The first installment in Denis Villeneuve’s 2 part adaptation of Dune stands out in several
distinct ways from David Lynch’s 1984 film and the Syfy Channel miniseries that came before.
Each of these versions have elements that make them special in their own right so even though
they are all telling the same story they are each very different from each other. One element that
made Villeneuve’s version distinct and which I especially appreciated was the treatment of Duncan
Idaho. In this video I’d like to break down this newest interpretation of the Atreides swordmaster,
what I most enjoyed from Jason Momoa’s portrayal and how Villeneuve’s adaptation served to
vindicate this fan favorite character. Spoiler Warning for the film if you haven’t seen it yet.
Of all the characters in Frank Herbert’s Duniverse, Duncan Idaho stands out as my favorite.
I especially appreciate Duncan for his noble qualities, his bravery, strength and unwavering
loyalty to the ideals of House Atreides. Upon my first reading of the novel at a young age
I related the most to Paul’s journey. I found myself seeing Duncan through Paul’s eyes as
a friend, mentor and trusted confidant. While the swordmaster can be considered a
minor or supporting character with most of the story focusing on Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica
his contribution is nevertheless vital to the outworking of the story.
However due to the fact that his role in the novel is relatively small in comparison with
the major characters of Dune it has proven to be a challenge for past adaptations to convey the
importance of Duncan’s contribution. While there are other characters in Villneuve’s part one film
that I wish had gotten more screen time it really meant so much to me as a Dune fan
to see the character of Duncan Idaho as I imagined him to be, to see how important he was.
Under the Emperor’s orders to take stewardship of the planet Arrakis and to oversee the harvest
of the precious Spice melange, Duke Leto Atreides, aware of the vulnerable position
they now find themselves in, sends Duncan Idaho ahead to establish good relations with the native
Fremen population. Commissioning Duncan for this assignment speaks volumes about his character,
the fact that the Duke entrusted him to be the one who would serve to give the Fremen
their first impression of House Atreides, shows how much trust and admiration Leto had in him.
Commissioning Duncan for this assignment speaks volumes about his character,
the fact that the Duke entrusted him to be the one to give the Fremen their
first impression of House Atreides, Shows how much trust and admiration Leto had for him.
Leto recognized that Duncan’s capability as a warrior
and his strength of character might gain the Fremen’s favor.
The Duke says of Duncan that he is quote, a proud, ruthless man, but fond of the truth. I
think the Fremen will admire him. If we’re lucky, they may judge us by him. Duncan, the moral.
While the story doesn’t follow Duncan as he embarks on this perilous mission the results
of his work in gaining valuable intel on Arrakis and establishing good relations with the Fremen
people are detailed by others. In Deni Villneuve’s adaptation at one point there was intended to be a
sequence that depicts Duncan’s arrival on Arrakis; however it was cut from the finished film. This is
something I had personally hoped to see instead Deni Villneuve took a different approach that I
didn’t expect. The creative choice to instead foreshadow Duncan’s mission and his dealings
with the Fremen through a conversation with Paul about his dreams accomplished 2 things.
We not only understand Duncan’s vital role on Arrakis, but from the very beginning of the story
we also see the strong bonds of friendship between him and Paul. I ended up appreciating this moment
even more. As awesome as it would have been to see Duncan landing on Arrakis and meeting the Fremen
I felt it was even more essential to showcase how important Duncan is to the Atreides family
and Paul in particular. Moments like these are often my favorite parts of getting to see stories
unfold on screen, while the action sequences in this film are amazing it is these quiet moments
that mean the most to me as they are the means by which we learn about who these characters are,
it endears them to us, we relate to them more and so as the story continues we become even
more emotionally invested in their journey. In my opinion this was done so well in Duncan’s case.
The film demonstrated Duncan's skill as a swordmaster accurately
and Jason Momoa handled the fight sequences with finesse worthy of a swordmaster of the Ginaz.
Villneuve made a concerted effort to flush out the different facets of Duncan’s role and personality.
Upon repeated viewings I came to realize that most of Idaho’s scenes accomplished this as they made
the best use of his screen time to achieve well rounded character development. When the members
of House Atreides are reunited on Arrakis, Duncan gives his report to Duke Leto. We're introduced
thereafter to the Fremen Leader Stilgar; it serves to highlight the respect Duncan displays to both
House Atreides and the Fremen. Another scene featuring Gurney, Duncan and Paul enjoying a bit
of lighthearted banter where Duncan’s admiration for the Fremen is revealed helps to emphasize
the comradery between the swordmaster and the other members of House Atreides with a nice
interchange between him and Paul and we see the results of his getting to know the Fremen people.
It was this essential character development that made Duncan’s last stand everything I
had wished for it to be. In the novel there is not much of a description of these events;
it's quite short actually. In general books are better able to do the heavy lifting in regards to
detailed character development. This enables the author to make such a brief description
weighty as the reader’s imagination and emotions tend to fill in the gaps. I know I’m stating the
obvious but attempting to tell the same story on screen is entirely different. All the work that
was done throughout Dune part one in establishing Duncan’s character and his relationship with Paul
paid off in such a beautiful way. As someone already very familiar with the source material
going in to watch this film I was completely blown away by how emotionally invested I became
in Duncan’s story and it made his final moments that much more impactful to me. This movie in
its own way made me see Duncan through Paul’s eyes and even knowing how his story was going to unfold
I was no less moved by what I saw and felt in that moment. This was not only a tribute to Frank
Herbert’s story and the legacy of Duncan Idaho but also to filmmaking as a storytelling medium.
No matter any other criticisms I have with this adaptation and those that might arise in part 2
I will always be grateful for those involved in making this film for giving fans that moment.
As I stated before in this video each version of Dune has its own unique artistic interpretation
with elements that make each one special in their own way. While I praise Dune part one
for its faithful depiction of Duncan Idaho I was also hoping for more from Gurney Halleck,
the mentats and the Harkonnens. However we still have part 2 to come with opportunities for more
world building and character development and moments where the other members of House
Atreides and the Fremen can have their own time to shine. This new adaptation is based on a dense
world building novel with a large cast and it is this very reason that Dune was deemed unfilmable.
When translating a complex novel to a visual medium there is a delicate balance
between making sure the audience understands the fundamental elements that make up this universe
while at the same time not feeling overwhelmed by the details so as to take away from the enjoyment
of the story. While several key elements weren’t explained in detail in Dune part one I was pleased
with the focus on character development for some of the major figures. Because Duncan’s
part of the story sees its completion in Part one, I am happy with the priority given to this
fan favorite character and I’m eager to find out what’s to come for the other characters in part 2.
But I’m curious to know what you think of how Duncan Idaho was portrayed in this new adaptation.
Are there any scenes of his that stand out as your favorite? Is there something you would have
changed regarding his role in the film? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
I hope you enjoyed this video. Leave a like if you did and be sure to subscribe for more Dune
and other sci-fi and fantasy news and lore. Thank you all so much for your support
and as always have a very nerdy day.