DUNE : DVD Re-Release

It came out in Spain like a month and a half ago -along with a very nice Wild at Heart SE by the way- and though I still haven't put my stinking paws on it (I was planning on buying it today coincidentally), a friend of mine has it and didn't notice such thing.

On the other hand, the DVD distrib company here isn't Universal and what they offer as the extended edition was the BBC TV cut that they somewhat managed to redub. As far as I can tell, the guy always watches his movies in VO but I could always be wrong.

I got it from Netflix yesterday

And was dissapointed to find that it was the same old TV cut that has been around since it first aired in sindication 20 years ago. Atleast it is now restored to widescreen, but I was really getting excited for the advertised "All New Cut" of the film.

Not only that, why the hell have they STILL not bothered to rotoscope the blue into the Fremen eyes for the restored footage? Like that would take more than a day with today's technology. Also, how about restoring Virginia Madsen's performance and getting her to redo the voiceover, you know, like it should be.

I understand Lynch distancing himself from the project (although it is every Dune fanboys dream that he returns to do his definative cut) , but even a new producer's cut would be welcome. And a huge documentary on the project is more than in order.

I'd definitely rather see a big documentary on everything than watch the actual film again. I used to love it, but looking at it with more mature eyes, I think the film has many issues that can't be solved by adding or deleting footage.

I've never seen this movie, but I'm a pretty huge David Lynch fan. Is this something I should pick up, sight unseen? I know he didn't have any involvement with the DVD, and I'm not sure what his thoughts are on the film itself. I'm kind of torn on this one.

I picked it up. I have never seen the extended cut before. I like Lynch's version, it may be flawed but I still like it. I wish there was a better documentary on it and I wish Lynch would come back to this but that will never happen.

Watching the original, you can't tell me there's a germ of a better film in there somewhere.

Watching the SciFi channel miniseries makes me wish Lynch had been given this kind of freedom to make the film. Lynch's imagery makes the story that much more memorable, but Dune needs more than a few hours to be fleshed out adequately.

David Lynch on DUNE:

To hear what people were saying about me after Dune could have completely destroyed my confidence and happiness, and you need to be happy to make stuff. I was almost dead. Almost dead! Dune took me off at the knees. Maybe higher.

I never carried anything far enough for it to really be my own. I had the feeling that Dino and Rafaella wanted something, and then there was Frank Herbert's book, and trying to be true to it. So you're already locked into a specific corral. And it's hard to break out of that. I didn't really feel I had permission to really make it my own. That was the downfall for me. Dune was like a kind of studio film. I didn't have final cut. And, little by little, I was subconsciously making compromises -- knowing I couldn't go here and not wanting to go there. I just fell, you know, into this middle world. It was a sad place to be.

It's a shame that Lynch was unhappy with the results. Dune was my introduction to both David Lynch and . . . well, Dune. It made me lifelong fans of both the books and the filmmaker. If I met David Lynch, I'd shake his hand and thank him. I saw Dune 21 years ago (Geez) and I still remember that particular night at the movies.

You could point out any one of a million flaws in the film and I'd agree, smile, and say I love the movie anyway.

Supremo-
If you are thinking about picking it up, know that the story is pretty compressed and some of the effects are dated, but the cinematography by Freddie Francis is stunning, the production design is jaw dropping (seriously- the costumes and sets are works of art), the score by Toto is actually really great and the film has some nice, very Lynchian moments.

While it's far from perfect, its still one of the ballsiest sci-fi productions of all time. WAY too weird for a big budget film with franchise expectations, but to me, even if it is compromised, it is a worthy film for your collection.

Then again, I bought the $125 Japanese laserdisc set in 1995 because it was the only way to have a widescreen version of the film and it had the TV version as a bonus.

I just find the TV version frustrating as shit though. Some of the additional scenes are cool, but key moments of the theatrical cut are missing (for broadcast sensabilities) and the editing overall was done by a hack with no knowledge of the film or the books. For no reason whatsoever shots are repeated and most disturbingly a pointless sequence is made up of the Reverend Mother being flown to Planet Caladan by Harkonnen pilots- the same ones who later try to kill Paul and Jessica...

It's a gorgeous film and definitely worth the effort. You should also read the book, even if you don't like Sci-fi.

I can't believe that the DVD sold out at every Best Buy in my area. I finally got my hands on the last copy at a local Target store. Seriously, this is an underappreciated movie. Yes, it is heavily condensed. Yes there are some effects that haven't aged well. But for the most part, Lynch's direction, the costume design and cinematography make this an amazing and surreal cinema experience. And like alot of others, seeing this movie as a kid (My aunt took me to see this in the theater when I was 8) made me want to explore Herbert's universe even deeper. That even includes the Brian Herbert prequel books.

I think I'll watch it tonight.

As a fan of the book and the Lynch movie, I really do not blame him for not wanting to be involved. The extended edition is the biggest piece of shit I have ever seen on DVD and really tarnished the theatrical version. The beginning with the crap commentary with what seems to be a moving cardboard painting is amazing bad. The added scenes drag it down and they even deleted important scenes (like the baron killing the slave). They should have either done a DTS with very good transfer of the theatrical version or let Lynch do what he wanted. I like extended editions if done right, but this is beyond wrong. It is so bad that they should have done the new transitional scenes with sock puppets. At least that would have gotten a giggle or two.

Yep its very much worth the effort to see the film but do yourself a favor and read the book. Its a thing of beauty.

I didn't want to say anything, not having seen the DVD yet, but yeah. After seeing the import laserdisc years ago I was stunned at how bad the extended edition is -- it makes the first Sci-Fi production look good. If the transfer of the theatrical version is better (figure it is, simply by virtue of being anamorphis) then this might be a good upgrade, but hold no hopes for the extended. It's an Alan Smithee film for a reason.

Thanks for the info, folks. No way I'm buying this now. I mean, even the theatrical cut needed work (visually, to clean up some of the horrible mat lines, and I believe that stuff about the audio too).

But they didn't even fix the non-blue-within-blue eyes on the extened cut? That's pathetic.

I wasn't sure if I was going to pick it up or not, but it's at such a cheap price...why not? Hell, I bought it for $16.99 and tax, and that't pretty good for a 2 disc edition of any movie.

I'm disappointed as well that Lynch didn't actually have anything to do with this, as it IS only the long-winded version that has previously been shown, although it's nice to see it in widescreen. The deleted scenes should have been incorporated back into the movie rather than shown as separate entities. That couldn't have been too hard, and would have at least produced a NEW cut of the film to try and sell.

Still, for all of it's flaws (and it has many), it's a triumph of production design, if nothing else. It has the sense of scale that the tv miniseries lacked, in my opinion. Most of the scenes in the desert on Arrakis are quite stunning, actually, and really do feel otherworldly.

I still cringe at all of the floating fat-man stuff, though...Kenneth McMillan is way too over the top as Baron Harkonnen.

I'm a little pissed that it's a flipper and not a two disk set.


It's 2006, not 1998.

Thats interesting. Netflix must have then commisioned a seperate disc for the extended edition. It was labeled disc 2, and was the extended version only.

DVD Planet's 'related titles' selection tells you pretty much everything there is to know: Blue Velvet, Fire Walk With Me, Wild at Heart...and Krull.

This film is way worse than I remember. Unmitigated crap.

I prefer to think about it as a beautiful mess - you have a producer who did not understand the material and only cared about having another STAR WARS, you've got a director who may not have been the best choice, but whose taste and vision brought something completely unexpected. You have a pretty good cast making the best out of a muddled script - you can go on and on. its like a car crash - you can't look away.

They just did not have the money or the time to do this right - and it appears they never will - if the Sci-Fi Channel productions are any indication. Maybe sometime in the future we'll get the perfect moment where the material is matched with the right filmmaker ala LORD OF THE RINGS and Peter Jackson. The fact that Lynch doesn't want to be involved is no suprise, folks. I don't think this was really the best time he had on a project. A little like FIncher and his ALIEN movie, no? (And if Lynch had been involved think of the Extended Edition without any chapter stops!)

Hey, it's not a great movie, but it's worth $17 and the chance to own one of the great follys of the '80s. Nice packaging, too. Shame about the DVD-18 flipper, though.

"WHOEVER CONTROLS THE SPICE, CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!LOLOLOL"

That's one example of the inane line delivery that I heard on the Dune DVD ad. I'll stick to the novels.

It's more than a mess. It flips between ponderously unwatchable and unintentionally hilarious.

Ponderously unwatchable. That about sums it up. Time had caused me to forget how awful this really is. It is a shame that one of science fictions true masterpieces has yet to be adapted into something that is entertaining yet brings the deeper nuances of the novel with it.

Dune might be a failure, but some of the imaginery is well done. It still holds a spot in my heart since it introduced me to David Lynch and dune. The extended cut is total crap. It is as if you stripped anything worthwhile from the threatical cut and added filler material. I wish i could get my money back from buying this edition (since I already had the old disc).

One can only hope right? I'll buy this dvd at some rate down the line because I think the film is a mess but a very interesting one.

I watched this last week & found myself cringing throughout the film. I couldn't believe there was a time when I actually liked this movie, theatrical cut or otherwise. It's just bad, terrible effects, horrible acting, a soul-less movie.

I'll stick to the book. That will always be one of the best.

[QUOTE=gl2899]I'm a little pissed that it's a flipper and not a two disk set.[QUOTE]

Not in Spain, it's not. 2 discs, but... I eventually didn't buy it. So umm, thanks for the advice, guys. I think I'll wait for a cheaper price.

In the Prologue sequence, the narration and visuals sync up in a pretty sloppy way. As if the video was edited to narration done in a completely different language and then an English voiceover was hastily thrown together at the last minute.