DUNE Thread - Remakes, Re-Edits, etc. - 4K UHD Coming in August

[AndyDursin]

Hopefully LEGEND is next!

Preordering this one, screw the review copy. It's a misfire but a hugely watchable (and good looking) one!

[AndyDursin]

Koch also releasing this in their own Special Edition in the summer.

For Arrow, this has Steelbook packaging and 3 discs (1 UHD, 2 Blu-Ray with one being the bonus disc):

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/del ... -preorder/

[AndyDursin]

Koch is going to include this on their expensive, exclusive German box-set release -- it's a fan-edit that most fans seem to like a lot. "Spicediver" re-edited the movie adding scenes from the TV cut and the deleted scenes from the DVD -- but he also took out the "it's raining!" ending which wasn't in the book (I don't believe) amongst other changes.

Most feel this is the most coherent edit of the film ever.

Youtube pulls this down every once in a while but it's been up there for a while...worth a look

[Paul MacLean]

I started watching this, and was reminded what a weird movie Dune is -- and I don't mean "weird" in the avant garde sense (though that would partly apply). I mean weird in how radically uneven this movie is. The story is highly imaginative, it's got some very arresting visuals and sets, yet at the same time it it's so stilted -- and at times genuinely badly-acted. Jose Ferrer was one of the finest American actors of his generation -- and he's awful in this movie. Sting is also terrible -- at the time I cut him slack for not being a real actor, but he was great in The Bride six months later. Kenneth McMillan totally overacts. I blame Lynch for not better-directing the cast.

I also thought that falling back on the old, cliched device of making the characters' thoughts audible to solve narrative issues was a cop-out. Some of the make-up and creature effects were silly (like the guys with the tubes stuck in their runny noses). I watched Dune with a female friend of mine, and when they showed the close-up of the Spacing Guild representative's mouth she stammered "Oh my God" in this mortified tone of voice.

[mkaroly]

At the end of the book Paul does not make it rain.

[AndyDursin]

I turned this edit off, actually -- the guy that produced it didn't merely restore excised material but also made a ton of arbitrary changes to the completed theatrical cut -- so to hell with that.

[AndyDursin]

Just combined the topics since there doesn't seem to be much need to have 2 of them.

Back to Arrow's upcoming releases, this set is the one apparently selling briskly -- I put an order in for it.

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/del ... -preorder/

[Paul MacLean]

Dune remains one of the weirdest viewing experiences for me ever.

Despite its copious flaws and awkward (and unintentionally funny) moments, I still find aspects of Dune compelling. It's powerfully atmospheric, with a massive sense of scope, and really did make me feel like I was in a truly alien world. And despite the clumsy acting from Ferrer and McMillan, it also offers some exceptionally fine performances, from Sian Phillips, Francesca Annis, Ricard Jordan, Freddie Jones and pre-Star Trek Patrick Stewart.

I groaned when I first learned Toto would be scoring the film (receiving the news about the same time as hearing Eurythmics was "scoring" 1984 -- a bitter pill!). But, as much as I normally hate rock bands scoring films, their music turned-out be exceedingly well-written and dramatically potent (and its atypical style certainly suited the movie).

I also like the end credits sequence, with the ocean waves and "portrait" shots of the cast (and gorgeous scoring).

[AndyDursin]

That's a perfect analysis Paul, spot on. It has a compelling visual scheme and some brilliant moments -- then some clunky sequences and bad performances to match. Somehow though it becomes easier to digest on repeat viewing because the story kind of makes more sense the more you see it.

I think with HDR this is going to be a really good looking presentation of the film. Like I said, Arrow is supposedly working on LEGEND so I hope that's next in line!

[AndyDursin]

Amazon has preorders up for 3 editions:

[sprocket]

I've always liked Dune.

I ended up ordering the 3 disk steel book version with the original poster art. I think the 'worm' art on the non-steel book releases is pretty ugly, although I find the artwork for all these ARROW releases lacking. I much prefer the artwork used for the German KOCH release.

I did want both the 4K and blu-ray disks, too. I don't have a 4K display yet and I am wary of 4K becoming unsupportable in the future as it is more niche than blu-ray. As I just have a 1080P display, what is better: to run the 4K disk and have my OPPO 203 downscale it to 1080P or to just play the blu-ray?

[AndyDursin]

Sprocket, I have never downcoverted 4K to 1080p and I've read different things about it. My gut though is to play the Blu-Ray on a 1080p display because I don't know how players like the Oppo (which I also have) would convert HDR or Dolby Vision on a UHD into 1080p. That might result in inappropriately raised or lowered brightness levels etc.

I thought about the Koch set but the expensive one just doesn't have enough content on it to justify what will be upwards of $150 or more shipped to the US. And that's with someone in Germany shipping it because the Koch Shop doesn't ship to many overseas territories including the US and that expensive 7 disc set is exclusive to them (won't be sold at Amazon.de in other words).

I ordered the "limited deluxe" Arrow Steelbook which has both formats, the original theatrical art but also the cool book Arrow produced and other extras. It's only $9 more than the 3 disc "normal" Steelbook -- but it's only sold at some outlets (Diabolikdvd had it but sold out of their allocation). This place still sells it:

https://grindhousevideo.com/products/du ... -pre-order

I don't think 4k will be unsupportable since every TV on the market now is 4K capable if not will be 8K in time. I also get the feeling there will be more UHD catalog releases from the boutique labels provided those catalogs they license from aren't consumed by corporations who won't make them available (thanks for nothing Disney and possibly Amazon!). Plus both the Xboxes and the PlayStations have the disc drive for it which will be key to it bring supported I'd expect.

[sprocket]

Thanks for the reply, Andy

Yeah, I considered the limited deluxe edition, but its a bit more money than that up here in Canada. I've never been too interested in extras, anyway. Plus, when I've bought these deluxe editions, its how well the slip case displays on a shelf that interests me, and this release fails in that regard. (I have some really beautiful Korean edition slips that I like to display.)

Slightly off topic, does anyone know if the Dune 1984 soundtrack will be reissued? I just realized that I have the 1997 PEG album and that there is a cleaned up 2001 reissue. So I'm thinking of buying the reissue if nothing else is on the horizon.

[AndyDursin]

Plus, when I've bought these deluxe editions, its how well the slip case displays on a shelf that interests me, and this release fails in that regard

I'm definitely not much of a slipcover person, but with DUNE, I believe the slipcover and book from the "deluxe" set will fit on the shelf alongside Arrow's other limited UHD boxes, like FLASH GORDON and TREMORS, so I didn't mind forking over a few extra bucks for that. The little art book (or whatever it is) is also supposed to be 100 pages too.

Slightly off topic, does anyone know if the Dune 1984 soundtrack will be reissued? I just realized that I have the 1997 PEG album and that there is a cleaned up 2001 reissue. So I'm thinking of buying the reissue if nothing else is on the horizon.

Never say never but it doesn't seem like any release or re-issue is imminent. I've always wondered if it's been beyond the grasp of the soundtrack labels too because Toto was a big band in the '80s and there's some heavy rights or licensing angle involved.

Either way, that's another reason to avoid the expensive Koch release, since the CD in that set doesn't have the expanded release, just a reissue of the original 1984 album, which you can get anywhere still.

[mkaroly]

I might have to buy the deluxe edition - I do have issues with Lynch's adaptation of the book, but it would still be nice to have.