Dune the Movie

[LT Garrix]

Thank goodness for our foreign friends. I may be strange, but I'm a fan of the original Dune as well as the mini-series version. Obviously the mini-series version could address a lot more things as they had more time.

One of the things I remembered seeing on TV was an extend version of the movie, something like 4 hours once you added in commercials. I remember liking this version more as it added in stuff. When it came out on DVD, I was disappointed that it was the theatrical version.

For some reason I've gotten an itch lately to watch Dune and decided to search out the wonders of ebay and see if there was an extended version available. Yup, there is, just not released in the US.

I guess it turns out that David Lynch didn't care for the extended version, even though the studio wanted it out to make the movie more acceptable. Strangely, he wanted to do a 3 hour version, but DeLaurentis and presumably the studio, didn't want to try to release a 3 hour scifi movie.

So, either he's won in the US not to release the extended version or it's been decided not to do it because the extended footage was only ever edited in 4:3 ratio since it was just for TV.

Anyway, thanks to our good friends in Brazil, I now own this movie and will watch it until New Years specials come on. No, not really, I'll tune in for the ball drop, but I don't like any of the musicians on any of the specials.

[Third EYe]

I have a copy of this as well. Lynch who? he he

[FrellinScarran]

If you notice the "director" listed at the beginning of the "extended" version is "Alan Smithee". This is a generic name used when a director wants to pull his name from the credits of a movie. David Lynch was so against the extended version being shown he made the studio remove his name from it.

While, generally, I like the extended version, mainly because of various added scenes that I thought should have been left in the original, I thought the editing was atrocious. I thought that many scenes were cut to quick and some looked out of place in the context of the movie. Dune as released was an excellent adaptation for the time allotted. Even though it obviously didn't (or couldn't) follow the book.

[LT Garrix]

I enjoy both versions of the movie. It's hit or miss on the scenes that came out well.

[arthurfrdent]

I just liked the look and feel of the the movie...and I had seen the extended on TV, but like some others, I didn't like it so much... I wonder if anyone could cajole them into cleaning it up and re-rleasing it. OTOH sometimes THAT isn't a good idea either...

[LT Garrix]

Aside from the fact it was never made as a widescreen product, the Brazilian version looks pretty good. I'll admit it does not have my full undivided attention, especially for the scenes that aren't new as I've seen it a ton of times. There aren't bells and whistles like menus on these DVDs, but they are divided into chapters.

I've actually gotten used to the stretched sideways way that I'm watching it. Makes the Baron look nice and fat.

I really do like the way that it looked and for me that was the hardest part about watching the miniseries, that it had different actors and sets and feel. I really need to watch that again, Guess it'll go on the Netflix list since hubby took our copy with him. They have a bunch of scifi nuts on his ship.

I really give it to the mini version for highlighting some different aspects of the book along with the big plot points hit in the first movie. I really didn't appreciate the movie at first, because I didn't understand it. When we did our scifi literature in English class I chose Dune and watched the movie, read the book, watched the movie, read the book, watched the movie and it all started to make sense. Though it's not necessary, hubby has only watched the movie (not much of a reader) and he's done fine, though in hindsight, he's asked me a lot of questions.

[Antrobus]

I always liked Lynch's "Dune" immensely, but I seemed to be one of the few.

A great deal of my like of it came from the look and feel as several here have already mentioned. It hard a dark, bleak, and eerie look, something that I find SciFi in general still mainly avoids. Farscape and Firely are exceptions of course.

All one has to do is to compare the look and feel of Lynch's "Dune" to the recent "Earthsea" and the difference is clear.

I still think that movie got a really raw deal from critics!

[LT Garrix]

I think the biggest reason the critics panned, well actually two reason, first it's scifi and critics have always been harsh on scifi and second it's a movie you had to think about it. Before I really appreciated this movie I watched the movie, read the book, watched the movie, read the book, watch the movie. Though not necessary, hubby has only ever watched the movie and loves it. I just always found it strange that people that seem to want intelligent movies would pan one.

I've been checking out some viewer reviews and there are people out there that don't care for the inner monologues, but that was a great way to get info out there and make the movie more accessible. For someone not in the know about Dune, imagine how little sense some of the stuff would make without the voiceovers.

[Fyodor]

I like Lynch's Dune a lot, but it does have an oddness to it (more than the usual Lynch). I read a chapter of his autobiography in a bookstore and I remember somebody saying that Dune would have been a lot better if he hadn't had all the hollywood money. Because he is a low-budget director.

I also remember hearing that Lynch does not like the movie at all.