‘Dune’ director Denis Villeneuve recently told The Times about his critical viewpoint on the current way of cinematic storytelling and warned Hollywood of ‘growing concern’ over the influence of television on movies.
As the director of ‘Dune: Part Two,’ set to release in theaters on March 1, 2024, Villeneuve listed dialogue as a primary factor in what he sees as the degradation of the movie-going experience:
“Frankly, I hate dialogue. Dialogue is for theatre and television. 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, but it is something not obvious when you watch movies today. Movies have been corrupted by television.”
He then revealed details about an experimental project he thought about:
“In a perfect world, I’d make a compelling movie that doesn’t feel like an experiment but does not have a single word in it either. People would leave the cinema and say, ‘Wait, there was no dialogue?’ But they won’t feel the lack.”
Villeneuve has long been recognized for his visual storytelling approach. It is this approach that he feels is being overshadowed by an industry trend favoring memorable dialogue over imagery and sound.
‘Dune: Part Two’ Already Has a Positive Reception
‘Dune: Part Two’ arrives with high expectations, following the critical and commercial success of its predecessor.
With a stellar Rotten Tomatoes rating of 98% from 130 critics and a Metacritic score of 80, the sequel has already received significant acclaim, surpassing the original ‘Dune’ in both narrative and visual execution.
The film, which stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken, promises to follow Villeneuve’s vision of bringing Frank Herbert’s epic novel to life with a focus on visual spectacle and minimal reliance on dialogue.
