The auteur versus adaptation debate hit IMAX-sized proportions when two directing titans – the indie darling turned genre-bender Quentin Tarantino and master of sci-fi spectacle Denis Villeneuve – found themselves in a frame-worthy exchange about Frank Herbert’s space opera.
On Bret Easton Ellis’s podcast, the Pulp Fiction director, known for his 70mm celluloid crusade and practical effects advocacy, delivered his signature straight-to-camera take: “I saw [Lynch’s] Dune a couple of times. I don’t need to see that story again. I don’t need to see spice worms. I don’t need to see a movie that says the word ‘spice’ so dramatically.”
Cut to a Montreal film school Q&A, where Villeneuve – fresh from orchestrating what’s likely to be a full-tilt Oscars campaign for Dune: Part Two and working with acclaimed cinematographer Greig Fraser – responded with the directorial equivalent of a close-up: “I don’t care.”
Behind the lens, Villeneuve’s Dune marks a technical achievement in contemporary filmmaking, with its striking visuals and distinctive sound design, complemented by Hans Zimmer’s score that Villeneuve continues to champion for Oscar consideration.
Villeneuve, whose director’s chair has hosted both intimate character studies (Arrival) and neo-noir blockbusters (Blade Runner 2049), defended his lens on Herbert’s universe: “What I did was not a remake. It’s an adaptation of the book. I see this as an original.” The Montreal crowd got the payoff line: “We are very different human beings.”
Steven Spielberg, whose own camera has captured everything from practical T-Rexes to motion-captured Tintin, placed Villeneuve in the pantheon of visual architects. “Let me start by saying there are filmmakers who are the builders of worlds,” Spielberg told the DGA audience, before rolling credits on a legendary lineup: “[Georges] Méliès, Disney, Kubrick, George Lucas, Ray Harryhausen, Fellini, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro.”
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Tarantino, whose own filmography favors Panavision anamorphic lenses and practical squibs over CGI, expanded his take: “People ask have you seen ‘Dune’? Have you seen ‘Ripley’? Have you seen ‘Shōgun’? And I’m like no, no, no, no. There’s six or seven Ripley books. If you do one again, why are you doing the same one that they’ve done twice already?”
The critical reception tells its own story: Part Two has received substantial praise from audiences and critics alike, with many lauding its visual achievements and storytelling approach. Unlike Lynch’s adaptation, Villeneuve’s two-part structure follows Herbert’s original vision, particularly in its treatment of Paul Atreides‘ character arc, revealing its own main character to be the villain of the duology by the movies’ end.
Meanwhile, the Dune saga continues expanding. While Villeneuve remains steadfast in his advocacy for Hans Zimmer’s score to receive Oscar recognition, the prequel series Dune: Prophecy approaches its premiere, suggesting ongoing interest in Herbert’s universe.
From the editing room to the sound stage, from the practical sets to the digital labs where sandworms come alive, this director-to-director dialogue captures the film industry’s perpetual push-pull between preservation and progression. Each frame of this debate adds another layer to cinema’s ever-expanding aspect ratio of artistic expression.
