DUNE - DVD review

Expanding the audience of Frank Herbert's novel "Dune" beyond the literary has become a story in itself. The first attempt to do so was David Lynch's cinematic attempt that defines the "you either love it or hate it" film. I have known many people who consider that film an all-time classic and I have known others that are quick to place it on all-time worst lists. Herbert's novel is quite lengthy and the two-hour running time of Lynch's film considerably altered parts of the story to meet the short running time necessary for commercial success. A longer version of the film was eventually released for European audiences, but Lynch even removed himself from that version and attached the pseudo-name of Alan Smithee as the director of the longer version. The three-hour Smithee directed film has yet to appear in the domestic video market.

More recently, the Sci-Fi Channel teamed up with director John Harrison and produced a sprawling five-hour miniseries that finally brings Herbert's epic tale of politics and the Messiah to a visual media. Fans of the book will certainly rejoice and embrace this new telling, one that finally delves into the meat of the classic novel and delivers aspects of the brilliant storytelling that were left out of the previous incarnation of "Dune." Both films are stylistically different from the other and neither is a technical marvel and each should be given credit for even attempting to visually tackle the world penned by Herbert. This miniseries is now in its second coming on DVD and this version features an additional thirty minutes of footage that was not included in the domestically televised version.

The story of "Dune" is complex and cannot be done justice with a quick summary or overview. If my words would sound dull or uninteresting, it is because of the great difficulty of describing the sprawling epic that unfolds over three years in fictional time and covers numerous worlds and civilizations. The primary focus of the story is on young Paul Atreides (Alec Newman), his arrival on the planet Arrakkis and the events that take place after House Harkonnen reclaims control of the planet from his father, Duke Leto (William Hurt) and House Atreides. Arrakis is an important planet because of its production of an extremely important resource, Spice. The Harkonnen Empire is the perfect representation of evil and Atreides is the antithesis to everything Harkonnen represents.

Leto and his family are initially brought in to rule Arrakkis and return the planet to profitability when Harkonnen leaves. Their departure is questioned, but Leto realizes the value of his new assignment given by the Emperor (Giancarlo Giannini). Politics and economics quickly come into play and the evil ruler of the Harkonnen, Baron Harkonnen (Ian McNeice) is poised to retake Arrakkis and murder the royal Atreides family. Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Saskia Reeves) find safety in the desert and are quickly taken in by the desert dwelling Sietch. Paul quickly rises through the ranks of the Sietch and becomes their leader, Muad'dib. He becomes their Messiah and the one who will lead them against the Harkonnen and bring prosperity to their world.

Praise must be given for director John Harrison and his international collection of actors. Everybody involved has done quite a job. Aside from William Hurt, who only needs to explain his involvement with "Lost in Space," the cast was a complete band of unknowns. Each brought life to their characters and when you are going to spend five hours with a character, this is important. Harrison must be given some credit for his direction of the actors, but a lot of credit should be given to him for his ability to keep this sprawling saga and oversized production together and coherent. The final product is something he and his actors should be quite proud of.

"Dune" is a lengthy and epic undertaking that did not hold my interest during the David Lynch version. I have never found the time to read Frank Herbert's masterpiece, but have the fortunate associations with many who have. Their comments are very positive on the attempt made by John Harrison in bringing the story to film. The miniseries moved me and held my interest. The five hours that it took to watch this version of "Dune" passed easily and the story started to make a great deal of sense to me, something that never completely happened with a couple of viewings of Lynch's version. This is a story with an incredible amount of plot and the five-hour miniseries certainly does a better job of tackling what Frank Herbert laid down in quite a few words. I can finally say that "Dune" is entertaining and the critical acclaim received by the novel is understood and for the first time I have some interest in reading Herbert's classic.

Video:
Watching this miniseries, it was quickly apparent that the filmmakers made many stylistic changes. This new version is bright and colorful, and completely opposite of the murky and dingy world filmed by Lynch. It was also quickly apparent that many decisions were made for budgetary reasons and the miniseries never stops looking like something that was made for television. The special effects and CGI are not horrendous, but there are times when they are less spectacular than some computer game cut scenes and they never come close to what Hollywood has to offer in summer movie houses. Every scene was also filmed on soundstages and it is quite noticeable. There is something to be said about location shooting, but the staged look of "Dune" gives it a look and feel that grows on you after the first hour or two and once interest is held, the look of the miniseries is easily digested.

The first DVD presentation of John Harrison's "Dune" featured a 1.77:1 non-anamorphic widescreen transfer. Amends were made the second time around and this disc now features a gorgeous 1.77:1 anamorphic print that will look splendid for years to come. The vibrant colors used are all conveyed masterfully and show no signs of color bleeding or ill contrasting. Black levels are good, and film grain nicely held in check. Detail is also very good, but the level of detail brings about edge-enhancement halos that border on becoming distracting. This is the only complaint against what is otherwise a top-notch transfer with no digital artificing or other compression related issues. If you were ever turned away from "Dune" only because of the gritty looking DVD and world of Lynch's film, then you no longer have anything to fear with Artisan's latest offering.

Audio:
Some were perhaps disappointed that the original DVD release of "Dune" featured only Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround. I seem to remember the Sci-Fi Channel's commercials for the miniseries touted Dolby Digital sound. I may be mistaking, but if that was the case, then the disappointment is understandable. Well, there will be no confusion or disappointment with this DVD release of "Dune." Two 5.1 audio mixes are provided. A DTS track and a Dolby Digital track! Both sound absolutely splendid. The original 2.0 track is still provided for those that want the best possible sound out of non-5.1 capable equipment. Dialogue is crisp and clear. Atmospheric effects are plentiful and audibly captivating. The .1 LFE channel works nicely throughout the film and especially so during scenes where the worms are decoyed with seismic equipment. Comparing the soundtracks does not produce a clear winner, though the DTS mix is mastered at a slightly higher volume.

Extras:
There are plenty of supplements to be found on the three DVDs of "Dune." There is such a nice array of interesting bonus materials available, that watching them all delayed my review of this DVD release for a few days. They were very captivating and I was eager to go through each and every one of them. Aside from the thirty minutes of expanded footage, all three DVDs feature an audio commentary, though each episode may feature different personalities contributing to the commentary track. Every disc features an informative and entertaining John Harrison (director) offering a great deal of insight into the production. Film editor Harry Miller and visual effects supervisor Ernest Farino contribute to the first and third discs. The second disc features special effects supervisor Greg Nicotero and the third disc also features visual effects artist Tim McHugh. The commentary is quite lengthy, but with five hours of available space, plenty of information is provided.

The first DVD features a carryover documentary from the first DVD release and a few other supplements both new and old. The documentary is entitled The Lure of Spice and runs for nearly thirty minutes. It covers a great deal of information about "Dune" and the actual production of the miniseries, but boils down to being another talking-heads documentary that spends a little time with a lot of personalities. A little more time could have been spared to make a stellar production that greatly dealt with the making of this epic miniseries. A five-minute piece on the films musical score, Graeme Revell Reveals, discusses the influences of the musical work and promotes the Soundtrack CD. A Photo and Sketch Gallery and Storyboards finish off the supplements of the first DVD.

Things are stepped up with the second DVD and even nicer supplements are included. Willis McNelly on Frank Herbert and Dune discusses the theological, political and symbolic tones represented by Frank Herbert's novel. McNelly is a close friend of the author and also the writer of the Dune Encyclopedia. This was quite informative and interesting and adds an even greater amount of understanding to the epic story. Science Future/Science Fiction is a roundtable discussion involving a number of people and moderated by Arthur Cover. Recorded at UCLA on January 26, 2002, the roundtable features director John Harrison and Harlan Ellison, Octavia Butler, Michael Cassutt, and Ray Kurweil. None of these names were familiar. Your typical Cast & Crew and Production Notes finish off the supplements of this DVD.

The third and final DVD is also loaded with value-added content. Three featurettes are included. Walking and Talking With John Harrison is an interview with the director that covers a couple of topics and takes place down a wooded road. It is a fresh take on DVD interviews and runs for just under fifteen minutes. The second featurette is The Color Wheel and this is an interview with the cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro. It too is entertaining, but technical. A text essay by Storaro is also included and entitled Frank Herbert's Dune: A Cinematographic Treatment. The third featurette deals with the religious topic of Defining the Messiah and interviews various figures from various faiths about their view on the concept of a Messiah. A still frame sneak peak of the Children of Dune and a few advertisements for other Artisan products complete the extra materials.

Summary:
Many may have been disappointed with the first DVD incarnation of the miniseries adaptation of "Frank Herbert's Dune." You have now been rewarded. For those that were pleased or happy with the first release and ponder whether the new director's cut with thirty minutes of additional footage and new supplements is worth the $25, you are going to have your socks blown away. This is a huge improvement over the first release. Not only are there some very nice new supplements, but the sight and sound of this new DVD is leagues better than what was previously available. The new footage itself is enough for fans of the miniseries to make this a must-own DVD, but the improvements Artisan has made on every other aspect of the DVD make this an incredible value. With this miniseries, I have finally come to appreciate the hype of Frank Herbert's novel. It is enjoyable and captivating. I highly recommend it.