Denis Villeneuve reveals the Dune decision that he thinks earned him the respect of composer Hans Zimmer. The Canadian director adapted the first half of Frank Herbert's seminal science-fiction novel of the same name with his 2021 film, which released in US theaters in October to critical acclaim. Dune is nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, and a sequel titled Dune: Part 2 is scheduled to release in 2023.
Also among the Academy Award nominations is Zimmer's Dune score, with which the renowned film composer attempted to push against the conventions of sci-fi movie soundtracks using heavily European-inspired instrumentation. Since the movie takes place in a distant future, Zimmer tried to not only create new, unfamiliar sounds, but imagine what music might sound like after many of today's staple instruments have fallen out of use. It is for this reason that the most consistent element of Dune's music is the human voice, which is the only musical instrument guaranteed to survive millennia of human development.
However, one very recognizable sound in Dune's music comes from the bagpipes that are used to represent House Atreides, protagonist Paul's family and one of the narrative's significant political powers. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Villeneuve reveals that this aspect was actually his idea, which he had after realizing he needed something to represent Atreides culture during the scene in which they first arrive on the desert planet Arrakis. The director believes this decision earned him Zimmer's respect, who conceded that bagpipes could survive to the year 10,000. Check out Villeneuve's full quote below:
There's a scene... where the Atreides are landing, and I was- there was something missing. There was something about, I wanted to have some glimpse at the culture of the Atreides, and I woke up in the middle of the night suddenly, saying, 'Bagpipes!' And lucky enough, my first assistant, Chris Carreras, didn't panic and brought the bagpipe on set. And then, I think I gained Hans Zimmer's respect. He accepted that the bagpipes will exist in 10,000 years from now, that was his concession.
Dune's bagpipes certainly stand out and provide a strong motif for the Atreides, but it is interesting to learn that they weren't part of Zimmer's original plan. Unlike most of the film's music, the bagpipes are actually played within the scene Villeneuve describes, and this amusingly seems to be the origin of their role in the score. The reference does fit - while the Atreides family lore includes imagery from countries like Spain, with the tradition of bullfighting, weapons master Gurney Halleck carries and quotes from a Bible-like book of scripture, which feels of a piece with an enduring connection to Britain.
It's unclear from this anecdote whether Zimmer's respect came from the idea that the bagpipes would survive thousands of years into the future, or from his being impressed with the totality of Villeneuve's vision for Dune, but he was either way willing to incorporate the director's spur-of-the-moment decision. The sound of the bagpipes notably returns when Gurney leads a group of soldiers in a last-stand charge against the Harkonnen ambush, a rousing moment in one of the film's standout scenes. Given the Atreides took such heavy losses, it will be interesting to see the extent to which bagpipes appear in the score for Dune: Part 2.
Source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
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