Culture news This character from Dune 2 made spectators and social networks laugh, and that doesn’t surprise Denis Villeneuve: it was intentional!
Published on 05/04/2024 at 8:50 p.m.
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The character played by Javier Bardem in the Dune saga has inspired numerous memes on the web to the delight of fans, but also that of Denis Villeneuve.
The comic advantage of Dune Part 2
At first glance, Dune: Part 2 is rather serious science fiction in what it undertakes. However, it must be admitted that he also knows how to offer at times a few moments of lightness to the spectators, brief refreshing moments initiated mainly by Stilgar, the leader of the Sietch Tabr played by Javier Bardem. With this character, Denis Villeneuve was able to establish a running gag which sees Stilgar exclaiming “Lisan Al Gaib” at the slightest actions of Paul Atréides. A mania which ultimately became a joke taken up by many Internet users who made it a real meme.
A destiny approved by Denis Villeneuve
Almost two months after the release of Dune: Part 2, this joke continues to make the rounds on the web and these memes are well on their way to lasting time. Obviously, the phenomenon is such that it has reached Denis Villeneuve himself. He also reacted to the comic potential of his character with the New York Times. And if he seems to rejoice at the turn of events, it is because he precisely wanted to offer lightness to this nevertheless tragic character.
For me, he is the most tragic character. The idea was to bring humor to Stilgar to make him more sympathetic, to feel humanity in this character. He is not an austere figure, he has a big heart. But his beliefs, his faith, his reactions can make you laugh – and that’s something I love about making a science fiction film. Because I can talk about all this, without offending anyone, because it’s a religion that doesn’t exist. I said the prayers myself, so I know it’s wrong. I find Stilgar very funny and when people laugh, I’m happy because that was my intention.
Given the reactions of the public around the world, it seems certain that Denis Villeneuve succeeded in transcribing what he was looking for with the character of Stilgar, despite the main characterization of the character. As the filmmaker points out, Stilgar is also a tragic character, who worships an artificial prophet. The director therefore managed to combine these two facets of the same character to offer an excellent role to Javier Bardem, who put all his acting talent at the service of this interpretation.
