The world of film has been treated to a visual feast with the release of Dune, a sci-fi epic that effortlessly holds its grandeur, whether showcased on the vast canvas of a theater or the intimate realm of home streaming. While the film offers an expansive and breathtaking tour of varied landscapes, it’s Denis Villeneuve’s direction that brings together this massive cinematic puzzle.
A considerable share of the credit for the film’s visual success rests on the shoulders of Greig Fraser, the gifted cinematographer who transformed Dune into a moving canvas. Fraser, who started his journey with deep character narratives like Killing Them Softly and Zero Dark Thirty, gradually became a sought-after name for blockbuster cinematic masterpieces. It’s no surprise that he’s the talent behind the awe-inspiring visuals of iconic movies like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Batman.
Venturing into the vast Dune universe, Fraser and Villeneuve began their journey in March 2019, wrapping up by the following year. But as fate would have it, the intended November 2020 release had to be postponed, with the pandemic playing a significant role in reshuffling the global cinematic calendar.
Dune’s Authentic Landscape and the Tale of Two Deserts
A remarkable aspect of Dune’s filming was its reliance on real locations over studio setups. While the Origo Film Studios in Budapest served as a base, the arid expanses of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates became the real canvas for the film’s mythical desert planet, Arrakis. No amount of CGI could replicate the raw, oppressive heat of these desert terrains—a fact corroborated by the film’s lead, Timothée Chalamet, and his co-star Jason Momoa, both of whom have termed the desert shoot as extremely challenging.
But this isn’t the maiden dance of the Wadi Rum valley of Jordan with the silver screen. Its enchanting desert landscapes have been immortalized by iconic films like Lawrence of Arabia, set during World War I. Modern masterpieces like The Martian, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Prometheus, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, too, owe their desert visuals to this very region.
Not to be left behind, the Liwa Oasis region, which added to Arrakis’ vastness, has had its own moments of cinematic glory, featuring prominently in films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Yet, Dune is not all about arid landscapes. The icy terrains of the House Atreides home planet, Caladan, were brought to life in the picturesque locales of Stadlandet, Norway. A visual contrast to Arrakis, the beautiful ocean planet has been the ruling ground of the Atreides lineage for millennia before their monumental move.
In Conclusion
Dune is a cinematic marvel that encapsulates the synergy of a visionary director and an outstanding cinematographer. It’s a testament to the magic that can be created when authentic locations are married to cutting-edge visual effects. For those who haven’t taken the visual journey yet, Dune awaits them on platforms like Netflix and Max, promising an experience that is both vast and intimate.
