[.ca] Dune [HD DVD]

From Amazon.com:
Even more than most of David Lynch's deliberately bizarre and idiosyncratic movies, Dune is a "love-it-or-hate-it" affair. An ambitious, epic, utterly mind-boggling--and, let's admit it, all-out weird--adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel, Dune remains one of the most controversial films in the director's exceedingly provocative career. The story (if Dune can be said to have just one story) is complex and convoluted in the epic tradition; it has something to do with political intrigue and a planet that is home to a precious spice and gigantic sand worms. Think Shakespeare's Henry IV with a dash of Tremors, and set in another galaxy. But despite plenty of strangely whispered voice-overs that explain the characters' thoughts (and endlessly detailed exposition), storytelling is not really among the film's strong points. There are, however, a lot of memorably fantastic/grotesque images, an extraordinary cast, and a soundtrack featuring Toto. I told you it was weird. Among the stars are Kyle MacLachlan, José Ferrer, Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, Sting, Kenneth McMillan, Patrick Stewart, Sean Young, and Linda Hunt. The DVD contains the original release version; a shorter version cut for television has been disowned by Lynch, who insisted his name be replaced by that famous Hollywood pseudonym "Alan Smithee." --Jim Emerson

Chronique amazon.fr:
Plus encore que la plupart des films délibérément étranges, qui sont la caractéristique de David Lynch, Dune n'inspire aucun jugement nuancé, vous adorez ou vous détestez. Cette curieuse adaptation du classique de science-fiction de Frank Herbert, sous la forme d'une saga ambitieuse et déjantée, est une des oeuvres les plus controversées de la carrière excessivement provocante du réalisateur. L'histoire (comme si l'on pouvait dire que Dune n'en contenait qu'une) est complexe à souhait, fidèle en cela à la tradition épique. C'est une intrigue politique métaphorique sur une planète peuplée de gigantesques vers de sable où pousse une épice précieuse. Imaginez Henry IV de Shakespeare sous un tremblement de terre dans une autre galaxie. Mais malgré les nombreuses voix off murmurant les pensées des personnages et les commentaires incessants, le récit n'est pas le point fort du film. Dune propose cependant de nombreux tableaux fantastiques et inoubliables, une distribution extraordinaire et une bande originale de Toto (je vous avais dit que c'était un film étrange). Parmi les stars du films figurent Kyle MacLachlan, José Ferrer, Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, Sting, Kenneth McMillan, Patrick Stewart, Sean Young et Linda Hunt. --Jim Emerson

Generally, I liked it:
Yes, the movie is weird; yes, they changed a lot from the book, like another movie which shall remain nameless (*cough*"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"*coughcough*), and yes, it borders on the incomprehensible at times. Still, IMHO, it beats the hell out of the later remake, which is twice as long and half as interesting. The actors in this movie have great charisma, and besides, who can beat Patrick Stewart as Gurney Halleck? I ask you! The main flaw (again, IMHO) is that the "long version" has yet to be released on video or DVD, although it can be seen about once a year on the Sci-Fi Channel. The shorter version is just not enough; write your congressman and DEMAND the full-length extended cut of "Dune". 'Nuff said.

Duned:
Woh! I didn't know what to expect when I first sat down to watch 'Dune'. Not having read the novel, the first hour of the movie made me think I had Attention Deficit Disorder, I didn't know what was going on. After that first hour, I gradually left my efforts at understanding behind and just revelled in its sheer spectacle. Poor David Lynch was driven to the brink of suicide while making this picture. The success of 'The Elephant Man' must have made him believe that adapting other people's work would be a much more successful venture than trying to develop anything on his own at this stage of his career. 'Dune' is full of Lynchian touches even if his commanding vision is sadly missing. The Emperor's court looks like something out of pre-industrial Europe in contrast to the Harkonnen culture of brutal industry and festering disease (Lynch would have been in his element here). Indeed the Baron Harkonnen's face bears some resemblance to John Merrick's in 'The Elephant Man', biological explosions bursting through the skin. 'Dune' would have made a pretty good T.V. series if it had been directed by Lynch, there certainly would have been wider scope for plot and character development. As it was left in it's 137 minute version Lynch had to cut entire scenes and have them explained in one line of voice-over dialogue instead. This makes much more of the profound elements of the film seem like excerpts from a daytime soap opera, the slow zoom into the static face as the voice-over speaks the thoughts of the actor. Locked into producer Dino De Laurentiis's and writer Frank Herbert's vision, it's not surprising that Lynch returned to small-time film making as a way of retaining artistic control.

Snazzy case, too!:
See David Lynch's 3 hour cut, the theatrical release, and tons of bonus features on one inexpensive disk. See Sting do creepy real good! One of the few movies to do at least some justice to a classic novel--notwithstanding Frank Herbert's Dune. There is so much content, I'm still looking forward to catching things I missed. For the price, this DVD sets the standard of how all DVD's should be presented, although I would still like someone to start making use of multiple angle features.

Not Without Its Spice:
I've heard a lot of criticism about this film, enough to make me question my memory of it being enjoyable. So I watched it again, on DVD, and I was impressed to find it even better than I remembered. Okay, it's not as good as the book. It's a movie, not a literary masterpiece (although it was based on the groundbreaking novel by Frank Herbert.) It is highly entertaining and very well made, if you enjoy Sci-Fi, that is. The acting, writing and FX are all good, and there is something unique about this film. It has a character all its own, enough to qualify it as an occult classic. It is not action-packed, or at least not by today's standwards, so it's not for everyone. But it certainly has its place in my occult film library!

Breathtaking:
I have heard nothing but bad things about this film. Before seeing it I was under the impression that it was universally panned as a supreme failure. So, being somewhat susceptible to the influences of mass opinion, I avoided watching it. This, when David Lynch is my favorite filmmaker. However, I finally decided to watch it with an inner thought of, "Well, can it really be THAT bad?" So I sat down to watch and from the first moments of Princess Irulan's narration was entranced. Sure, the movie is not perfect. The last third is rushed, and material had to be cut to get a reasonable length. But Lynch does NOT disappoint. The actors are great, the script is well-written, the look of the film is revolutionary, and the emotion of the book is transferred with Lynch's distinct subtlety and insight into human nature. I honestly cannot see why this film gets so many bad reviews. It seems to me, which is typically the case, that most of these reviews are either from people who require a film adaptation to be a word-for-word interpretation of the book, or those who cannot identify with the depth of character and the complex subtext. To each her own.