Jodorowsky's Dune

Jodorowsky's Dune is a fascinating documentary that masterfully explores one of the greatest might-have-beens in cinema history. Directed by Frank Pavich, and released in 2013, the film recounts the ambitious but ultimately failed attempt by Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky to adapt Frank Herbert's epic science fiction novel "Dune."

The film serves as a captivating chronicle of Jodorowsky's ambitious venture. Alejandro Jodorowsky, who had previously gained fame and critical success with his surrealist films "Fando y Lis," "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain," embarked on this enormous project in the 1970s. Infused with the filmmaker's extraordinary artistic vision and tenacity, Jodorowsky sought to create an artistic masterpiece on screen, bending the genre of science fiction cinema.

Jodorowsky's Dune documents the visionary director's meticulous journey, including assembled scènes à faire that remain breathtaking and conceptual even decades later. The documentary introduces the team that Jodorowsky assembled and sarcastically referred to as his "spiritual warriors," which included a creative task force featuring names like success-bound French comic book artist Jean Giraud alias Moebius, artist extraordinaire H.R. Giger, and noted science fiction book cover artist Chris Foss.

Jodorowsky, along with producer Michel Seydoux, worked diligently to put together a prodigious manual to present to Hollywood studios, containing storyboards, intricate costumes designs, unique set designs and grandiose special effects from a time where digital technology wasn't readily available. The documentary does a spectacular job of illustrating the imaginary universe of Jodorowsky's Dune, often using animated versions of Moebius' storyboards.

The project boasted a splendid lineup, including proposed roles for Salvador Dalí, Mick Jagger, and even the iconic Orson Welles. The movie was also intended to feature a musical tapestry from famous bands of the time, with Pink Floyd and Magma slated for the soundtrack. Despite all of these pieces lining up beautifully, the project eventually crumbled due to funding issues.

Pavich’s film documents this endeavor with a fascinating narrative, framed with interviews from Jodorowsky, his collaborators, fans, colleagues, and critics. Famous figures including Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn and screenwriter Neil Gaiman also make appearances, contextualizing Jodorowsky's importance in the canon not just of unreleased films but in cinema as a whole. Despite the failure of the project, the influence of Jodorowsky's unmade film has been profound, arguably acting as a catalyst for other movies and the genre’s progression in subsequent years.

In the film, Jodorowsky himself, with his theatrical temperament and charismatic storytelling, holds the spotlight. Interviewed extensively throughout the documentary, he is vivacious, candid, and animated. At times, he is philosophical, discussing his beliefs about filmmaking and art - making Jodorowsky's Dune more than a historical record. It reveals the fervor and motivations of a truly unique filmmaker who saw cinema not merely as a medium of storytelling but as an apparatus to awaken consciousness.

The film also subtly contemplates the conflict between commercial and artistic interests that governs Hollywood. Jodorowsky's passion project was deemed too costly and too risky, and hence was never funded. However, the documentary posits that the ideas and artistry involved in the unmade film have since seeped into the fabric of popular culture and cinema, influencing many successful science fiction films that followed.

A compelling tale of ambition and regret, Jodorowsky's Dune stirs imaginations about what might have been. As a cultural documentary, it presents a fascinating argument about the range and capacity of cinema beyond traditional confines, creating a unique experience for lovers of cinema and the art of filmmaking. At the same time, it offers a beautiful homage to Jodorowsky's unyielding spirit, artistry, and vision - a rare insight into the mind of a unique filmmaker and a loving testament to a movie that never was.