Theodor Pistek, Dune Costume Designer

Dune costume designer Theodor Pistek's imaginative creations have netted him an Academy Award. Pistek won the Oscar for Amadeus, which was directed by Milos Forma, a Czech ÈmigrÈ whose twin sons, Petr and Matej, designed and operated the marionettes for Dune. Pistek was Oscar-nominated for his costumes for Valmont, and also designed the costumes for the Academy Award-nominated The People vs. Larry Flint, also directed by Milos Forman. Pistek's other credits include Torrents of Spring, The Death of Tarzan, as well as many Czech National Theater production, Czech and German films.

Pistek, known to friends as "Dodo," hails from a family of talented artists. His father was a well-known actor, and his son, Jan, is his right-hand man on Dune designs. Jan is a designer in his own right, with a specialty in high-fashion design.

Theodor Pistek's talents do not end with costumes. He also is an established artist, with regular exhibitions. He has been an official test driver for Porsche, and was a Formula One driver as well. His racing helmet sits proudly on a shelf in his design studio, in his light, air home--that he designed. Pistek also is long-time pals with Czech President Vaclav Havel, who commissioned new Castle Guard uniforms from him, after the country returned to democracy in 1989.

Before coming to Prague to shoot Dune, writer/director John Harrison knew Pistek's reputation, and called him a "Czech national treasure." Once in the Czech Republic, Harrison sought Pistek out. "I was lucky enough to have an interview with him. He didn't really want to do the job at first because he doesn't like sci-fi. I said, 'Dodo, this is not sci-fi, okay. We're not going to have people in sort of body-fitting Star Trek outfits. I want you to think of this as Shakespeare, I want you to think of this as Oriental. Because we've created a design concept that is very much an amalgam of sort of Arab-Oriental.'"

"He became intrigued, he started doing drawings, and within a week I had a pile of drawings for the different characters. It was phenomenal."

The Dune character costumes help achieve the atmosphere Harrison sought.

"Like the production design, every wardrobe identifies immediately the world that you're in," Harrison said. "But more that that, it gives you a psychological insight into the tribe, if you will, that we're dealing with. The Fremen have a certain look. The Harkonnen have a look that instantly tells you what they are about. The Imperial Palace with its luxury and its elegance. The Atreides family, with their really clean lines, with their very sort of direct looks. I think that the wardrobe is as much a story element as the production design or the photography."