Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films are seen as technical masterpieces not only for the director’s unique vision in bringing Frank Herbert’s narratives to life, but also for the haunting score by one of the world’s prolific composers, Hans Zimmer. The musician’s soaring notes that brought the vast Arrakis sands to life, made viewers immerse themselves even more fervently into Herbert’s world.
Zimmer, who confessed to having an excellent working relationship with Villeneuve for the films, gave an interesting bit of trivia regarding the score for Dune 2. The composer revealed that he started working on the 2nd film even before the director gave him the green signal to do so, and secretly used a particular piece multiple times as an opener during his Europe tour.
Hans Zimmer Debuted This Dune 2 Love Theme Long Before It Featured In The Film
When it comes to elevating a film through music, Hans Zimmer is the bonafide master of this craft. Having created magic through his melodies in multiple Hollywood films, Zimmer has also formed a unique partnership with many directors including Christopher Nolan in films like The Dark Knight trilogy, and Denis Villeneuve in the Dune series.
With Dune, the German composer expertly created a haunting soundscape that matched the film’s intense narrative packed with action and emotion. Zimmer was so personally involved in composing these tunes that he did not stop the process even after the first film despite Villeneuve telling him to do so until the second part received the green signal.
The Black Hawk Down composer kept writing without a break and created a beautiful piece that would ultimately serve as a love theme between Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani titled A Time of Quiet Between the Storms. Unable to let go of the process, Zimmer confessed (via Wallpaper) that he used this theme secretly long before Dune 2 released, during his 2022 Europe Tour.
Then I went on tour. And all over Europe, I would open my show with that tune, without telling anybody what it was.
Zimmer revealed that his style of composing for Dune 2 was vastly different in keeping with the war -heavy action that the film required. In this way, the musician’s influence in movies went beyond mere melody and notes, and became imperative for a scene to take shape in the way it was envisioned.
Hans Zimmer Once Bottled Sand From A Set But It Was Not Dune
Hans Zimmer has firmly established that he has a deep connection to the Dune films and its director Denis Villeneuve, which is amply evident from the soul-stirring music that he has created for the series. But the composer went one step further with his involvement in the critically acclaimed Dunkirk directed by Christopher Nolan.
The World War 2 saga that saw an intense battle between Britain, Belgium and France against the German soldiers while attempting to evacuate from the town of Dunkirk, touched a chord with Zimmer. Wanting his music to encapsulate the gravitas of the narrative, the Oscar winner adopted a bit of his own ‘method-acting’ for inspiration (via Wallpaper).
The only time I took sand home and had it in a glass jar next to me was when I was working on Dunkirk. While they were shooting, I went to the beach [in Normandy]. I thought, this is true history. And I just grabbed a handful of sand and took it with me, so that I would never forget what I was really writing about.
Needless to day, Dunkirk’s already brilliant screenplay was further elevated by Zimmer’s towering score that captured the harsh realities of history brought to life by Nolan.
Dune 2 is streaming on Max.
