Baron Harkonnen
"I really had to put up with it because I knew that in order to take me down it would take some time to get me up again. So there were times when I just had to grit my teeth and bear it. They were very good about how much they used it and they knew that when I went into it they'd have to move quite quickly, and luckily they used stunt men to do the rehearsals, so I'd get on it and we'd film pretty quick.
"It became an amazing thing and you could travel quite fast in it and go up quite high in it. Vittorio Storaro, who is a god of a cinematographer, was very enthusiastic. It became rather a good process of director, actor and cinematographer working as a team, as opposed to ‘We're going to do this next.' What was amazing was that I actually didn't have to hit a mark myself or walk for seven weeks and at the end of it, there was this one Czech grip who'd done all the work in pushing me around and finding the marks, and on my final day I got a trolley with several cases of his favorite beer, which was rolled out at the end, and I said to him, ‘George, all you have to do now is push that home.' "
Far left: Baron Harkonnen; far right: Piter Devries (Jan Unger)
One of his costars in "Frank Herbert’s Dune" is actress Saskia Reeves, who Ian McNeice met while she was still attending drama school in London, England.
"I actually directed her in a couple of shows," McNeice recalled. "One was Measure For Measure and I knew then that she had tremendous talent. She very sweetly looks back at this point and says, ‘You're the only one that ever said anything nice about my work.' After she left drama school she didn't stop. She did TV movie after movie and really hasn't stopped since." Although they both feature largely in the story, they actually only have one scene together. "There's a scene where she's strapped down and she's in front of me and I have another tirade. I seem to be doing it all the time. "
Ian’s film and television credits stretch back some twenty years. They start in England and include such productions as The Life And Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1981), Top Secret! (1984), 84 Charing Cross Road (1986), Edge of Darkness (1986), Cry Freedom (1987), Valmont (1989), Around The World In 80 Days (1989 TV mini-series), The Russia House (1990), Year Of The Comet (1992), The Wimbledon Poisoner (1994 TV mini-series), Funny Bones (1995), The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain (1995), Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), A Life Less Ordinary (1997), A Christmas Carol (1999), and Longitude (2000, a TV mini-series).
Baron Harkonnen
In "Frank Herbert’s Dune," Feyd Harkonnen is played by Matt Keeslar. In the context of the story, the Bene Gesserit had intended Jessica Atreides to have a daughter by Duke Leto, and this daughter was destined to marry Feyd. When Jessica defied the Bene Gesserit by giving the Duke a son, Paul and Feyd were set on a collision course from which only one would ultimately emerge.
Keeslar is comfortable playing Feyd, but he doesn't diminish the dangerous side of the character he portrays.
"The thing about Feyd is that he's the ultimate sociopath," the actor readily admits. "He doesn't have any remorse about killing. He lives for excitement. He lives for the moment. In the mini-series he celebrates his one hundredth kill of a slave . . . you almost think of him as some sort of very spoiled professional athlete. He trains all the time, and part of his training is this killing that he does which is a rite of passage for Harkonnen boys."
Feyd and Baron Harkonnen
Piter Devries and Lady Jessica
Keeslar was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1972. After receiving training at Julliard, he began appearing in films in 1994 in Safe Passage, Renaissance Man and Quiz Show. These were followed by a TV production of A Streetcar Named Desire (1995), Waiting For Guffman (1996), Mr. Magoo (1997), The Last Days of Disco (1998), Durango (1999), and in the year 2000 was Urbania, Psycho Beach Party and Scream 3.
Feyd
Feyd and Paul Atreides
A Harkonnen soldier
Emperor Shaddam IV and Reverend Mother Mohiam
THE EMPEROR
The Emperor, Shaddam IV resides in his imperial seat on the planet Kaitain, guarded by crack troops known as the Sardaukar. The Emperor is a controlling partner in CHOAM. In "Frank Herbert’s Dune," he orders Duke Leto to relocate the House Atreides to Arrakis and take over the production of Spice. Duke Leto has no choice but to com-ply.
Emperor Shaddam IV is played by Italian film star Giancarlo Giannini. Born in La Spezoa, Italy in 1942, he has appeared in numerous European motion pictures and came to prominence with American audiences in Lina Wertmüller’s Swept Away (1975). He has also appeared in Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline (1979), as well as American Dreamer (1984), New York Stories (1989), Once Upon A Crime (1992), Jacob: A TNT Bible Story (1994), A Walk In The Clouds (1995), Mimic (1997), and others.
"Giancarlo was a favorite actor of both John [Harrison] and myself for many years," said executive producer Mitchell Galin. "When we explored whether or not he was available for the role, we were excited to learn that he knew the material well and wanted to partake in the project right away."
Emperor Shaddam IV
The Emperor’s daughter is Princess Irulan. While Frank Herbert made her the narrator in his first Dune novel, in the mini-series she steps for-ward as a character who participates in events as they occur. She is sent to Arrakis, after Duke Leto is sent to take over, as a gesture of the Emperor’s good will. This is when she and Paul first meet.
"Princess Irulan is very intelligent, fiery and independent, and coquettish when she needs to be, but not for her own personal gain, because she's Bene Gesserit trained," explains actress Julie Cox, who plays her. "She has a very childlike quality, but great maturity and wisdom, and she probably would be a much better emperor than her father. But she's a woman and the Emperor was waiting for a son. She very much loves her father but is disappointed in him for treating her as ‘just a girl.’ She has her own designs and aspirations to become a leader. But because she doesn't have the nerve to do that yet, she becomes a great scholar.
"She meets Paul quite early on in the story and there's an immediate connection. They're very similar and come from similar backgrounds. Similar temperaments. And if circumstances were different they probably would have been a great couple.
"She's very much aware of the moral issues behind the conflicts that are going on and the way her father is dealing with them. It makes her fight to find out what's really going on. She is driven by a sense of good and a desire to find the truth behind things."
Preparing for a scene
Julie Cox is a young actress whose film work dates back to 1993 when she appeared in Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life. She also played the child-like empress in The Never Ending Story III (1994), as well as having roles in Danielle Steel's Zoya (1995), Death Machine (1995), Danielle Steel's The Ring (1996), Princess In Love (1996, in which she played Princess Diana), the 1997 TV mini-series 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and the 1999 TV movie of The Scarlet Pimpernel. "Frank Herbert’s Dune" is her first epic adventure. Landing the role in "Frank Herbert’s Dune" was particularly fortuitous since she was already very familiar with the novel itself.
A palace guard
"My agent in London had already cast a couple of people in this and she mentioned it to me and didn't realize that I was already a big fan of the book," the actress recalled. "I said, ‘Absolutely, yes!’ In the book my character is the narrator, but in the mini-series she plays a much more active role. I like the way John [Harrison] adapted it very much, he made it stronger."
Since Irulan is an active participant in the story of "Frank Herbert’s Dune," the love triangle involving Paul Atredies and the Freman woman Chani is more pronounced, as is the parallel between the love shared by Jessica and Duke Leto.
Julie observed that, "I think there's a mutual respect between Jessica and Irulan. They understand each other because they both had to do things for the better of people other than themselves. Jessica made a personal sacrifice because of her love for the Duke by producing a son instead of
a daughter. Near the end of the story Irulan suggests that to end the war that is tearing everything apart, she and Paul Atreides should marry. Irulan knows there is no future for herself, that there’s no love for her in this marriage, yet because of the greater issues it seems the right decision."
Cox was particularly gratified that the cinematographer was Vittorio Storaro, which insured that it would be above average in look as well as execution. "When I found out that Vittorio was the cinematographer, it was a bit of a shock and it took awhile to sink in because I'm just a big fan of his. But when I actually watched how he approached his work, and the amount of energy and thought he put into it, my respect for him shot up even more. He's a very patient, gentle man."
The actress is impressed by not just the craftsmanship of the filmmakers, but by her co-workers as well.
"One of the things that appealed to me the most was the quality of the cast. And when you're working on something of this nature, you have to bring a lot of levels behind the character; it makes the environment real. The dialogue is shared with the costumes, and the sets—all part of one package. John said, when he and I discussed my part, that the story is the real hero. There's been a wonderful generosity from the cast for what we do. There’s a wonderful level of talent here and we’re all playing a part of the puzzle."
Paul Atreides and Princess Irulan
Stilgar
Fremen
THE FREMEN
Fremen are the native inhabitants of Arrakis. Mysterious and secretive, they know more than they seem to and in fact help contribute to the life cycle of the gigantic sandworms and the method by which the worms produce Spice. The Fremen are a loosely ordered group of ‘tribes’ who are united by common goals and heritage. While they seem to be a patriarchal society, they are nonetheless strongly influenced by the "wise women" called Reverend Mothers and the beliefs of the Bene Gesserit which have been sown on their world.
Because water on Arrakis is so scarce, the Fremen have developed a method of recycling their personal water in what are called "Stillsuits." A Stillsuit is made from a micro-sandwich fabric, which filters bodily wastes and heat dissipation and reclaims their moisture in catchpockets. The wearer can then access the water in the catchpockets via a straw-like tube. The Fremen also use a Stilltent when they are outside the Sietch (the cave warrens where the Fremen communities live). The Stilltent is made of the same micro-sandwich fabric as the Stillsuit, and is designed to reclaim the moisture from the air exhaled by those who are within the Stilltent.
Three Fremen
In keeping with his desire to set the Fremen apart from the other inhabitants of Dune, director John Harrison conceived of the notion that the Fremen would probably pass down cultural information and moral teachings to their children in the form of stories, and that some of these stories could be related in puppet shows. To accomplish this he turned to Petr and Matej Forman, twin brothers who are master puppeteers in the Czech Republic. They still carve their own puppets, just as the master puppeteers of old did. Petr and Matej Forman (sons of Oscar winning director Milos Forman) appear on screen as Fremen bards, using puppet shows to teach history and morality to Fremen children.
Fremen puppeteers telling a story to children
The lives of the Fremen were first changed by the arrival of the plan-etary ecologist, Pardot Kynes, and then again by the arrival of the House Atreides and Paul Atreides, the "Mah’di"—the messiah. Pardot Kynes became the leader of the Fremen and his leadership was succeeded by his son, Liet-Kynes. Liet-Kynes worked with the Fremen in their goal to make Arrakis a paradise at some future time by creating an ecosystem that contained water. Although he was the Fremen leader, Liet-Kynes did not interfere with the leadership of the individual tribes and allowed the "Naibs" (Fremen word for "Chief") of each tribe to lead. His daughter Chani is the Fremen woman who becomes Paul Atreides’ true love.
A Fremen Puppet
Chani and Paul Atreides
When Paul and Jessica Atreides escape to the desert, they only sur-vive because they are taken in by the Fremen tribe from Sietch Tabr, which is led by Stilgar. Stilgar plays a very important role in "Frank Herbert’s Dune" because he becomes Paul’s mentor and teaches him the ways of the desert. He takes up where Duke Leto left off in helping Paul to become a man and helps guide him towards his destiny. Stilgar is played by German film star, Uwe Ochsenknecht. Born January 7, 1956 in Mannheim, Germany, among his many acting credits is Das Boot (The Boat) the 1980 film directed by Wolfgang Peterson. In 1986 he won the Film Strip in Gold Award for the film Manner (1985) and in 1998 was nominated for the Film Strip in Gold Award for the film Weihnachtsfieber.
A Fremen ceremony
Stilgar
A Fremen warrior
The role of Chani is played by Barbora Kodetova. Her previous film roles include The Dance Master (1995), Rivers of Babylon (1998) and the Swedish film The Stronger (1999). "I'm a theater actress, primarily for the Prague theater. I've played in some films and TV shows on Czech television. But, until this mini-series I've never had experience with a big production from America.
Chani and Paul Atreides
A Fremen ambush
Chani
In describing her character, she discusses how Chani matures from a girl into a woman over the course of the story. "She's a Fremen girl. She's a very nice person. Strong. The relationship between Chani and Paul starts with love. She is a young girl and he is a young guy, and they fall in love in a romantic way. Then their life changes when the war comes. Their relationship changes. They go through very bad things together. In the end in order to end the war, she's strong enough to say, ‘There are times when it’s necessary to share the one you love with things greater than both of you. You have to marry Princess Irulan. I will be here for you for your life, but it's important for you and for all of us.' "
Chani prepares to get the Water of Life from a sandworm
Among the many Fremen ceremonies portrayed in "Frank Herbert’s Dune," one of the most sacred involves the "Water of Life." The Water of Life is the liquid a sandworm vomits at the moment of its death from drowning. During the Water of Life ceremony in the miniseries, Jessica Atreides must drink this poisonous liquid and use her Bene Gesserit abilities to change it from poison to water. If she is successful in transforming the water and lives, she will reach a higher state of awareness and become a Reverend Mother. She undergoes this ceremony while pregnant with Paul’s sister, Alia. The effect on the unborn Alia proves to have many consequences later in the Dune saga.
Lady Jessica prepares for the Water of Life ceremony
Reverend Mother Mohiam
Reverend Mother Mohiam and Bene Gesserit attendant
BENE GESSERIT
The Bene Gesserit was the first mental-physical training school established (primarily for female students) after the Butlerian Jihad. This war marked an important turning point in history because it ultimately resulted in the outlawing of thinking machines and the making of a machine that worked like a human mind. Thus developing the human mind became pre-eminent, particularly among certain factions who could use this to their particular advantage. The Bene Gesserit have learned to detect patterns in history and know events before they happen. Both Jessica Atreides and Reverend Mother Mohiam knew that Duke Leto was doomed, and that there was nothing they could do to prevent it. This knowledge of the future can enable more insightful decisions to be made, but they do not use their abilities to alter the inevitable—at least that is what they are taught. However, the sisterhood works to manipulate events and uses subtlety and subterfuge to achieve its goals.
Lady Jessica and Stilgar
This ancient sisterhood spread to all the known worlds in the universe, sowing implant legends through the "Missionaria Protectiva." Thus when a member of the order came to a world which may have otherwise had little contact or commerce with the Imperium, there were leg-ends in place which a member of the Bene Gesserit could capitalize on to gain influence in what would oth
erwise be an alien culture. The Lady Jessica Atreides quickly took advantage of this upon her arrival on Arrakis.
Paul Atreides and Reverend Mother Mohiam
Before she became the concubine of Duke Leto, Jessica Atreides was instructed by the sisterhood that as a Bene Gesserit she existed to serve the sisterhood. When Jessica was chosen by the Duke, this fit perfectly into their plans to manipulate the bloodlines of both House Atreides and House Harkonnen and bring about a unification of the two Houses. They foresaw this by having Jessica give the Duke a daughter to marry the male Harkonnen heir. But Jessica defied her teachings for the love of her Duke. When she chose instead to give the Duke the son he desired, events were altered dramatically. This wild card proved to be greater than any- thing the sisterhood had foreseen because Paul Atreides became the Kwisatz Haderach, which means "Shortening of the Way." This is the label applied by the Bene Gesserit to the unknown for which they sought a genetic solution: a male Bene Gesserit whose organic mental powers would bridge space and time. While they suspected that Paul Atreides could in fact be this Kwisatz Haderach, they were afraid to believe that he was. If it were true, then it would mean that he would be beyond the reach of their control and a threat to the foundation of their power.
The Secrets of Frank Herbert's Dune Page 3