Dune

[Sweden]

I first saw this film long before I read the book, and as a result fell in love with its awfulness. "Many machines on Ix... Better than those on Richesse." Yep, that same planet that isn't mentioned ONCE through the rest of the film! Actually, I can't remember Ix being mentioned again. "The Duke has been gaining favour in the Lansdraad." Er, yeah.

Then I read the book, the film began to make sense, and I lost all my inclination to watch it. Fortunatly, I enjoyed the books (all of them, even Chapter House, which a lot of people seem to despise).

I haven't seen the film in about four years, which makes this review like greeting an old friend. "The worm is the spice, the spice is the worm!"

[Wally]

This is a floored masterpiece. It has so many good things going for it and just as many bad. The sonic weapons are just plain corny, what a dumb idea.

[furbearingbrick]

I guess you've heard this by now, but the first one to tackle the task of attempting to film Dune was Alexandro Jodorowsky (of El Topo fame.) It would have starred Salvador Dali as the Emperor, Moebius made costume designs, Giger was doing backgrounds, Chris Foss (you've probably seen his artwork on sci-fi paperback covers) was designing the ships, and Pink Floyd would have done the soundtrack. That would have been some movie!!!

http://www.duneinfo.com/unseen/

http://www.jd.gosling.btinternet.co.uk/dune.htm

http://membres.lycos.fr/sarfa/majeure.html (Note: this site is in French)

[raj]

I somehow forced myself through the first three books of this series (it's gotta get better) and threw in the towel midway through the fourth book -- when I learned that there was a fifth one coming out.  Make the pain stop, I'll tell you where bin Laden is.

the filmmaker managed to turn an incomprehensible, tedious and overly long book into an incomprehensible, tedious and overly long movie.  Hated it.

[giant Claw]

They take a real good book and turn it into aperfectly awful movie what next for these nerds

[Viktorcrayon]

The best "bad movie" part in it for me, is when they discover that "Muad Dib" is a power word.

Theres also a scene where Muad Dib kills a dude, and then one of the fremen looks at him and goes "Muad Diiiiiiiib!!!!!" with love in his eyes. Hilarious.

Worst Lynch movie ever, but saw it recently again, while hungover/half asleep, and it was pretty enjoyable.

[amabush]

Good grief! 'Dune' is one of the most atrocious films ever made! Portentous, boring, full of agonisingly self conscious performances, and what the hell is all that WHISPERING about? My bf and I spent a week whispering at each other after watching this, cracking up every time.  The bits which are meant to be funny (and they are very few) are the opposite - however you can't claim, conversely, that the serious bits are funny, there are far too many of them. And how could Lynch allow Sting to stay in the film after watching the rushes? HE IS NOT AN ACTOR and a child of three could see this. Sorry guys, it's a turkey.

[Him]

and what the hell is all that WHISPERING about?

The whisperiing is their way of portraying what the characters are thinking.

[Babel-17]

I acually like this film a great deal, but I gotta say, man...your section "Things I Learned...." was one of the funniest things I've read in long while! heh!



kudos!
B-17

[Lord Fancourt]

I recently revisited Dune via Netflix. My first viewing, years ago, was before I ever read the novel, so watching this film anew led me to this conclusion: science fiction is a genre that is completely foreign to David Lynch. He was precisely the wrong person to direct this famous story. I also learned that he, and various other key persons on this flick had never even read the book. They just winged it, I guess.
If you are familiar with Frank Herbert's novel, you'll see just how badly they screwed up the movie version. And who the hell did they put in charge of hairstyles? Jeez!
From the extras on the DVD I learned that the original script for this ill-fated project was so huge that the movie would have been about 12 hours long! They went through several writers and many rewrites and a couple of other directors before cajoling Lynch into helming the shoot. Lynch himself admits it all turned to crap and to this day refuses to be associated with the film. He had his name taken off the credits and the job of director is now accredited to the fictitious Alan Smithee.
A newer version, with William Hurt, and less outlandish hairstlyes, done in two parts, is a much more faithful version to the novel and makes way better sense.

[Rev. Powell]

I recently revisited Dune via Netflix. My first viewing, years ago, was before I ever read the novel, so watching this film anew led me to this conclusion: science fiction is a genre that is completely foreign to David Lynch. He was precisely the wrong person to direct this famous story. I also learned that he, and various other key persons on this flick had never even read the book. They just winged it, I guess.
If you are familiar with Frank Herbert's novel, you'll see just how badly they screwed up the movie version. And who the hell did they put in charge of hairstyles? Jeez!
From the extras on the DVD I learned that the original script for this ill-fated project was so huge that the movie would have been about 12 hours long! They went through several writers and many rewrites and a couple of other directors before cajoling Lynch into helming the shoot. Lynch himself admits it all turned to crap and to this day refuses to be associated with the film. He had his name taken off the credits and the job of director is now accredited to the fictitious Alan Smithee.
A newer version, with William Hurt, and less outlandish hairstlyes, done in two parts, is a much more faithful version to the novel and makes way better sense.

Lynch blames studio interference for the disaster that was DUNE.  In his interview in the book "Moviemakers' Master Class" he says:

"My advice to every young filmmaker is this: remain in control of your film from beginning to end. It's better not to make a film at all than to give up the power of final decision. Because if you do, you can suffer immensely. And I know that from experience. I shot Dune without final cut, and I was so damaged by the result that it took me three years before I could make another film. I still haven't gotten over it, even today. It's a wound that won't heal."

[Dogsledder]

  "You know, if I ever take on a worm longer than an aircraft carrier with a hand weapon..."
  I thought Battleship was the unit of measure. Does that mean the worms are bigger than The Giant Claw?

[Jurrasic]

Steve, I realize this is near 10 years past your comment, but the soundtrack was by TOTO, not Queen.

I absoluely LOVE this movie, and saw it well before having the chance to read the book, and I had no problem figuring out what the hell was going on. Not all the little details that made Frank Herbert's universe so compelling in book form, but enough to follow and enjoy the alien strangeness of it all.

This was also before I knew about David Lynch and what a mindscrew his works are, I think I was about 10 years old at the time.

I in many ways prefer it to the (VERY European!) mini series of Dune and Children of Dune, except for the representation of 'wierding way' combat that was a million times better then just grabbing Stilgar by the throat.

Anyhow, if you have read the book but never seen this version of Dune, you may well hate it. But look on the usual torrent sites for a fan-edit done by a guy named 'Spicediver' who re-inserted a comprehensive history at the start and much of the cut scenes (Including the mystery of the disappearing Thufir Howat as the Fremen confront the Emperor)  and restored some of the original Brian Eno score alongside Toto's work.  Most agree it's a far more coherent version.

But if you've never read the books or seen the miniseries, give it a shot! It truely fits 'so bad it's good'.

[Parralax view]

Dune is the finest example of read the book first.  David Lynch was so embarrassed by the theatrical cut, he had his name removed and added Alan Smithee as director, a name common in Hollywood when a director doesn't want to be associated with a steaming pile.

Most people had not read Herbert even when Dune was made, those that had, could not see a movie with enough depth to make it understandable.  All the plots and sub plots were just a mystery to them.  No character development other than to name them and give them some screen time to do the best they could. Eventually, they had to add in some animation and opening dialog to make it make a bit of sense.

Still, however, a very powerful story which cannot really be told on the screen due to the ponderous length of the novel itself.