Dune - mini series

Magwitch

I just got the first on the DUNE trilog out on video. Man....it was bad! It seemed to stick to the origional story more, but deviated in other Major ways (such as the meeting between Princess Iruan and Paul Atredies in the Dukes Palace on Dune).

What else was wrong with it? Well....

The effects we shaky at best, the sets were appauling (why fake a desert?), battles rubbish (and really cheap), costumes were like cirus costumes, casting was dire (lady Jessica was a FOX in her mid thirties and Duke Leto was not the washy Wiliam Hurt) and acting worse, Production standards fell well short of evoking the atmosphere of Arrakiss or the Empire -whose arabic/medevil tint has become unmistakably American.

I got the first one out to decide whether or not I should buy the full box set on DVD, now I think I will not even bother looking at 2 and 3. Have to await the 2nd directors cut of DUNE by David Lynch (along way off but comming).

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Keep your powder dry and your pants moist

bonkey

I actually liked it, and the general consensus in the US was that it was a good stab at the book.

While I would agree on some of your points, I think that the miniseries surpasses Lynch's efforts in many respects, but not on the acting front. I dunno - I just never liked the Dune movie.

In general, the miniseries got better as it continued (bought the r1 dvd).

It was also sufficiently successful that the same team are currently working on book 2 of the Dune series - Children of Dune, and the series was nominated for several Emmys.

Opinions on it do seem divided into the "SUCKS" and "ROCKS" crows, tho - I gues its one of these things which you love or hate. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who will hate the LOTR movies for almost exactly te same reasons you have given here for disliking Dune.

To each their own.

jc

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Walk softly and carry a big gun

Magwitch

I agree "to each their own" but I would point out that Lynch's film has a four hour version available and a version twice that that has been promised. In all 14 hours footage was filmed (Dino De Larentis really allowed Lynch to push the boat out, hence the enormous buget) which was the entire book, making the full Lynch version twice as long as the mini-series.

It has yet to be released (much to the annoyance of folks like me who have been waitig ten years for it), but will come. Lynch and de Lorentis (masters of the epic) are in no hurry.

I would however advise people interested or curious in the mini-series to rent the first volume before deciding to buy the box set, as I did (and hence dogded a bullet).

superfly

as far as i know the footage is that long but there is only 3-4 hours of actual usable footage