Jodorowsky's Dune Uncovered
Scene 87 (continued) - 89 : The Torture of Leto
Peter moves towards Leto and slaps him twice, asking "Where are Jessica and Paul?"
The knowledge that they are still alive give Leto hope, and the Baron tells Peter to do what he wants with the body, but the Baron has promised the Emperor the head.
Peter removes one of Leto's arms, throwing it into a trunk, to which the Baron applauds.
Peter asks again "Where are they?" and as the Duke remains silent Peter continues to remove limbs, with each one asking "Where?".
With the arms and legs gone, Peter decides to remove another of the Duke's appendages and begins to remove the Duke's loin cloth. Uman Kudu realises what Peter has in mind moves closer to Leto.
However when Peter has uncovered the Duke's groin he and Uman Kudu burst out laughing - "He's got no..."
"The Baron quickly gets down from the throne and, eaten up with curiosity, comes closer, leaping nimbly. The Duke presses his jaws together, and the deadly gas begins to escape."
The gas instant kills Peter and Uman Kudu, but the Baron, aided by his anti-gravity devices, is able to take a giant leap upwards, his head breaking through the glass dome in the ceiling.
The Baron's head emerges from the dome, surprising some Harkonnen soldiers in the room above. The Baron orders a mask and some ventilators. With mask is fitted to his face and he descends back into the room.
The Baron checks Peter and Uman Kudu and moans when confirming that they are dead. Soldiers enter the room and purify the air. Then, overcome with a sudden fury, the Baron rushes towards what remains of the Duke and cuts off his head, throwing it into the truck.
The Baron orders the remains to be thrown into the desert for the worms, and that the army go and look for Paul and Jessica, killing anyone they find, Atreides or Fremen. "Total extermination!"
The torture of Leto is shown in the Jodorowsky's Dune documentary and so there are a number of Moebius storyboards available that closely correspond to the script. There aren't any boards showing the poison gas tooth killing Peter and Uman Kudu, but given that the Baron is wearing a mask in some of the final few boards it seems possible that the sequence could have remained.
And where are Paul & Jessica? Join us next time as we find out!
