Peter de vries violin

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dune, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

After almost a year of delays, Denis Villeneuve’s film Dune hit theaters in the U.S. His adaptation of the iconic Frank Herbert novel from follows the story of House Atreides as they struggle to hold onto power on the planet Arrakis.

They are in conflict with the rival House Harkonnen, who previously held control over Arrakis and the spice mining that can only be performed on the planet. The members and allies of House Harkonnen are evil, brutal and power-hungry in every way, especially their Mentat, Piter de Vries.

Peter de vries dunes village series Piter de Vries ( AG - AG), was the infamous Twisted Mentat and Mentat-Assassin for Siridar -Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. He began working for the Baron in De Vries was an ambitious and impatient sadist whose evil rivalled that of the Baron.

Piter’s sadistic character lurked throughout the first half of the Dune novel, but in Villeneuve’s attempt to adapt the gargantuan text, his character fell to the wayside.

There’s no denying that the characters of Dune were particularly well-cast. Timothee Chalamet has the same bright-eyedness as Kyle MacLachlan’s Paul Atreides, Zendaya embodies the iconic elfishness of Chani and Jason Momoa the fierceness and bravery of Duncan Idaho.

In his casting, Villeneuve was particularly tuned into the physical and psychological qualities of Herbert’s characters; David Dastmalchian’s particular darkness and experience with character acting made him a perfect choice for the role of Piter. But it's a shame that Dastmalchian’s Piter received such little screen time in comparison with the other characters of the film.

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While Dune is centered around House Atreides, namely Paul and his mother Jessica, the novel’s signature chapter epigraphs remind readers: “To attempt an understanding of Muad’Dib without understanding his mortal enemies, the Harkonnens, is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood." Villeneuve’s Dune does not nearly delve into the evil or sadism of any of the Harkonnens enough, even the Baron, so Piter’s unique sadism, remarkable intelligence and capable skills as a Mentat are lost in adaptation.

In the novel, Piter encourages the Baron’s similarly sadistic and power-hungry tendencies by questioning Duke Leto Atreides’ cold and impersonal letters to the Baron.

He has a much more vocal role in the Harkonnen court, so much so that the Baron tells Piter he oversteps his role as an obedient Mentat. Dastmalchian’s Piter lurks in the shadows and stays comparatively silent to his book counterpart.

Peter de vries dunes village Piter de Vries (d. AG) was a Twisted Mentat developed by the Bene Tleilax. Serving House Harkonnen under the Baron Vladimir, Piter was an ambitious and impatient sadist whose bloodlust disturbed even his master.

The tension between the Baron and Piter is also not mentioned at all in the film; in the novel, the Baron actually considers killing Piter because he’s so nosy and intrusive in his political affairs. Piter’s particular sexual fascination with Lady Jessica and the Baron’s feigned granting of Piter’s request -- which would help develop him and the Harkonnens as even more twisted and amoral -- is also absent in the film.

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Even though Piter isn’t a major character in Dune -- he does die about a third of the way through the novel and film -- his presence lurks throughout the story as he urges the Baron to be more heavy-handed in his takeover of Arrakis, actively helps craft Yueh’s betrayal of Duke Leto and expertly acts as a Mentat.

The Piter audiences see in the film is a rather quiet brown-noser, not an outspoken Politicker. The internal monologues of each character from the novel, and therein their psychological development, are traded for showy battles. Dastmalchian’s talent for playing twisted and complex characters made the role of Piter perfect for him, but Villeneuve sadly kept him and the character in the background, playing second fiddle to Stellan Skarsgard’s Baron Harkonnen before his untimely death after the Harkonnens take back Arrakis.

To see how Piter is underutilized, Dune is in theaters now and streaming on HBO Max. 

KEEP READING: Dune Part 2: What Happens Next in the Novel - and What to Expect in the Sequel