The only thing I didn't like in the miniseries was the Sardauker outfits, they just didn't inspire fear.
I love this movie. Been watchin' it since I was six (can you tell the kind of family I was born into? Rocky Horror at five, Nightmare On Elm Street at four, Battlestar: Galactica at one...), but early last year, I finally GOT IT! True I was the worlds biggest caffine high at the time, stayed awake for close to 48 hours.
The movie doesn't get it at all! Read the books!
I had never been so bored in all my life when I saw this film... what a snore.
Rather read the book (singular). Dune Messiah onwards just isn't sastifying.
Sorry! You're absolutely right, Gordon!
I am a big fan of David Lynch and the only reason I could ever enjoy the film at first was because he made it. But I kept watching it over and over and never quite "getting" it. After reading the books, I longed for so much more. I still really like the movie and even the TV extended version, but the books really make you dream of what could have been. I'm excited to see what the Sci-Fi Channel's version will turn out like.
Anyway, here's a nit for the recently released widescreen edition on video. I sent this in to Phil a while back, before this discussion board stuff existed at Nitcentral, but here it is again. About 1:51 into the film (right before Paul takes the water of life) the image is reversed. Paul becomes left-handed and the part in his hair switches sides. Things return to normal around 2:07 (when the Fremen enter the Emperor's Palace). I didn't find this on my own. I have to give credit to Shawn Watson who had a letter about this published in issue #35 of Wrapped In Plastic magazine.
I still think that the four hour version makes a lot more sense and is better.
While watching the uncut version, I thought it would make a great double episode of MST3K (it being approximately twice as long as a typical MST3K feature). Host Segments they could do could include the SOL being visited by participants in the Butlerian Jihad come to destroy thinking machines Servo and Crow, a segment concerning those shouldn't-have-been-thought-of weirding modules, and for a finale have the SOL crew set up a thumper to summon a worm but only get a stunted one. Riffs to come at a later time.
With the exception of the 1st book, I have audiobooks for all of the sequels and both prequels. The series can drag on at times, but it's interesting. Even each abridged version of the prequels lasts for 9 hours! I'd loved the SCI-FI Channel's miniseries version of the film because it wasn't very confusing like the old film had originally been.
You know, in the book, Gurney Halleck was butt ugly while Duncan Idaho was a major stud, not the other way around.
So you're calling Patrick Stewart a stud? he played Hallek I think.
I liked and understood both the movie and the novel, though I've heard many people don't. I do have an interest in philosophy which might have helped. I also read the "making of" book before I saw the movie. I have not seen the extended version though.
I think that the movie makers did a good job of adapting the story and it was a good decision to focus on the action rather than the philosophical exposition, which wouldn't really work as a movie.
likewise, the movie as it stands wouldn't make a great book.
The book is a good book and the movie is a good movie exactly because they are different. Also, I think the pruned movie plot is useful as a sort of "Dune Lite", an aid to understanding the book.
From the "making of" book: the sandworm models, when viewed from the wrong angle, resemble (freudian reference). They apparently had some trouble keeping this aspect out of the movie.
I must admit that I much preferred the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries to the Lynch version. However, the 3 hour cut had some serious messing around with an illustrated prologue showing the Butlerian Jihad. Inserted scenes were identifiable in the desert because Fremen suddenly lost their blue eye tint.
Was it me, or did the Atreides army when they were attacked by the Harkonnen/Sardauker seem more intent on carrying FLAGS than weapons?
The interior monologues in this movie are soooo ridiculous. For example, rather than telling Chani that he loves her, Paul *thinks* it.
In any case...
Arrakis... Dune... desert planet... THE SECOND MOON!!
He knows.
Could he be the one?
The worm is the spice. The spice is the worm.
It is by will alone I keep my mind in motion...
- Piter
He who controls the spice... controls the universe!
- The Baron
The sleeper... has... AWAKENED!!
The 3 hour cut had some serious messing around with an illustrated prologue showing the Butlerian Jihad.
Yeah, apparently that was the main reason why Lynch disowned that particular version (at least according to what I've read).
I still agree, though -- both miniseries are excellent. While I've occasionally been curious about the original film, I haven't heard enough good comments about it to make it worthwhile.
I finally saw this one a couple of months ago, and AAAUGGGH!!!! YEECCCCCCHHH!!!! I can't even like it as a film, never mind as an adaptation! I can't even praise the effects in this one, because aside from the worms looking a bit better in this one it's all really ugly and fake (if nothing else the production designer should have been shot).
Don't get me started on The Baron, either -- Ian McNiece could swallow that other prick whole! At least the miniseries Harkonnen had a little bit of class...
I haven't seen Children of Dune yet, but I much preferred the miniseries. It did fairly well despite being low budget. The films look of the Ornithopters was pretty bad, the Atreides and Harkonnen ones in the miniseries were better with moving control surfaces.
The only thing I didn't like in the miniseries was the Sardauker outfits, they just didn't inspire fear.
Maybe I'm spoiled by movies, but I just couldn't get into the miniseriese, it felt too much like watching a glorified episode ot Stargate SG-1 to match the film's scale
The only thing I didn't like in the miniseries was the Sardauker outfits, they just didn't inspire fear.
Tell me about it. Granted, the miniseries Sardaukar look like a cross between green berets and pastry chefs, but the only time I really connected the film soldiers as Sardaukar I thought they looked more like the guys testing nuclear bombs at ground zero! I heard before then that they looked more like "real killing machines", and just thought "PLEASE!!!"
And another thing, where the hell did that Moses ending come from? (in case there are newbies reading this, I don't want to "spoil" it, but anyone who's seen the movie should know what I'm talking about)
I've seen both versions, and I think the only thing the Lynch cut did better than the Sci-fi miniseries (which was of course better in every other way) was that the Lynch film had the right colour flags and uniforms for Atreides/Harkonnen.
AS WE ALL KNOW, Atreides use green and black uniforms with a red hawk symbol, while the Harkonnens have blue uniforms with a blue gryphon symbol. HOWEVER, apparently this can't possibly be right as the good guys are always in blue and the baddies in red (rant continues off onto the horizon...)
No, wait, one other thing. Both the Lynch film and the miniseries had what I call the 'Arwen Effect' after its appearance in the new Lord of the Rings film saga, but the miniseries had an unquestionably more chronic attack.
Arwen Effect: When a female character who is deliberately in the background (and this is extremely important to the whole plot of the story) is made into a major character just to appease the gender equality brigade, even though there is at least one other female character who is a strong main character.
Come on. In the book and indeed the Lynch film Paul married Princess Irulan for purely political reasons and they were at best cool with each other. That's the point. Whereas the miniseries made out as though they already had a friendship prior to the Harkonnen attack on Dune, and she went to all that trouble (ahem) to infiltrate the Harkonnens...it makes no sense at all.
Sorry if that post was a bit fiery...
Actually, there is one other thing the Lynch version did better than the Harrison version. Dean Stockwell did a far better job portraying Doctor Yueh than Robert Russell. Of course, it didn't help that Harrison didn't really feature that character as prominently as he should have. But other than that, Harrison did a superior job in pretty much every way.
AS WE ALL KNOW, Atreides use green and black uniforms with a red hawk symbol, while the Harkonnens have blue uniforms with a blue gryphon symbol.
True, but to be honest I was never able to picture the Harkonnens in blue whenever I read that (and frankly I'm not usually that wrapped up in things like this, no offense intended though because I certainly believe the story should be as faithful as possible).
As for the Irulan/Arwen scenario, I don't really mind it except that it kind of wastes time. If Harrison had managed to give Irulan something important to do that wouldn't have thrown off the story too much I'd be fine with that (and in any case I have no problem with her friction scenes with Shaddam and Feyd), but even when she infiltrates The Harkonnens and finds out the truth about their actions she does nothing. What exactly is the point of all of that then?
As for Stockwell as Yueh... I don't remember it well enough to be able to comment but I remember it did a good job in any case. I'll yield.
Here's an article about the potholed road on the way to getting this film done. One thing I didn't know was that Ridley Scott was once attached to it.
And now a new version is out.