Recently,
discussions of colonies and spice harvest have come back. A friend of mine surely
hopes this is about the British Empire and their evils. Sorry friend, but this
is in fact about
the Dune series. This is just about my time with Dune Part 1 and knowing bits
and pieces
from the book.
Clearly, Frank Herbert had a special interest in Islamic culture, enough to spread it throughout the Dune series. The Fremen people – off Planet Arrakis – likely bear Islamic influence in being desert beings with a distinct religion. Within the narrative, the Fremen are under the thumb of oppression because of their proximity to spice. They are ruled over by one Great House until – for some arbitrary reason – the emperor places another Great House in charge.
This
new House – the House of Atreides – wants to form an alliance with the Fremen
to bolster spice production. Paul Atreides, the idealistic Duke of Atreides,
has studied the Fremen language and culture for years. By film end, Paul is
accepted as one of them. Yet, I feel disquieted by this cultural exchange as a
Muslim.
A certain whiteness pervades this portrayal for me. “You’ve gone native” is
lobbed at Duncan (Jason Momoa’s character) simply for demonstrating knowledge
of the Fremen. That’s an anti-indigenous slur used in America, a less than
promising form of cultural exchange to me. Maybe it’s how different cultures
get collapsed into overly simplistic categories. Some Fremen are very visibly
not-white, but their portrayal en masse feels too condensed. There is a clear
removal of Arab and Islamic influences because of how awkwardly the vibes
change. (Others more knowledgeable than me have talked about how much these
movies remove from the books when it comes to cultural portrayals).
Sometimes,
we hear indistinct chanting, sometimes we get subtitles for sign language and other
forms of communication. Such a lack of clear rules makes the Fremen feel more
as an after-thought. The Fremen result as a “mystical other” but not through
their distinct language. I was disappointed because this distinct culture,
dwelling in a harsh environment, has a lot of promise.
Conceptually, there is no issue of Paul pursuing his genuine passion to join a
clearly well-justified revolution. Two twin problems arise for me: 1) the
emphasis on political dissent divorced from cultural interaction and 2) Fremen
culture being reduced from its source state. Herbert’s inclusion of Islamic
culture is hardly considered perfect. However, this attention to detail helps
establish rich societies within the world of Dune. As a result, Paul’s quest is
not as poignant as possible in this retelling.
Could we ever get Dune I want in film form? Dune Part 1 has more non-English
speaking than many blockbusters, and yet I want it to go further. However, the
script-writer raised my ire and the ire of others by calling the Islamic influence
on Dune nonsense. As a result, there is an enforcement of white American
culture upon this tale ab out evil empire. The lack of many MENA actors also drags down
this portrayal for me. Dune could match beautiful cinematography with an eye
for non-white cultures, and would be better for it. The Dune I want would bring
us into that fold of Fremen culture, rather than sticking to a mirage.
