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The changes to Kynes and Hawat removed subplots to focus on the primary plot. They don't even mention Paul's mentat training. I feel that removing the Arabic
by willis936 3y ago
The changes to Kynes and Hawat removed subplots to focus on the primary plot. They don't even mention Paul's mentat training.
I feel that removing the Arabic names from Fremen is to make it palatable for modern audiences. Herbert did respect Arabic cultures and (in my opinion) did not have an insulting representation of them. It is still a caricature of a people made by someone who is not of that people. We do give up some context, but we also avoid insult in our now-global world. I don't think there was any winning move here, but I think they gave it thought and made a careful decision.
- righthand 3y agoNo I think they took the easy way out because “modern” aka 1st world audiences are afraid of the word jihad. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if people weren’t proclaiming it to be an accurate depiction of the book when it clearly overwrites several big pieces of plot in favor of modern anxieties.
- willis936 3y agoThere are a lot more Arabic aspects of the Fremen in the books that didn't make it into the movie. They could have left those and removed the word Jihad but they went all the way.
- righthand 3y agoAgreed. Dune is essentially an exploration of Middle Eastern cultures, in which a peek into is something that could benefit Hollywood and their audiences, especially in modern times.
- int_19h 3y agoWith respect to the portrayal of Fremen in Dune, it is a very specific trope that is being portrayed; here's a detailed analysis of that trope: https://acoup.blog/2020/01/17/collections-the-fremen-mirage-part-i-war-at-the-dawn-of-civilization/ https://acoup.blog/2020/01/17/collections-the-fremen-mirage-...