Movie reactions to a friend:
the ending of the bad guys is anti-climactic, but I read the books and it’s pretty similar. Rabban doesn’t really even die. Feyd Rautha dies how he does in the book. The death of the Baron is far more interesting in the book, which I won’t spoil but it’s a whole subplot they couldn’t fit in
The symbolism is more that they all scoffed and scorned a 15 year old boy as not being worth anything. The theme of the baron being over confident that there aren’t fremen, that by leaving Paul in the desert he’d die with his mom, etc. they all felt untouchable. Then they all die unceremoniously and their power is just stripped away in a moment. Symbolic of Paul’s rise as a messiah and how these big leaders have very little keeping them from being humanized and debased.
Frank Herbert’s theme when he speaks about the book is that “beware of leaders. Don’t trust any of them. Don’t worship them - they’re just humans”. And I think the unceremonious death kind of enshrines that. The baron who was rising over the Duke, dies face down in the dirt. Feyd Rautha who killed an Atreides in the coliseum dies in front of none of his people, etc.
It’s anti climactic but I think it speaks a lot to the theme of how majesty is kind of a thin veil.
- shield your son too much and he’ll not grow strong enough to fulfill any destiny
- deprogram after the machines. Let the machines do too much thinking.
- humans must never submit to animals
- “how did the woman seal my tongue?” Paul can’t tell his father he’s going to die. Why? Sometimes our tongues are bound to speak that which can’t be changed
- “the mind commands the body and it obeys. It commands itself and it rebels”
Connections: - Alan Pinkerton killers “secrets break the character of the criminal till they give it out”. Dr Yueh cries when his scripture is given out.
Notes: - if I made him do it it wouldn’t be his doing. - storytelling: why tell us 100% of everything up front? The movie hides the secrets about Yueh. - storytelling: the hindsight narrator
When God has appointed a man to die, he guides his wants to desire that place
- you’re remembered for what you fear
- Focusing too much on sight dulls the other senses
- We became weak on caladan
- Why beat yourself up after an emotional experience? What does it take to relevel yiur head.
- “Their minds rejected what they could not comprehend or encompass”
- Taking and giving force. a man loves the taking force, but he can’t get into the giving force without being changed.
- Power changed Muaddib to not care about lost people. Why is that?
Storytelling - How he explains their thoughts after subtle observations. He explains things through humanity, not through narration alone. This makes those points more salient. It’s as if the dialogue is the content and the narration are the footnotes and context.
- Stilgar becoming a worshipper.
- Having lived billions upon billions of lives. Known cruelty.
- Trying to prevent the jihad, does he inevitably create it?
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Bryan lives somewhere at the intersection of faith, fatherhood, and futurism and writes about tech, books, Christianity, gratitude, and whatever’s on his mind. If you liked reading, perhaps you’ll also like subscribing: