DUNE in a New Director Extended Version

I did not mind the first Dune movie as much as some people did although I loved the book. I rarely expect a completely faithful transfer from print to film. These are two different mediums each with there own demands, strengths and limitations

Almost always a Directorss Cut is an exercise in ego stroking.

Dune... I never sa the movie, only a bit of the mini-series from Sci-fi channel.

The exception is if the studio forced a cutting or alterating of the film like Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner." I have a feeling length may have prompted the studio in the cutting of "Dune" and they decided to do their own hack job on it. Seeing is believing so I am going to reserve judgement until I see the new version. I do agree that films like "Apocalypse Redux" definitely show that ego stroking as the added material was superflous to the telling of the story. I appreciated the Extended Versions of LOTR (haven't taken the time to see "The Two Towers" EV yet) but the Peter Jackson actually purposefully shot the longer versions, not picked up film from the cutting room floor. I felt "Dune" was owed more film time as the complexity of the novel was diluted. The visuals of "Dune" are still as striking as they've always been.

Of course, I realize this can be a marketing ploy rather than an artistic refinement. Interesting that the new DVD offers both versions!

Last week-end,a U.K. national Sunday paper included a free copy of the original.

That's something new -- I suppose it is to wet one's appetite to obtain the Extended Version?

Not really.Happens all the time this side of the pond.Nearly every newspaper,wether daily or sunday,have contained DVD's or CD's.Seem's like the news isn't enough to attract buyers :wink:

Aha -- good marketing strategy I suppose. The advertisers benefit -- people buy more newspapers and read the ads!

No,people buy the newspaper that's giving away the best "free DVD/CD".At this time of year,the ads are about holidays or premium rate cell phone numbers.I am ashamed to say that some of our daily's rival the free flyers on the strip at Vagas.

Not sure what you mean -- it is a marketing strategy to get you to buy their paper and read the ads. It's competitive, of course.

Of course it's a marketing strategy to include "an extra" to get folks to buy a daily paper.But loadsda readers over here only want things for free.I don't know anybody who buys a paper specifically to read the ads contained or for their political "guidance".Apart from the sports pages,they want short/sharp news..no depth..backed up with a few saucy girly pics,and,hopefully,a free-be.
Sad but true

Don't tell that to the ad people.

Back to the subject, one of the outstanding features of "Dune" is, of course, the production design by Anthony Masters who only other credential in sci-fi films was "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" of all things. The set designers were only notable for Jorge Sanz whose previous well know credit was "Romancing the Stone."

Of course, Lynch always like to give someone new a chance to show their stuff on film. The scoring by Toto and Brian Eno (whose famous theme for "The Exorcist" cannot be forgotten) was also innovating new territory for a sci-fi film. I thought it worked -- some did not. Actually over the years the critics have somewhat softened up on "Dune" and it will be interesting to read their response to the new version.

Try as I might,I could never get into Dune.Always seemed to be an overblown TV show,story not quite there,special effects not quite there IMHO.

'Dune' saw the movie years ago....hated it.

That's a short review.

what more can I say it sucked...

If one hasn't read the books, it would be baffling to sort out the myriad of characters and make sense of the story. That's always been it's chief criticism. The previous extended version didn't help much, it just broke into Lynch's atmosphere with strange cliffnotes and other asides. "Dune" was the epitome of the theme of faraway planatary empires where there is no mention of our Earth or Solar System. Lynch's primary mistake may have been that he too literally sticking to the book (although, of course, in a little over two hours it's extremely difficult to traverse the goings on in the book). The mini-series tried to get into the detail but it kept bogging down in that very detail.

I think that should be Mike Oldfield

OOpps -- you're right. I do get those two mixed up sometimes. The original music in the film was by Jack Nitzsche. "Tubular Bells" is by, of course, Mike Oldfield.

I was thinking I already had the extended DVD version.