Crusing through the DVDs at Wally World today, I found something I've wanted on DVD since the studios started remastering movies...the extended version of the 1984 David Lynch adaptation of of Dune. So far (about half an hour in), the picture is astounding on my good ol' 27" Sony Trinitron. As always, the sets and costumes are some of the best I've ever seen. I'm glad to finally have a remasterd, anamorphic copy of the extended version...my only previous copy was a VHS recorded from the Sci-Fi channel years and years ago. Needless to say, picture quality could have been a bit better.

Some points:
-packaging: absolutely incredible. It's a standard-size snap case, but instead of plastic with a paper insert, it's lithographed and stamped metal with a plastic liner. Absolutely beautiful, and it has an interesting, almost holographic look.

-disc: this is where things get odd...it's a double-sided disc. I haven't seen one of those in ages. At least in my experience, this is very odd for a 2006 release. I think I only have three double-sided discs, the other two are older releases. One is the original "Manchurian Candidate" which took the very odd step of releasing the fullscreen and widescreen versions in one package. The other is "The Big Sleep" - one of the earliest movies that I know of with both a theatrical release and a "director's cut."

-movie: besides the incredible art direction, the film features some great performances from Patrick Stewart and Dean Stockwell. The Sci-Fi channel miniseries from several years back may be closer to Herbert's novel, but it's hard to beat the casting from the Lynch version.

I admit...I'm very much attached to the Lynch version...BOTH of them.

Nice find!

I have to add one other comment. The fact that the movie actually shows an image of the early 80s hardback edition of the book right after the title card is very odd. Can't say I've ever seen another movie do something like that. I have absolutely no idea what Lynch was thinking there.

The narration on the extended version and the slightly different score make it an entirely different film. The changes are pretty significant, but the added background about the Butlerian Jihad and other significant events helps first time viewers know what the heck is going on!

I remember being a bit lost the first time I saw the theatrical version, because I knew nothing of the backstory. I did, however, read the novels as a result. ;)

I remember being a bit lost the first time I saw the theatrical version, because I knew nothing of the backstory.

You know you're in trouble when the usher hands you a crib sheet before the film begins.

I'm a huge fan of the first book, and confess a certain fondness for the Lynch version (warts and all). It is very well-cast, and the production design and costume work hold up quite well.

Pity Lynch couldn't have gotten Marlon Brando to play the Baron; he would've been perfect.

Pity Lynch couldn't have gotten Marlon Brando to play the Baron; he would've been perfect.

The movie was ALREADY too damned expensive. Brando's salary alone would have sank that ship. Even Di Laurentiis would have been reduced to making the filmed version of Dune nothing more than Brando on a dark stage with a single floodlight on him reading dialog from the book! :D

Besides...to me, Ken McMillen will ALWAYS be the Baron.

Even Di Laurentiis would have been reduced to making the filmed version of Dune nothing more than Brando on a dark stage with a single floodlight on him reading dialog from the book! :D


Ironically, Frank Herbert's introduction of the Baron in DUNE is very similar to the introduction of Colonel Kurtz in APOCALYPSE NOW, i.e. a deep yet lispy voice in the darkness is slowly revealed to be that of a big, fat, bald guy.

Given Lynch's cartoony, over-the-top interpretation of the character, I think Ken McMillen made a fine Baron. He just wasn't the character from the book. As anyone who's ever seen the Larry King interviews can attest, Brando was the Baron.

^ My perceptions have admittedly been colored by the fact that I saw the movie first. Lynch's Baron IS pure Lynchian. I have a fondness for Lynchian strangeness.

The Baron of the written works was a much deeper, more cunning and politically astute character. He was shrewd rather than psychotic.

( OT...Ah! I'm an 'Elder Statesman' now. :D )

I liked the movie better than the book. Weird ain't it. The extended version is the best.
The Sci-Fi Channel version, was boring to me.

I have to add one other comment. The fact that the movie actually shows an image of the early 80s hardback edition of the book right after the title card is very odd. Can't say I've ever seen another movie do something like that. I have absolutely no idea what Lynch was thinking there.
You do realize that Lynch had nothing to do with the extended version. He even had his name taken off it, at least when it was shown on TV. If I remember right, the extended version was directed by Alan Smithee and written by Judas Booth.

Good old Alan, he DOES get around. :p

I'll have to toss the disc back in and check that out. The package credits Lynch quite prominently - twice. I love the extended version's introduction, especially the use of paintings instead of filmed action. It gives everything a very historical feel. I just can't figure out why the heck the book itself is at the start of it...feels a bit like a commercial.

Both barons were miscast. The actors playing them were basically nice people and it showed through. On the other hand, anyone who could play an accurate baron is probably in jail. [and then there's lord vader, the lucas version of baron harkonnen.]

"Smithee" is still credited on the extended version.

I know Lucas drew heavily from the "Lensmen" books for Star Wars - does anyone know if he's admitted any influence from Dune? It's much heavier material than SW, but there are some similarities.

Ateenager on a desert planet is faces manhood and discovers he has special powers. He faces a badguy with a royal title who is part man part machine, and is the right hand man of the Emperor. After his family is kileld he flees and is trained by a desert dweller. He eventually finds out he and his sister are related to the badguy.

Early drafts of the script even had Dune type names.

Did anyone ever read DOON? It was a paperback parody of Dune by National Lampoon. They lived on a dessert planet and were really fat. Odd that they went to the length of releasing it as a book.