment