Frank Herbert's Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Special Edition Director's Cut) (3-Disc DVD Set)
by John Harrison
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Actor: Alec Newman, Giancarlo Giannini, Saskia Reeves, Uwe Ochsenknecht, William HurtDirector: John Harrison
Brand: Lions Gate
Writer: John Harrison
Producer: David R. Kappes
Producer: Harry B. Miller III
Producer: Michael D. Messina
Producer: Mitchell Galin
Producer: Richard P. Rubinstein
Writer: Frank Herbert
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 265 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-06-11
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Artisan Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Frank Herbert's Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Special Edition Director's Cut) (3-Disc DVD Set)
DVD Review: It isn't the book, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
As with any translation of a book to Movie/DVD, this one lacks continuity. Frank Herbert's novel is difficult at best to put onto film. The acting is adequate, though Paul's a tad too whiny in the beginning. The stillsuits are a JOKE, that is one I have to give to the David Lynch version. But it was less disjointed than the Lynch version and follows the book fairly well. If you are a fan, you need both versions.DVD Review: Dan
Summary: 5 Stars
Great movie done in the spirit of Frank Herbert's writing. Very true to the book. A much better adaptation than the 1984 David Lynch movie. A must see for any Dune FanDVD Review: Nothing can save bad acting...
Summary: 2 Stars
Perhaps it's just me, but when people are from the same place, should they not sound a little similar? Though a very "international" cast, the variety of accents adds to what at most times feels like an overblown, overacted production.
This is a shame because there is some talent on display and the dialogue in the Dune books is certainly "act-able". With names like William Hurt, Ian McNeice, Giancarlo Giannini and Uwe Ochsenknecht among the cast, this had potential to go far.
This is a very different production from the 1984 movie version. In some respects it's better. It certainly gives more time to what is an epic story and doesn't try to cram it into 2 hours. Yet it feels like badly-directed stage play at times with overdressed actors taking themselves too seriously.
I'm guessing that much of the budget went into the costuming of the actors. There are wardrobe changes galore and each outfit is more outlandish than the one before. There seems to be a fascination with attaching card rectangles to things...While the 1984 movie version has it's drawbacks, at least the Harkonnen were somewhat menacing - the ones in this production look like the Vatican guards.
Some of the exterior shots and special effects suffer from what made-for-TV movies tend to suffer from and that is the "made-for-TV" look. There are one or two scenes where the background is so obviously painted as to make the viewer wonder how on earth the scene made it into the finished product.
For the uninitiated viewer, the story pretty much follows the book, taking care not to get too bogged down in the minutiae that could have made it a very painful experience to watch. You don't need to have read the book to "get it". The story of the fall of the House Atreides and the rise of House Harkonnen in the medieval-meets-science galaxy of the Cirrino is an interesting one and when you think about when it was written (mid 1960s), it's still surprisingly up-to-date.
Where the production really suffers, as I started out with, is the acting. Alec Newman, who plays Paul Atreides / Muad'Dib cannot act. Some of this may be the script or direction. Paul Atreides is a complicated person who in the course of the tale turns from boy into man into pseudo-messiah. Alec Newman plays the character one-dimensionally, at all times coming across as a spoiled rich kid who deserves the respect of all around him.
No amount of supporting acting can save this bad performance. William Hurt does a good job as Duke Atreides, but he is killed off too early in the story to save what goes downhill from there. Ian McNeice does a reasonable job holding up his end of the story as Baron Harkonnen, but the Shakespearean end of scene "poetry" is insane and completely out of place. Saskia Reeves as Jessica Atreides isn't a strong enough presence to carry off the role.
A major tangent from the book is the increased role of Princess Irulan from a peripheral narrator to full-blown part of the story. Her character is a Nancy Drew meets Princess Leia combination that doesn't really serve much purpose. What she "uncovers" we already know so there is little value added by her; time that might have been better spent on other things.
While Uwe Ochsenknecht is a good actor, a Fremen he is not. One person who fits the casting to a tee in looks and sound is PH Moriarty as Guerney Halleck. Moriarty looks like villain in real life and his accent is perfect (if you have seen "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", that's your accent and actor).
I think that the series would have been much better if Alec Newman had not been cast in the leading role. The rest of the cast could have been carried when they slipped. Instead they try to carry him and the effort fails.
I wish (again) they'd standardize accents. By all means use British for one thing and American for something else and generic "European" for yet another. But mixing them between what are very obvious dynastic families and different races doesn't help the parts cement to become a whole.
Oh - and why is it that producers / directors see "desert" or "dunes" (no pun intended) they immediately think "this calls for Middle Eastern sounding music"?
With all that said, if you have nothing better to do over a couple of evenings and there's nothing on TV, then this may be worth some time. But if you have something better to do, don't let watching this miniseries take you away from that.
DVD Review: Dune Miniseries falls short like the film
Summary: 2 Stars
Unlike some reviewers I love to see interpretations on both film and tv from a novel. Alot of times the author is rarely consulted or gives in to the persuasion of "Hollywood" i.e. directors, producers, movie companies. So being a person who has read the dune series many times over and found something new each time I read it both the miniseries and David Lynch film did a decent portrayal of the book. By far the miniseries fell short with acting by the main cast that did not come close to the energy and emotion the book gives to the reader. Did Harrison forget about the Fremen's living area underground in caves (sietches) carved out under the great sea of sand. And the stillsuits did not cover anything that would protect them in the open desert. Not too mention the extra time spent on the fight scenes should of had Fremen fighting the Sardukar hand-to-hand knife combat. Alec Neuman was too old for the role of Paul Atreides as was Kyle Maclachlan but what can you expect of them when the character is so adult like and yet only 17 years old when he attains the throne as emperor of the known world. The miniseries portrayal of Duke Leto Atreides was cold and limp in character, not nearly fierce enough for the character Frank Herbert layed out in his book. The movie version was much more straight forward and believable even though the part was extremely short. One of the major differences between the miniseries and film is continuity which the miniseries was able to pull off. With more time and a longer time for the story to unfold Harrison was able to stay closer to the book, yet seemed to forget extremely important parts; red lips, living areas, the mysticism of the Fremen, very essential quotes or character developments. I love to read "Dune" and the sequel/prequel books, but for a true version to come out I believe that to be in each reader's mind.DVD Review: I read the book
Summary: 5 Stars
Some forty years ago I read the book and fell in love with the Dune characters, now I found the real life adventure true to the book and lived the whole saga all over again brought so well to the screen by this wonderful group of people who have tried to remain true to the book,,,,five stars from me I enjoyed the DVD to the very end.
Description of Frank Herbert's Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Special Edition Director's Cut) (3-Disc DVD Set)
Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 07/08/2005It's a mixed blessing, but Frank Herbert's Dune goes a long way toward satisfying science fiction purists who scoffed at David Lynch's previous attempt to adapt Herbert's epic narrative. Ironically, director John Harrison's 288-minute TV miniseries (broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2000) offers its own share of strengths and weaknesses, which, in retrospect, emphasize the quality of Lynch's film while treating Herbert's novel with more comprehensive authority. Debate will continue as to which film is better; Lynch's extensive use of internal monologue now seems like a challenge well met, and Harrison's more conventional approach is better equipped to convey the epic scope of Herbert's interplanetary political intrigue.
This much is certain: this Dune is a sumptuous treat for the eyes, with sets and costumes that were conceived with no apparent limits of budget or creativity. In terms of architecture alone, this is one of the most impressive films in science fiction history. And although the special effects fall short of feature-film quality, writer-director Harrison (who rose from an extensive background in TV) admirably tames the sprawling narrative that pits the opposing houses of Atreides and Harkonnen in a struggle to control the lucrative market for the spice melange. This is as accurate as any Dune adaptation is likely to get (i.e., there's no need for another attempt), and even then, it can be tricky to keep track of who's doing what to whom. Unfortunately, the film's biggest flaws are the casting of a nearly comatose William Hurt as Duke Leto, and a wooden Alec Newman as the messiah-to-be, Paul Atreides. These are regrettable shortcomings, but this Dune remains altogether respectable. That Frank Herbert would be impressed is perhaps the biggest compliment one can pay. --Jeff Shannon
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