‘Dune’ Director Denis Villeneuve ‘Hates Dialogue’ In Films: ‘Movies Got Corrupted by TV’
“Dune” Director Denis Villeneuve made waves when he proclaimed TV and theatre as something beneath films. “Frankly, I Hate Dialogue. Dialogue is for theatre and television,” he made an assertion when asked when his lines are so short. The screenwriter and filmmaker goes as far as to say that “television has corrupted movies” for everyone.
Dune Director Hates Dialogue
In a recent interview with The Times of London, the filmmaker said he was not a fan of dialogue. “I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I’m not interested in dialogue at all. Pure image and sound, that is the power of cinema.” He is also sad that in today’s movies, you don’t get to see that kind of magic.
Moreover, he shares his weirdest fantasy for a dream movie he wants to direct. “In a perfect world, I’d make a compelling movie that does not have a single word in. People would leave the cinema and won’t feel the lack of dialogue.” That is ironic because he was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for “Dune: Part One,” for which he was a screenwriter and director.
TV Has Corrupted Movies
Denis Villeneuve feels that TV is going through a golden age and everyone is copying somebody else to be successful. He previously thought of helming an HBO limited series with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. The show was an adaptation of the novel “The Son” by Norwegian author Jo Nesbo. However, Villeneuve has dropped out as it’s just not the medium for him.
Image: Getty
“It’s a project that I love. And I love the book and the strong writer,” he said. “But to do a miniseries, trying to protect all the elements of the book was too much. The screenplays were excellent, but far from my sensibility.” Also, given how the small-screen content quality kept diminishing over the past 2 decades, he doesn’t want to work for TV.
On Criticism for “Dune: Part Two” Length
The 2nd instalment of Frank Herbert’s novel adaptation runs 3 hours, and trolls about the length don’t bother the director. He said, “Think of Oppenheimer. It is a three-hour, rated-R movie about nuclear physics that is mostly talking. The youth love to watch long movies because they are craving meaningful content.”
The Warner Bros. sci-fi franchise is also getting a third film. But “Dune 3” will take time, “I don’t want to rush it. In Hollywood, people get excited about release dates, not quality.”
Dune Director Denis Villeneuve and Anya Taylor-Joy Image: Getty
Anya Taylor-Joy joins Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet for “Dune 2,” but her casting was under wraps. Denis Villeneuve says, “Hollywood Is the Most Gossipy Town on Earth. I wanted to see how long we could keep it a secret. We shot in Africa with Anya under super-secrecy.” With a March 1 release date, the film has stunning visuals, making it one of the best-made blockbuster materials.
