What's new

David Lynch's DUNE--new DVD (merged thread) (1 Viewer)

MarcusUdeh

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 23, 2003
Messages
785
Personally I appreciate Dune, original theatrical feature, as standing. Yes the third act of the picture is rushed, and makes one wonder, about the cutting room floor. About restoring the scenes from the TV Edit, would it be cheaper for Universal do a new digital intermediate color timed transfer? In that case the Fremen would have their blue within blue eyes, heck it could be Panic Room blue-green. It would be cool if, the Shadout Mapes' death by knife scene surfaced
 

David_Blackwell

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 30, 2004
Messages
1,443
There has been reports that David Lynch's first cut of the movie came in at about four hours, but Video watchdog did do a 2 part article comparing the theater version to the extended TV version to the final script and one can see there was some scenes cut that didn't make it into the extended TV version (and new scenes edited strangely like some not including the fully shot scene).
 

Roger_R

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 6, 2003
Messages
372
From the booklet that came with the R2 SE of Dune:

"Yet one other event had occurred just before Lynch quit Mexico City for Los Angeles, an occurrence that would soon become legend. For on January 29, 1984, Lynch screened an approximately four-to-five hour rouch cut (accounts wary) of his picture to those DUNE cast and crew members still remaining in Mexico City. This was the sole time the only true, so-called "Extended Version" of DUNE - whose theatrical running time would clock out at 137 minutes - was publicly screened in something of the shape its director had intended".

Some of the material seen in the "Cast and Crew Screening" of DUNE included a longer version of Alia's birthing sequence; a knife fight between Paul and Jamis (he was credited in the final version, but never seen); a scene were Jamis' wife and children (wife played by Molly Wryn, credited but never seen in theatrical cut); burning of Jamis' body to recover its water; and the death of Thufir Hawat by poison near the movie's end.

The booklet explains that De Laurentiis wanted a 2 hour cut of the movie, whereas Lynch wanted it to be at least 3 hours. It also mentions that Lynch was originally contracted to do 3 Dune movies and he was already working on the script for Children of Dune, which he himself thought was going to be better than Dune.
 

Yee-Ming

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2002
Messages
4,502
Location
"on a little street in Singapore"
Real Name
Yee Ming Lim
Digital Bits' Rumour Mill states Universal may be working on an SE of this. I just wonder if it's going to contain actual new material, or is just a cobbling together of the extras from the two R2 SEs already available.

Now if, as they speculate, Lynch would be allowed to complete a cut of Dune as he intended, this would be most excellent. I'd happily triple-dip on such an edition (I have the R4 with DTS, just got the new UK SE, and actually if you count the old VHS widescreen, this would be a quadruple-dip...)
 

DaViD Boulet

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 24, 1999
Messages
8,826
I had the VHS...

Then the first laser (p/s with no digital audio)...

Then the Japanese import LD set in WS...

then the first R1 non-anamorphic DVD...

Then got a region free player and now have the UK special edition...

and look forward to buying this next version :D :D :D
 

Steve Christou

Long Member
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2000
Messages
16,333
Location
Manchester, England
Real Name
Steve Christou
Wow Marcus I'm impressed! You revived this ancient thread just to say that?

Do you have your default settings at 'Show Topics from the beginning?' :D
 

Patrick Sun

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 30, 1999
Messages
39,659
But that links goes to an edition that appears to be the theatrical cut (same 137 minute running time), not the extended cut that's available in full-screen mode.
 

Mark_TS

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 23, 2000
Messages
1,704
well, I guess we can write off an enhanced for 16:9 version from Universal this year.
A few months back a video store employee posted here that he saw it on solicitation sheets speculating its release in the Fall...
 

Michael Reuben

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 12, 1998
Messages
21,763
Real Name
Michael Reuben
As Patrick said, too late. This thread has now been merged with the separate one you started on Dune. If any other threads get revived, they too will be merged. 'Cause it's the same discussion every time.

M.
 

Haden

Supporting Actor
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Messages
783


Longest version I've seen is the 180 minute cut I have on a privately produced DVD. It's basically a combination of all existing scenes from the theatrical version, Alan Smithee TV version, and the San Francisco KTVU station cut. I doubt we'll ever get anything more than an anamorphic version of the theatrical cut on a DVD special edition. Just like with Bladerunner, there's probably a lot of legal crap that would prevent us from getting multiple versions of the film.
 

Mark-W

Supporter
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 6, 1999
Messages
3,297
Real Name
Mark


This is one scene in the tv version that I actually liked along with the drowning of a newborn worm to create the water of life. The fight scene helped bookend Paul's life on Dune from defending his life against Jamis, to defending his destiny against Feyd.
The whole collecting of Jamis' water was also an excellent way to show Fremen culture without spelling it out.

The rest of it (the tv version) was horrible! Shots of the Bene Gesserit being flown around by the Harkonnen, and seriouly shoddy edits back and forth from the tv to theatrical version.

I don't think a narrator telling you the whole story (As the princess did) is inherinitly bad. I know another writer who did the same thing: Shakespeare tells the whole story of Romeo and Juliet in the openning narration. Still, the television narration is the worst piece of "Dune for idiots" piece of crap.
 

PhilipG

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2000
Messages
2,002
Real Name
PhilipG
Virginia Madsen's intro was the best scene in a great movie, IMHO. IIRC, the TV version replaced this with a horribly stodgy "trailer guy" voice. :crazy: I put the Dune TV movie right down there with the Universal edit of Brazil. I just want my BluRay of Lynch's Dune and I'll be very happy (I've given up on waiting for an anamorphic R1 DVD).
 

Bill Williams

Screenwriter
Joined
May 28, 2003
Messages
1,697
That's exactly right, Phillip. In the theatrical version, Virginia Madsen's character of Princess Irulan serves as an omniscient narrator throughout the film, whereas in the "Alan Smithee" edition Irulan is little more than eye candy with only one or two lines at most. John Harrison's 2000 miniseries developed Irulan's character even further beyond the original Herbert novel as a player with major impact in the story.
 

DaViD Boulet

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 24, 1999
Messages
8,826
I have the R2 version of the theatrical cut which is 16x9 anamorphic and looks better than the non-anamorphic R1 version. I have a region-free player (momitsu) which I encourage every HTF member to consider purchasing. Your experience of collecting DVDs takes on a whole new sense of freedom when you're not locked down to only R1 discs.

Like everyone else, I cannot wait until (one day???) we get a real director's cut of this film. Personally, even I find even the butchared theatrical cut to be a marvel of artistry and film-making.

-dave
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,100
Members
144,146
Latest member
SaladinNagasawa
Recent bookmarks
1
Top