"Children of Dune" (2003) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Greg Yaitanes

Writers (WGA):

Frank Herbert (books)
John Harrison (teleplay)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

16 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Born to rule an empire. Destined to tear it apart.

Plot:

The twins of Paul "Muad'dib" Atreides become embroiled in the political landscape of Arrakis ("Dune") and the rest of the universe.

Plot Keywords:

Dune | Sequel | Steampunk | Messiah | Desert World

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 7 nominations

Cast

Alec Newman	...	Muad'Dib / ... (1 episode, 2003)
Edward Atterton	...	Duncan Idaho (1 episode, 2003)
Ian McNeice	...	Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (1 episode, 2003)
Steven Berkoff	...	Stilgar (1 episode, 2003)
P.H. Moriarty	...	Gurney Halleck (1 episode, 2003)
James McAvoy	...	Leto Atreides II (1 episode, 2003)
Rik Young	...	Javid (1 episode, 2003)
Martin McDougall	...	Scytale (1 episode, 2003)

Also Known As:

"Dune - Bedrohung des Imperiums" (Germany) (second part title)
"Dune - Der Messias" (Germany) (first part title)
"Dune - Die Kinder des Wüstenplaneten" (Germany) (third part title)
"Dune - Krieg um den Wüstenplaneten" (Germany) (cut version)
"Frank Herbert's Children of Dune" (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

Czech Republic:235 min (3 parts) | Germany:182 min (2004) (cut version) | USA:266 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Germany:12 | UK:12 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Blixa Film Produktion GmbH & Co. KG

Trivia:

Many of the supporting parts are played by supporting actors from "Dune" (2000), recast into different characters. For example, Korba is played by Karel Dobry who previously portrayed Dr. Liet Kynes, and Klára Issová, who played Lichna, appeared as a Fremen housemaid in the Atreides palace.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Stilgar supposedly slashes Mohiam's throat, but not only does he clearly not touch her at all, his knife is positioned closer to her chest.

Quotes:

Gurney Halleck: My loyalty is to House Atreides.
Leto: Well, I am House Atreides.
Gurney Halleck: And what of your Aunt?
Leto: My Aunt is lost; lost to forces she could not control. Forces that wish to destroy House Atreides.
Gurney Halleck: What have you done to yourself?
Leto: I have made a choice, accepted a destiny, nothing more.
Gurney Halleck: My eyes can see it; but my mind refuses to believe.
Leto: Believe it Gurney. Remember the words of my father and my grandfather, your Duke. They spoke to you of Desert Power. Well, I AM Desert Power, and nothing can stop what is going to happen.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#33.11)" (2005)

One of the Best Sci-Fi Series

I admit being a big fan of the 'Dune' books. I consider them being a masterpiece, not only of the science-fiction genre, but of the world literature as a whole. Yes, nothing less. I am a books lover, and I have read very few books reaching this level of complexity and with such a philosophical depth when reflecting what the faith of mankind will be in the future. Reflections on democracy and dictatorship, ecological balance, holy wars, genetics, love, you find them all melted at high artistic temperature.

Having revealed this, any film inspired by 'Dune' must reach a high stake for me to like it. A great director as David Lynch already tried his forces, with good (but not perfect) results. The current series, inspired by the second and third books in the series are very faithful to the original. Certainly the books are that powerful, so people who did not read them may find some details obscure, or some conflict details un-explained. Well, my only advice - go and read the books! You will not regret.

'Dune' is golden material for mini-series, but also puts some serious technical challenges. The team who realized 'Children of Dune' met them well for most of the time. Some of the effects look Disney-like, and this is the only big minus I found in this film. Otherwise, a very good cast does a wonderful job in re-creating Herbert's world of characters. The action has logic, and each of the third parts is well driven from a tension point of view.

I hope that more is coming. If they approach the fourth book, that one has even more challenges, as Frank Herbert's fantasy got even wilder, in what I think was one of the best books in the series. In any case, 'Children of Dune' is memorable, and gets a 9/10 on my personal scale.