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created 12/15/97. |
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review
added: 5/22/02
Frank
Herbert's Dune
Special
Edition - Director's Cut - 2000 (2002) - SciFi Channel
(Artisan)
review
by Bill Hunt, editor of The Digital Bits
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Film
Rating: A
Disc Ratings (Video/Extras): A-/B+
Audio Ratings (DD/DTS): B+/A-
Specs and Features:
Disc One: Part I
98 mins, NR, letterboxed widescreen (1.77:1), 16x9 enhanced,
single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 53:51 in chapter
17), custom 3-disc cardboard/plastic packaging, audio commentary
with writer/director John Harrison, second unit director/visual
effects supervisor Ernest Farino, editor Harry Miller, visual
effects designer Greg Nicotero and visual effects supervisor Tim
McHugh), Frank Herbert's Dune: The Lure
of Spice behind-the-scenes featurette (25 mins - 4x3),
Graeme Revell Reveals
interview featurette (5 mins - 16x9 - features optional 7:25 min.
medley of soundtrack music at the end in DD 2.0), photo and sketch
gallery (covering visual effects, storyboards and character and
costume sketches), animated film-themed menu screens with music,
scene access (28 chapters), languages: English (DD 5.1 & 2.0,
DTS 5.1), subtitles: none, Closed Captioned
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Disc
Two: Part II
95 mins, NR, letterboxed widescreen (1.77:1), 16x9 enhanced,
single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 57:18 in chapter
17), custom 3-disc cardboard/plastic packaging, audio commentary
with writer/director John Harrison, second unit director/visual
effects supervisor Ernest Farino, editor Harry Miller, visual
effects designer Greg Nicotero and visual effects supervisor Tim
McHugh), Science Future/Science Fiction
roundtable discussion featurette (28 mins - 16x9 - with director
John Harrison, sci-fi writers Harlan Ellison, Octavia Butler,
Michael Cassutt and writer/inventor/futurist Ray Kurzweil -
moderated by Arthur Cover), Willis
McNelley on Frank Herbert and Dune featurette (12 mins -
16x9 - interview with author of the Dune
Encyclopedia), cast & crew bios, production notes,
animated film-themed menu screens with music, scene access (28
chapters), languages: English (DD 5.1 & 2.0, DTS 5.1),
subtitles: none, Closed Captioned
Disc Three: Part III
96 mins, NR, letterboxed widescreen (1.77:1), 16x9 enhanced,
single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 55:48 in chapter
18), custom 3-disc cardboard/plastic packaging, audio commentary
with writer/director John Harrison, second unit director/visual
effects supervisor Ernest Farino, editor Harry Miller, visual
effects designer Greg Nicotero and visual effects supervisor Tim
McHugh), The Color Wheel
featurette (12 mins - 16x9 - interview with cinematographer Vittorio
Storaro), Frank Herbert's Dune: A
Cinematographic Treatment text essay by Vittorio Storaro,
Defining the Messiah
featurette (13 mins - 16x9 - interviews with religious scholars
Elaine Pagels, Rabbi Mordachai Finely, Munir Shaikh and Jungian
psychologist Gabrielle Bodo), Walking and
Talking with John Harrison interview featurette (11 mins
- 16x9), Children of Dune "sneak
peek" preproduction gallery, preview trailers (for Rambo
Trilogy and Van Wilder),
animated film-themed menu screens with music, scene access (28
chapters), languages: English (DD 5.1 & 2.0, DTS 5.1),
subtitles: none, Closed Captioned
"A terrible purpose awaits us, Mother. This vast organism we
call humanity is about to reinvent itself from the ashes of its own
complacency. The sleeper has awakened. Anything that tries to stop
it will be crushed."
In the history of science fiction literature, there have been few
truly great works - works of high concept that cut through the
trappings of pulp "sci-fi" (robots, laser guns, funny
looking aliens) to describe timeless stories of the human condition.
Among the best works of the genre are Arthur C. Clarke's 2001:
A Space Odyssey, Isaac Asimov's Foundation
Trilogy and Ray Bradbury's The
Martian Chronicles. As good as any of these, however, is
Frank Herbert's Dune. Set many
thousands of years in the future, it's a simple tale of two great
royal houses engaged in a massive struggle to control the most
valuable planet in the Universe - Dune (also known as Arakkis). But
the rightful heir to the planet, young Paul Atreides, is more than
he seems. He's the product of a genetic breeding program that's gone
on for thousands of years, and his battle is more than just a
political struggle. Before the story is fully told, Paul Atreides
will become Muad'Dib - a prophet who will help the native people of
Arakkis to reclaim their world... and who will help the human race
to reclaim its very identity. Rich in political, cultural and
ecological detail, Dune won
both the Hugo and Nebula awards for science fiction and remains one
of the most highly-regarded novels of all time.
For many years, filmmakers struggled to bring Frank Herbert's novel
to the big screen. At one point in the 1980s, even Ridley Scott was
involved in such an effort (without success). Finally, in 1984,
David Lynch delivered his own vision of the story to theaters
(available as a movie-only DVD from Universal) with very mixed
results. There are many fans of the Lynch version, but I'm not one
of them. While I really liked his production design - the look and
feel of the world of Dune -
the film's special effects were decidedly awful. Worse, in order to
jam as much of the story into the film's 137 minutes as possible,
important concepts in the novel were drastically altered or omitted
entirely. An expanded, 190-minute, "TV version" of the
film was later done (available on DVD in Region 2), but Lynch hated
it so much that he asked to have his name removed from it entirely
(the infamous "Allen Smithee" is credited).
With the film rights tightly controlled by Dino De Laurentiis, a
better film version seemed unlikely. But a few years ago, a TV
producer named Richard Rubinstein discovered that the TV miniseries
rights to the Herbert novel were still available. He interested a TV
director friend (John Harrison) in the project, and the two acquired
the rights with the help of the SciFi Channel. Harrison set out to
adapt the novel as a miniseries and to recreate the novel's 3-act
structure - each act would be told in a separate night of the
miniseries. Once the ball got rolling, the production attracted a
terrific pool of talent, including actors William Hurt (The
Big Chill) and Giancarlo Giannini (Hannibal),
and cinematographer Vittorio Stararo (Apocalypse
Now). The result is an epic, lavish, 266-minute
production of Dune, that
finally does justice to Frank Herbert's original vision. When shown
on the SciFi Channel last year, it was well received and garnered
the network's highest ratings ever.
Fans of the David Lynch film will probably not warm to Frank
Herbert's Dune. For one thing, it has completely
abandoned the earlier work's dark, atmospheric look. Instead, this
production is vibrant and colorful. To save money, and to create a
unique look to the final project, the entire film was shot on
soundstages. So-called exteriors were done against massive, colorful
"translight" backgrounds. The result is a production with
a decidedly theatrical feel. But, in my opinion, that stylized look
actually lends itself to this story. It feels large and important,
like a great and massive staged production of a Shakespeare play, if
you will. The effects are done CGI, and while they aren't
feature-film quality, they're fine for TV. The production design is
a marvel - everywhere you look on screen, there's something worth
looking at. Frank Herbert's Dune
is definitely a feast for the eyes. Very few story changes have been
made in the adaptation of the novel for television (the major ones
are that the character of Princess Irulan, who is the "narrator"
of the novel, is a more important figure in the miniseries, and that
Paul's internal monologue has been largely abandoned in favor of a
more traditional narrative approach). And the performances by the
cast are absolutely first-rate. Again, they have a theatrical
flavor, but these characters seem far more rounded and human than
those that populate the Lynch film. Standouts include Hurt (Duke
Leto) and Giannini (The Padishah-Emperor), as well as relative
unknowns like Alec Newman (as Paul), Saskia Reeves (Lady Jessica)
and Uwe Ochsenknecht (Stilgar). Ian McNeice is wonderfully over the
top as the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. And stage actress Barbora
Kodetova simply IS Chani, in my humble opinion. Bottom line - if
you're a fan of the original novel, and you can put the Lynch film
out of your mind, I think you'll really enjoy SciFi's miniseries
version. It's great entertainment. And while it isn't perfect, it is
(by far) the most detailed and accurate retelling of Frank Herbert's
novel ever produced.
And that was just the original broadcast version. The new
director's cut found on this 3-disc DVD set has been expanded by
some 30 minutes, with roughly 10 minutes added to each part of the
series. This new, longer Frank Herbert's
Dune is a richer, more layered experience. The character
of Princess Irulan is much more active in the new cut - she's a
scheming, savvy political operator, who uses guile, intrigue and
even sex to learn what she wants to know and to manipulate people
without their realizing it. The Fremen crusade against the Harkonnen
is also fleshed out more - it's more intense and bloody now. We
learn in greater depth who betrays Duke Leto and why he does it. A
score of more adult scenes and themes have also been added to the
story - including numerous (but brief) instances of violence and
nudity - which give the overall story a more unapologetically
mature, edgy feel. I wouldn't have thought this miniseries could get
much better, but this new cut is truly outstanding.
Any of you who read my review of Artisan's original DVD release of
Frank
Herbert's Dune will recall that I wasn't pleased with that
disc. In fact, it was a major disappointment. Thankfully, most of my
complaints have been addressed with this new Special
Edition - Director's Cut release. To start with, while
the original 2-disc set's video was letterboxed widescreen only,
this new set feature fully remastered anamorphic widescreen video.
And it looks amazing. Now, this isn't quite reference quality video,
but this is DEFINITELY the way to view this miniseries. Each episode
has been mastered to its own disc in this set, which means that the
video bit rates have been maxed out. Gone is all the compression
artifacting that plagued the old discs. This video features rich
fine detail (with only moderate edge-enhancement), incredibly
vibrant color and satisfyingly deep (but detailed) contrast. Some of
the effects shots - okay, most of the effects shots - have a very "digital"
look to them, along with some aliasing and other artifacts resulting
from budget-grade CGI work. And a few of the live action shots that
mix CGI look unnaturally soft. Still, with these minor complaints,
this video is very pleasing to watch. And the miniseries' extremely
lavish and colorful production design really pops off the screen. A
HUGE improvement over the original disc.
But the video isn't the only thing that's gotten an overhaul.
Whereas the original DVD included only Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround,
this new release features your choice of remastered Dolby Digital
5.1 or DTS 5.1. Both tracks are excellent in their own right. The
DTS track is my slightly preferred option, featuring a smoother,
wider soundstage, greater clarity (particularly when conveying
ambiance), very active surrounds and rich low frequency
reinforcement. The Dolby Digital track sounds a little crisper and
more directional in its use of surround effects. But again, both are
excellent tracks and a vast improvement over the original release.
The extras on this new DVD release are also much improved, but
they're still a bit of a mixed bag (more on that in a minute). The
extras are split over the three discs in the set, but the best of
them (and the one constant on all the discs) is the full-length
audio commentary (for all three episodes of the miniseries) by
writer/director John Harrison. I've had the pleasure of getting to
know John a little bit over the last few months, and I have a lot of
respect for him. His commentary is thoughtful and considered,
covering everything from the adaptation of the story, the character
development and themes, the production itself, the special effects
and even some of his thoughts on filmmaking and science fiction in
general. Harrison is joined on the track by second unit
director/visual effects supervisor Ernest Farino, editor Harry
Miller, visual effects designer Greg Nicotero and visual effects
supervisor Tim McHugh (different combinations of the group are
present on different episodes). This is a bunch of guys who, in some
cases, have known each other for years and who clearly love what
they do, talking together about the making of this film. The
commentary is a very easy listen and is well worth your time.
The animated menu design on the new DVDs is elegant and minimal,
yet very stylish - a very nice touch. I'm also happy to see that the
behind-the-scenes documentary that was on the original disc, The
Lure of Spice, has been included on the new DVD. In
addition, the production notes, cast & crew bios, some (but not
all) of the gallery artwork and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro's
Frank Herbert's Dune: A Cinematographic
Treatment text essay have also survived from the original
DVD release. The gallery artwork has actually been expanded to cover
visual effects, storyboards and character and costume sketches. You
even get a sneak peek at design art for the sequel miniseries, Children
of Dune, which is now in preproduction (note that the
sequel was written by Harrison, combining the books Children
of Dune and Dune Messiah,
but sadly won't be directed by him due to a schedule conflict).
Back to that mixed bag - these three DVDs include a number of
featurettes. Among them are an interview with Harrison (on the film
and his work), an interview with composer Graeme Revell (on the
score), an interview with cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (on his
philosophy/visual approach), an interview with Dune
Encyclopedia author Willis McNelley (on Frank Herbert and
Dune), a roundtable discussion
with Harrison, Harlan Ellison and Ray Kurzweil (among others,
talking about science fiction) and interviews with religious
scholars (on the meaning of "messiah"). All of that sounds
really great, doesn't it? And it is. Once you get into each of these
video featurettes, there's VERY real substance to be found.
Unfortunately, these featurettes look... well, not good.
Surprisingly, they're all 16x9, but it's still like watching ultra
low budget cable access programming. This footage is rife with
problems. You'll see people out of focus (while the background is
crisp), white balance problems, flat or unflattering lighting
(sometimes people are in shadow while the background is blown out,
sometimes they're photographed with bright windows behind them),
shaky hand-held camerawork - you name it. During the interview with
Vittorio Storaro, you can hear other people talking in the next room
through Storaro's narrative and the background music! The real shame
is that what was attempted here shows tremendous vision. I just wish
the budget had been there to back it up with better production
quality.
There are a couple of other complaints with this DVD, but they're
more minor. I would really have liked to see a series of the SciFi
Channel trailers and TV spots for this miniseries included here,
rather than promo trailers for other Artisan DVDs. And the packaging
for this 3-disc set is a fragile plastic and cardboard affair that
looks like an ultra-cheap version of a Digipack. The problem is that
it's terribly flimsy and is easily dinged, scuffed and otherwise
damaged. It doesn't stay closed by itself, unlike a Snapper or a
keep case. And the plastic pieces don't hold the discs tightly - 2
of the 3 discs were lose in my set and one had been so badly damaged
it couldn't be played until I went to work on it with
CD
PlayRight's Trio for DVD repair kit. Why not just a classy
Digipack like Fight Club or
even a 3-disc Amaray case?
Those small complaints aside, if this DVD isn't quite a home run, it
DEFINITELY satisfied me as the version of the miniseries on disc
I've been waiting for. You absolutely get the all-important superior
picture and sound quality you're looking for here. And if the
featurettes are so-so in terms of production quality, you have to
give them an "A" for ambition (if say, a "D" for
execution). So let's say those average out to a "C+". Add
a thoughtful commentary, the documentary, the art galleries and
other goodies, and you've got enough to bump the extras score up to
a "B+". The full-length audio commentary alone is enough
to make me happy, so the rest is just icing anyway. Bottom line,
THIS version of Frank Herbert's Dune
on DVD is, at long last, worth both your time and money. The new cut
of the miniseries is absolutely outstanding. And given the nice
price you can find this set for online, I'd say it's not to be
missed.
Bill Hunt
billhunt@thedigitalbits.com |
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