Summary
- The portrayal of Baron Harkonnen floating in the movie Dune adds to his unsettling nature and is a nod to previous adaptations.
- The Baron's ability to float is attributed to suspensor belts, which allow him to move despite his extreme weight.
- The imagery of the Baron bathing in oil serves to emphasize his dangerous and predatory nature, similar to his floating ability.
Baron Harkonnen is the memorable villain in Frank Herbert's Dune series states “He might weigh two hundred Standard kilos in actuality, but his feet would carry no more than fifty of them.” suggesting the Baron weighs a minimum of this amount — which converts to about four hundred and forty pounds of weight.
While the Expanded Dune Universe explains the Baron's weight as the result of a disease, the main canon — and the Baron himself in dialogue — suggest that years of gluttony and greed have morphed the villain into the man he is portrayed in the film. His ever-increasing size creates major mobility problems and eventually leaves him unable to walk, forcing him to rely on technology just to move. Unable to his own weight, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen has employed the use of suspensor belts that nullify gravity.
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Does Baron Harkonnen Float In The Book?
2021's Dune Is Not The First Adaptation To Depict Baron Harkonnen Floating
In the books, Baron Harkonnen does not float, but rather it is mentioned that he uses suspensors. It is also confirmed at least twice that he walks. There is one mention of the Baron's legs only having to carry fifty kilos of weight, and in an early scene, there is a description of his bouncing gait, which of course would not be possible if he floated. Notably, the Baron does float in both Alejandro Jodorowsky and David Lynch's adaptation of Dune, which means that Villeneuve's Baron is more of a nod to these earlier cinematic works rather than the original Dune text.
While Baron Vladimir’s ability to float in movies might differ from the source material, it is clear that the origin of the ability is the Baron’s suspensors. These gravity-defying devices allow him to move about as he wishes, committing extreme and terrifying acts of brutality as he goes. The Baron might weigh upwards of 200 kilos, but with the use of suspensors, he is able to wreak havoc on the planet of Arrakis both before and after Dune by scheming with the Emperor.
Ultimately, it's intended as a show of the infinite wealth yielded by the planet Arrakis and how it corrupted the Baron to the point that he's only truly concerned with fulfilling his all-consuming desires.
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Why Does Baron Harkonnen Bathe In Oil?
Such Details Add Context To Baron Harkonnen's Personality
The imagery of Baron Harkonnen bathing in oil is another unsettling aspect of the character and one that doesn't appear in the books. This substance is actually a healing mud bath, which according to Villeneuve, was inspired by a dream in which Baron Harkonnen emerges from underneath oily liquid like a hippopotamus.
According to Skarsgård, the actor was too afraid to ask what the liquid actually was, though it was revealed to be composed of water, oil, slime, and black coloring. Ultimately, the real reason why the Baron bathes in oil is similar to the grounds for his floating — these visual cues make it crystal clear that the Baron is a dangerous and all-consuming predator. Baron's spider pet in Dune performs much the same function.
Without the narrative space to adapt every single word from the first book, Villeneuve instead relies on these symbols to hint at the complex characters and world that have allowed Herbert to create one of the most important science fiction sagas in history. Moreover, after the Baron was poisoned by gas from the Duke's tooth, the healing mud bath might reappear in the Dune: Part Two.
Dune the big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestseller of the same name. A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
- Cast
- Josh Brolin
- Runtime
- 155 minutes
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Writers
- Frank Herbert, Eric Roth, Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
- Studio(s)
- Legendary Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
