‘Dune: Part Two’ director Denis Villeneuve believes “movies have been corrupted by television”
Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has condemned the current state of Hollywood, claiming “movies have been corrupted by television.”
The acclaimed filmmaker is set to release his second film in the Dune series on March 1st, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. The first movie, released in 2021, was a resounding success and won five Academy Awards. However, on the whole, Velleneuve is unhappy with modern cinema, which he believes has become too reliant on dialogue.
While speaking with The Times, the Canadian explained his stance and attempted to say why it had no place in movies. He remarked: “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.”
Villeneuve continued: “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.”
The director said this change is because movie executives wanted to replicate the recent success of television series. However, Villeneuve believes this attempt to progress cinema has arrived at the expense of what makes the artform special.
He added: “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.”
Despite his comments about television, Villeneuve did plan to make a HBO mini-series based on Jo Nesbo’s novel The Son. Ultimately, he decided to step away from the project after concluding it was “far away from my sensibility.”
Dune: Part Two is set to be released in cinemas on March 1st. In a four-and-a-half-star review, Far Out wrote: Dune simply has to be seen on the big screen to be truly experienced; any lesser viewing negates its Lawrence of Arabia-indebted cinematography, captivating action sequences and a score of a stultifying, almost deafening quality.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.