Denis Villeneuve shook the world of entertainment awake with his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. The iconic filmmaker and his imaginative experiment now linger on in the realm of television, as the film finds itself delving into a spinoff series titled Dune: Prophecy.
Self-explanatory in itself, the offshoot of the Dune films features some of the best actors the industry has to offer, although replicating the scale and cinematography of Denis Villeneuve’s singular vision would be an impossible task in itself.
Despite the struggle it is bound to face, Dune: Prophecy takes on the world of the Harkonnens and the Bene Gesserit with enough conviction to overshadow even Charlotte Rampling and Rebecca Ferguson’s efforts in the movie.
Dune: Prophecy Needs to Address an Urgent Issue
The idea that Frank Herbert tackles in his dystopian novel has been present in the real world for a long time. Civilizations have experienced their downfall and empires have faced utter ruination when dictators with absolute power have attempted to establish their dogmatic reign over the common masses.
Ideological and religious hierarchy has never been a sustainable form of government and that has been proven time and again by Hitler’s Third Reich, the Crusades, and the war of Protestants versus Catholics in England.
Denis Villeneuve recognized the references that Herbert aimed at very early on in his production and development of the Dune script. As such, the director attempted to establish a parallel between the infamous utopia that Hitler once dreamed of erecting and the Harkonnen planet in his cinematic adaptation, thus forming a terrifying connection between both the oppressive structures.
Dune: Prophecy, as it delves into the world of Harkonnens, now needs to address Villeneuve’s ingenious addition to the films that were never timely recognized, let alone acknowledged in its full glory.
Connection Between Giedi Prime and Germania
According to an eagle-eyed fan of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune with an expert authority over the subject of the Third Reich, Giedi Prime, the homeworld of the Harkonnens, replicates the architectural blueprints of Hitler’s unbuilt utopia. In hindsight, the parallels defiantly stare the audience in the face as Villeneuve built an imitation of Hitler’s Germania right under our very noses.
The parallels indicate similarities between the crown jewel of both Germania as well as Giedi Prime, which focuses on a central dome structure large enough to overshadow the Pantheon. The streets and the boulevards that lie underneath the structure are all erected in a way that immediately draws the viewer’s attention toward the dome at the center, making it stand out as the epicenter of power and absolute authority, overlooking the rest of the empire.
Denis Villeneuve’s clever design in replicating the oppressive symbol of the Third Reich in his version of the Harkonnens base of operation makes the Dune adaptation stand out for its heavy implications and gruesome imagery. One can only wish that the director would publicly acknowledge his model of inspiration behind the creation of Giedi Prime so that the world becomes wary of his unparalleled ingenuity.
Dune: Prophecy is currently streaming on Max.
