Timothée Chalamet’s combat style in ‘Dune’ was inspired by PH arnis

Dune captures a wide audience that ranges from sci-fi movie enthusiasts, readers of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel who want to see the adaptation, and you definitely can’t forget the Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya stans. Before watching it on the big screen, viewers can dive into director Denis Villeneueve’s breakdown of a scene from the film that featured a type of Filipino martial art.

While Dune is the first film to premiere in the country’s cinemas after being closed due to the pandemic, it’s possible that not everyone could probably watch it given the restrictions. But The New York Times posted a short video that can give you a glimpse of the film. It presents Paul Atreides (Chalamet) who is in a combat lesson with Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin).

As the two test out their skills in swordplay, Villeneuve shared that the choreography used was developed by Roger Yuan. The filmmaker explained, ‘He developed the Atreides fighting style borrowing from a martial art technique developed in the ’50s. This technique was called balintawak eskrima. It’s a style that involves blocking the opponent’s attack with both a weapon and the free hand.’

Along with cinematographer Greig Fraser, Villeneuve said that they filmed the sequence as if it were a dance performance. He added, ‘The goal was to embrace the complexity of the movements with objective camera angles. We tried to make sure that the audience will understand the nature of this new way of fighting.’

Balintawak Eskrima is a Filipino martial art attributed to Grandmaster Venancio “Anciong” Bacon. He created it in the 1950s to enhance and preserve the combative nature of arnis a.k.a. Kali or eskrima, which is the national martial art of the Philippines.

Dune is set to premiere in the country on November 10. However, only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter the cinemas.

Banner: Screenshot from The New York Times/YouTube

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Source: we the pvblic