DUNE SE!!!!!

[romanD]

will TOT come in and do some rescore?

[Eric W.]

will TOT come in and do some rescore?

Are they even alive anymore?

[AndyDursin]

Lynch denied any involvement in or knowledge of the new DUNE DVD in a chat over at his website.

Guess we can throw this to the back of the bus again...

[romanD]

yeah, they even postponed now the release, but saying this has to do with David Lynch's involvment.. probably the involvment now is a lawsuit... argh...

[AndyDursin]

Universal must have been MUCH further along with their new DUNE DVD than we thought. There's a full-color ad insert for it in the new 12 MONKEYS DVD I received today stating "Extended Edition" with "all-new bonus features." It also states that it's "Also Available," meaning they had to have delayed it REALLY deep into production (sorry I'd post the pic but my scanner is on the fritz).

If that's the case, then I'm guessing they really were trying to get Lynch involved (and heck maybe they're still trying!). If all they wanted to do was do a letterboxed TV cut, I think it would be out and ready for review by now.

[romanD]

or it just got Lynch`s attention and he doesn`t want this to happen, like that incident with the LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS DVD...

we`ll see... keep your fingers crossed!

[AndyDursin]

or it just got Lynch`s attention and he doesn`t want this to happen, like that incident with the LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS DVD...

But the deal is that DUNE really isn't "his" movie -- it's Dino DeLaurentiis'. He owns it, and that TV cut has been released EVERYWHERE else in the world except for here.

I wouldn't think Lynch would have a leg to stand on if he simply was objecting to it coming out.....BUT if he offered to do something different with the DVD and perhaps improve it, I would think Universal would listen in that case.

I'm with you there Roman, I'm crossing my fingers that the latter scenario plays itself out. [/quote]

[MarkB]

Any news on the SE front? I would love to see an extended cut supervised by Lynch himself. I saw the TV cut once and thought it was garbage.

I'm one of those who loves the theatrical version. Oddly enough, I hated it the first time I saw it. I had reread the book just prior to my viewing and all I could see was the differences. Then a few weeks later I had a Saturday afternoon to kill on the Navy base where I was stationed, and for fifty cents I figured I could afford to give it another try. This time I accepted it on its own terms and everything just seemed to click for me. It's faithful to the spirit of Herbert's book, but filtered through the classic Lynch sensibility. I think its truly an underrated gem.

I used to have that WaldenBooks cassette Andy mentioned. I'd love to find another copy of it, but haven't had any luck finding any on the auction sites. (Actually, I've found very little mention of it anywhere on the internet.) Anyone have a copy they might like to part with?

Mark

[romanD]

finally it is coming:

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=56005

sounds prettyy good... cant wait!

[AndyDursin]

Just got my copy in and will look at it this afternoon (with a review to follow).

It has both the theatrical cut AND the same, Extended "Alan Smithee" Extended TV cut -- but the latter IS in widescreen 2.35 for the first time, which definitely helps.

There are also additional Deleted Scenes with an introduction by producer Rafella DeLaurentiis and exclusive new featurettes.

Bottom line: the best DUNE to date on DVD anywhere (mainly because of the Widescreen TV cut).

[Bill Williams]

Bottom line: the best DUNE to date on DVD anywhere (mainly because of the Widescreen TV cut).

Andy, my friend, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I just got my review copy yesterday, and this release is far from where it should have been.

The supposed 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer for the extended cut is more akin to a 1.85:1 transfer, though it is listed as 2.35:1 on the packaging. For that matter, look at the prologue very carefully. You will notice that the image on the production paintings is, in fact, a matted image, as some of the image presentation has been cropped from the different TV broadcasts. Compare it to a VHS recording of the TV broadcast, and pay attention to the planets at the top and bottom of the screen, and you'll see what I mean.

For that matter, the 177-minute edit is more akin to what had been shown on the SciFi Channel a few years back than the first extended broadcasts in 1988. One significant example is the edit of the destruction of the weirding modules, which was cut from the SciFi broadcast, yet it is present at the end of Part 1 of the 1988 TV broadcast.

In addition, David Lynch apparently did not supervise the transfer of the extended cut onto DVD, though it is in widescreen for the first time. There are no audio commentaries from anyone involved, which should have been there to begin with to present viewers with an accurately-balanced account of the film's production history. (And there's no audio commentary from "Alan Smithee" either! ) Also, the theatrical trailer has been omitted from this new DVD as well, which was present in one of the previous home video versions (I've got the widescreen VHS of the theatrical cut, and it has the trailer at the head of the tape).

Furthermore, overseas releases have a number of additional features that were not included on the Region 1 disc, including the trailer, a "making-of" documentary, a blooper reel, cinema notice photos, and ads for the TV broadcast. Why weren't these included on the R1 disc as well?

I also noticed on the packaging that there's a cast and filmmaker section on the disc, yet I don't think it's on there at all.

In addition, one press release for this new DVD touted a DTS 5.1 track, yet there's not one on the DVD.

Why only 18 minutes of deleted scenes? Rafaella de Laurentiis confirms that Lynch prepared a four-hour cut of the film. And if you add up all of the footage from the theatrical and extended cuts and the deleted scenes, there's still about 45 minutes of footage unaccounted for.

And like MarkB mentioned, I used to have that exclusive Waldenbooks audiocassette as well, which if I remember correctly had commentaries from Frank Herbert and David Lynch. That would have made for a great audio commentary on the DVD as well. Like Mark, I'd love to find that one again (eBay, here I come!).

I'm planning to check out the disc as thoroughly as I can this weekend for my TrekWeb.com review to come soon, and once I do, I will have more thoughts to share.

Bottom line: This could have been a home-run winner, had it been done right. But it hasn't. Despite getting the transfer on the theatrical cut right, and despite getting the first-ever widescreen transfer of the extended cut in 5.1 sound, it still misses the mark in quite a number of ways. On a 1-5 scale, at this point I don't see it getting any higher than a 3 at best.

[AndyDursin]

Well Bill, I have to respectfully part company with you just a bit here.

First off, why would Lynch ever be involved with supervising the transfer of the Extended Cut? This is the TV version they're releasing after all with the Smithee directorial credit.

I agree they could have done more in terms of supplements, sure, but I don't have a problem with the Extended Version's presentation: that whole matte-painting introduction is indeed cropped as you say (which makes sense since it was produced for a 1.33 TV OAR), but the rest of the movie is very clearly in its proper 2.35. What's 1.85 about it? Once the movie starts it's in its proper framing. It's only the TV-produced material that is being hurt by the 2.35, as you would anticipate, so that didn't bother me.

I think Raffaella De Laurentiis explains pretty clearly that there isn't any 4-hour cut of the movie in that "Deleted DUNE" section. There's probably some extra, incomplete outtake footage lying somewhere, but I wonder how much there really is and -- more significantly -- she said none of it was finished. An ASSEMBLY is a lot different than an actual cut...it doesn't mean there's really another hour of honest-to-goodness extra footage there. Paul Sammon's notes in the Sanctuary DVD detail scenes from the "Cast and Crew Screening" of DUNE -- half of which are in the deleted scenes section of this DVD (and total 15 minutes). A poster on the HTF just mentioned the fact that none of the deleted scenes are even completed, and thats true, because you can even hear Lynch himself on one of those scenes, I believe!

No trailer, true, and no DTS (though the Dolby tracks are terrific, IMHO)...but unless Universal wanted to spend a LOT of money on finishing footage that was never completed -- some of which Lynch obviously never intended to be in the movie to begin with (why else would he re-shoot that Water of Life sequence?) -- I can't see what else they could have done here, especially when Lynch has refused time and time again to get involved.

To me they gave you here exactly what they promised: both versions, and principally the debut of the TV Version in 2.35 with extras. I would have liked more of them -- and the trailer -- but I think it's a perfectly good set and would highly recommend it to be able to see the Extended Cut in widescreen, which no other DVD can boast, not to mention those extra 15 minutes of deleted scenes, which are exclusive to this disc.

As far as wanting commentary, and more documentary materials, I have to think most of the people who worked on this film may not want to talk anymore about it. I say that because Sanctuary's Special Edition DVD seemed to interview everyone in the world except Lynch -- and all they could come up with was a 40 minute documentary. Not exactly exhaustive there, either, you know what I mean? Along those lines, has ANY other DVD boasted a commentary on the movie with personnel?

To be honest, it's a very silly film in places and it's not entirely successful -- I think even Lynch fans would admit that. There are others who still feel it's unwatchable. It's quite possible a few of the people who were involved in the movie feel disappointed by it, at least partially, and may not want to discuss it at length. Somehow or other, I get the distinct impression that between all of these myraid of DVD releases, this is all we're going to get...and I'm not about to throw Universal under the bus for that.

[MarkB]

And like MarkB mentioned, I used to have that exclusive Waldenbooks audiocassette as well, which if I remember correctly had commentaries from Frank Herbert and David Lynch. That would have made for a great audio commentary on the DVD as well. Like Mark, I'd love to find that one again (eBay, here I come!).

Bill, if you ever come across a copy of that cassette, please let me know. The only reference to it I've found on the internet over the years basically just acknowledged its existence. I've never seen it on eBay, or anywhere else for sale.

Can someone tell me if there are any improvements to the theatrical version on the new disc? Frankly, I can't stand the "extended cut" and have no interest in a longer version unless Lynch is allowed (or agrees) to complete it himself.

I don't think the old DVD was 16x9, so that might be the main selling point of the new one for me.

And tell me about the extras!

Mark

[AndyDursin]

And like MarkB mentioned, I used to have that exclusive Waldenbooks audiocassette as well, which if I remember correctly had commentaries from Frank Herbert and David Lynch. That would have made for a great audio commentary on the DVD as well. Like Mark, I'd love to find that one again (eBay, here I come!).

Bill, if you ever come across a copy of that cassette, please let me know. The only reference to it I've found on the internet over the years basically just acknowledged its existence. I've never seen it on eBay, or anywhere else for sale.

Can someone tell me if there are any improvements to the theatrical version on the new disc? Frankly, I can't stand the "extended cut" and have no interest in a longer version unless Lynch is allowed (or agrees) to complete it himself.

I don't think the old DVD was 16x9, so that might be the main selling point of the new one for me.

And tell me about the extras!

Mark

Mark my review is on the front page. As memory serves, it IS an improvement on the first Universal DVD (I think you're right that it wasn't 16:9), but obviously if you don't like the Extended Cut the upgrade is minimal. The 5.1 is nice, however, on the Extended Cut.

I don't think "allow" has anything to do with Lynch..."agrees" is the right term, and I think it's pretty clear by now he doesn't want anything more to do with DUNE. I also thought Raffella DeLaurentiis does a nice job explaining that there isn't some magical, mystical 4-hour finished cut of the movie out there -- or ever was.

...and you must have missed my fiancee's Ebay auction of that cassette last year! (I think she only got about $20 for it

[AndyDursin]

Bill, Mark: check your private messages.

Anyone else interested in the tape PM me.