Dune Adventure according to Tanya Lapointe

If you want to expand your magic Sand dunes, Which is currently a huge hit in cinemas, get it The art and spirit of the dunes Which I often like to browse. These are two heavy volumes (since the film is in two parts) published by Hachette. Gorgeous photographs, behind-the-scenes secrets, interviews with the craftsmen, we can say that these books are collector's items and that we learn a lot of things, how every detail was thought out in every shot of this film, down to the slightest engraving on objects.

These books, according to Tanya Lapointe, are somewhat of an extension of her previous work as a culture journalist at Radio-Canada.

“When I was on set Blade Runner 2049“I had access to a lot of information, and I was learning,” she said in an interview in Montreal during the film's release. Sand Dunes: Part Two. “Each book seems to be a way for me to share this experience with the person I was 10 years ago, to tell the story of how this magic happens. We try to make sense of the chaos of life by giving it order.”

Tania Lapointe is a reader of books related to cinema herself, and cites them as an example jaws record, Written by Carl Gottlieb, which was full of storylines, like the fake shark that was always drowning or the actor who was sprayed by a skunk. “Despite my deep desire to make this accessible, I believe I will never be able to fully translate this adventure,” she says, “and perhaps one day I will write a book that will be less based on images and more on the human experience.”

For about five years, she was immersed in a world dunIt was taken to cinema by Denis Villeneuve and especially his artistic director Patrice Vermette. “It is without a doubt the most enriching and unforgettable professional experience of my life,” she believes. I think Dennis and I have grown together Sand dunes Through professional and creative coexistence, I was able to better accompany the films and support the teams. It's fun to see the love people have for this group, even when we've been in circumstances that haven't always been easy. We all went through this together, and there was a solidarity I still feel now. »

What's it like to work with your partner? “Life and work are inseparable,” she says. But we have a common passion and experience creativity every day. »

Tania Lapointe's role as a producer is, in a way, to elevate the director's vision as far as possible, while keeping her feet on the ground. “Yes, I work to carry Denis' vision, but I work first and foremost for the film,” she explains, adding that what strikes her most about Denis Villeneuve is how much he owns his world in a precise way. It seems that for the sandworm ride, he himself decided what position the actors should take on the creature. “I say the actors went to the school of Denis Villeneuve’s poems,” she says with a smile. In the picture we see him on the worm, and he is Paul Atreides! »

in Sand dunes, the Bene Gesserit is a matriarchy that has decided the fate of humanity in the shadows for centuries. Shouldn't there be a little Bene Gesserit as a producer? This makes her burst out laughing. “Absolutely! It's funny, because we're four main producers, and sometimes Dennis, when he sees me and the producer Mary Barnett, says, 'The Bene Gesserit are secretly working'…

During my interview with Denis Villeneuve, he explained that at the beginning of the project, when he started writing the script with Eric Roth, the gateway to Frank Herbert's novel, he said, was women. He said: “We had to enter the femininity of the novel through Bene Gesserit.” The idea of ​​a matriarchal movement using religion as a tool of manipulation to control political power, I found there to be something very powerful about this idea, and the adaptation is built entirely on that aspect of the novel. »

It is true that even if the development of Paul Atreides is the core of the story, the female characters in Dion (Jessica, Chaney, Mother Almohyam, Irulan, Lady Vering, Aliya) are numerous and everywhere. I would also say that the annoying Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is the character that impressed me the most Sand Dunes: Part Two. “I read again Messiah of the Dunes [qui fera l’objet du troisième film de la série], and Chaney begins servicing Paul and massaging his feet, says Tanya Lapointe. We agree that this wouldn't be in a Denis Villeneuve film! He transformed the characters by giving them power. »

The Art and Spirit of the Dunes – Part Two

Tanya Lapointe and Stephanie Bruce

Grudges

240 pages