We’re taping it. Anyone else? The movie was totally bewildering if you didn’t know the book… it just isn’t something that can be done in 2 hrs… but this time it’s 6 hours, and so far it looks pretty good!
Yah, I saw a commercial for it, and I was just wondering, who would do a television remake of it? I mean, it’s such an esoteric movie. . .
ESOTERIC!?!? Uhm, you must not be aware of the fact that it is absolutely one of the single greatest sci-fi novels of all time. It became of series of books, althought none of the sequels can hold a candle to the original. Probably one of the most intelligently written science fiction pieces ever to have seen the light of day.
Oh, and yeah, I’m taping it and watching it off and on as I’m doing work around the house. I plan on watching it all at once, after I’ve got it all on tape. So far, it seems to be a good bit inspired by Lynch’s take on the film…similar angles, sets, etc…and not that I’m saying that’s a bad thing, though.
The Lynch movie might have been ok if it had just been long enough. This one does the shields better, too.
Argh! I had no idea! I loved the movie. I loved the books. Now I can’t find sci-fi (I just moved to this city a week ago and have just started messing with the cable).
<sigh> I hope they do a re-run.
My father is taping it for me. I don’t have cable. I did get the book on the making of the mini series. It came with a DVD that has cast interviews and all sorts of behind the scenes footage. I am sooooo looking forward to seeing it. Perhaps it will sate my DUNE addiction.
BTW, has anybody read the two recent DUNE prequel books? They were written by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson. There is a third prequel book coming(all three are based on the notes of the legendary Frank Herbert), and they are going to do a series based in the Duniverse around the time of the Butlerian Jihad. Also, they plan on writing the 7th(and final) book in the Dune Chronicles (also based on FH’s notes).
Here is a link, just so none of you think that I am insane for spewing information that had been rumored for years: http://www.dunenovels.com/
Part one is playing three times in a row tonight.
Read the first one. Yawn. Have better things to do than read another one like it.
The second one is much better.
Well…i enjoyed the 1st part immensly. Although i miss the Lynch cinematic style, the costumes and set design in the original DUne were better, IMHO. Escpecially the Harkonnen planet, and the Baron’s and nephew’s costumes, they just seemed so much more vile in Lynch’s interpretation. But aside from that, the New version does tend to follow the book a lot more, although it also misses some parts, but not as man as the 1st. Oh…and did anyone else notice the uncanny resemblane of the Lady Jessica actress to Councelor Troy…or was it just me?
I have to say, I think they miss on the costumes as well, but that may just be the fact that my perceptions have been coloured by the David Lynch film. I also have to say that I sort of slipped a gear when the Princess Irulan showed up at the dinner party. So far, that was the only truly egregious error that they made, but it was a damned big one.
As far as the prequel go, I’m not at all impressed by either one. They’re interesting as far as fleshing out information that came before, but they’ve got so many inconsistencies and erros that even in that area they’re pretty questionable. I wasn’t terribly impressed with the writing either. The characters created there couldn’t compare with the realism of the original series.
I heard about the TV mini-series of * Dune * on the radio. The first word out of my mouth was “Abomination!”
Perhaps I’m the only person on the planet who thinks this way, but I detest all film versions of books. From the lowest Tom Clancy to the most sublime classic, the book is always, always, better than the movie. The bitter pill of a Hollywood bastardization is all the harder to swallow when the hatchet job is done good books. * Dune * is a great novel and possibly (open to debate) the greatest science fiction novel. Its deep religious and philosophical bulwarks especially could not be reproduced on film. I can’t fathom why anyone who read and enjoyed the book would ever consent to watch something great be turned into a silly and jejune six hour TV mini-series. Depending on how who fast you read, you could probably re-read the book in the same amount of time.
First: I loved the original “Dune”, which I read eons ago – before there were any sequels. I sort of stumbled a cross it and took a chance, and wasn’t disappointed.
Second: I classify the Lynch movie as a “failed masterpiece”. There are things that are wonderful in the film, but they’re juxtaposed with things that are awful. (Example: The Harkonnens in general. I can understand that making their planet look like an industrial dumpheap conveys their moral degeneration, and giving them all absurdly red hair shows that they’re a clan – all heavyhanded but I can see why he did it. But why make Baron Vladimir an over-the-top loon with terminal acne? It makes him hard to accept as the sublime Machiavellian plotter.)The main problem with Lynch’s film is that it’s trying to cram too much into a two-hour film. It’s hard enough to convey the sense of an alien culture in that time, let alone the complexity of a story like Dune. It reminds me of the version of the Russian film “War and Peace” that had originally been seven hours long (itself a horrible abridgement) that was cut to two hours for viewing – you were hopelessly lost. In just the same way, my wife (who hasn’t read the book) was hopelessly lost in Lynch’s version.
The first installment of the SciFi- “Dune”: Interesting, and at least they’re giving themselves more time. I was annoyed by how clean and disinfected everything looked at first, but I felt better once they got to Arrakis – mud huts and inlaid stone, water-sellers and blue eyes. The ornithopters look better than in Lynch’s film. On the other hand, my wife is still lost. The visuals look as if they are still very heavily influenced by Lynch, with a lot of “Star Wars” thrown in. Thank Muad’dib that they kept the John Schoenherr-style sandworms. As my wife points out, costuming isn’t their strong point.These people have a fetish for hats – the hat identifies your profession in an annoyingly obvious way. I hope the Reverend Helen Mohaim never gets caught in a strong wind, or there will be an sf version of “The Flying Nun”.
I’ll reserve my judgments until it’s all over. I feel sure this version won’t feature “weirding modules”.
Just noticed there’s another thread on this:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=49270
Your real name is Trevanian, right?
Yes, movies aren’t as good as books, but they are a different form of art.
I agree with others that the costumes stink this time aorund. Lynch’s contumes were much better at lending a martial feel to House Atreides and he did a MUCH better job with the Stillsuits. The mini-series version are far too loose and barely seem different from normal clothing excepting a tube or two sticking out here and there.
Was anyone else disturbed by whoever the actor is that portrays Paul Atreides? To me the mini-series version is a whiny brat constantly arguing his lot in life with others. The Paul from the book was much more thoughful on cognizant of his place in things and maintained an air of authority and bearing missing in his mini-series counterpart. Also, I found the Lady Jessica totally miscast. Jessica to me should have a much more regal bearing and presence that this actress just isn’t pulling off.
As already mentioned the Ornithopters look better than thos in Lynch’s movie and also as already mentioned the look of the Worms is very good.
I dunno…the Lynch movie I hated the first time I saw it as it was wrong in too many places. That said it kinda grew on me over time. This mini-series I’m not so sure about. I really don’t like Paul’s character so far and I should be. The same goes for Lady Jessica. Bad costumes just detract further from it all.
That said they are taking more time with the whole thing than a two-hour movie so maybe they can do justice to the book in ways the Lynch film was unable to.
Jury is still out for me…
If you want to call movies an art form, I can’t object, it is a free country. After all, some people think basket weaving is an art form rather than a craft. 
The way, Trevanien is a pseudo-name.
I wonder what God awful errors could infiltrate into a film of * God Emperor of Dune *?
One other thing…
I liked the ‘look’ of the Guild Navigators much better in Lynch’s film. In addition, the creators of the mini-series should have left showing a Guild Navigator for later. They setup some tension about what the Navigators look like by saying ‘no one’ has ever seen one and they show one to the audience 30 seconds later. The mini-series version looked like a poorly done muppet. Not so bad from far away the close-ups made them look decidedly cheesy.
I’m with ya, Jeff. In fact, I gave my flat mate, Nen, a thorough lecture on this during the show, which I’m sure annoyed the heck out of him. With so much emphasis placed on training and the refinement of manner and personal presentation, it is absolutely impossible to deliver the character of any Atreides as a whining, insolent punk. Lucky for the Sci-fi Channel, they were wise enough to abandon this element of their Paul quickly during the first installment. Otherwise, I might have had to give them the frowning of a lifetime.