I think that the knife fighting scenes in Lynch's Dune were about the same quality. Granted, when you make a Hollywood movie, you want to show the really flashy stuff that will please the majority of the population, most of whom have never done any knife training. I just hate to see things like Jamis holding his blade between only his thumb and forefinger way out in front of his body with his arm stock-still, crouched down low with his head out. Only a suicidal maniac would really fight like that blade-to-blade (with weapon hand and face exposed and with poor grip and little mobility). Within half a second, his weapon hand would be cut, his knife dropped, and his face hit by a follow-up shot. Were the fight scenes entertaining? Yes. Realistic? Not quite, but since when did realism sell?
Although this version of Dune stuck closer to the book than its predecessor, I had my bones to pick with it. Here are just a few of them:
(1) There were several added scenes and altered scenes involving Irulan that were completely out of character for her and did not further the plot of the film.
(2) Many of the characters, costumes, machines, etc. did not remotely resemble the way Herbert describes them in the novel. Where was Gurney's inkvine scar, where were the noseplugs on the stillsuit, why did the thopters have rotors, why did the mentats not have stained lips, etc.?
(3) It seems like Arrakis is a bit more humid in the movie than it is in the novel, because most of the Fremen felt comfortable hanging out in the open desert without stillsuits on.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that bad of a version of Dune, it is just that the attention to detail was rather lax.
Paranoid9999, I train/teach JKD here in Honolulu with Burton Richardson and Herb Tanton at JKD Unlimited. Please come train with us if you get the chance.
Take care and train hard everyone,
Fedaykin
[This message has been edited by Fedaykin (edited 12-10-2000).]
