Dust Devil (1992)

[Neville]

(Note: I watched the so-called "final cut" of this movie)

Mmmm... This is one weird movie, and I barely know how to start. It's the second film by Southafrican filmmaker Richard Stanley, the first being the stylish "Harware", which as arty as film with a killer robot can be.

This one is a road movie with serial killer, but also much more. Stanley seems interested on this minimal story only as far as he can use it to connect it to other topics, such as racism (the film is not set in the southwest of the USA, as the pic seems to suggest, but in Namibia), legends about shape-shifting spirits, human sacrifices, etc.

The result reminds me of what little African literature I've read. The deliberate pace and the significance of the plot remind me of Coetzee, who often transforms extremely physical, realistic situations into morality tales. The ankward use of time (rather than in a timeline, the film seems set on a suspended unit of time), the constant mix between reality and dream, or dream and  fantasy is also a staple in other African writers.

Is it any good? I can't tell, really. Stanley certainly has an eye for the oniric, his use of film editing, which often places "alien" images or whole scenes inside others, is simply amazing. Take your wildest dream, and it probably be strikingly similar to the images of this movie.

As an story, however, the film is harder to sell. There's a plot, yes, and a beginning and an end, but that's all you'll find here that resembles a narration.


Arrakis, Dune. Land of spice, of giant worms. Center of the Universe.

[Scott]

Read something about DUST DEVIL a couple months ago and it got some good reviews on imdb.com. Was thinking about renting it.

[Neville]

If you rent it, make sure it is the director's cut. Apparently, the film was rushed into postproduction and Richard Stanley wasn't allowed to approve the final cut.

[Scott]

DUST DEVIL is being release on DVD September 27th. Looks very interesting.

[youtube=425,350]http://youtube.com/watch?v=PrPSuTEISpg

[Torgo]

I've got the limited edition multi-disc edition of Dust Devil.

It's really cool, you get the final cut, a work print version with additional footage and 2 more discs that have some of Stanley's documentaries on them.

A 5th disc contains the soundtrack to the film.

Well worth tracking down.  I got mine for only 18.99

As for the film itself, the movie does seem to be nonsensical at times, but it does kind of make sense. I think that the thing that threw me for a loop was the ending.  Not to give away too much, was it all in her head?  Was the Dust Devil just a figment of her cracking mind?

A beautiful film that I've found a lot of people like to appreciate rather than like.

[Scott]

You know I got the September 27th info from Youtube and perhaps it was September 27th 2006 because I just saw it at Best Buy after making this post. It's available now as Torgo also has a copy.

[Torgo]

You know I got the September 27th info from Youtube and perhaps it was September 27th 2006 because I just saw it at Best Buy after making this post. It's available now as Torgo also has a copy.

I forgot to mention  that I got my copy right after it was released.

I know that they've since re-released  the film in a single disc version that only contains the 1st disc, but I've still seen the 5 disc edition at a few places near where I live in Roanoke, VA.