Moriarty wrote:

<snip>

One of the better things about the low budget _Dune_ mini-series was Ian McNeice's Baron Harkonnen. He managed just the right mix of menace and manipulation that book-Baron did.

Amen. McNeice's performance is "a delicious sight," so to speak. IMHO,
this part of the treatment improves upon Herbert's original written
word:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. DUKE LETO'S OFFICE - DAWN

The Duke is propped up at his desk. A glazed look in his
eyes. Clearly paralyzed but alert. He can SEE....

BARON HARKONNEN across the room. With DeVries.
And several other Harkonnen guards. And...

DR. YUEH. Agitated.

DR. YUEH
...my half of the bargain, Baron. I
promised you the Duke, and there he is...

BARON HARKONNEN
And a delicious sight it is, Doctor.

DR. YUEH
...now it's time for your half.

BARON HARKONNEN
And...believe it or not...I'm a man of my
word.

DR. YUEH
Where is she!? You promised we'd be
reunited. You said you'd free her if I
did what you asked.

BARON HARKONNEN
Your wife is free, my good doctor.
Completely free...

And he floats across the room to a large draped object.
Yanks the velvet curtains away to REVEAL...
A glass SARCOPHAGUS. And a beautiful woman inside.
Clearly dead!

BARON HARKONNEN
...free of her mortal coil...free of her
physical cage. I freed her.

Yueh approaches the sarcophagus. Trembling. Unable to compute
the deviousness of what's just been done to him.

BARON HARKONNEN
I promised you'd be reunited.

Suddenly...DeVries steps in behind Yueh.
Drives a dagger deep into his back.

BARON HARKONNEN
And I'm a man of my word, as now you can
see.

But as Yueh sinks, he manages to point a cursing finger at
the Baron.

DR. YUEH
You...think...you've defeated...me.
But he doesn't finish. He falls over...dead.

BARON HARKONNEN
Never trust a traitor. Not even one you
create.
(turning back to Leto)
Well, my noble Duke, enjoying the show? I
hope so. I've kept you alive so that you
could witness every precious moment of
your betrayal.

DUKE LETO
(barely audible)
Paul...

BARON HARKONNEN
The boy? Dunno. Left him to the desert.
He and that gorgeous woman of yours. Had
to pry Piter off her. But we couldn't
have noble blood on our hands now, could
we? The Emperor was quite insistent about
that.

A small groan escapes Leto.

BARON HARKONNEN
Yes, your beloved Emperor. Just goes to
show...never get more popular than the
boss...unless you intend to sack him...

The Baron jerks away in mock horror and embarrassment.

BARON HARKONNEN
Did I say that? How impolitic of me. I
must be spending too much time with my
idiot nephew, Rabban. Oh well, you won't
tell, will you, dear man?

DE VRIES
Perhaps we should get on with it, then...

BARON HARKONNEN
Get on with it!? GET ON WITH IT!? This is
KANLY, Piter! Vendetta! And I'm going to
savor it! My family has hated the
Atreides for generations. They've been
the sand in our eye, the stink at our
meals...these arrogant Atreides and their
pompous honor...standing in our
way...always standing in our way...

He is floating around the room in a mad trance now.

BARON HARKONNEN
I want Leto to appreciate the beauty of
what I've done to him. I want him to
choke on the utter disgrace of his
defeat...

C.U. LETO. Straining to keep the Baron in focus.
Straining to remember Yueh's last words to him.
Straining to move his mouth!

BARON HARKONNEN
I want him to know that I, Baron Vladimir
Harkonnen, am the instrument of his
family's demise...the extinction of House
Atreides...and the ascendance of House Harkonnen!!!

http://duneinfo.com/Content/files/frank-herberts-dune-1.pdf

------------------------------------------------------------------------

☮

Thank you,

--
Don
)\._.,--....,'``.
/, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,.
`._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'
My cat's telltale, tall tail tells tall tales.

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