To attempt an understanding of Muad'Dib without
understanding his mortal enemies, the Harkonnens, is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing
Falsehood. It is the attempt to see the Light without
knowing Darkness. It cannot be. Another attempt to adapt the incredibly complex
novel of Dune is on its way this December. In anticipation of its release I’ve been
exploring the rich and complicated characters that make up Frank Herbert’s Dune. This is a story long considered to be one
of the best in science fiction dealing with concepts such as politics, religion, and ecology
spanning far into mankind’s future. It’s a complex universe to be sure but at
its heart are some of the most simple yet profound stories that are usually at the core
of any epic tale. It’s also a story about love and family,
honor and duty, and yes good ol fashioned good vs. evil. We’ve already examined several of the members
of House Atreides but to understand further the main protagonists of this story we must
also come to an understanding of their mortal enemies. In this video I’ll be examining the main
antagonist of Dune, the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonen as well as what we can expect to
see from him in this new film adaptation. The universe of Dune in itself is very complex
so I’m going to try to stick details relevant to the Harkonens and what we can expect to
see from Vladimir himself in this newest film adaptation of Dune. A movie that itself covers roughly half of
the book. First off, the Baron Vladimir Harkonen is
described physically as being incredibly obese so much so that he has what are called “suspensors”
strapped to his body to support his weight, keeping him levitated so he can get around. The reason for his appearance is revealed
in the prequel trilogy that Frank Herbert’s son Brian wrote. It explains that in an act of revenge a member
of the Bene Gesserit poisoned him with a disease that transformed his body into what it is
now. And to keep this secret he changed his eating
habits as a way to explain his appearance. I’m not sure how I feel about that creative
choice. For me it always seemed that Frank Herbert
wrote the Baron to where his outward appearance reflected how grotesque he is on the inside. He is perverse and gluttonous towards physical
pleasures and gaining power. These are ugly qualities that seemed fitting
to his appearance. He has a very slimey demeanor about him as
well, his dialogue is,often sickeningly nice , at times even flowery but at the drop of
a hat he can turn up the cruel and menacing factor…(I wish there a word for that like
nicey meany) Vladimir is sadistic and treacherous person. His hobbies include manipulation, torture
and exploitation as a means to further his own interests. One who is a cohort of the Baron has to make
sure they remain useful. Everyone is disposable to him. All in all he is truly a repugnant person. To provide a brief history of House Harkonen
itself. Their homeworld is Geidi Prime, a heavily
industrialized planet that has become basically one giant factory. The Harkonens ambition and cruel methods used
in achieving their goals are the trademark of their regime. The Harkonens started out as a lowly House
having very little influence in political decisions. But they eventually rose to power as a Great
House after gaining influence through obtaining enormous wealth as a result of their shady
business dealings and underhanded political maneuverings. Tactics such as these led them to eventually
being granted the stewardship over Arrakis and harvesting the Spice that is found there. Spice is the key to all infrastructure in
this universe. It is necessary for space navigation, the
powerful religious organization known as the Bene Gesserit uses it to enhance their mental
and physical abilities, it also has healing properties that can extend one’s lifespan
even, and on top of all that it is highly addictive. So as you can imagine there is a very high
demand for this substance and even though the ruling House does have to pay a tithe
to the Emperor, the potential profits can still be quite lucrative. But enough is never enough for the Harkonens. Before the events of Dune take place, this
evil House had already occupied Arrakis for 80 years overseeing its spice distribution,
however to obtain even more wealth for themselves they paid the local workers they hired to
harvest the spice next to nothing and didn’t even bother with paying to maintain their
operating equipment. During this time they were still able to pay
their tithe to the Emperor while accumulating a secret stockpile of their own supply of
Spice. The Baron is always thinking of a way to better
his position and influence with his ultimate goal of having his House rule the Empire itself. But another goal that is almost of equal importance
to the Baron is to bring to ruin House Atreides. The story of Dune begins as the stewardship
of Arrakis has been taken away from House Harkonen and has been offered to the Atreides. We learn that the Baron, while feigning disappointment
over his failure on Arrakis, has been hard at work conceiving a plan that will not only
restore their previous position on Arrakis but will also end the Atreides bloodline. The Baron’s ambition is equal only to his
hatred for the Atreides. The Harkonen and Atreides rivalry actually
goes back centuries. It’s your basic Hatfield and Mccoys situation. An Atreides once had a Harkonen banished thousands
of years ago for cowardice at the Battle of Corrin and it’s still bitterly remembered
by the Harkonens. These 2 Houses are also almost completely
opposite in their way of governing and their treatment of the populations under their care
. The hatred and jealousy on the part of House Harkannen towards the Atreides has continued
to fester and build over the years. This is the basis for the Baron’s enmity,
who will stop at nothing to eliminate the Duke and his son. The threat to the Atreides is revealed at
the very beginning of the story. It turns out that the popularity and influence
of Duke Leto has been growing among the Great Houses. And in the words of the Duke’s mentat, Thufir
Hawat "A popular man arouses the jealousy of the powerful.” Yes the Emperor Shaddam the 4th of House Corrino
is nervous that he could be supplanted by the Duke. The Baron is quick to take advantage of the
Emperor’s fears and the two team up to lay the trap for the Atreides downfall on Arrakis. But the Emperor is in the dark regarding the
Baron’s ultimate plan to take over the Empire himself through force and through the marriage
of his nephew Feyd-Rautha to the Emperor’s Daughter Irrulon. Plans within plans within plans. The Baron is an ambitious architect of evil
indeed. Yes, the Baron is basically the embodiment
of everything that Duke Leto Atreides isn’t. We can learn a lot about the 2 leaders of
these noble Houses by the company they keep. The Duke inspires undying and unswerving loyalty
from such admirable men as Duncan Idaho, Gurney Halleck, and Thufir Hawat. These characters are renowned for their skills
and deep commitment to House Atriedes being willing to die in service to the Duke and
his family. This is a wonderful reflection on Leto Atreides
and his honorable qualities which have added to his growing popularity. I have released short videos on Duncan, Gurney
and Thufir and I encourage you to check those videos out for more details about them and
I plan to release one on Duke Leto as well so keep an eye out for that. The Baron on the other hand would never have
the issue of becoming too popular. He has to resort to unseamly means to get
what he wants. His rule is marked by tyranny and exploitation
and this is also a reflection in the people we see that are closest to him. The likes of the Baron could only ever attract
the most ruthless and cutthroat companions, like the sociopathic mentat Piter De Vries
and his nephews the bloodthirsty “Beast Rabban and the murderous narcissist Feyd-Rautha. These men add a crucial element to aid in
the Baron’s plans for galactic domination. I’ll come out with more in depth videos
on these other villians of House Atreides soon but you probably get the idea. Since you’d have to be a backstabber to
rise in the ranks of House Harkonen you also shouldn’t be surprised to be betrayed yourself
by those closest to you, such is the life of a Harkonen. So we can expect to see plenty of plotting
and betrayal from the Baron and from those in his closest circle. Baron Harkonnen has been portrayed previously
by Kenneth McMillan in David Lynch's 1984 film Dune. Ian McNeice in 2000 and 2003 in the Sci-Fi
Channel miniseries. And this time in Deni Villlneuve’s adaptation
he will will be portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård I’m really excited to see Stellan’s performance
and what he will bring to this character. I have enjoyed the previous portrayals of
this villain though they really didn’t really seem to have the appearance that I imagined
when I read the book. Neither of the previous actors really seemed
to be such a massive size that would necessarily require special help to get around. And Stellan is not a large man so I am definitely
curious as to what his Baron will look like but more important than his appearance is
that he’ll have to be the epitome of repulsiveness. I really liked Stellan as Dr. Selvig from
the Marvel movies I think it might be a little weird to see him play such a gruesome villain. I’ve also enjoyed Stellan’s recent interviews. He seems to have such an appreciation for
Frank Herbert’s book and the fact that the studio was giving Deni the creative freedom
to fulfill his vision of this film from the images he saw when he read the book. His excitement for the film is contagious. I can’t wait to see Deni Villneuve’s vision
of Frank Herbert’s villainous creation. I hope you enjoyed this video. Leave a thumbs up if you did and if you’re
feeling the excitement for Dune. Let me know in the comments your thoughts
on the character of Baron Vladimir Harkonen and whether or not you’re excited for Stellans
performance. Thanks so much for your support and as always
have a very nerdy day.
