Villeneuve's sense of style and its relationship to filmography.
Have you seen other "DUNE" films?
I have not seen only the TV version, but I have seen the Lynch version. When I saw this film, I felt from all parts of it that it respects both the original work and the Jodorowsky and Lynch versions. Even though there is an original story, I feel that the detailed pickup of the story follows the Lynch version quite a bit. In the original, the names of people and species are hard to remember, but the Lynch version explains them clearly, so I recommend watching it as an auxiliary line. It is strange that a film by David Lynch, the master of incomprehensible films, can function as a commentary/introduction.
What do you think of Villeneuve?
When I heard that my favorite Villeneuve was going to make a film of his novel "Dune," I was frankly delighted. He is an exceptionally good director at filming deserts, so I thought it couldn't have been a better appointment. Looking at his filmography, "Burning Souls" is set in Lebanon, and "The Duplicate Man" is an urban story, but the highlights are dark and yellow, with a dusty, dry atmosphere. Borderline" is set in the desert. It's just perfect, isn't it?
Indeed.
（Melange (the spice) is a drug, so to speak. The complicated power struggle between organizations over drugs is exactly the same as the story structure of "Borderline. There were also elements of Hayao Miyazaki's "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Villeneuve is known for his realistic films, but he can also make fantasy films. Moreover, he is very good at adapting any genre to his own style, so there is no blurring of aesthetics in any of his films. For example, "Blade Runner 2049" inverts the humid near-future image of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" with its constant rain into a dry image of desolate ruins and ashes. It's such a big shift that it's almost a flagrant rebellion against the original version, as well as the flood of cyberpunk and other creations that followed. It's a very gutsy move.
Are there any other aspects of the project besides the video that you liked?
The music, including the sound effects, is amazing. I saw the film in IMAX®, and the sound as well as the visuals were superb. In fact, I suspect that I was fooled by the musical abilities of Johan Johansson (in "The Message") and Hans Zimmer (in this film) (laugh). As I mentioned earlier, science fiction films tend to attract with their visuals, but Villeneuve's specialty is to present richness and novelty through the power of unseen sounds and music. In line with the design of the theme of this interview, sound design is indeed one of the most important elements of this film. The music is outstanding, and at the same time, I don't think there are many directors who can blend music so well into the images and the story.
