I've been trying to find out any information about this release. Is it going to be a barebones release, or will it be a HD-DVD edition of what was recently released (with both the theatrical and director's cut of the film included)?

I'm just trying to decide if I should buy this one or wait. Dune is one of my favorite movies, but I just bought the double-edition and I am not sure if this edition that is coming out will be the final cut or if a future, better edition can be and will be made.

Will this be of the 1984 film or the Hallmark 3-parter?

It's the 1984 film, but I am trying to find out if it is the theatrical edition, the director's cut, or both. Also I want to know what kinds of extras will be on it.

One of the worst movies of all time. Well besides Ishtar.

One of the worst movies of all time. Well besides Ishtar.

I liked Ishtar.

the '84 film was okay on it's own, so long as you didn't try to relate it to the book, they shared the same name, and that's about it.

Here's what it's being listed as:
Features:
n/a
Length:
137 minutes

If I'm not mistaken, the theatrical version was 137 minutes long. The Theatrical Version is actually the real Directors Cut. Their have been so many variations of the film, that it would be hard to tell what they are going to use.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087182/alternateversions

It's the 1984 film, but I am trying to find out if it is the theatrical edition, the director's cut, or both. Also I want to know what kinds of extras will be on it.

From what I have gathered online, it's the theatrical cut. Not sure about extras, but I am sure they will probably be taken from the recent SD release.

One of the worst movies of all time. Well besides Ishtar.
I liked Dune. But then again, I've never read the book.

I wasn't impressed with the quality of the initial DVD release though. (Wow, that was 8 years ago.) I wonder how good the HD DVD will be.

It was shown a few months ago on some HD Channel on DirecTV. (I don't remember which one.) It loooked pretty darn good to me. And I really like this movie, despite the fact that David Lynch considered it a failure.

I would be surprised if the supplements weren't identical to the recent SD DVD rerelease. The big question is whether the extended edition will also be included. Either way, I will be picking this one up.

Whats funny is that eight years later, it seems that we are all rebuying the same movies that heralded the beginning of DVD. Dune, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, Spatacus, etc.

Whats funny is that eight years later, it seems that we are all rebuying the same movies that heralded the beginning of DVD. Dune, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, Spatacus, etc.
I never bought any of those movies on DVD.

The only one I'd consider is Dune, but still didn't get it on DVD after all this time. I didn't buy it in the 90s because the DVD was so poor.

From what I have gathered online, it's the theatrical cut. Not sure about extras, but I am sure they will probably be taken from the recent SD release.

The DC is a scam, I forgot what broadcast station got their hands on an early cut and some unused footage and put it together to make one horrible version of the movie. That creation should have been burned after the first time it aired (in the UK I believe).

I am a Dune (books) fan, I even heavily enjoy Frank Herbert's sons current outings. I used to like the move a lot (even if it left me a bit empty inside)because it was the only dune related Live action interpretation available. Since the Sci-Fi mini series came out though I end up having a hard time watching it unless I am in a certain mood and have prepared for it.

So for me I am glad its the TC and while not as good as the Miniseries it will a definite pickup for me.

I had the SD version recently released in Europe on amazon.uk and it looked fantastic in SD upconverted. The one released here in N. America was lower quality. The HD DVD should look very good. It also had DTS. Due to its age, sound can't rival today's movies but given how it sounded in prologic, DTS sounded much better and DD+ should improve on that perhaps.

I'm going to wait for the reviews on this one (particularly Josh Z's on DVDTalk). I have a feeling that this won't look better than the France R2 standard def edition upconverted, given the difference in the source materials.

I'd love to have Dune in HD, but not if it's just going to be the same transfer that Universal just used in R1, only with more resolution.


They *might* have gotten me to buy this as a curiosity if they included an HD edition of the Alan Smithee version.

I thought the extended cut had some good scenes, like distilling the body of the Freman Pual killed for its water, or getting the water of life from the baby worm. It least I think those scenes were in the extended cut only, I've seen both so many times I can't tell them apart anymore :)

All I need for HD DVD to match my initial DVD buying is Starship Troopers and Lifeforce (to go with Dune and Excaliber). Probably not gonna happen though.

All I need for HD DVD to match my initial DVD buying is Starship Troopers and Lifeforce (to go with Dune and Excaliber). Probably not gonna happen though.

Yeah, both of those are pretty unlikely, given the studios involved.

However, if MGM ever sees the light, I'd *love* to get an HD DVD of Lifeforce, especially since the standard DVD is such a mediocre (non-anamorphic) transfer.


I'm actually surprised that Starship Troopers wasn't a launch (or early) BD title. Seems like a logical choice for Sony.

For a movie I thought the 1984 Dune did a pretty good job of following the book. However it was almost universally panned by those who had not read the book. One of those movies that required reading the book first to really appreciate it. :)

Starship Troopers on the other hand hardly resembled the book at all. Horrible! Without the powered armour and the long Heinlein prof rambles. :p

I bought the SD "Tin" edition so I think I'll make due with that, have
not even watched it yet.

Starship Troopers on the other hand hardly resembled the book at all. Horrible! Without the powered armour and the long Heinlein prof rambles. :p

Hardly resembled is being pretty mild :) HUGE Heinlein fan (I still hope for the day that they can do Stranger in a Strange Land properly). I think my favorite part of Starship Troopers is that it is pretty much now seen as a Verhoeven film and no real connection to the Heinlein book (the book is one of my favorites)

For a movie I thought the 1984 Dune did a pretty good job of following the book. However it was almost universally panned by those who had not read the book. One of those movies that required reading the book first to really appreciate it. :)

Starship Troopers on the other hand hardly resembled the book at all. Horrible! Without the powered armour and the long Heinlein prof rambles. :p

Every Dune fan has always enjoyed the movie, after Herbert died and their seemed to be no more outlets for more dune experiences. That said it was always a soul less interpretation of the book (no matter how artful Lynch tried to be) and it became really apparent after the miniseries was released. Even though Lynch followed the book closer then Sci-Fi did the miniseries came off as more true to how Herbert wrote it.

Every Dune fan has always enjoyed the movie, after Herbert died and their seemed to be no more outlets for more dune experiences. That said it was always a soul less interpretation of the book (no matter how artful Lynch tried to be) and it became really apparent after the miniseries was released. Even though Lynch followed the book closer then Sci-Fi did the miniseries came off as more true to how Herbert wrote it.

I can't possibly disagree with you more. Lynch's film is too compressed and at times muddled, but it was true to the characters and their motivations. The Sci-Fi miniseries completely futzed with that and made an unholy mess of the story.

I'd take Lynch's film over those dull as hell Skiffy productions any day. I've had this preordered since day one. Amazon is cruel though. In my Order History page, they have this preorder listed with a delivery date of Oct 30th - Nov 6th! I nearly had an aneurism when I saw that, until I collected myself enough to realize it was a simple mistake. :(

I LOVE this movie.....one of my alltime favorites.

I have an HDNET original aspect ratio archive of the HD broadcast that clocks in about 19GB's of MPEG2 and it looks awesome.

The HD-DVD should be looking about as good as this film has ever looked. :cool:

When this comes out it will be mine.

One of the worst movies of all time. Well besides Ishtar.

Love Dune -- find it to be very emotion evoking, very powerful. Reaches the hell out of me.

For a movie I thought the 1984 Dune did a pretty good job of following the book. However it was almost universally panned by those who had not read the book. One of those movies that required reading the book first to really appreciate it. :)

Starship Troopers on the other hand hardly resembled the book at all. Horrible! Without the powered armour and the long Heinlein prof rambles. :p

Not sure I ever read Dune, but the movie has always held me virtually spellbound.

I read Starship Troopers years before the film and was really disappointed by the SEVERE changes. However, after that initial letdown, I can still enjoy the movie in it's own right -- it's just a different Starship Troopers (VERY different).

Not sure I ever read Dune, but the movie has always held me virtually spellbound.

I read Starship Troopers years before the film and was really disappointed by the SEVERE changes. However, after that initial letdown, I can still enjoy the movie in it's own right -- it's just a different Starship Troopers (VERY different).

You'd be sure if you had read Dune in the past, not a book that is easily forgotten. If the movie left you spellbound, the book would do much more. That being said I liked the movie better than the miniseries, even though the movie barely covered the essentials, the look and feel of the film (with the exception of the weirding modules.... :rolleyes: ) are much closer to the book. Great casting as well, great actors.

The concept of a Richard Donner SUPERMAN II was always said to be completely impossible, yet here we are a month away from its release. One can only hope that with DUNE David Lynch will allow a real attempt at creating a version of his film closer to what he envisioned. His so called "cut" was done in order to reach a set running time. It is not what he wanted.

The concept of a Richard Donner SUPERMAN II was always said to be completely impossible, yet here we are a month away from its release. One can only hope that with DUNE David Lynch will allow a real attempt at creating a version of his film closer to what he envisioned. His so called "cut" was done in order to reach a set running time. It is not what he wanted.

This is a dream many of us have, Matt. We can only hope Lynch will take in a viewing of Donner's Superman II and be struck by the idea of revisiting and redeeming Dune.

P.S., How's that Final Cut Pro HD edit coming along...?

For a movie I thought the 1984 Dune did a pretty good job of following the book. However it was almost universally panned by those who had not read the book. One of those movies that required reading the book first to really appreciate it. :)

Starship Troopers on the other hand hardly resembled the book at all. Horrible! Without the powered armour and the long Heinlein prof rambles. :p I agree here. But the animated series Roughnecks got HRH visions right.

I did like both of those SF movies however in their abilty to recreate a world. I look forward to seeing them in HD.

I bought the DVD and started it--never finished it. I bought the book and started it--never finished it. I have promised myself that when the HD-DVD comes out, I will get it and watch it all the way through at least once. So I have this one coming for sure.

I bought the DVD and started it--never finished it. I bought the book and started it--never finished it. I have promised myself that when the HD-DVD comes out, I will get it and watch it all the way through at least once. So I have this one coming for sure.

Geez -- given your record, perhaps Dune just isn't the right film for you.

I bought the DVD and started it--never finished it. I bought the book and started it--never finished it. I have promised myself that when the HD-DVD comes out, I will get it and watch it all the way through at least once. So I have this one coming for sure.
The book is quite long, but to get a real handle on Herbert's future history and a good context for the movie IMHO is is necessary to read the whole thing. The movie is way too short to fully convey what the story is about -- to really do it justice requires a War and Peace length movie ;) . The SciFi channel miniseries was longer but to me did not really give the real Herbert story.

Bob

One of the worst movies of all time. Well besides Ishtar.


and the threadfart of the day award goes to.....!

;)

The book is quite long, but to get a real handle on Herbert's future history and a good context for the movie IMHO is is necessary to read the whole thing. The movie is way too short to fully convey what the story is about -- to really do it justice requires a War and Peace length movie ;) . The SciFi channel miniseries was longer but to me did not really give the real Herbert story.

Bob

I forgot to mention--I bought the DVD of the mini-series and started it, but didn't finish it. I keep trying because I have heard so many good things about Dune, but it still hasn't clicked for me. I'll have to give it another shot.

The first mini-series..... has its good points (it tries to do more), but it just did not have the right "feel."

The movie has the feel and atmosphere. Certainly they change things, and everyone who has read the book knows what the worst change was -- but even then within the realm of the movie, it worked.

I like both of them, but the movie really really is my favorite of the two. Back in its day, I wished they had done Dune Messiah. It would have been much easier to do in a movie with far less problems. Children of Dune, while good, messed up on Messiah too much imo. They should have given it at least two parts.

Back to the HD DVD -- I am still trying to decide if I should get it or not, having just bought the flip-DVD.

I LOVED the CoD mini. Messiah wasn't a well recieved book to begin with so skimping out on it wasn't a huge deal. Whatever they release with the Dune name I'm going to wind up buying. They just need to hurry up and do it.

I forgot to mention--I bought the DVD of the mini-series and started it, but didn't finish it. I keep trying because I have heard so many good things about Dune, but it still hasn't clicked for me. I'll have to give it another shot.

I fear a clean sweep :)

The HD-DVD should be looking about as good as this film has ever looked. :cool:

Have you seen the Region 2 transfer from France? Some comparison screenshots are near the bottom of this page:
http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff/av.html


I really, really hope you're right -- if this looks "as good as this film has ever looked", I'll be in heaven. But I see no reason to think that it will be anything other than the exact same (inferior) video transfer that Universal used on the standard def set they just released, just with higher resolution.

I'm not sure that will look better than the upconverted R2 edition. In fact, I'm 99% sure it won't.

P.S., How's that Final Cut Pro HD edit coming along...? Have not even started it. Just too busy. Right now I am so swamped that I have HD-DVD's I purchased weeks ago and have not even opened them. No free time. :(

Have you seen the Region 2 transfer from France? Some comparison screenshots are near the bottom of this page:
http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff/av.html


I really, really hope you're right -- if this looks "as good as this film has ever looked", I'll be in heaven. But I see no reason to think that it will be anything other than the exact same (inferior) video transfer that Universal used on the standard def set they just released, just with higher resolution.

I'm not sure that will look better than the upconverted R2 edition. In fact, I'm 99% sure it won't.

if there will be HIGHER RESOLUTION, it will for sure MUCH BETTER than uponverted R2 edition...

The concept of a Richard Donner SUPERMAN II was always said to be completely impossible, yet here we are a month away from its release. One can only hope that with DUNE David Lynch will allow a real attempt at creating a version of his film closer to what he envisioned. His so called "cut" was done in order to reach a set running time. It is not what he wanted.

I was told from a source who I trust that Lynch was approached to put together his own extended cut of DUNE for the last DVD release, and he was willing to do it...

IF Universal was willing to pay him to do the work (and it was not a whole lot of money in the grand scheme of things). Universal refused, so Lynch went back to work on his new film INLAND EMPIRE. A shame and one hell of a missed oppurtunity if you ask me. Oh well, I guess I have to live with my personal fan-edit I put together using both the theatrical and TV cuts on the new DVD set for the time being...

Vincent

if there will be HIGHER RESOLUTION, it will for sure MUCH BETTER than uponverted R2 edition...

So the quality of the transfer means nothing? An upconverted superbit The Fifth Element looks better than the BD edition.

Higher resolution does not automagically mean "MUCH BETTER".

Vincent, I heard the same thing. The studios never want to pay.

if there will be HIGHER RESOLUTION, it will for sure MUCH BETTER than uponverted R2 edition...

Did you bother to look at the screenshots linked above?

If Universal uses the same transfer as their last DVD, increasing the resolution isn't going to fix the drab colors, dim contrasts, and dirt on the film elements. The R2 DVD has a vastly superior color transfer.

My question to you JoshZ, would be:

A) do you think the UK will get a release for Dune in the next 6 months?
and
B) if so, do you think it'll be struck from the R2 master?

I'm hoping that the answer will turn out to be YES to both.

I compared the HD version of DUNE to the PAL version on my projector (95 inch screen) a few months ago and preferred the HD version. The PAL had some better looking color and contrast from time to time, but lacked in resolution. The HD version was sharper, more film like and lacked ringing or EE. It just looked better to my eyes. I have it on DVHS (and backed up on 5 DVD-R's because it is a super high bit-rate transfer compared to a lot of broadcast HD, so the HD-DVD should look sweet).

I compared the HD version of DUNE to the PAL version on my projector (95 inch screen) a few months ago and preferred the HD version. The PAL had some better looking color and contrast from time to time, but lacked in resolution. The HD version was sharper, more film like and lacked ringing or EE. It just looked better to my eyes. I have it on DVHS (and backed up on 5 DVD-R's because it is a super high bit-rate transfer compared to a lot of broadcast HD, so the HD-DVD should look sweet).

The HD version that aired on Universal HD looked fantastic. I think that's the version Matt's talking about.

I compared the HD version of DUNE to the PAL version on my projector (95 inch screen) a few months ago and preferred the HD version. The PAL had some better looking color and contrast from time to time, but lacked in resolution. The HD version was sharper, more film like and lacked ringing or EE. It just looked better to my eyes. I have it on DVHS (and backed up on 5 DVD-R's because it is a super high bit-rate transfer compared to a lot of broadcast HD, so the HD-DVD should look sweet).

Matt, did you compare the HD broadcast to the recent R1 DVD? I've heard it's a different transfer. If so, I have no idea what Universal will use for the HD DVD.

My question to you JoshZ, would be:

A) do you think the UK will get a release for Dune in the next 6 months?
and
B) if so, do you think it'll be struck from the R2 master?

I'm hoping that the answer will turn out to be YES to both.

Here's where things get complicated. The UK DVD edition of Dune from Sanctuary Visual Entertainment looks pretty lousy. The only good DVD transfer is the French DVD from G.C.T.H.V.

What does G.C.T.H.V. stand for, you ask?


Wait for it...


Wait for it...


Gaumont-Columbia TriStar Home Video.

I'm not sure whether the European division of Columbia TriStar is still connected to Sony or if they're separated in that region, but it doesn't look good.

In any case, Dune is definitely not a Studio Canal title, so I wouldn't expect it to appear on HD DVD anytime soon.

I've got the R2 German 'perfect edtion' and much prefer it to the recent R1. In fact it compares closesly to the HD broadcast colorwise. Hven't seen the R2 French or UK discs. The R2 Japanese disc is cr*p though.

I've got the R2 German 'perfect edtion' and much prefer it to the recent R1. In fact it compares closesly to the HD broadcast colorwise. Hven't seen the R2 French or UK discs. The R2 Japanese disc is cr*p though.

The German "Perfect Collection" was my previous reference, but the French disc is a touch better in picture quality and has much better audio.

I have every major DVD release of the film catalogued here:

http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff/av.html

Josh I have the U.S. dvd but only watched the extended cut.

Josh I have the U.S. dvd but only watched the extended cut.

Give a few minutes of the theatrical a spin when you have a chance and let us know how it compares to the HD broadcast.

Honestly, after seeing the much hyped "Alan Smithee" cut of "DUNE", I was a bit disappointed. I have the SD Collector's Tin version on DVD and will probably buy the HD DVD. I have also written a review for the SD version (back in February) that can be found at dvdreview.


-Murray

Give a few minutes of the theatrical a spin when you have a chance and let us know how it compares to the HD broadcast.
I'll do my best. I am off for a week's business trip Monday, so likely cannot do this for another week.

Honestly, after seeing the much hyped "Alan Smithee" cut of "DUNE", I was a bit disappointed.

Who hyped the Alan Smithee cut? That version of the movie has been widely ridiculed since it debuted on TV broadcast in 1985.

Every so often I would hear someone over the years saying that the "Smithee" cut of "DUNE" was better paced, introduced more character development, and allowed the story to "make more sense" for those that did not like David Lynch's version. For me, I like "DUNE" the way it is or was, meaning the David Lynch cut. Plus, I have never read any of the books, so I don't know if that helped me to enjoy the Lynch cut?

Here is my full review of the "Extended Edition"

http://www.dvdreview.com/reviews/pages/2200.shtml

-Murray

Lynch's cut is just the cut Lynch was forced to make because of the running time constraint. It is not his real vision. There is so much good stuff, important stuff, critical stuff that is in the Alan SMithee cut that it kills me to know there is a vastly superior film that can be created. But we likely will never see it.

Josh, I compared 5 minutes of the DVD to 5 minutes of my HD recording and I think they are the same transfer, but that the DVD was filtered and "tweaked" in some way, or that maybe something was just lost from the journey at 1080 to 480i. Not sure, but the color on the HD airing is a little bit better, but likely not the same as the PAL.

Obviosuly the HD version smokes the DVD in every way, especially in regards to the lack of artifacts, noise and rining.

Every so often I would hear someone over the years saying that the "Smithee" cut of "DUNE" was better paced, introduced more character development, and allowed the story to "make more sense" for those that did not like David Lynch's version.

You should stop listening to idiots. :)

Every so often I would hear someone over the years saying that the "Smithee" cut of "DUNE" was better paced, introduced more character development, and allowed the story to "make more sense" for those that did not like David Lynch's version. For me, I like "DUNE" the way it is or was, meaning the David Lynch cut. Plus, I have never read any of the books, so I don't know if that helped me to enjoy the Lynch cut?

Here is my full review of the "Extended Edition"

http://www.dvdreview.com/reviews/pages/2200.shtml

-Murray
If you have not read the DUNE books then I think you would like the Lynch movie with no problems. After all you have nothing to compare it with. Dune is probably one of the most popular Sci Fi books of all time and crams full a lot of details on Ecology, religion, politics etc... and no movie can really do it justice I think.

The Lynch version is good, but there was stuff in the Smithee version I thought brought the book out more in the movie. The whole beginning was a good history lesson on how the Present time came about. There were a few other scenes I thought added some more depth to the movie. If your fan of the movie of either version and have not read the book Dune, then you really should sit down and read it. That is one book I like to read once a year and am currently reading it again and will read all the others since I just got Hunters of Dune. :D I'm curious to see how that book is going to turn out.

Every so often I would hear someone over the years saying that the "Smithee" cut of "DUNE" was better paced, introduced more character development, and allowed the story to "make more sense" for those that did not like David Lynch's version.

The Smithee cut is an interesting curiosity and it does include some really cool scenes that didn't make the final cut. But it was edited together with a meat cleaver. The pacing is terrible. It doesn't make the film "make more sense" at all. It makes it flow like a child wrote it.


I like the TV cut for what it is -- an interesting chance to see some stuff that hit the cutting room floor. When I'm watching the movie, though, it's the theatrical cut all the way.

Info and links to scripts from the Smithee extended version cut

I just rented the standard DVD widescreen extended version Alan Smithee cut from Netflix (and watched it upconverted in widescreen) . For Dune fans it is worth watching once to see the deleted scenes and new sequence.

I did this in preparation fro the new HD DVD release. I enjoyed it as it showed some scenes I only vaguely remember seeing before. The article linked below tells of the differences.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s72dune.html

The big confusion on Dune came from the expanded syndication television recut that circulated starting in the late 1980's. Sans commercial breaks it's at least 45 minutes longer than the feature version. Since it aired over two nights in two-hour chunks, it's often called the four-hour cut, but that time frame is padded with commercials and a lengthy re-cap at the beginning of the second half. In this expanded version are many scenes we'd never laid eyes on, and others extended and fleshed out with new footage. New insights are given to every aspect of the story. Paul's introduction to the world of the Fremen is particularly improved. The process of milking the 'water of life' from a baby sandworm was shown in complete and convincing detail. Musician-warrior Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart) actually plays the stringed instrument he is shown carrying at the beginning. For those fascinated by how versions change the perceptions of movies, this long cut was a real treat.

The only itty-bitty problem with this long TV version is that it wasn't David Lynch's. Universal either lost or never got Lynch's approval and participation because Lynch had his name removed; the usual 'Alan Smithee' director's credit was put on the TV cut. Lynch's writer credit was replaced as well with 'Judas Booth.' In its conflation of the names of two famous betrayer / villains, the alias might have been suggested by Lynch himself as a bitter joke (or the studio, indicating a Lynch betrayal?).

Editorially, the new version is an artless pastiche that tries to dumb-down Dune and smooth over some of Lynch's nastier moments. TV censorship excises the disturbing Harkonnen heart-plugs, and the Baron's spitting on Francesca Annis. The starfield opening with Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen) is replaced with a new six-minute prologue. A new narrator intones a rambling, repetitive, mind-numbing speech about the various planets and their feuding clans, all backgrounded by cheesy character sketches of the costumed leading players. Flat and dull, this exposition seems even more redundant when Paul's computer-viewer gives him a similar expository rundown in the very first scene.

http://www.figmentfly.com/published/dunearticle.html

Building the Perfect DUNE By Sean Murphy

Many fans of the film version of DUNE would like to dismiss the television version (TVV) as a travesty, and while this is hard to disagree with, the TVV not only gives us several scenes not found in the WFV, it also restores the correct sequence of events after Duke Leto (Jurgen Prochnow) arrives on Arrakis (as found in the December 9th script). Lynch sued to have his name taken off the TVV when it was recut without his consultation. If you look in the credits of the TVV, you'll find that it was directed by "Alan Smithee" (the name used when a director has his/her name taken off of a film) and the screenplay written by Judas Booth (a name suggesting betrayal) even though David Lynch was responsible for both. He is properly credited in the WFV and PSV.click on the above link to read the whole article originally published in Video Watchdog and referenced on DVD Savant on the DVD Talk website

Thanks guys for these links and reviews.

http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff/av.html

http://www.dvdreview.com/reviews/pages/2200.shtml


Just to be clear. I vastly prefer the Lynch cinema release to the Smithee version. I just liked seeing the deleted scenes and the Smithee version for the deleted scenes and the rearranging of the narrative line. Just seeing the Smithee version then enjoying the HD DVD version may be the way to go.

I hope the HD DVD will use the best ?? German ?? film elements for the transfer.

I wish the ultimate version that Sean Murphy mused about could ever be seen. :D

No reviews yet?

Lynch wasn't thrilled with the original cut, much less the re-cut version. He won't do another film where he doesn't have the right to a final cut.

The film is beautiful, with many small elements that you can tell were painfully hand-crafted to achieve the look Lynch wanted.

Is it a good movie? For Lynch fans, like me, it has come to be very enchanting. But, it is NOT a movie for the casual viewer. They will lose interest fast. However, this can be said for many Lynch movies (my girlie hates them).

The problem was that it was hyped as a 'Second Star Wars' at release, with toys and licensing to boot. Had it been marketed in art theaters as a mystical space mystery, it would not have created the severe backlash and hatred everyone seemed to have for it upon release.

Interestingly, the same backlash occured with Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, when the studio promoted it as a 'teen slasher'. Poor Lynch and his promotion troubles....

So does anyone have a copy of this yet?

Mine is paid off and ready for pick up at my local Movie Stop but they said today that they did not get it in along w/all the other 11/28 HD DVD titles, which they did get in. After I asked them about it, they realized and said they were gonna re-order special to try to have it in by Thursday.

Not sure if this will happen with other places but you guys who want it ASAP may want to call your retailer to be safe.

Just got a message that mine shipped from amazon just now. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow.

I just hope I get this movie for Christmas. Only movie I plan on buying between now and then is Clerks II.

Just got a message that mine shipped from amazon just now. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow.

ditto here, but I should get it only later this week as per UPS tracking #...
_____
Axel

Anyone gotten a look at what kind of extras are on the disc?

The Smithee cut?

Yeah, somebody has to have screened this thing by now right???

Alright, I am the lab rat here so I went and picked it up just now. The extras include deleted scenes introduced by De Laurntiis, designing Dune, Dune FX, dune Models, Dune Wardrobe, and A photo gallery and its the standard edition and not the Extended cut. I'll go through a few screens here and post what I think about the PQ on my Mits 1080p DLP.

Ah, someone beat me to it. Exact same features as the Extended Edition DVD, minus the "Alan Smithee" cut. Will check out PQ in a few.

Just to be extra clear, the HD DVD contains the David Lynch theatrical version.

Alright, it looks ok but not the best I,ve seen for older films, I say its a little below the PQ of Excalibur in quality. Close-ups are a little soft, grain is very noticable in dark areas, and you can see sparkles every now and then which is probably because the print wasn't cleaned up. That said, the indoor screens are pretty detailed, especially the costumes, and the sound is perfect. Though HD really shows how chessy the special effects were.

I looked at the back of the box and unfortunately no Alan Smithee cut, but it looks like it has all or most of the features from the last set.

Got it today. Skimmed around and it looks great. It's a bit soft, probably due to the age of the film, but there's still plenty of detail to be had. This is definitely an improvement over the sd version. If you're a fan of the film, this disc is a no brainer.

Extras?

Sold. I wonder if BB has it today, I would not mind picking it up on the way home. I was never happy with the SD-DVd of this flick.

chap,
The extras appear to be identical to the sd version minus the extended version. I'll check it out in detail over the weekend.
JohnnDenver,
I got this bad boy at BB, so you should be ok (depending on the BB location of course).

I am 30 minutes into the HD-DVD and the PQ has been quite good. I think this will end up as one of the best releases for an 80s movie.

I am 30 minutes into the HD-DVD and the PQ has been quite good. I think this will end up as one of the best releases for an 80s movie.

Here's hoping! I looked around the net for an HD-DVD review, but nothing appears to be posted yet. Decided to be bold and placed the order anyway. :)

I concur - the PQ looks quite nice. I am a bit obsessive about this movie and have seen many different releases including the excellent HDNet broadcast - so I have a bit of 'experience' with the look of this film. I am quite pleased with the look of the HD DVD. It is a tad softer than some releases but there is a tons of detail I had never really noted. Also, this is by far more 3d than any other release. If you are a Dune fan this is definitely worthwile. The only problem - the 5.1 mix is kinda weak. Real front heavy with not a lot of panning or use of the rears.
Enjoy

PQ is a pretty mixed bag actually, mostly unimpressive. Lots of film speckles, dust, grain, flickering colors, etc. Some scenes you can actually see what I believe are compression artifacts, either that or there was something on the camera, as there is some noise that stays static on the screen as the camera pans. During the opening credits, the letters bounce in frame ever so slightly. Many of the shots are out of focus. I'm sure most of this is due to the quality of the source film they are transfering from in the first place, though, so I'm not sure how much better it could look.

Compared to the DVD, it does look better. This transfer obviously has better resolution and colors. Some scenes look great like an HD DVD should, particularly some of the closeups and the black and white scenes of the water drops. You can make out more detail in the backgrounds, particularly in the Emperor's audience chamber. Other scenes don't fare as well. Most of the effects shots don't look so good, both because the effects are dated and because they tend to have more film imperfections. The scene with Dr. Kynes where they discuss the stillsuits is just plain out of focus.

Audio-wise, almost everything seemed to take place on the fronts and centers - very little LFE or rears.

Also worth noting, the HD DVD splash screen just has a Universal logo, similar to the way Pitch Black was done - no Dune related material.

In summary, this is the best it's likely to get without some massive attention being paid to the original film source. Some scenes stand out and get that 3D depth feeling, others simply benefit from the resolution/encoding, and still others can't be improved because of the source.

If you're looking to show off the benefits of HD DVD at all, this isn't the one you want. But if you want the best release of Dune yet, what are you waiting for?

So, this is the De'Laurentis version where the force field around the city is perfectly square and has those silly reinforced corners like on a steamer trunk?

I read all 10 Dune volumes (or whatever it ended up being) and worshiped the books. I waited in line for hours for the midnight showing in Hollywood Ca. with several friends who also read all the books. I was so disappointed with how Art Deco it was and not realistic. The books were so detailed that it seemed it could be real and DL made it look like Flash Gordon.

A couple years ago I saw a different version that was actually pretty true to the book. I was hoping this would be that version. rats

The version your thinking of was the Sci-Fi channel Dune miniseries, sadly is a Lion's Gater film and is already confirmed for BD.

The version your thinking of was the Sci-Fi channel Dune miniseries, sadly is a Lion's Gater film and is already confirmed for BD.

They can keep that one, it was too "odd", mostly in that it was done with sets in a playright style production, I was not impressed.

The version your thinking of was the Sci-Fi channel Dune miniseries, sadly is a Lion's Gater film and is already confirmed for BD. That SD DVD version looks great being upconverted to 1080i as it is a clean anamorphic release. The HD DVD player (mine is a HD XA1) upconverts really well to near HD quality.

There is not a lot of background detail to be had and a HD DVD or Blu-ray version probably would not look that much better than the HD DVD players upconversion.

I've found the HD XA1's 1080i's upconversion is so good, I can tell its not broadcast HD by looking at the background details as being a little softer in teh upconversion. For close ups and medium shots, besides a little softness, its hard for many to tell the upconverted version from broadcast HD. True HD DVD is of course better still.

That SD DVD version looks great being upconverted to 1080i as it is a clean anamorphic release. The HD DVD player (mine is a HD XA1) upconverts really well to near HD quality.

Upscaling is definitely the way to go for BR only titles. May not be "there", but the gap is easily livable.

Upscaling is definitely the way to go for BR only titles. May not be "there", but the gap is easily livable.

Agreed.

Upscaling is definitely the way to go for BR only titles. May not be "there", but the gap is easily livable. Thats the thing holding me back from buying a PS3. I already have most of the Blu-ray only titles on hand in SD DVD and I can't justify double dipping them, let alone the price of a Blu-ray player, when the SD upconversion of the HD DVD player is so good.

I figure I can live with it as I just pull my recliner a little back from the screen when watching a Sony only SD DVD.

When watching on my front projector and 100 inch screen most of my freinds and family can't tell the difference from a upconverted SD DVD to a HD DVD unless I do a A/B comparison. Then they notice and can appreciate the difference. But if I just play the upconverted SD DVD they think it looks great, even on a 100 inch screen.

IMHO my upconverted SD DVD looked better than some of the early BD titles I saw played out of the Samsung.

I spent some time with the Dune HD DVD tonight.

The HD DVD is not, I repeat not, sourced from the same crappy master as the recent "Collector's Edition" DVD. It's a different and much better transfer. This can be definitively proven by analyzing the pattern of specks during the opening logos and prologue narration. They both have some specks and dirt, but in different places.

I'll have a full review in the near future.

I thought Dune looked quite good. Some of the special effects look crappy, but I didn't expect them to look great. But this release was far better looking than I was expecting. Not a reference title, but solid.

I spent some time with the Dune HD DVD tonight.

The HD DVD is not, I repeat not, sourced from the same crappy master as the recent "Collector's Edition" DVD. It's a different and much better transfer. This can be definitively proven by analyzing the pattern of specks during the opening logos and prologue narration. They both have some specks and dirt, but in different places.

I'll have a full review in the near future.

Josh, I've stopped frequenting DVDTalk, can you link your review when it's done? I'm very happy to hear the master is different for HD!

I'm also pleased to see (just reading the back of the package) that all of the extras (except for the crappy TV cut) are all there. I loved the special effects documentaries on this title.

ok, watched this last night, WOW, Lynch and his DP/crew shot thsi one with PERFECT focus, all the two-shots were pretty breath-taking.

I also didn't see hardly ANY dirt/crap on the master except during the optical effects.

In the case of trash entered during optical effects, that would take, what, a full restoration by Lowery or somebody to digitally remove the dirt printed in the master?

You guys won't be let down with this transfer.

The only downside that I could see was the degradation during optical effects, and the fact that the effects weren't that good to start with.

I have the region 2 version from amazon.uk in SD and it looked amazing upconverted so I hope the HD DVD version is an improvement on this. I have a 106" screen so if it is better I will see it :)

I doubt this movie will ever look much better...? I'm pretty happy with the disc. Somebody said that this film has been shown at many lengths...amen! I harken back to my 80's Laserdisc where they shortened it to fit on one (2 hour limit) LD....and P & S'ed it.....yuck-a-tosis....it was all you could get back then.

if lucas is allowed to "re-imagine" the effects from star wars, why not Dune. I know people would say just watch the sci-fi series, but re doing certain shots would look awesome.

I also didn't see hardly ANY dirt/crap on the master except during the optical effects.

There's quite a bit of speckling during the Princess Irulan prologue that opens the film.

There's quite a bit of speckling during the Princess Irulan prologue that opens the film.

Right, but that's a long optical effect, she fades in and out, over a starfield background.

There are several scenes with a light tinge on the right side of the frame. I've seen it in my DVD copies as well. What happened to the film in these spots?

Just curious. I've been a big fan of this film and the HD-DVD transfer looks great to me.

There are several scenes with a light tinge on the right side of the frame. I've seen it in my DVD copies as well. What happened to the film in these spots?

Just curious. I've been a big fan of this film and the HD-DVD transfer looks great to me.
You are refering to the the red tinge right? That always bothered me whenever I saw it. I think every single Dune movie I own has it in it. It better not be in the HD DVD version.

You are refering to the the red tinge right? That always bothered me whenever I saw it. I think every single Dune movie I own has it in it. It better not be in the HD DVD version.
Hear, hear.

Looking forward to the reviews.

Right, but that's a long optical effect, she fades in and out, over a starfield background.

The speckling isn't inherent to the film. It's a defect of the source elements used for this transfer. The French DVD is clean in this scene, as is the old Universal non-anamorphic DVD.

There are several scenes with a light tinge on the right side of the frame. I've seen it in my DVD copies as well. What happened to the film in these spots?

Can you point to a specific scene?

The speckling isn't inherent to the film. It's a defect of the source elements used for this transfer. The French DVD is clean in this scene, as is the old Universal non-anamorphic DVD.

Josh, what did you think of the HD-DVD? Are you happy with the transfer besides the occasional speckle? I agree with what you've written in the past about the extended edition transfer being way inferior to the french Ultimate edition, curious to know what you think.

It looked okay but in no way stunning. Considering its age it is expected to look so-so unless Universal does a restoration. I'm starting to learn to not expect much from films made in the 70's and 80's on HD.

It looked okay but in no way stunning. Considering its age it is expected to look so-so unless Universal does a restoration. I'm starting to learn to not expect much from films made in the 70's and 80's on HD.
The Thing is very good on HD DVD.

I just watched it from top to toe, and loved it. I am more than pleased with this transfer. Yes, the source is not perfect at times but the transfer is solid, and overall it's definitely recommended for lovers of this great movie.

Damn Sean Young's gorgeous.

I had it playing last night - very nice. I'd forgotten how rough a couple bits were. A definite winner for the Disc Rack.

Josh, are you saying that the French version is a little better PQ/transfer, or just a different set of reels?

Sounds like to me he's saying it's a different set of reels... with dust/dirt in the areas of the optical effects, but otherwise very clean... the two-shots and closeups are VERY good.

I didn't know seperate masters were assembled from their elements like this usually, but that seems to be the case, Josh is reporting the intro with the princess is clean on the latest French release, which this transfer isn't.

Overall, I was highly impressed, it's much more worthy of HD than something like FMJ or Caddyshack for sure; in fact I'd honestly put it in a top tier for the sharp focus and clarity the closeups had... the emporor's witch was really freaking me out she was so large and menacing on my screen.

I pre-ordered this immediately, and it came last week..hope to watch this weekend. Dune is one of top 3 SciFi flicks of all time for me. The Special Edition that came out last year was *horrible*...and filled me with dread.

I am so glad to hear this one is a better print..soooo so so glad.

I've got it and watched it, I thought it was definately high quality (not reference though). Best version so far, that I've seen.

Josh, what did you think of the HD-DVD? Are you happy with the transfer besides the occasional speckle? I agree with what you've written in the past about the extended edition transfer being way inferior to the french Ultimate edition, curious to know what you think.

I haven't watched the full disc all the way through yet, but from what I've seen so far I give it a thumbs up. My only disappointment is with the speckling on the source elements.

Sounds like to me he's saying it's a different set of reels... with dust/dirt in the areas of the optical effects, but otherwise very clean... the two-shots and closeups are VERY good.

I didn't know seperate masters were assembled from their elements like this usually, but that seems to be the case, Josh is reporting the intro with the princess is clean on the latest French release, which this transfer isn't.

The French DVD comes from a completely different transfer using completely different source elements. That disc has almost no dirt or speckling at all. It's also bright, sharp, and very colorful. It's by far the best-looking DVD edition of the movie, vastly better than Universal's awful "Collector's Edition" transfer, which is faded and dirty as hell.

The HD DVD is an all-new transfer entirely. The source elements have age-related speckling, which is disappointing, but from what I've seen so far it has terrific colors, detail, and depth. I'm quite impressed.

I'll write a full review when I've finished watching the disc.

Damn Sean Young's gorgeous.

Yep! Blade Runner too! She's probably half the reason I ordered the disc :).

While I'm not a big fan of the DL version of Dune, I do find the tit-for-tat between HD DVD and Blu-Ray funny in that Universal releases Dune for HD DVD and Lions Gate releases Frank Herbert's Dune (the Sci-Fi miniseries) for BD.

The miniseries is going to look awful on BD, considering you could easily see how crappy the low-res CGI effects were on regular DVD.

Eh, actually I think Sean Young in DUNE looks more like a dude than a girl :D
But Virginia Madsen...man she looks every bit as gorgeous in Sideways as she does in this movie made 20+ years earlier. Got Milf?

I love this movie, the diologue.....the performances...everyone in this movie is acting, and it sold me on the story. Its also one of the last epic movies that had thousands of non-cgi extras.

David Lynch made a Sci Fi masterpiece. I realize alot of people hate the movie because its not 100% adherent to the book. I dont side with those people...I appreciate the movie for what it is. Its actually, if you can forget about the book, a very good film to watch...visually entertaining, and "unusual" with Lynch's style. How can ya not like it? :)

The SciFi originals that more closely followed the books were, in a word, Dull. Another word...lifeless......the shoestring budget was definately showing through, but as someone who has read the books, boy they sure did adhere to them. I watched them....they are...ok....but at the same time, they're also..well...if I wanted that plodding story, I'd have read the books again! :D

Plus, Dune is filled with great character actors, many of whom are sadly no longer with us. Richard Jordan, Jack Nance, etc.

The SciFi originals that more closely followed the books were, in a word, Dull. Another word...lifeless......the shoestring budget was definately showing through, but as someone who has read the books, boy they sure did adhere to them. I watched them....they are...ok....but at the same time, they're also..well...if I wanted that plodding story, I'd have read the books again! :D

I liked both films, quite a lot actually. Different strokes, I guess, but I would not characterize the mini-series as dull at all. Quite the opposite. The music score in the SciFi movie has an "eastern" sound, invoking images of the real middle east. The music of Lynch's Dune, using Toto and Brian Eno's electronica, made the movie seem "un-worldly". Eno's music is great!

The acting in the SF movie was wooden, exceptions being the Baron and Jessica, but the story line did follow the book a whole lot closer than Lynch's Dune. I also very much like the Lynch movie for his "vision" of the Dune universe. Both are great interpretations of the Dune story.

I don't pick one over the other as superior; I enjoy both equally for their own merits. I guess I'm just a Dune fan :D

And yes, I've read all the Herbert Dune novels, too. :) The original was the best; but they got "weirder" after God, Emperor of Dune, too convoluted.

Eagerly awaiting my HD-DVD from Amazon,
ss9001

Eh, actually I think Sean Young in DUNE looks more like a dude than a girl :D
<snip>
I love this movie, the diologue.....the performances...everyone in this movie is acting, and it sold me on the story. Its also one of the last epic movies that had thousands of non-cgi extras.

David Lynch made a Sci Fi masterpiece. <snip> Plus, Dune is filled with great character actors, many of whom are sadly no longer with us. Richard Jordan, Jack Nance, etc.

Geez, a dude? I guess I must have been too busy panting to notice. (I hate it when I keep tripping over my tongue :D)

I agree, an incredible film -- pretty much captivates me from beginning to end. It's just such a rich viewing experience and I find the characters believable. Most have little to no background presented, but they generally bring intensity and integrity to their roles. That creates believability for me. I found the Sci-Fi series interesting, but it's Lynch's movie that gets my blood moving (especially Sean :D).

I'm going to have to pick up this title!

The Barron (and the rest of the Harkonnens for that matter) are what ruined the the SFC's version of Dune for me. The Barron looked like a silk robed adult version of Spanky from "Our Gang". Gross. I prefer DL's vision of the Barron. (Did Dark City remind anyone else of the Harkonnens?)

The acting in the SF movie was wooden, exceptions being the Baron and Jessica, but the story line did follow the book a whole lot closer than Lynch's Dune.

You mean, of course, except for the fact that it gutted the entire first 1/3 of the book, completely misplayed the character of Paul as a petulant whiny brat, and added in a stupid "girl power" storyline for Princess Irulan to make the whole thing more politically correct. Except for all that, right?

The only thing I can think of that is more "faithful" to Herbert's book in the Sci-Fi miniseries is that the Fremen use kung-fu instead of guns. Wow, great. And for that we sit through 5 hours of bad actors dressed up in silly hats standing in front of exceptionally fakey green-screen backdrops. Super.

Sorry, I don't take to the party line that the miniseries is supposedly "more faithful" to the book. I've read the book a few times. Lynch's movie condenses the narrative and inarguably falls apart at the end, but it is extremely faithful in tone, character, and intent to Herbert's novel. The miniseries is an unwatchable piece of celluloid flotsam in every way.

I'm going to have to pick up this title!

The Barron (and the rest of the Harkonnens for that matter) are what ruined the the SFC's version of Dune for me. The Barron looked like a silk robed adult version of Spanky from "Our Gang". Gross. I prefer DL's vision of the Barron. (Did Dark City remind anyone else of the Harkonnens?)

In the book, the good Baron is morbidly obese, perverted, likes boys, lusts for Feyd, etc. Lynch does a superb job capturing this in the movie, much better than the SciFi movie does. SciFi probably had to "clean up" the Baron for normal TV viewing.

But I think the whole desert Fremen experience is depicted better in the SF movie.
Also, the ecological aspects of the worm and connection to spice is more complete in the SF version. As far as the religious aspects, both movies show it well.

Where the Lynch movie fails is the ending...if one follows the ecology laid out in the story, there cannot be wholesale rain and water as depicted in the Lynch movie, as it would completely destroy the worms. Paul used that as his threat to the emperor and space guild..his ace-in-the-hole, not actually do it as a reward to the Fremen. If Lynch would have made the ending consistent with the world Herbert created, and then it would have been better movie.

ss9001

You mean, of course, except for the fact that it gutted the entire first 1/3 of the book, completely misplayed the character of Paul as a petulant whiny brat, and added in a stupid "girl power" storyline for Princess Irulan to make the whole thing more politically correct. Except for all that, right?

We can agree to disagree with the exception of the whiny brat part. Like several other famous scifi characters in the Skywalker family, I also object to that portrayal of Paul. I agree with you that doesn't fit the depiction in the novel. It's been awhile since I read it, but doesn't Irulan partake in her own plots and plans? The whole story is full of political plotting, subterfuge, and espionage by nearly all the main characters, including nearly ALL the women (except Chani). I didn't interpret it as a PC girl power thing at all. Every main character has some political power-need or a hidden agenda. If you want to diss women characterizations with power, Irulan's character isn't a blip on a radar screen, man. In the story, women control or try to control nearly every aspect of political/religious life. So, if you don't like the "girl power" thing, why pick on one movie version? Why bother reading the book at all?

The miniseries is an unwatchable piece of celluloid flotsam in every way.
I disagree completely.

Like I said, Josh, I enjoy both movie depictions. Each one tells the story using different perspectives. No one is inherently better to me than the other.

I don't put down the Lynch movie to justify liking the SF movie. Why do you have the need to so vehemently put down the SF movie to say you like the Lynch version?

Look at it this way: parts of the scific movie may be truer to the events of the book while parts of Lynch's movie may be closer to Herbert's intent. Don't know, just throwing a thought....

At least we agree on the ending...it's hokey.

Maybe I should take this into consideration when I read your reviews. ;) :)

ss9001

Sean Young looks like a dude...?!?!!
wtf...?!?!? :eek:

In general, I think the DL movie far exceeds the Sci-Fi Dune miniseries. Of course sci-fi could never have had the look and feel of DL's Dune, but more importantly, while claiming to be "more true" to Dune, they create plots and remove other ones just as much as DL. At least DL had Frank Herbert there to advise him when making these changes. Also, much of what the Dune mini-series got right and were needed in the DL Dune were filmed and we can see them in the mishandled "extended edition."

I do think the DL Dune also seems and feels more like the legend that could develop around Paul by his followers -- including godlike status at the end -- and this would explain why it removes some of the key religious questions which you find somewhat brought back but mishandled in the Sci-Fi version (i.e., how religion is a tool of manipulation by the BGs).

Still, despite all of these problems, I accept the Sci-Fi version as a "tv play" version of Dune, and I like it and will even watch it from time to time. I am just surprised it was filmed in such a way that it can be released in Hi-Def with the budget they had!

In general, I think the DL movie far exceeds the Sci-Fi Dune miniseries. Of course sci-fi could never have had the look and feel of DL's Dune, but more importantly, while claiming to be "more true" to Dune, they create plots and remove other ones just as much as DL. At least DL had Frank Herbert there to advise him when making these changes. Also, much of what the Dune mini-series got right and were needed in the DL Dune were filmed and we can see them in the mishandled "extended edition."

I do think the DL Dune also seems and feels more like the legend that could develop around Paul by his followers -- including godlike status at the end -- and this would explain why it removes some of the key religious questions which you find somewhat brought back but mishandled in the Sci-Fi version (i.e., how religion is a tool of manipulation by the BGs).

Still, despite all of these problems, I accept the Sci-Fi version as a "tv play" version of Dune, and I like it and will even watch it from time to time. I am just surprised it was filmed in such a way that it can be released in Hi-Def with the budget they had!

David Lynch purportedly filmed close to five hours worth of footage while shooting Dune, and several cast members have stated seeing a close to five hour rough draft of the movie screened for the cast and crew. Frank Herbert said he was impressed how close the movie was going to stick to the book, and that this movie would probably be the most faithful adaptation of a book ever filmed. What we got as an end result was not what David Lynch had intended. The De Laurentiis' were the one's responsible for gutting out the movie to make it into a nice 2 hour+ 'commercial' package, while sacrificing plot and a huge amount of exposition to closer resemble something like Star Wars. What the De Laurentiis' did to this movie is another cinematic tragedy along the lines of Superman II. Had the producers had faith in this movie, it would have been the definitive movie adaptation of Dune, and even more of a masterpiece. The deleted scenes give us an ever so small taste of some of the things we missed, including the original water of life sequence that was filmed for the movie.

David Lynch purportedly filmed close to five hours worth of footage while shooting Dune, and several cast members have stated seeing a close to five hour rough draft of the movie screened for the cast and crew. Frank Herbert said he was impressed how close the movie was going to stick to the book, and that this movie would probably be the most faithful adaptation of a book ever filmed. What we got as an end result was not what David Lynch had intended. The De Laurentiis' were the one's responsible for gutting out the movie to make it into a nice 2 hour+ 'commercial' package, while sacrificing plot and a huge amount of exposition to closer resemble something like Star Wars. What the De Laurentiis' did to this movie is another cinematic tragedy along the lines of Superman II. Had the producers had faith in this movie, it would have been the definitive movie adaptation of Dune, and even more of a masterpiece. The deleted scenes give us an ever so small taste of some of the things we missed, including the original water of life sequence that was filmed for the movie.

Of course, many of the scenes were rough, would have needed to be refilmed, and did not have special effects. I agree, one of the reason I like the extended edition is we get some of the scenes which are necessary for the story -- Paul's first kill, his water for the dead, etc.

On the other hand, I still love the theatrical version. I saw it as a young kid of 8 or 9 at the theatre and have been a fan ever since that time. Despite everyone saying "it was not understandable," as a kid of such a young age I fully understood and appreciated it. Perhaps I am unusual, but I do not think so. The problem is not that people couldn't follow, the problem is we live in a culture which tries to dumb down stories with that guise.

But I think the whole desert Fremen experience is depicted better in the SF movie.Also, the ecological aspects of the worm and connection to spice is more complete in the SF version. As far as the religious aspects, both movies show it well.


I dunno, in the books the Fremen came across to me as Jihadist fighters (more like DL's version)....in the SF miniseries, they come across more like nomadic goat-herders....they do so more "Seitch Life" type scenes in the Miniseries, but again, thats kinda like....."eh" to me.


Where the Lynch movie fails is the ending...if one follows the ecology laid out in the story, there cannot be wholesale rain and water as depicted in the Lynch movie, as it would completely destroy the worms. Paul used that as his threat to the emperor and space guild..his ace-in-the-hole, not actually do it as a reward to the Fremen. If Lynch would have made the ending consistent with the world Herbert created, and then it would have been better movie.


The DL ending wraps up the movie......which you couldn't do in the book because there were still many more books in the series. DL needed something to show the audience that Paul indeed had "supernatural" powers besides just being incredibly lucky. Plus, big climactic ending. Thats the reason that was there.

I think thats another difference between the DL Dune and the SF Dune......in the DL Dune you get a sense that Paul is, indeed, a super-human figure, particularly at the end....but he's not like....a God, he's not over the top, he's still human.

But in the SF Dune, all I feel is that Paul is just a lucky guy.....of course that guys acting can't hold a candle to Kyle McLaughlin's version, but still....the Paul of the SciFi channel didn't indicate he was anything more than just-another-prince with some kung-fu skills.

David Lynch purportedly filmed close to five hours worth of footage while shooting Dune, and several cast members have stated seeing a close to five hour rough draft of the movie screened for the cast and crew.

This is a myth. It is not true. It has never been true. Lynch was under contract to deliver a movie no longer than 2 1/2 hours, and when it appeared that he would run over that he was forced by the producers to discontinue the filming of several subplots. Those scenes never made it to film. Between the "Allan Smithee" extended version and the deleted scenes on the DVD/HD DVD, there isn't much other footage for the movie that we haven't seen.

What screened for the crew was a rough assembly, which simply strings every piece of footage shot back-to-back in rough chronilogical order with no editing. All rough assemblies run 4 to 5 hours. They contain mulitiple takes, clapboard markers, and the same action repeated over and over in full from different angles.

The movie was never, at any point, ever going to run 5 hours.

But Lynch did ask for a 3 hour cut. He was instantly denied. Today he'd get away with it, maybe.

The movie was never, at any point, ever going to run 5 hours.

Agreed.
However, I do have a question for you....
IF DL was given a opprotunity to do a DC, would he do so?
And, if not, why wouldn't he?

I dont think Lynch considers it an important film for him.........its certainly not in the artsy, film-noir mystery/thriller style films that he's become accustomed to making in the years since.

I dont believe he'd do a DC because he never had the ability to do so back in the studio, and today the footage is probably long since gone, scenes degraded or never filmed, and I'm also guessing he'd have to get his head around the material again.....

I dont think Lynch considers it an important film for him.........its certainly not in the artsy, film-noir mystery/thriller style films that he's become accustomed to making in the years since.


I think the reason alot of sci-fi fans don't like this film is because it is in fact artsy and cerebral like many of lynch's films. Certainly not to the degree of his others, but enough that it alienates some viewers.

I just got my copy and I gotta say the PQ is great. I hope they release an extended edition as well.

I am with SS9001, I like both versions. The DL one for just being so different, and the SXCi-Fi version for how faithful it is. You win with either version, though the true Dune fan will want both.

As far as the books go, have you read Hunters of Dune yet, that one is truly shocking in that it goes pretty much against everything known so far form the original series.

Most of the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson Dune novels have been savaged by Dune fans. I already hate Kevin J. Anderson as a writer for his awful contributions to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, so I knew the moment I heard that he was going to write Dune books that I would refuse to read them.

Agreed.
However, I do have a question for you....
IF DL was given a opprotunity to do a DC, would he do so?
And, if not, why wouldn't he?

No, Lynch has stated many times that he's disowned the film and wants nothing more to do with it. Universal offered him the chance to participate in a "Signature Collection" laserdisc edition back in the mid-'90s but he refused. He had a very negative experience making the movie and does not want to revisit it. He doesn't consider it one of his films. As far as he's concerned, his work on the picture was just a paid assignment that he was treated very badly for, and now it's the studio's movie to do with as they please.

The experience of making Dune changed Lynch's entire outlook on the filmmaking process. Since that time, he's refused projects that he didn't develop himself and has insisted on the right of final cut in all of his contracts.

Most of the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson Dune novels have been savaged by Dune fans. I already hate Kevin J. Anderson as a writer for his awful contributions to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, so I knew the moment I heard that he was going to write Dune books that I would refuse to read them.
I struggled with the House books by them. The Legend books were better (probably since all the characters were new). It still would have been amazing if Frank could have written all of those books. The other thing I wish could have happened is that all of Frank's notes get published in one book. This way we could see what Frank had envisioned for Dune.

My Dune review is now up. For personal reasons, I've had to segment it into separate articles for the movie itself (http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff) and the HD DVD (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25741).

I think the reason alot of sci-fi fans don't like this film is because it is in fact artsy and cerebral like many of lynch's films. Certainly not to the degree of his others, but enough that it alienates some viewers.

I just got my copy and I gotta say the PQ is great. I hope they release an extended edition as well.
Actually, I loved the artsy and cerebral side of it. However, I hated the cheesy side of it, which included the Baron and Sting.

Still, I may pick this up. I'd always toyed with buying this on DVD, ever since the 1990s, but could never convince myself to do so. Not the least of the reasons was the fact that the quality was suspect on the North American DVDs. I no longer have that excuse for HD DVD.

My Dune review is now up. For personal reasons, I've had to segment it into separate articles for the movie itself (http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff) and the HD DVD (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25741).
Nice review of the HD DVD. If I do not get it for Christmas I'll be buying it shorty afterwards. :D

This is a myth. It is not true. It has never been true. Lynch was under contract to deliver a movie no longer than 2 1/2 hours, and when it appeared that he would run over that he was forced by the producers to discontinue the filming of several subplots. Those scenes never made it to film. Between the "Allan Smithee" extended version and the deleted scenes on the DVD/HD DVD, there isn't much other footage for the movie that we haven't seen.

What screened for the crew was a rough assembly, which simply strings every piece of footage shot back-to-back in rough chronilogical order with no editing. All rough assemblies run 4 to 5 hours. They contain mulitiple takes, clapboard markers, and the same action repeated over and over in full from different angles.

The movie was never, at any point, ever going to run 5 hours.

Josh, I loved your article about the movie and your review of the HD-DVD, I share your love for this movie. For the record, I know that the finished product was never intended to be a four or five hour movie, just that the rough assembly of the original screening for cast and crew ran closer to that amount of time. I only wish the De Laurentiis' would have gave the movie more room to breathe. I regret that Lynch never had the chance to complete and incorporate the sub-plots into the final product, if the producers had only exercised faith in the movie instead of them being so concerned about making something more comercially viable I believe Dune would have been a true epic. To me it's a true cinematic injustice, and the fact that the movie is still so fascinating to this day shows the quality and richness that went into making the movie.

I struggled with the House books by them. The Legend books were better (probably since all the characters were new). It still would have been amazing if Frank could have written all of those books. The other thing I wish could have happened is that all of Frank's notes get published in one book. This way we could see what Frank had envisioned for Dune.


I am hoping that Brian will do just that when his version of Dune 8 is done. This will be similar to Christopher Tolkien releasing all the "History of Middle Earth" after his edited version of "The Silmarillion."

That way we will know how much of the new books are Frank's works (since Frank apparently got started), and how much of it is from his notes (which I am sure has things Frank would have changed), and how much of it is made up by the authors.

Even though I find the quality inferior, I still am grateful for Brian Herbert for his contributions to the Dune Universe. Why? He is the only legitimate person to write it, imo. He did what Christopher should have done. However, I think Brian should have only done Dune 8.

My Dune review is now up. For personal reasons, I've had to segment it into separate articles for the movie itself (http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff) and the HD DVD (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25741).

Josh, I didn't realize until reading your reviews how much of a Dune fan you are. I share your love of the story and the movie(s). So you've redeemed yourself on your comparison of the DL film with the SF miniseries ;) (just kidding u, of course).

When I read Dune and the 1st 2 sequels, many years ago, I thought the story ranked as the best or certainly one of the best sc-fi stories ever written. Combining religion, political intrigue, ecology into a complex interwoven story was a work of genius. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to capture it all in a movie. At least Lynch gave it a try, and Dune, with its flaws, is also one of my favorite sci-fi films, too.

ss9001

My Dune review is now up. For personal reasons, I've had to segment it into separate articles for the movie itself (http://www.mindspring.com/~dunestuff) and the HD DVD (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25741).

Thanks for posting your review, and I'm happy to see the ratings you gave it, it really did deserve it.

Thanks for the review Josh... I had been hearing great things about the disc, but was waiting for your definitive review before I bothered spending my $$$. :)

Universal just got another purchase this morning. I look forward to checking this out next week...

I only wish the De Laurentiis' would have gave the movie more room to breathe. I regret that Lynch never had the chance to complete and incorporate the sub-plots into the final product, if the producers had only exercised faith in the movie instead of them being so concerned about making something more comercially viable I believe Dune would have been a true epic. To me it's a true cinematic injustice, and the fact that the movie is still so fascinating to this day shows the quality and richness that went into making the movie.

I think we all wish that De Laurentiis and Universal had given Lynch more freedom to complete the movie properly. But honestly, sometimes the movie's flaws just make me love it all the more. Every time I watch it, I look forward to watching that Guild representative walking behind the Navigator trip and fall on his way into the room. Or the mismatched cuts of the Atreides ornithopter leaving the palace and flying over the Shield Wall (clearly two different vehicles in each shot). Or the equally mismatched cuts of the spice scout driving up the ramp into the harvester (again, clearly two different vehicles). Or all the scenes where you can see the two young kids training with the clan's "100 best warriors", with absolutely no explanation since the entire storyline about Jamis, Harrah and their children was cut. Or watching Brad Dourif mispronounce "Lansraad" as "Lansdraad" and selling it with such superiority, as if Piter believed he were the only person who knew how to say the word.

Yeah, I've seen this movie way too many times. :)

great review Josh; though I don't agree w/ all your opinions, I especially liked the sentiment echoed in the intro:

"Certain movies have the peculiar ability to drive a person to obsession. For those who grew up watching them during their most impressionable years, specific films can inspire a lifetime of fixation, a compulsion to watch them over and over, to know everything about their development and production that can be researched and learned, and to acquire extensive collections of memorabilia and merchandise related to them."

-http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25741

Just saw this on HD DVD. The most amazing thing to me was the textures in the backgrounds really stood out.

Caladen, Geidi Prime and Arrakis all have distinct histories, and teh use of their different building materials and props set their mood.

With the HD DVD version , it was the first time I saw that the Castle iin Caleden, everything in it, the walls, the furniture was made of wood, staine polished and damp wood . I saw the wood grain and texture and that everything on Dune was stone, dusty stone.

I haved always loved the visuals in this movie and on HD DVD they stood out for me in ways that I have never seen before.

great review Josh; though I don't agree w/ all your opinions, I especially liked the sentiment echoed in the intro:

"Certain movies have the peculiar ability to drive a person to obsession. For those who grew up watching them during their most impressionable years, specific films can inspire a lifetime of fixation, a compulsion to watch them over and over, to know everything about their development and production that can be researched and learned, and to acquire extensive collections of memorabilia and merchandise related to them."

-http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25741

That's a great way of putting it. I'm that way with Aliens and Bladerunner. And to a lesser extent with Starship Troopers even though I was a full grown adult when first viewing it.

But with Aliens and Bladerunner I have the LDs (and Alien Trilogy on VHS), both versions of the DVDs, books about the making-of, copies of Starlog magazine that covered those films, action figures, and novels (novelization in the case of Aliens). I can't wait to get my hands on HD the versions when they are finally released.

For SF movies like this, that recreate the future worlds in detail. I just love them.

Even if the movie plot sucks, I love seeing the future or a different culture created on screen,

Seeing the castle in Caladen with all of its organica wood carvings adn everything built from a forested wet world, never struck me before. I assumed before it looked like a brown rock wall, not heavy thick polished wood before. the difference was subtle, but on my 110 screen, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

You could almost feel the characters trauma as they left that world for the dusty rock of Dune. I never felt that way before and I've seen this movies dozens of times.

The concept of a Richard Donner SUPERMAN II was always said to be completely impossible, yet here we are a month away from its release. One can only hope that with DUNE David Lynch will allow a real attempt at creating a version of his film closer to what he envisioned. His so called "cut" was done in order to reach a set running time. It is not what he wanted.

You know I watched the Alan Smithee extended version from Netflix first, for the longer scenes, then the HD DVD extras including the deleted scenes and then the HD DVD version,

My doing that I feel like I ded see the ultimate version as I could mentally put in the scenes that weren't in the HD DVD cut.

i feel all gurgly inside. It was a treat in HD DVD . :)

The Smithee cut is an interesting curiosity and it does include some really cool scenes that didn't make the final cut. But it was edited together with a meat cleaver. The pacing is terrible. It doesn't make the film "make more sense" at all. It makes it flow like a child wrote it.


I like the TV cut for what it is -- an interesting chance to see some stuff that hit the cutting room floor. When I'm watching the movie, though, it's the theatrical cut all the way. Just to make my above post clear, I agree with this, TH Smithee was to refresh me on the deleted scenes.

and at least Dune got Alicia Witt into the industry

thats a small plus for the film, she grew up well.

http://imdb.com/name/nm0001860/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28film%29

recently updated

And now for some 1080p screenshots.

Dune - screenshots
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune1.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune2.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune3.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune4.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune5.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune6.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune7.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune8.jpg

And now for some 1080p screenshots.

Dune - screenshots
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune1.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune2.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune3.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune4.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune5.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune6.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune7.jpg
http://david2k.orcon.net.nz/Dune8.jpg


Thank U!

I rented it.

Great story
Incredibly bad acting.
Increibly bad directing and production. Lynch shold be shot.

HD audio and video was adequete, nothing fantastic.

What a cool story, so sad....

And the costume and makeup people, what were they thinking?

They had soldiers in ceramonial uniforms fighting soldiers in combat gear.
The props .. that were supposed to be steel, shook like styrofoam.

Oh my, this movie is bad.

But the great story almost carried it, despite its faults.

I thought it looked great, if people hate on the PQ for this then I don't understand. The Water Drop sequences are just :eek: !

And the costume and makeup people, what were they thinking?

They had soldiers in ceramonial uniforms fighting soldiers in combat gear.
The props .. that were supposed to be steel, shook like styrofoam.


What in the hell are you talking about, exactly......I can understand people who don't like Lynch's style, but then they usually hate everything from Eraserhead to Twin Peaks and beyond, too...........you seem to be picking on every element in this film...and if you do that, then guess what: No movie ever made would be good, they'd all be BAD.

Soldiers in ceremonial uniforms fighting soldiers in combat gear? When? All the battles in this movie were ambushes......When the Sardaukar attack Arrakis you mean?

You don't like the makeup either? Gee, the pretty people looked pretty, the grimey people looked grimey..what would *you* have done differently?


Oh my, this movie is bad.


No, its not. Carnisour 4 is bad. Ghoulies 5 is bad, Friday The Thirteenth part whatever is bad. What Dune is, is difficult to get into if you are unfamiliar with the story.

Have you seen Blue Velvet? Have you seen Eraserhead? Do you think those movies are also bad? What do you think is *good*.....is The Rock good? Is Pearl Harbor high atop your list of cinematic achievements?

Let me chime in on David Lynch. I first saw DUNE years ago and also ELEPHANT MAN. Never connected the director with those films. But when MULLHOLLAND DRIVE came out I wanted to see more David Lynch. Now after viewing BLUE VELVET, LOST HIGHWAY, WILD AT HEART and TWIN PEAKS (had to get the entire season 1 & 2 plus pilot from Canada) I feel like someone who has discovered a favorite artist and I'm trying to view all of his paintings. I understand that he began as an artist. So if you view cinema as you would pictures in an art gallery you will understand that some connect more than others and some are favorites and some are not. Just got ERASERHEAD and will view that tonight.

..Just got ERASERHEAD and will view that tonight.

Be prepared for the weirdest film you'l probably ever see. And I mean that as a compliment. It has some VERY strange imagery.

I'm a Lynch fan and my wife & I loved Twin Peaks when it ran on TV:)

I would be very interested in your comments after viewing the movie once. :eek:

ss9001

Let me chime in on David Lynch. I first saw DUNE years ago and also ELEPHANT MAN. Never connected the director with those films. But when MULLHOLLAND DRIVE came out I wanted to see more David Lynch. Now after viewing BLUE VELVET, LOST HIGHWAY, WILD AT HEART and TWIN PEAKS (had to get the entire season 1 & 2 plus pilot from Canada) I feel like someone who has discovered a favorite artist and I'm trying to view all of his paintings. I understand that he began as an artist. So if you view cinema as you would pictures in an art gallery you will understand that some connect more than others and some are favorites and some are not. Just got ERASERHEAD and will view that tonight.

May I suggest No mind altering substances the first time you watch Eraserhead or lots of them. There is no in between. :)

May I suggest No mind altering substances the first time you watch Eraserhead or lots of them. There is no in between. :)
Wise advise.

I have been an admirer of Lynch's work for a while but hadn't seen Dune until this HD release. It was another impressive Universal release. The costumes and settings of many shots had stunning detail and the creatures looked great. But some stock looked very grainy with overlay effects shots suffering particularly badly. The film seemed to be presented as well as it ever will.
The movie itself was enjoyable but fell short of it's aspirations. Every shot displayed promise and you could sense the underlying vision that Lynch was trying to create. I think technology failed him and the screenplay, at times, felt clunky. With advancements in effects and Lynch's additional experience I speculate Dune would be a great film if made today.

I honestly dont think anyone could have given DUNE its *true* justice....did you see the Sci-Fi channels Dune mini-series? Talk about awful. I mean, if you enjoyed the books they were basically shot-by-shot translations of them, but I saw them...and really have no desire to ever see them again.

I mean they are truer to what Herbert had going on in his mind, but thats why I have the books. When I see a movie, I want to see someones "take" on it...Lynch took the concept and made things even more visually "Epic"...this is one of the last "big" sci-fi films, that tries to tell a massive story, with hundreds of extras fighting battles while a strange rock/symphonic soundtrack played. Very Ben-Hur if you ask me :)

The visuals (particularly the spice sequences), the dialogue, all was very Lynchian (before we knew what that was)....and remember Frank Herbert was alive during the making of the film, he didn't seem to mind.

I take particular offence to the people above who felt the acting was terrible. We're talking about some amazing actors and performances here. Look, the acting in the Star Wars prequils is awful...thats bad acting, and you can blame George Lucas, not the accomplished actors in the movies (mostly). You can see Liam Neeson and Ewan MacGregor straining to give their characters personality while The Beard just tried to make them more like droids. "Dont worry, we'll CGI in your emotions later".

In this movie every character has presence....every spoken word has a purpose. I loved the "weirding-module" sub-plot. Id ont care if its not in the books, I do care that the addition to the story enhanced the experience, and didn't cheapen or take anything away.

Because otherwise we'd wind up with "Arabs versus Colonials"...which is what Dune is, at its core. A desert nomadic people who rise up against Imperial occupation :) And frankly I dont need to see another "War in Iraq" movie :D

Finally went and ordered Dune on HD DVD :) hey I may be late, but I cannot wait.

Last time I saw it a few years back (UK sanctuary dvd) it was a broken dvd, so it skipped a lot. So HD should at least let me finish the film! nice to see so much talk about the film on this thread as well, interesting reading.

It's never looked better.

Just saw this on HD DVD. The most amazing thing to me was the textures in the backgrounds really stood out.

Caladen, Geidi Prime and Arrakis all have distinct histories, and teh use of their different building materials and props set their mood.

With the HD DVD version , it was the first time I saw that the Castle iin Caleden, everything in it, the walls, the furniture was made of wood, staine polished and damp wood . I saw the wood grain and texture and that everything on Dune was stone, dusty stone.

I haved always loved the visuals in this movie and on HD DVD they stood out for me in ways that I have never seen before.

Arakis Dune Desert planet. One of the best movies of all time!

this was one of the most disjointed, confusing, muddled and boring movies I have ever seen.

this was one of the most disjointed, confusing, muddled and boring movies I have ever seen.

Hmmm..sounds like Independence Day, or possibly Armageddon might be more up your alley? Check em out! No thinking required!

..also...Dune is one of the BOGO discs on todays Amazon HDDVD Sale....

Hmmm..sounds like Independence Day, or possibly Armageddon might be more up your alley? Check em out! No thinking required!

During the theatrical release, you would get a glossary handout from an usher before you went into the actual screening room. It was necessary.

I enjoy _Dune_ for the photography and production design, not so much what plot could be cobbled together from the novel (and I don't recall any 'weirding modules' in the original), or some of the more ridiculously histrionic performances. (Max Von Sydow was fantastic as usual, Sean Young and Francesca Annis super hot, Sian Phillips very Livia, the rest not so interesting.)

Apparently director/actor Peter Berg plans on doing yet another version of Dune;
http://www.joblo.com/berg-digs-dune

A new theatrical rendition of this story would be nice. I just didn't care for David Lynch's version of it that much (perhaps if the baron wasn't oozing so much throughout). That and Dune is hard to fit into 2 hours. Maybe a 3 hour flick would do it justice.

Hmmm..sounds like Independence Day, or possibly Armageddon might be more up your alley? Check em out! No thinking required!

It's not about thinking, the movie is disjointed and hard to follow for those who don't already know the Dune story. The exposition is limited and the voice over work is jarring and detached - and really, really unnecessary and cheesy.

I'm a fan of Dune (the books) and have a special place in my heart for this movie but to me it's like a blind two legged dog with one ear and half a tail. You can love it but it's just hard to look at sometimes.

During the theatrical release, you would get a glossary handout from an usher before you went into the actual screening room. It was necessary.


The original VHS release came with a dictionary as well. I really think for someone to truly enjoy this film to its fullest you must be both a Herbert fan and a Lynch fan.

This film is not completely true to the novel and it joins THOUSANDS of other films in that regard. Having said that if you have read the book and seen the abomination that is the Sci-Fi Channel series you know that, while the mini-series has more of the content from the novel it does not remain true to the spirit of the novel the way the Film does.

When you finish the mini-series you get the impression that Paul was just a precursor to his more important offspring, but when you finish the 1984 Lynch film you get the impression that Paul is the Kwisatz Haderach; the Universes super-being, which is the same impression the Novel gave. Lynch also added the little details that the mini-series either overplayed or ignored altogether. If you look close in the first scene between Paul and Duncan Idaho you will see the head of the Bull that killed Paul's grandfather (Paulus Atreides) being removed from the great hall for shipment to Arrakis.

You also get the impression that Paul is another instance of God providing the messiah that the Universe needed instead of the messiah the Universe wanted. Jewish tradition always said that the Christ would be a conquerer; the Genghis Khan of the Hebrews, but when he showed up he was a man of peace. That disappointed even some of Jesus' disciples and other Hebrews dismissed him out of hand. By the same token the l Bene Gesserit Sisterhood held that the Kwisatz Haderach would be a man of peace and instead he ended up being a man of war. That theme was hinted at again and again in the novel and the film reinforces that notion. One can look at the disappointment in the eyes and attitudes of the Bene Gesserits and see a disposition not dissimilar to that held by the Sanhedrin in the time of Christ.

I don't blame those that don't enjoy Dune; I didn't like it the first time I saw it either, but I didn't like it because I was ignorant and not because it was a bad film. Yor was a bad film; Dune is a deep, multi-layered and difficult to understand epic and while that may not be for everyone it does not make it a bad film.

It's not about thinking, the movie is disjointed and hard to follow for those who don't already know the Dune story...

I first saw DUNE when I was 12 years old and having not read the novel, and I had no problem at all following the story.

Vincent

I really like Dune, but I can totally see why some people wouldn't. It's pretty hardcore geeky Sci-Fi with somewhat limited appeal. It's also really,really hard to follow everything that is going on; they throw around like a million proper nouns that are difficult to figure out until you've seen it a few times.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the the extended cut with the the narration and still graphic novel shots. It clears a lot of things up that are confusing.

Dune is one of the last great epic Sci Fi films..something that gets better with repeated watchings, and of course Lynch's style just adds to the oddity of it all, but thats what makes it brilliant. Its not a straight-up screenplay from the novel...thats the rubbish that the SciFi channel made...like a shot-for-shot copy of the book, and it turned out terrible, and so did Children of Dune (although I appreciate them at least trying to make the book into a teleplay).

No, the books didn't have personal shield combat, Weirding Modules and the like...but I thought they added to the film brilliantly....nor did the Harkonens have reverse mohawks in the book....I thought all the acting was top notch, actually Sean Young being the worst offender of the entire film because, frankly, she wasn't odd-enough for a Lynch flick. I loved the "mutated" Guild Navigators looking like gigantic scrotums with a vagina for a mouth.....and of course I love the dialogue, that only Lynch can really pull off. The cinematography was brilliant.....there's real emotion in the movie.

Yeah, its confusing as hell....but thats its beauty...watch it again and the more you learn the story, the more "epic" it feels.

Fifth Element is the last sciFi movie I've seen that took such an artistic chance, and it too was pretty good in that "man, that sure is different" kind of way.

I was watching this title last night and heard something i don't remember. When they use the "thumpers" I hear what is essentially a "thump" and a "crack" sound. Was the crack sound always there? I can't find my DVD version to compare, but I don't remember it. I'm asking mainly because I just bought new speakers for my HT, and want to make sure it's not a hardware issue. The speakers have sounded fine on the 20 or so titles I've watched thus far, so I doubt it's them, but since they're in the window where they can still be returned I'd like some confirmation that this is how it is supposed to sound.

I am waiting for my copy to show up. I just loved the whole look of the film, compared to the sci-fi channel mini series. Even though Lynch took liberties with the story; the grandure and emense wealth of the houses is just stunning. It the feel of empire ( ala Louis the Sun King ) crossed with mature high tech.

Anyway, a film is a film and a book is a book, and they really tend to not translate well. I am interested if anyone can find a book that was translated to film that both strickly followed the book and was an exceptional film. I really can't think of one.

I thought Das Parfum was pretty true to the book. The movie was pretty good as well in my book (pun intended).

There are several scenes with a light tinge on the right side of the frame. I've seen it in my DVD copies as well. What happened to the film in these spots?

Just curious. I've been a big fan of this film and the HD-DVD transfer looks great to me.

Can you point to a specific scene?

I've noticed this effect on quite a few scenes...usually the Atreides family members are in the scene. I may be incorrect, but to me it looks as though the edge of the film was getting old or degraded. The color/brightness seemed less saturated and overall color was tinged in about 10% of the right side of the image. Perhaps there was some light leakage or something to that effect on this area of the film?

Can anyone else who might know chime in on this? I've noticed this sort of thing before, but can't say specifically when and where.

Otherwise to me this is just nitpicking. I love the movie Dune. My big sister took me to see this movie when I was about 12yrs old. Watching it reminds me of my youth when I was an avid comic book collector. A big part of that was being able to share my comic collecting with my older sister who had a collection I will always be envious of. She was also a fan of sci fi novels and was very well versed with the Dune series of books.

Watched Dune again but for the first time on HD DVD. Love the movie and I think HD transfer did it justice.

Dune was one of only 17 DVD titles I own. Seven of those are Concert DVDs. I never really watched SD DVDs. The quality was no better than my DirecTV feed and with hacked DirecTivos it was just a lot easier to record whatever I wanted to watch later.

HD DVD is another thing altogether. I now have 126 HD DVD titles and not one of them is a Concert HD DVD (yet).

Now that I know what format is most likely to be available in the future I can concentrate my buying on HD DVD only and put off Blu Ray purchases for later. There are about 100 or so HD DVD titles I would never buy. The rest I will pick up as they become available at a bargain.