villian for this adaptation of Dune. There will be spoilers from the book in this breakdown,
so if you haven't read Frank Herbert's novel yet or you don't want to know some of the scene
details from the back part of the story, then I'd recommend watching this at a later time.
This marks the continuation of my Road to Dune series where I will be doing topical videos and
essays on the film, leading to its release this March. Before I get into it though, if you
want to keep up to date on any of my content surrounding Dune Part 2 and beyond,
then don't forget to support this upload by giving it a like rating, subscribing to the channel and
turning on your notifications. But without further a do, lets dive into the character
of Feyd Rautha in Dune Part 2. So fans have waited a long time to
see Feyd-Rautha in Denis Villeneuve's Dune, and from what we've seen so far,
I think he could become one of the most iconic characters in the director's
potential trilogy. Yes we all know that he was a standout in Frank Herbert's book and that he
even stood out in David Lynch's adaptation of Dune, even if that wasn't the greatest of
films. But there's something about all the footage we've seen for part 2 that makes me
think Austin Butler's take can be one to really do justice to this character. Now one of the
things that stood out to us in the first trailers for the film was that yes, his appearance is
different from that of the book and Denis has clearly tried to fit him in line with the
other Harkonnen characters. In part 2, he's sporting a bald look and a more physical presence
like his brother, yet from new behind the scenes looks, it seems like Denis has also kept an
essense of the charisma and intelligence. Frank Herbert's description of the character read
as a round faced teenager with dark hair and what we got in our first look of part 2 was
definitely a deperature visually from what we saw in David Lynch's Dune with Sting's portrayal of
the character. Dune Part 2 has transformed Austin Butler with a bald head and a
completely white complexion and it's possible that the Harkonnen homeworld, Giedi Prime,
is a key facet for this particular look. I did a whole video on the black and white footage
months ago, and I think this look is actually a result of the pollution on geidi Prime,
greying out the landscape and resulting in what we see from those scenes. Cinematographer Greig
fraser was asked about this choice of footage in a recent interview on the designing Hollywood
podcast, and while he didn't give us a reason for it, he did say that it wasn't an aesthetic
choice and that it did have a reason. So that leads me to believe even more that this is a
result of what Geidi Prime looks like during the daytime. And speaking of those black and
white scenes a lot of them seem to be showing us early moments with Austin Butler's Feyd.
From what we've seen, we've had shots of Feyd Rautha in stylish black and white entering a
gladiator-esque fighting pit, where he's in full Harkonnen armor, fighting with and brutally
killing contestants he faces. This is where we first meet the character in the book,
wielding his famous dual knives and showing off his fierce abilities and charisma for the
many in attendance to see. Among those watching on in the arena is Lea Seydoux's Margot Fenring,
who appears later in one of the trailers during an intimate moment with Feyd.
Their romantic relationship stems from the plans of the Bene Gesserit and Margot is known to
seduce and have a child with him. This all comes from the thought that Paul Atreides might be
dead and the Kwisatz Haderach ideal may have to pass on to another child. Essentially, because
Lady jessica defied the Bene Gesserit sisterhood by producing a son, it was a spark for the
high tension between both Feyd and Paul as the heirs of their houses. With the potential for
one or both of them being killed in battle, it would destroy years and years of genetic
engineering, so in turn the sisterhood, sent Lady Fenring to seduce Feyd and have a child
with him. The hope was that they would save that developed genetic material. So Denis is clearly
not skipping the Harkonnen scenes and plot developments that were missed in part 1, and
it seems like he's showing a lot of those moments on Giedi Prime with Feyd to act as a darker
twist on all the stuff happening with Paul. Him gaining support from the Harkonens in the arena
and the demonstration of his physical abilities in battle make him appear as a good leader.
So I think Denis will show this back and forth portrayal of a potential heir, giving us the
comparisons and differences between them. It will of course culminate in Paul and Feyd's
Crysknife battle, so hopefully in the buildup to that, the film will really develop these
introduced characters and showcase their importance as known from the source material.
During the fighting pit scenes in the book we get a sense of the brutality, yet intellect
of Feyd's character and we also learn about how the Baron favours him to be a worthy heir over
Rabban. The trailers have definitely communicated that brutal and cunning side to Feyd and I think
it's the first of many assets that can make him an intimidating villain in part two.
Many have compared him to Darth Maul in Star Wars in terms of his appearance in this film,
and to be honest, I can see that comparison from both a visual perspective and from his
quick and brutal fighting style. I think Dune Part 2 can go beyond just a standard portrayal
of a threatening villain, because the very purpose of Feyd in the story and as a dark
reflection to paul, can communicate the central themes of the Dune story more clearly and the
Harkonnen's part within that. The scenes of the Harkonnens in the trailers, whether it's the
sequences with Feyd or Rabban bowing to the Baron, show that Denis is tapping more into the that
side and really showing them as a brutal reflection of the Atreides. So by showing the
twisted nature of that and also detailing the Harkonnen plan from their perspective,
the world of Denis Villeneuve's Dune will start to become a more revealing tale through all the
developing plot points and angles to it. Using Feyd as both the central focus of the Baron
and a central viewpoint of the audience when it comes to the Harkonnens, makes the threat of
Part 2 all that more interesting. That viewpoint, alongside the Fremens,
culminates in a particular battle for the ages. Paul and Feyd's knife fight is one of skill
between the two future leaders of the galaxy and heirs of powerful Houses. They are only allowed to
use knives with Feyd-Rautha using the Emperor's blade and one of his standard blades with a
poisoned tip, while Paul uses his crysknife. The fight starts with Paul studying his opponent,
while Feyd continuously talks and taunts him. Feyd attempts to stab Paul with his poisoned
blade once gaining an upper hand, but Paul doesn't back down and manages to eventually turn
the fight in his favour. And after an intense battle he kills Feyd by stabbing him through
jaw using the weilded crysknife. Now Feyd isn't the most dangerous villain in the whole
Dune universe, but he is the perfect foil to Paul and the events of this fight can really showcase
that on screen. We've recently seen some new footage from it in behind the scenes
featurettes and you do get a good sense of the creepy side to Feyd
and how Denis is aiming to keep that and his mentioned taunting present during
their battle. This is not like the Jamis fight from part 1, where a proud fremen warrior fought
to the death. It's a battle between two heirs who have been showered with advantages over
many years to get to this moment. Only someone who has spent their entire life built up like
Feyd could hope to stop the potential Kwisatz Haderach, and the Haronnen villain is definitely
that in a twisted sense. Paul demonstrated his superiority against adult warriors and his
regal upbringing and Bene Gesserit training have molded him into the messianic figure that he is.
But when put up against a fighter with a lot of the same advantages, it results in a much
more intense and fascinating face-off this time around. It's a fight of skill, physicality and
internal struggle, being a moment that defines the future of the universe. While Feyd dies in
this ending fight, the cinematic power of this moment and the culmination of both paul and
feyd's journies here has the potential to live on just like it did in the book. And I think
by focussing on that, Feyd as one side of the coin can become an iconic staple of the Dune
universe on the big screen. But while from a narrative and
thematic sense, Feyd has the potential to be a great villian in this new adaptation,
what I think will really carry it over the line is the performance of
Austin Butler. The oscar nominated actor has made a breakthrough in recent years, most
notably for his performances in both Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Elvis, which got him a
nomination for best actor. While he didn't win that award the actor is clearly on the
rise bringing to life both eccentric and unique performances with every film. For me he's an
actor that can really communicate the distinctive features of his characters in just a few scenes,
and getting someone like that to play Feyd is in my opinion a great casting decision.
He completely transformed in Elvis, being able to inhabit his every move, mannerism
and inner feeling, during every big performance or moment in his life. There's a reason that Lisa
Marie Presley praised this particular iteration for being the closest to that of her late father.
And to do that without coming across as just an realistic portrayal, is something that
the best actors find a way of doing in the face of many challenges. Austin Butler's take on the
iconic music star was half an impersonation and half original. His physical and vocal
traits were electrifying, and you can see why he spent years watching every bit of footage
to learn exactly how to perform like him. But it's how he put his emotional spin on those,
elevating his performance and the film as the whole. So after that possibly being my favourite
performance in a film in 2022, I'm only more excited to see him transform once again and put
his spin on an iconic Dune character like Feyd Rautha. Everything we've seen from him looks
devilish and striking on screen, and I think Denis and his team are definitely saving a lot of
his additional scenes for the film. We'll have to see, but as a whole, when it comes to
performances, Austing Butler's Feyd is probabaly the one that I'm most excited about with Dune
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