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Dune, and what could have been.


Westerosi Coast Gangster

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Ok, so after taking suggestions from this board I decided I would read the Dune books. I have read Dune and Dune Messiah and I enjoyed them. Having never seen the motion picture I decided to watch the 1984 movie and came away with a sense of sadness at what could have been. For an 80s movie it is kinda ground breaking but how on earth did the producers/director think they could make this movie with 2 hours and 17 minutes worth of screen time?

I really liked how they used the actors voice to show their inner thoughts, basicially.line for line with the book. This should have been atleast a 3 hour movie, or cut into two movies. What say you?

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There are longer versions of the movie. There's no official director's cut, but Lynch's rough cut of the film was four hours and he intended for it to be a three hour movie. Various longer versions of the movie exist that have pulled footage that wasn't in the original theatrical release. I used to have one on tape that was a little over three hours. It expands and adds a lot of scenes that weren't originally there; although its obviously still in the same style.



And it is a weird style. I don't mind it, in fact its kind of neat, but its not really much like Dune.

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Many of the themes that drew me to aSoIaF, are quite similar to Dune.

I always saw a parallel between:

Rhaegar/Paul

Elia/Irulan

Lyanna/Chani

Dany/Alia

Aegon/Victor

Jon/Leto I, (I wouldn't be surprised if Jon doesn't have a twin).

I think Dune is so expansive, it might be better suited to a series.

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Although there are a myriad of other reasons that I despise David Lynch, Dune is by far the greatest. I have never been as dissatisfied with a movie in my entire life.



I also highly recommend watching Jodorowsky's Dune. It is one of the best documentaries that I have seen this year.


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There are longer versions of the movie. There's no official director's cut, but Lynch's rough cut of the film was four hours and he intended for it to be a three hour movie. Various longer versions of the movie exist that have pulled footage that wasn't in the original theatrical release. I used to have one on tape that was a little over three hours. It expands and adds a lot of scenes that weren't originally there; although its obviously still in the same style.

And it is a weird style. I don't mind it, in fact its kind of neat, but its not really much like Dune.

It would be interesting to see a proper extended 'director's cut' of the film. I've got the 3 hour version, but that was made without Lynch's involvement and he demanded they took his name off it so the film's director is listed as Alan Smithee. Some of the new scenes were OK but in others the special effects hadn't been finished and the changed prologue featuring horribly clunky exposition narrated over pictures of the various planets might be one of the worst openings I've ever seen to a film.

This should have been atleast a 3 hour movie, or cut into two movies. What say you?

I think it does need to be longer. In terms of telling the story the two Sci-fi Channel miniseries do a much better better job and even though they do change things they're a lot more faithful to the books that Lynch was.

I think the best possible adaptation of Dune would probably be a big-budget miniseries or short TV series made by one of the big cable channel. The pacing of the Sci-fi Channel version worked well but the obvious budgetary limitations and the variable quality of the acting leave quite a lot of room for improvement.

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Although there are a myriad of other reasons that I despise David Lynch, Dune is by far the greatest. I have never been as dissatisfied with a movie in my entire life.

I also highly recommend watching Jodorowsky's Dune. It is one of the best documentaries that I have seen this year.

Funny you should say that, because it was on the other night. Of course I came in on the end of it.

Also, I thought Dune Messiah was as good if not better than Dune. Are the following books near as good?

Agreed. They get a little "trippy," but they are good.

I also read the prequals from Herberts son, and while they were interesting, they lacked the edge that his father had. In terms of Lynches botched version, I did like some of the soundtrack like Eno's prophesy theme, but the rest of the music was too "current."

The SCIFI series was more faithful to the works, but I almost feel in terms of costume and look, that HR Giger was more appropriate.

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Also, I thought Dune Messiah was as good if not better than Dune. Are the following books near as good?

Well, the last two books were to have been part one and two of a (second) trilogy. The final book is missing because Frank Herbert died before he could write it. A lot of stuff that happens in the books therefore remains unexplained. The God Emperor links the early books with the later ones, which are set millenia after the original Dune.

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  • 4 months later...

Many of the themes that drew me to aSoIaF, are quite similar to Dune.

I always saw a parallel between:

Rhaegar/Paul

Elia/Irulan

Lyanna/Chani

Dany/Alia

Aegon/Victor

Jon/Leto, (I wouldn't be surprised if Jon doesn't have a twin).

I think Dune is so expansive, it might be better suited to a series.

The easiest comparison is Duke Leto and Ned. They are basically the same person, with a very similar demise.

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That folio printing looks pretty amazing.

Sadly buying it would give money to Frank's idiot son Brian. And that is something I just cannot do.

The entire dune saga would be well suited for animation I think. Get some big voice actors, animate it beautifully, follow the story well, let it be as many episodes and seasons as needed.

But Brian Herbert would make money on it.

I still adore the giger art he did for the movie that never was.

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AotK,

Many of the themes that drew me to aSoIaF, are quite similar to Dune.

I always saw a parallel between:

Rhaegar/Paul

Elia/Irulan

Lyanna/Chani

Dany/Alia

Aegon/Victor

Jon/Leto, (I wouldn't be surprised if Jon doesn't have a twin).

I think Dune is so expansive, it might be better suited to a series.

You should specify "Leto II". When you just say "Leto" I think of Duke Leto Paul's father.

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