his own body odor is so noxious it neutralized the poison

I interpreted Leto's nudity in the assassination scene as just another attempt by the Baron to humiliate his enemy as much as possible one last time before he has him tortured and executed. Stripped of Arrakis, of his family and even his dignity.

@ericconrad8854

2 жыл бұрын

while I can understand the practicality of the commenter below I am very much with you on this one. Vileneuve uses almost every opportunity to express the Harkonnen compulsion to dominate and debase as a divine right. The whole book series kinda ends up as a cautionary tale of entrenched powers theft and subversion of the human spirit.

@Sizdothyx

2 жыл бұрын

I interpreted is Denis having had enough of Oscar complaining about how his clothes were tight and how he was always late for a shoot after a hard night's partying, so he just asked the security personnel to pick him up from his trailer, deposited him as is and told Stellan to just read his lines and not care about what Oscar had to say. The reaction to the poison was actually real: it wasn't poison gas. It was just Oscar's morning breath.

@FlyingSeaMan256

2 жыл бұрын

This was my understanding as well

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

Throughout history, stripping prisoners naked before torturing/interrogating them was common. Humiliation was part of it, but it was more so the torturer/interrogator could see immediately what effects their actions were having (ie. if they're tied to a rack, how close are they to actual dislocation of the shoulders and hips, do they have internal injuries, etc.). Torturing people was an actual profession and it was normal to strip prisoners as part of the work. A skilled torturer could keep a prisoner alive for days if they wanted, or have it over and done inside of an hour.

@quakethedoombringer

2 жыл бұрын

Doesn't help much with the last point (dignity) since Oscar is fairly toned and muscular. If Leto looks like the Baron on the other hand...

Leto was unaware that the Baron had been inoculated by his time at Chernobyl. 😉😁

@PP237PP

Жыл бұрын

😒

@johnharrison6745

Жыл бұрын

@@PP237PP 'Not great; not terrible.' 😉

@marshmelows

11 ай бұрын

lmao nice reference

@mrbuck5059

3 ай бұрын

S.H.I.E.L.D. took good care of him 8000 years prior as well. Thor also gave him some potions from Asgard.

@Newmanbadazz

2 ай бұрын

😂

In the movie, it was partly his shield (though it turned red, indicating some got through), partly his immense size, and partly him levitating to the ceiling, while the gas seemed to be heavier than air. And it still messed the Baron up. (Minor spoiler of Dune 2) In the second movie, the Baron is connected to levitating life-support machinery. Looks like Leto's Mentos moment had some lingering effects...

@thrustvectoring8120

2 ай бұрын

Mentos moment 🤣🤣🤣

@centurion8446

2 ай бұрын

Good point, I was wondering why it was different, seems to be a suspensory wheelchair when I think about it

@Headloser

19 күн бұрын

You are right. I never thought it that way. Good spotting that difference between the two movie. thank you.

I love that subtle shield activation by the Baron. That little gesture conveys that he is a character that is smart, and cautious. It was that gesture that made this Baron not a clown like the other adaptations, but someone who is in a position of power with years of wisdom from that position would react. The scene was smartly done and having Duke Leto naked not only added to the Baron's caution, but exemplified the humiliation that the Baron wanted to bestow upon the former Duke. Danny's creative choices here paid off.

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

Historically, interrogating/torturing naked prisoners was done less for the purpose of humiliation than because it would be easier for the interrogator/torturer to tell what physical effects their actions were actually having on the prisoner's body.

@dionlarman7489

2 жыл бұрын

Also shows how terrified he is of leto, even when naked and unable to move the baron still has the need to activate his shield.

@harkonnen3672

2 жыл бұрын

Thankyou for pointing out how incredibly idiotic the other two depictions were. Many fans seem to take them way too seriously. The new depiction is just perfect but heavily under appreciated

@bry8636

Жыл бұрын

@@harkonnen3672 which fans? Lots of people enjoyed Lynch’s Dune but I don’t any such fan who likes how the Baron was portrayed in Lynch’s dune

@user-nz6dx2fj6h

3 ай бұрын

No, he was just extremely paranoid as all megalomaniacs are!

This scene in the new Dune also shows how grotesquely sexual the Harkonnens were, particularly Vlad. If you read the book (again) you'll be reminded quite often of how he so casually refers to Piter and even Feyd as pretty little things with pretty little bodies or something like that. He is after all described as a "sadistic pedophile." This scene gave me very real chills that Vlad was going to reveal some sinister plan to humiliate Leto in his final moments all game of thrones style but Denis stayed pretty much on par with the book thankfully. Leto being naked wasn't in the book but it certainly could have been given the way the Harkonnens are and it worked at building to Vladimirs villainous arc. Who eats a freakin meal with their nemesis at the other end of the table naked??? A psychopath that's who.

@CorruptPianist

2 жыл бұрын

Oh god, my skin crawled when he summoned for a slave boy and reminisced about how he kind of looked like Paul. And how he made Feyd kill all of the slave concubines to punish him for slacking off with them. I'm glad Frank Herbert was able to show us how horrible this guy is but still had the decency to spare us the graphic details.

@bigboypal

2 жыл бұрын

I thought bringing him naked was for the most part a security decision, so as to make absolutely sure he had no hidden weapons. The idea that Yueh saw this coming and therefore hid the poison within a fake tooth fits very nicely into the "plans within plans" theme of the original books. Nevertheless given that were talking about the Harkonnens I feel kind of stupid for not seeing it from that angle as well.

@cortizone10plus

2 жыл бұрын

@@bigboypal Good point about the "plans within plans" about Leto's nudity being for security instead of something more disgusting. It's two sides of the same coin. Leto's nudity was for security but also Harkonens are pervs. lol

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

@@CorruptPianist Even though Dune was published during the New Wave era of literary science fiction and the genre had generally become much edgier about sex and violence, Frank Herbert did his fans the courtesy of assuming they could think and imagine and didn't need egregiously explicit gore spelled out for them. What a shame his son and Kevin J. Anderson didn't follow suit, so their inferior books might actually be a bit readable.

@bry8636

Жыл бұрын

@@CorruptPianist Good point. Herbert made it pretty clear that the Baron was both a sadist and a pedophile. Other authors today would’ve gone in for the lurid details. I’m glad Herbert didn’t. But it was also 1960. I doubt such graphic representation would fly back then. In Brian’s works he delves into the gruesomeness of the Harkonens more deeply.

There are minor deviations between the book and Villeneuve's film, in that it is Baron Harkonnen, and not Piter de Vries who deals Yueh his death blow, another is that, just before he is killed, Yueh knows his wife has died and is finally beyond further Harkonnen troment. In fact, if it weren't for Vladimir wearing an active shield, even hiding in his cubby hole wouldn't have saved him. In the film, you see him activating it just as he gets close to Leto, despite the fact his enemy is stripped naked and tied down. His cautiousness in turning his shield on thwarted Yueh's carefully thought out and crafted vengeance

@ALwinDigital

2 жыл бұрын

there are major deviations [period]

@carolynallisee2463

2 жыл бұрын

@@ALwinDigital There will be in any adaptation... and the biggest will come if someone ever tries to make another Adaptation of 'Children of Dune'. The fact that the twins are individuals with nine year old bodies but memories spanning thousands of years in the book will force such a deviation...

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

@@carolynallisee2463 Unlike the egregious, pointless deviations in Villeneuve's movie, it does make sense to age the Atreides twins. Two reasons: It would be very difficult to find child actors who could convincingly pull off such difficult material, and secondly, there's a part of Children of Dune that involves an attempted seduction of Leto by Sabiha, who is one of his assigned guards in Sietch Jacurutu. The audience wouldn't go for an adult woman trying this on a child, any more than an audience would go for similar scenes in Heretics of Dune (adult Murbella and teenage Duncan) and Chapterhouse (adult Odrade and child Teg - and what's worse, that pairing is incestuous). So the child characters have to be aged up somewhat. Even child-Alia has to be aged up, since no 4-year-old could play her convincingly.

@coachhannah2403

2 жыл бұрын

@Jim Harrington - Like any addiction, further use requires upping the dosage to more outrageous plot lines.

@sygmarvexarion7891

2 жыл бұрын

Shields don't stop gasses. Gas moves slowly, and so the shield does nothing to stop it. Harkonnen activated his shield so that Leto couldn't attack him with some kind of projectile hidden on his person or simply physically attack him. The reason why Harkonnen survived was that he was quick to levitate to the ceiling, where then gas wouldn't get to him because it's heavier than air, and so it doesn't go up. Though he still got a small whiff of it. Meanwhile no one else in the room had any levitating capabilities.

If memory serves, part of the reason for the Baron's fear of being seen as weak was the death of the Sardaukar masquerading as Harkonnen troops who were also present. Explaining their deaths to the Emperor _after_ the victory would be somewhat difficult, especially under such conditions.

@ALwinDigital

2 жыл бұрын

the sardaukar were also there to make sure that Duke Leto's didn't die a horrible death. While the emperor had his own reasons for wanting his distant cousin dead, he didn't want Leto to be tortured or murdered horribly. The sardaukar commander assigned the task of overseeing the help they gave the Baron also had contempt for the baron.

@anondescriptbullet

2 жыл бұрын

@@ALwinDigital I'm pretty sure that everyone alive has had some contempt for the baron, TBF

@drunkweebmarine9492

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. I was thinking the same but I knew the differences between the two would be great

@GreatBigRanz

10 ай бұрын

It also had something to do with setting a precedent . Don't remember what the full context was but the idea was that a Member of Royalty can not be killed in such a manner.

@magetaaaaaa

5 ай бұрын

This part of the book is hilarious. The Baron is just outside the room, he's not ever sure if he's alive or if it got him... Then he barely has time to orient himself and the Sardaukar shows up and demands to see the body and the Baron is embarrassed at how bad it looks. Dinner on the table, meal half finished, dead bodies all over the floor. The emperor will definitely hear about it LOL.

It has been a while, but my** understanding was that his shield was able to slow down the poison mist molecules to the point that he did not end up breathing any of it in.

@NerdCookies

2 жыл бұрын

You are correct. Plus the benefit of distance, alert from Piter and pure chance.

@johnnyrivas2619

2 жыл бұрын

THE understanding

@coachhannah2403

2 жыл бұрын

He was affected by a small amount of the poison during the process. Distance, alertness, luck, and shield interaction. Yueh's statement made the Baron concerned. He was also almost killed by Feyd by a poison needle inserted in a slave rape victim, but he noticed at the last moment.

@coachhannah2403

2 жыл бұрын

@Jim Harrington - In the book. Feyd also fakes an attempt on his (Feyd's) life in the arena. The Baron uses the ruse to then teach Feyd a lesson. Lots of intricate details in the book.

@MasterMayhem78

2 жыл бұрын

@@coachhannah2403 (Baron’s)

This Baron is more the type of character I imagined - smart and controlled is more frightening that crazy.

@stepans20

2 жыл бұрын

Ye, the actor did a majestic job. I do have a soft spot for the Original movie Baron, he was a joy to watch in every scene he was in.

Another good explanation for the Barons survival is his immense size, presumable takes a larger dose of any poison to kill him, aided by his quick retreat he was minimal exposed

@EbenezerEibenhardt

Жыл бұрын

You can see him in a later scene immersed in an oil bath, replenishing his protective fat supplies.

@brandocalrissian3294

10 ай бұрын

He's fat because of the poison the reverend mother gave him after he raped her and impregnated her with Jessica. He was part of their breeding program but wasn't playing by their rules. The baron was originally in fantastic shape and very handsome.

@user-nz6dx2fj6h

3 ай бұрын

Read the book, it's all there.

@pissedpajamas5718

2 ай бұрын

@@brandocalrissian3294what now

The shield blocking gas is dumb, it means while inside the shield you're basically in a plastic bubble soon to suffocate.

@anonanon7368

2 ай бұрын

why even turn the shield off tbh, it should be on at all times

@kuatojones6950

2 ай бұрын

Well the story takes place 10,000 years in the future, I'm sure they figured out how to keep air flowing and block poisons. You do realize they have spaceships that don't use computers right?

@robosoldier11

2 ай бұрын

I mean i guess it could be possible. Given poisons might often be a heavier form of gas compared to regular oxygen so the shield might be designed to prevent that heavier stuff getting in while expunging that stuff out like co2. I’m not saying this definitively but could make sense.

@orutakawatenga8820

2 ай бұрын

​@@kuatojones695023-30,000 years in the future, it's set in the year 10,191 AG not AD.

@poindextertunes

2 ай бұрын

Write your own 6 book series 🤡

As a "slow" moving mass, the shield wouldn't have done anything to stop the gas---this is reflected in the fact the shield flashes red rather than blue as the molecules contact the field. He was simply able to float above where the gas settled into the room before he got a full dose. I think Villeneuve's version is generally my preferred version, but I loved the Sci-Fi version where the Baron turns and addresses the audience in the form of a Shakesperian "aside".

@tithonusandfriends8519

2 жыл бұрын

Gases have a high velocity usually, depending on temperature.

@valecrassus7835

2 жыл бұрын

@@tithonusandfriends8519 fair enough, but if that were held to, you couldn’t breathe when your shields are up.

@ryanedwards7487

2 жыл бұрын

The cloud does not move quickly….but the molecules do, hence the shield slowed them / stopped them, saving the Baron. As for why other gases like oxygen and nitrogen are not affected, it could simply be because the poison is probably a much more complex molecule. Keep in mind that our atmosphere, and presumably all of the colonized planets in the Dune universe are probably very similar to Terra / Earth. So you are looking at molecules of O2, N2, and CO2. Maybe shields don’t inhibit those, but do so for more complex volatile compounds.

@Ryanahyde

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for detailing the differences and relating part of each film and the book! My only tweak to your assessment -and I may have misunderstood- is that beast Raban’s brutality was in fact a part of the Harkonen plan from the beginning and not a pivot after the attempted poisoning. The book contains a conversation between the Baron and Feyd where he explains that Beast will take the fall for his brutality against the Arakeen and then Feyd will swoop in as a hero to take his place on the throne. The Baron knows Feyd is the best successor to his power and has already tried to take his life to gain that seat; so he strikes this deal with Feyd to maintain control for the time being. I truly hope that Denis introduces Feyd in the next film, he is a pivotal character in the first book!

@wvin1450

2 жыл бұрын

The Holtzman Shield does slow the transfer of air through it. This is canon. The air within a shield becomes stale, overheated, and takes on a metallic smell if left on too long.

Villeneue's decision of stripping Leto had two purposes to punctuate just how ruthless the Baron was. The first being the obvious means of his own safety to have Leto completely exposed and defenseless without a weapon (or so they expected). The second is to completely humiliate House Atreides, with him sitting naked and immobilized at the head of the table, surrounded by enemies. While being smart enough to activate his shield unit, despite being exposed to the particles of poison blown directly at him, this was the first of the Baron's strategic failures as the story moved forward. It cost him his most cunning and intelligent agents as they were killed by the poison as it filled the air around him on the ground. You could say the films making him into the "floating fatman" curled into the fetal position on the ceiling was the only way he could survive.

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

There's another reason. Dating waaaay back, when "interrogating" (torturing) a prisoner, the prisoner was often stripped naked. This was done for the utilitarian purpose of enabling the torturer to have more accurate knowledge of the prisoner's physical state. Skilled torturers could keep a prisoner alive for days if they wanted to, by subtle adjustments of whatever means they were using.

How he survived? Easy answer: Leto Atreides: Desert power Vladimir Harkonen: Dessert power So he had enough Vladimirs inside him like a multy layered harkonen onion protective armor. PD thanks for the new lore vid dune girl!

@sectorgovernor

2 жыл бұрын

XD

@gargoyles9999

2 жыл бұрын

Harkonnen’s have layers

@user-nz6dx2fj6h

3 ай бұрын

Easy but so wrong it's astounding!

My initial favorite was the SyFy miniseries version. However, I did appreciate the new version since it showed that while Duke Leto did not (unfortunately) kill the Baron, he did get a piece of him. And, I think, this probably heightened his paranoia.

@centurion8446

2 ай бұрын

Villeneuve Leto went out like a boss, which ties into his reputation and idea of who he is. This fits nicely with Irulan observation the idea becoming stringer in death (martyr) which perhaps helps explain why his Skull attracts worship from Fremen fanatics willing to martyr themselves

This version appears to be more loyal to the book's. And this version of the Baron appears to be more realistic and frightening. Great video.

@ALwinDigital

2 жыл бұрын

read the prequel novels, the baron wasn't meant to appear frightening, the baron is supposed to be cunning. and he was meant to appear revolting. as a youth he was handsome and very good looking, but he pissed off the Bene Gesserit who poisoned him with a disease that made him very obese and wasting away his body.

@lsporter88

2 жыл бұрын

@@ALwinDigital True. Cunning is more realistically frightening in my humble opinion. Which is why I like this version better.

@ALwinDigital

2 жыл бұрын

@@lsporter88 of the three times the Baron has been portrayed on-screen, this recent one is the more menacing one. However, even with the plans that Baron Harkonnen makes in the novels, he is more of a schemer than at a level of criminal mastermind cunning. He is cunning to the point of some of the details on how to defeat the Atreides forces stationed on Arrakis when they launch their attack on Duke Leto. Though some of it can be accredited to his mentat. But with regards to his plans for what to do with Arrakis and his nephews he is more of a schemer. He doesn't see the trap that he's put his house into until the captured Atreides Mentat points out some important facts to him, that's when he realizes the Emperor would easily eliminate house harkonnan just as easily as House Atreides was eliminated. In the novels, yes House Atreides and house harkonnen have a history long feud. But without the Emperor's involvement the harkonnens would never have been able to defeat Atreides on their own. And it was the Emperor who truly planned for Duke Leto and house Atreides to be eliminated and used the feud between Atreides and Harkonnen to hide imperial involvement.

@lsporter88

2 жыл бұрын

@@ALwinDigital Very true.

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

@@ALwinDigital The prequel novels are bullshit made up by Brian and Kevin and they contradict canon. The Bene Gesserit did not curse or poison him. He chose to be obese to the point of needing suspensors to help him get around. Read the novel (Frank's novel). It explains this.

Having read the series multiple times, I find your breakdowns to be both simple to understand and at the same time insightful. Excellent work

@Davepool-hs7vr

Жыл бұрын

Indeed

@alfonsopayan09

2 ай бұрын

Glad to hear that, everyday you guys making me consider buying atleast first 3

I liked the more serious portrayal of both the baron and Piter in the new movie. The cautious use of his shield saves his life, despite the mistake his ego forces, in leaning close. Piter's shocked gasp likely killed him quicker, as had he held his breath he might have been able to run to a corner or something and have survived only injured, as the baron did. This is an excellent detail, as it shows a certain lack of mindfulness and impulse control, the very thing Paul was tested for, and as Mother Helen Mohiam said, it was indeed fatal. Piter's role in the murder of Yueh could have been preserved, though I would personally have abbreviated his dying words, as the ones from the book are a bit much. Just, "You think you've beaten me?" is enough to make the point, and in fact perhaps sabotage to some degree his planned assassination attempt, by inciting the Baron's caution, encouraging the activation of his shield. Again, drives home the problem of ego, suffered by many of the characters. Really this is the only improvement I think could have been made to this excellent adaptation of this scene. Dune part 1 is probably the best science fiction film I've seen in 10 years, and I cant wait to see the sequel.

In the book it's because he has Shield activated

These videos are fantastic! I had tried reading Dune once but had found it slow going. After watching the movie and then your videos I've come to appreciate how rich and layered it is and got back to reading the book.

@Thennix

2 жыл бұрын

Get the audio books man, much easier then plowing throu all the txt :)

@kevinbarrett3

2 жыл бұрын

There’s a lot of political intrigue , but I found Dune to be pretty good , the later books were more difficult to get into. It’s been 40 or more years ....I liked this movie a little more than the first one.

@greysongreyhater7667

2 жыл бұрын

Vikas: No. Dune isn't an easy read at first (so many characters and so much strange terminologies, plus four appendices), but as one gets further into it, one doesn't have to keep going back and looking at the terminology. Tough read? Yes, at first it was indeed. After all, Herbert was creating a fascinating universe and an even more fascinating planet (Arrakis ... or ... Dune), an interesting ecology and an amazing biology of the worm and sand trout, so I wasn't too surprised that it was a slow read. But how wonderful that read became (I've read the novel 5 times in as many decades and get something new from it at each reading). I've read all six of Frank Herbert's Dune novels and enjoyed each on different levels (Dune being my favorite). I think the movie will make your reading much easier and much more enjoyable. You will then find so many things within those pages that Villeneuve just couldn't put into a 2-1/2 hour movie.

@origami83

9 ай бұрын

hey did you manage to finish the book? I love the universe but the books are a hard read for me aswell. 2 much visions, premonitions, dreams, prophecies and philosophical mutterings. They bog the pace of the story down to a crawl and when finally something does happen its over in a few sentences. The first book i read 4 times now and i had the same issues with it each time. But the second book is much much worse. Its just keep rambling on and on and i cant make it further than halfway.

@vikasgpgmail

9 ай бұрын

@@origami83 I finished the first one quickly after watching the movie and enjoyed it. But the pacing definitely feels a bit off. There is so much build up to the Paul / Emperor face-off and then the Emperor just sort of...gives up? The second one was a bit of a slog for me as well. Haven't gone beyond it.

I felt Denis' version of the assassination attempt was the best version. It was the most likely set of events that would play out given the Baron's animosity to his cousin. Having him wounded in the attack was a nice touch.

The previous versions of Dune had the Baron as a running joke, in effect. The hapless fool, the comic relief who was simply mindlessly brutal, though not as coarse as Rabban. In this version, he's a well written, well directed, and well acted, paragon of evil. Villeneuve's Baron is far more believable as a major threat. You *know* he'll use Kanly to justify things, but he's so calculating he'd just uses it when he can manipulate it. You get the impression he's already plotting how to use the whole Arrakis situation to his advantage when, not it, he comes up against Shaddam (in his mind, though not the book). With the first two, you could never take them seriously. Offend THIS Baron, and you'll wish you'd been an Axlotl tank instead. He's finally the antagonist Dune deserved.

@okuno54

Жыл бұрын

I wouldn't call the SciFi series' baron a total clown. For sure he hammed it up to high heaven, but beneath the enormous mustache of villainous bluster you could still see the cold calculation. (I brook no apologetics for Lynch's movie) This new portrayal in Villeneuve's work does away with the unneeded evil-coding monologues and lets that cruelty and entitlement come through to demonstrate the evil on its own merits. This one isn't some gimmicky gamer completing the Renegade speedrun; he lives in this universe and truly believes that an objective observer would think he's right and that Leto deserved every humiliation he got, right down to the failed assasination attempt. _That_ is a villain that can rightfully creep out an audience.

@StyxRiverGynoid

Жыл бұрын

​@@okuno54 Stellan Skaarsgard is pretty much going to be the eponymous version I think. I mean, he got what, 5 minutes? 10 of screen time? And yet he makes you believe this Baron is the real deal right from the start. That takes one hell of an actor.

@user-nz6dx2fj6h

3 ай бұрын

What and covered in Black Goo???

I like the idea that even if you are a very intelligent and paranoid man, having the hubris to come within killing range of your enemy just undoes whatever security measures you have. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, it happened at Waterloo with Napoleon and it happened to the samurai standing over Tom Cruise's character in The Last Samurai.

@bobrickleson2087

2 жыл бұрын

Oh cram it up your aaaaaaassssss

I really like Denis' portrayal of the Baron - it's real, and a huge part of that is how Skarsgard plays the part so well. This is how the Baron would actually be in real life whereas the previous 2 versions were somewhat comical. Denis' movie version is to be the best by far, we do not know the full state of the Baron - he is in black goo being healing, but is he injured? Somehow left less capable? We just don't know, and that increased interest. The previous versions were all yeah OK, Piter is dead, Vladimir obviously escaped unharmed so move on, nothing to see here. That's very simplistic and jars with the many layers of the book - most notably gotten across with the phrase "plots within plots". Nothing about the Baron is straightforward and ordinary, not even his injuries.

@cedricthomas4867

9 ай бұрын

The baron could also have fits of mania so to speak where he could loose it ( which is why he appreciated Raban to a degree , read enough and you realize that all the Barons cunning was earned but never doubt he was totally insane .

He survived because Frank deemed it so. Had he died he would not be able to witness the slow demise of his house, nor would we probably see him pestering Alia years later.

These Dune videos are always interesting. Keep up the great work!

As with most things Dune these days, my favorite depiction of the assassination attempt is the 2021 version. When I watched with people that were unfamiliar with the story they were shocked at the events in that scene AND that the Baron survived. Though a couple people pointed out how his suspensors helped by bringing him into a small pocket of non-polluted air on the ceiling.

You always do excellent analysis of the SIFI subjects, thank you

It's intriguing to see so many people who know so much on the subject. I'm not alone anymore. Thank you.

He survived because he had his shield on which stopped molecular changes in air. It's literally written in the book immediately after it happens.

If the poison killed everyone in the room, why did the duke draw the baron in close? This just caused him the baron to activate his shield. The duke shoulda bit down as soon he regained consciousness. Am i missing something?

@TraptbyBenjamin

2 жыл бұрын

Leto had no idea how far the gas would spread, or how potent it was. Also keep in mind that he was likely in extreme pain, disoriented, and fearing for his life.

@scottcooper4391

Жыл бұрын

@@TraptbyBenjamin I believe the book depicted Duke Leto as having been resigned to his fate at this point. I'd have to review it again to be sure.

Thanks for the content Nerd Cookies.. really enjoy them..🤓🍪

Imagination can often 'fill in' details that books do not depict, while movies give everything visually. A reader will fill in the details that the writer can't properly depict, or might not happen in real life, and therefore depart from a written work. I will enjoy both, as each will have its own merits.

Villeneuve's take on The Baron's paranoia (i.e. activating his ~clearly~ VERY expensive personal shield), even in the face of an obviously defeated enemy was VERY well done! (If we allow the admittance of the Brian Herbert novels, and how the Baron ended up poisoned once before, it makes MORE than perfect sense that he'd be so cautious!) He'd survived (and usually COUNTERED, to fatal effect!) such attempts - and this proved no different. But, call it nostalgia, I DID enjoy the SCI-FI series take, w/the Baron declaring "Need you more proof..?!" as to his seeming "victory" over House Atreiedes. It was almost Shakespearean. Villeneuve's..? was both far, FAR more brutal and realistic - But I loved it! Monsters like The Baron, after all, are not so easily killed...

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

Let's not bring the BH crap into it. None of that happened.

@Sidragrosm

2 жыл бұрын

@@Shan_Dalamani I ~did~ say "If", didn't I..? Also, it wasn't crap. Anywhere NEAR as good as his fathers'..? no. Hell no, Of course not. (Very, VERY few works are!) But it wasn't bad. Brian just isn't half (or even a third) the author his father is. (Those who DO measure up..? Well, *That's* a rather exclusive list, yeah?)

The tooth was an exact dukeplicate of the original.

The biggest miss from all film adaptations is the part where a Sardaukar cuts off Leto's hawk emblem on his clothing saying, "little souvenir" I really think it would've been an awesome scene...

@JnEricsonx

2 жыл бұрын

And that at least got mentioned in the 1984 film, though that was due to Feyd.

Amazing as always 👍

Just figured the poison was heavier than air and the shield deflected it long enough for him to suspensor his great bulk above the worst of it.

What I found particularly nice about Villeneuve's depiction is the emphasis on the bull's head. Like his father before him, he too had his own bull of hubris that killed him, and he realized it before the end.

@shanenolan8252

2 жыл бұрын

Im not sure , leto walked into a trap , he was pretty certain he was going to die , thats not hubris, its self sacrifice. Imo

@dagnirglaurunga1620

2 жыл бұрын

Hubris? How?

You had become one of my favorite KZread chanels

I can't wait for the 2nd movie to come out from Denis Villeneuve!

The barons personal shield is made of plot armor

Imagine two very smart men(Leto and Yueh) put their lives on an asassination that gets brushed off easily, that(the past films) are just stupid to write about. This version is the best imo.

Love your content as usual, thank you. Definitely going to pick up the books and read them.

I'm interested in seeing if the "oil-bath" he's seen taking is at all connected to the Water of Life that will undoubtedly feature in Part 2. It's such a cool image.

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

Why would it be connected at all? Water of Life is something that's consumed by drinking. You don't take a bath in it.

@michaeloberg0

2 жыл бұрын

I imagine it's something from the Bene Tleilax, who provided the Baron with the "twisted" Pitr DeVries and work in biology over mechanics

@crogsmash1611

2 жыл бұрын

Often times victims of blister gas in ww1 had to spend the rest of their lives in an oil or water bath so maybe they're taking inspiration from that

@Interfect727

2 жыл бұрын

@@michaeloberg0 That would make sense since he seems to have other 'Tleilaxu' pets in his household.

@bry8636

Жыл бұрын

The water of life is what a sandworm expels when drowned. I can’t see the Baron bathing in any mixture of it as it is related to opening consciousness, not healing. Plus it’s very poisonous.

Great video!!!

My cousin, who knows absolutely nothing about Dune, watched part 1 on HBO Max. He said, and I quote, "That poison messed him up so bad, my boy had to take a bath in soy sauce". It's been 2 weeks and I'm still laughing about that sentence 😂

Awesome Video!!!!

I know Dune so very well I just like hearing others talk about it. My favorite series.

In the books, Baron is completely unaffected by the poison, but his mentat dies and guards die. In the movie, he is very much affected but he lives with the help of life support system.

Don't think it's mere humiliation of Leto, it's also a matter of showing Houses relative position, eg the shields snd comms are down so the Atreides forces are naked and exposed. Similarly the shot when Baron flies over to Yueh we see Harkonnen dominant over Atreides. In black pool later we see Baron sinking into pool while discussing cost, not just healing but Harkonnen sinking economically. The Emperor was killing 2 birds with one stone so to speak, destroying Atreides military and hamstrung Harkonnens economically

My only concern about the Baron is the clothing. He is supposed to be super cruel but flamboyant, not in a dark robe. At least if the robe have embroidery and a collar...that would represent better his ambition for the throne, and being related to a royal house.

I thought it was because the gas was heavier than oxygen, and because the Baron had the antigravity thing, he floated up above the gas when he lost control of his body from inhaling some of it. He didn't inhale enough to die, but he remained above it long enough for it to disperse. He was unable to get down on his own, and he was only discovered floating up there when they started cleaning out the bodies. The Baron struggles to breath on his own for the rest of the movie, so he suffered long-term effects from breathing in even a little of the gas. If you watch the scene, you'll see the gas went through everyones shields. They aren't really meant to block out gases for long, I don't think, or they could be used as a sort of space suit if they could.

I disagree with one point, the sons brutality was a plan from the start, they younger son was to come in and become a hero after the brutality of the older son, the downfall was that the Barron had to use the Atradies mentat (after the death of the Harkonnen mentat), who gave the required information when asked but also plotted to defeat the Harkonnen and became successful in helping with that end

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

Nephews. Not sons. The Baron has no sons. His only biological child is Jessica, and at this point he doesn't know that.

@Interfect727

2 жыл бұрын

@@Shan_Dalamani I wonder. He probably had a few children. It's just that the Bene Gesserit kept it under wraps.

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

@@Interfect727 There is absolutely nothing in the novels that warrant such a notion. If the Baron had sons, his heir-presumptive wouldn't have been Feyd. It would have been one of his sons.

@Interfect727

2 жыл бұрын

@@Shan_Dalamani I stand corrected.

The Baron is so noxious that it’s poison that is destroyed on contact.

And the fact that the author, Frank Herbert, wanted the Baron to survive the attack and ultimately killed by his granddaughter, Alia of the Knife.

In the book he was actually faraway, leto, if i remember correctly blew in the face of pyter being confused and the baron rushed in an adiacent room. On the movie he was apparently partially protected by the shield and he flew up

I found all 4 versions of the tooth event pretty interesting in their own way, but what sets the book apart is that it's the only version that really foreshadows it adequately - namely when the Baron finds a poisoned needle on the inner thigh of a slave boy Feyd had "gifted" him with.

I met Ian McNeice at a convention a few years back (he signed a pic of him as the Baron for me) and asked him about his interpretation of the role. He said that having read the book and watched the 1984 film, he suggested that rather than playing the role as a deranged cackling maniac, he would play the role as though the Baron was an extreme narcissist (Ian McNeice is known on british TV for playing mostly eccentric characters), used to getting his own way with everything and never having been told "no". This is why in the miniseries, the Baron often appears smug and arrogant, because he is under the delusion that his "cleverness" is unsurpassed and in some cases, reenforces his delusion of being akin to a god. Hence why in the poisoning scene he celebrates his survival with a self congratulatory ramble about how this proves he has some sort of great destiny awaiting him etc etc, simply because his base instinct for self preservation made him move away from the Duke when he spotted something wrong, while Piter and the guards who were stood closer to the duke died because they were right in the "blast area". Our chat about his interpretation of various roles was really interesting, as McNeice is a long time veteran of british TV.

@Interfect727

2 жыл бұрын

And he is not wrong. The Baron has many aspects to his character, and being smug and arrogant is a couple of them. But he always kept them within a fence of paranoia and prudence. He was not a reckless man. And I do not think Ian McNeice portrayed him as a reckless man.

I noticed several situations where Jessica looks at Paul with concern in the recent movie. When Paul has his vision in the tent and Jessica hugs him her face changes when Paul cant see her. When they are changing into their stillsuits and she looks at Paul. The last time is at the very end when Paul says "desert power" and turns his back to his mother. Do you have any insight on this? It seems deliberate.

Agreed that this representation follows closer to the book. In the book Leto saw the Baron start to move back and panicked he may loose the opportunity and quickly bit down. Well done that the Baron was always cautious.

I thought a little got in but the shield shut out all gas from entering or exiting bc his whole body lit up as if the shield sealed his whole body and his scream was a bit weird (but cool) i guess bc his shield affected how the sound transmitted to the air outside him and then it cut short as if he ran out of air to scream with So there wasn't enough poison to kill him but the lack of breathable air led to oxygen deprivation for however long the shield was shut

The black goo he was bathing/healing in is similar to the black goo that drips on the Baron in the 1984 version before he pulls out that kid's heart plug. Wasn't that some derivative form of spice?

I read Dune when I was 8 years old and found it the most amazing book I could not put down. Even for a bookworm at 8, that's a lot of book. Yet I never asked wait a minute that poison was so intense it killed the twisted mentat 10 ft away how did the baron survive? Although I think the European made sci-fi miniseries said it best, "can there be any doubt as to who the universe prefers!"

@therubicon

2 жыл бұрын

@the reason wha?

@Shan_Dalamani

2 жыл бұрын

I have trouble believing an 8-year-old could understand everything in Dune.

@therubicon

2 жыл бұрын

@@Shan_Dalamani I'm a geeky book worm. I read it fascinated by it. I've revisited it several times since. I'll never understand it all.

@luvslogistics1725

2 жыл бұрын

At 8, that is impressive! No doubt it changed you and made you a lifelong fan.

@therubicon

2 жыл бұрын

@@luvslogistics1725 I'm seeking to give my bibliophile ways to my kids (9 and 7) but they prefer cutie kids books or YA fiction to more weighty philosophical reads. I'm working on it though.

Me thinks you have an original :) I love that you cover the deeper points thank you for putting these out.... The depths of this book need more general acknowledgement. Love Dune Learn from it, The book is more than a story its a lesson in life.

You don't survive for that long living in the middle of a sea of treachery by being clumsy, reckless, clown-like or being unaware at all times. The Baron had survived. With each attempt he grew wiser, no doubt, more skilled at sensing deception, or deceit in his immediate followers. In other words he was supremely 'street smart.'

I agree with your opinion. Thanks for sharing your take!

I like how the film showed the Baron almost dying from the poison. In the book, it's a little strange that a poison so deadly it kills everyone else in the room in seconds doesn't affect the Baron at all, shield or no shield, no matter how fast he was able to get out.

@MM-ho1rw

Жыл бұрын

True

@johnf6339

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. The Baron had better demonstrate some lingering effect of the poison in part 2 to help us buy into this change in the story.

I sort of recall "ultra-cyanide" in the book, in the movie this was shown by the vapor trails almost growing, perhaps a nanotech poison recruiting hydrogen nitrogen and carbon from the air to make more cyanide

He got lucky. Leto was so out of it that he mistook Piter for The Baron, while the Baron was on the other side of the room. The poison was limited in its range.

Poison?!? I thought it was bad breath that killed everyone in the room

Another great scene … the actor playing the Baron could not have been better…excellent points the Baron is cunning as a serpent and aware of everything going on.. the black goo bath is incredible scene …great idea…again excellent work on this video

I thought the scene with the Harkonnen entering the banquet room in biohaz suits showed that the spider-like being had saved the Baron by grabbing him and taking him to the spot in the corner of the ceiling. Mainly due to the 2 Harkonnen in the biohaz suits seemed to be intensely taken aback by what they saw. Granted, after watching the scene multiple times I was never able to clearly see if this was the case.

One of the twenty-somethings at work, who finally saw Dune but has never read the book, said to me last week, "Oh, I loved it. It was really interesting, especially that worm guy." I was puzzled, thinking he was talking about the sandworms. It took me a moment to realize he was talking about Baron H, floating upward with his looong garment dangling beneath. I had to tell my young friends that was a garment, not the Baron's body. I couldn't focus on work very well the rest of that day.

@jbtechcon7434

2 жыл бұрын

@Slim Dim I would have.

The Baron from the original movie freaks me out the most. So creepy...

What is the music that plays in the background?

Favourite depiction is 1984. First I saw. Best scene latest film to the books. I read 1 and 2 in 1982, dune and dune Messiah. This current film actually filmed an un-filmable.

Maybe his planet is so polluted that toxic gas isn’t as toxic for him as it would be someone from a planet that wasn’t ecologically ruined by pollution. He was resistant like someone who takes drugs over long periods of time. Those crude oil soaks maybe helped lol.

the brains behind the baron was the twisted mentat piter and it was embarrassing throughout the landsraad that piter died by the duke...

Yueh was a terribly weak character in the 2021film. So cold and emotionless. I could not care less about him or his motivations in the 2021 version. The Lynch version Yueh was emotionally torn. Desperate to save his wife yet torn to pieces for betraying his Duke. The Lynch version had much more emotional depth to him. I understood him, even sympathised. In the 2021 version he was a cold throwaway character. A simple plot device to illustrate how Atradies were destroyed and how the Duke got the poison tooth. Thats all. Sorry, my opinion alone.

@awesward4454

2 жыл бұрын

That's because Brad Dourif is an amazing actor.

@CT68

2 жыл бұрын

I think how Yueh acted in the 2021 film was more realistic, given his circumstances. In real life, people (especially people who have been carrying a secret) don't emote like they do in films. Dr. Yueh, in particular, had mental conditioning that was supposed to keep him from betraying his employer.

@tedwojtasik8781

2 жыл бұрын

@@awesward4454 No you silly goose, Douriff played Piter de Vries. Dean Stockwell played Yueh In Lynch's Dune and then played the amazing Ben in Blue Velvet.

@tedwojtasik8781

2 жыл бұрын

@@CT68 Looks like someone is gonna want their money back.

@happisakshappiplace.6588

2 жыл бұрын

@@tedwojtasik8781 Both actors were awesome.

A small personal shield generated from his suspensor , Holtzman effect.

I loved seeing the shield in the movie!

That's some really damn potent poison😳

I have the hardest time making the Baron out floating on (or what I originally that was “stuck to”) the ceiling. The first time I saw it I was like “what the fecking hell am I looking at?!” Even paused and zoomed in, I have trouble with it! Someone help me!!!

Being naked can also make people feel vulnerable, so just more insult to injury to Duke Leto, dying the same way we come into the world, naked and vulnerable.

The baron had his shield on even when he got got close too. I am surprised the Baron did not die from a heart attack after such a close call. I think this version is finally nailling the book. Both families are nobles the Harkkonens are Wahammer 40 k beasts and the Atreidies are more like the Trek Bridge Crew type. The are inaccuracies but the key features and scenes stick to the book without getting "My Interetation" of the director inserted into the story. The inaccuracies are introduced, for various reasons which will mark when the film was made, but they are peripheral touches of the main story. Like Jackson having to pull a plot thread out of the rope of plots that is lord of the rings to tell the story, this director-writer team manages to keep the fuzz od current events out at the fuzzy periphery where such threads belong. Changing key charachters and plotlines of the story like they did in "Wheel of Time" can prove ruinous. The SEanchen reveal killed it for me, they totally ignoreed the author's description. They were doing much the same with many of the other key cultural features. They managed to avoid that here and I am grateful.

It's marvalous how you realize that the Emperor played Baron Harkonnen like a fiddle. And how Paul played them both at the end of Dune. Alia's a strange weapon...

My issue with the adaptations is that none of them depict the fighting ability of the Sardaukar and the Freman properly.

@Interfect727

2 жыл бұрын

I absolutely agree. I also wish the film explained the Holtzmann effect. I watched this in IMAX and during the scene where the Sardaukar come floating down to sandwich the Atriedes forces against the Harkonnen soldiers, one of the viewers near the front row screamed out, "Use your laser guns, dammit!" And to anyone who did not read the book, you would wonder the same thing. Same instance with the scene where that ship laser is chasing Duncan Idaho in the thopter all over Arrakeen. But I think his shields were knocked out by rockets during takeoff if I recall correctly.

@R00sc0

2 жыл бұрын

@@Interfect727 yeah, if I remember correctly in the 84 version it was explained early during the training scene on Caledan. My two main issue with the villeneuve movie are actually the fact that the holtzman effect is glossed over, and that the Atreides seems incompetent and fated to fail, where in the book Leto, Thufir and Gurney try to prevent and scheme against the Harkonnen. I can understand that there was no screentime for the Atreides vs Harkonnen subplot before the assault, and I still hope to see a 3h version with gurney playing the baliset and a lot more of thufir (even if villeneuve deny that it will ever do it) but not having added somewhere an explanation of why lasgun are not widely spread is a big problem for many that didn't read the book.

The very newest model of plot armor.

Plot armor

I'd like to see a review of the week long series "Dune" on the Sci Fi channel and compare the different scenes. I personally disliked the weirding(?) way being portrayed as a voice-box cannon instead of a form of martial arts; that deviation from the book was just disgusting to me.

Thanks elaine and nick

I absolutely love the latest rendition of Baron Harkonnen. The previous portrayals of the Baron were comically evil, but Stellan Skarsgård's Baron is a character to take far more seriously.

@NakulKrishna

5 ай бұрын

So much Gravitas he has as an actor. Makes you shut up in fear of being noticed through the screen the minute he’s in the scene.

Does anyone know what the black goo that the baron healed in?

Fresh nerd cookies baked?? That name sure is baked 😂

He reminds me of batman in a way. Using his money to offset risks and having contingencies in place.

The Newest is Awesome, But 1984 is fondest!

Think taking the admission of Yueh should not have been removed in the movie version of Dune. That admission was what gave the duke something to be on edge just enough to react.

the Baron recovering in that black goo scene is 100% secret society peedo files stuff. there are children filling the bath of goo with pitchers (*normally it's water in a bath house type place) it's black goo which is used in those secret society symbolism crap they do. and of course you already know that particular character is a evil ruling elite etc.