With my formative years including a recurring annual subscription to John W. Campbell's Analog: Science Fiction and Fact magazine, I also consumed a great deal of novels and novellas of the same genre. Among them was Dune which I thoroughly enjoyed. The writing style is different but the rewards are well worth the effort.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
I like the David Lynch version of the film.

There. I said it.

I liked it too, but I was intimately familiar with the book and could fill in the missing points. What I really enjoys was hearing how the pronounced the different works that Herbert made up.

Part of the disappointment of the film was, given the cast, I had much higher expectations. To really do the book justice, they'd have to give it the same treatment as GoT

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
Quick question on the film. My brother in law told me that the director released a new cut of the film with a lot of things he filmed but couldn't use in the theatrical version.
But I have never been able to find.

I’ve heard that, but have never seen it.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
Quick question on the film. My brother in law told me that the director released a new cut of the film with a lot of things he filmed but couldn't use in the theatrical version.
But I have never been able to find.

I’ve heard that, but have never seen it.

You do realize there have been like a half dozen cuts over the past 35 years, don't you.

I've got the Director's Cut I think you may be referring too on one of my media servers somewhere. It's still best to read the book first.

I don't believe the Director's Cut has the "Heart Plug" scene on Harkonnen, the "Extended Fight" scene between Paul and Feyd, or the death of Thufir scene.

H&K-Guy

Read Dune when I was still a teen in high school. Enjoyed it, but I admit it was a tough read the first time through. Missed lots of details. In the four+ decades since I've reread it multiple times, usually picking up some Herbert nuance or sleight of storyline that I missed and previously hadn't picked up on. I managed to wear out two paperback editions before seeking out a first edition for my "library", plus adding a later hardbound printing as my 'go-to' when I decide to pick it up for a reread again. HOWEVER, I confess that I haven't touched it in the last five or six years; knowing how the story ends DOES somewhat dampen the enthusiasm for experiencing it for the umpteenth+1 time. I mean, there's only so many times I can care about future humans going gaga ape shit and getting stoned over psychedelic worm dung.

Frank Herbert in the day was my sci-fi hero author, probably made so because he was local, although any of the Golden Age masters were favored ones for me as well. More recent authors I confess I haven't paid much attention to. Card was about the last who's material I would actively seek out though sometimes I'll download a 'newbie' to my Kindle and give their work a shot.

Hyperion was one I read once, but a book in the structural style of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales wasn't particularly easy for me to get my mind around and into. I've tried rereading it a couple of times but I've yet to get through it a second time, nor have I have been much enthused to start the follow-up books in the series or any of Simmons' other works.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
Quick question on the film. My brother in law told me that the director released a new cut of the film with a lot of things he filmed but couldn't use in the theatrical version.
But I have never been able to find.

I saw an extended version that was quite long. I believe I got it from Netflix DVD. There was a lot of narration in the beginning and some extended scenes. Some scenes were not quite complete and some of the battle scenes were reused. I think it had all of the deleted scenes as well. It has been a while.

quote:

or any of Simmons' other works.

I absolutely loved Summer of Night, though it gets a little long-winded at times. But still superb. I read The Terror, which they recently based the AMC mini-series, but it was a long, tough, slog...

quote:

Originally posted by Batty67:

quote:

or any of Simmons' other works.

I absolutely loved Summer of Night, though it gets a little long-winded at times. But still superb. I read The Terror, which they recently based the AMC mini-series, but it was a long, tough, slog...

Carrion Comfort had some good ideas, but was also overly long. I might give Summer of Night a try.

As a kid, I saw the movie and didn't understand anything. As an adult, with a basic understanding of hydraulic economy, I get it now.

And Hyperion is a masterpiece. Farcasters? Imagine a home where each doorway literally leads to a different world. The cruciform, the Shrike, the Tree of Pain? Religion, politics, science. Human suffering, invention, dogma, tragedy, sacrifice. It's epic.

To me, Dune is the literary equivalent of Lawrence of Arabia. It is long, and slow to start, but gives you a profound understanding of the world that it exists in and conveys a story of such grandiose proportions that it is hard to summarize.

To say it is about spice, and worms, and sci-fi is like saying Lawrence of Arabia is about sand, and Bedouins, and WWI.

There is a 4 hour version of David Lynch's Dune that was released against his wishes. He had no say in the editing of it and the pace is long and ponderous. It was so different that the Director's Guild allowed the use of Alan Smithee as the directing credit. That tells you how much was changed that Director's Guild allowed Lynch to take his name off the project.

Dune is a mess and is hugely overrated, IMO. Definitely of its time and drug culture. Not a great book. Hyperion was frickin' weird.

quote:

Originally posted by DanH:
There is a 4 hour version of David Lynch's Dune that was released against his wishes. He had no say in the editing of it and the pace is long and ponderous. It was so different that the Director's Guild allowed the use of Alan Smithee as the directing credit. That tells you how much was changed that Director's Guild allowed Lynch to take his name off the project.

That would explain it, He said he saw it on TV years ago but had never seen it show up since.

I have the book and as soon as I finish the book I am on now I will read it over the break. I am really looking forward to it.

I read Frank Herbert for the first time in college. I thought Dune was great but the follow ups got weirder and worse so I stopped at three.

The movie was all messed up but in hindsight had a heck of a cast. Of course, it proved that Sting should stick to singing although he was good as the Dad in Lock, Stock...

quote:

Originally posted by PR64:
I did it with Audiobook...

It was an enjoyable experience.

I never read the book, but having a long drive ahead of me during the holiday, I think I'll take it for a ride.

ETA, I reserved it from my local library. 15 discs should take me much of the trip.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 6guns,

I really enjoyed the book as a teenager. More recently I listened to the audiobook, and loved it all again. So much so that I listened to everything in the series. I really enjoyed how the later books retroconned the first book by explaining the backstory on each house.

The movie was a mess. Too bad no studio has done a modern movie. Modern special effects could make it awesome.

I don’t get how some find this book so difficult. I must be a sucker for tough books. Then again, I enjoyed War and Peace and Les Misérables, both unabridged, so my recommendation may not be valid.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:

quote:

Originally posted by DanH:
There is a 4 hour version of David Lynch's Dune that was released against his wishes. He had no say in the editing of it and the pace is long and ponderous. It was so different that the Director's Guild allowed the use of Alan Smithee as the directing credit. That tells you how much was changed that Director's Guild allowed Lynch to take his name off the project.

That would explain it, He said he saw it on TV years ago but had never seen it show up since.

I have the book and as soon as I finish the book I am on now I will read it over the break. I am really looking forward to it.

wasn't there a version, (not of the original movie) done for the sci fy channel?
as a miniseries not just one movie,

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:

quote:

Originally posted by DanH:
There is a 4 hour version of David Lynch's Dune that was released against his wishes. He had no say in the editing of it and the pace is long and ponderous. It was so different that the Director's Guild allowed the use of Alan Smithee as the directing credit. That tells you how much was changed that Director's Guild allowed Lynch to take his name off the project.

That would explain it, He said he saw it on TV years ago but had never seen it show up since.

I have the book and as soon as I finish the book I am on now I will read it over the break. I am really looking forward to it.

wasn't there a version, (not of the original movie) done for the sci fy channel?
as a miniseries not just one movie,

Yes. They did a mini-series of Dune that was decent. They also did a sequel that was based on Children of Dune as I recall. It sucked.

I thought Children of Dune was excellent. Night one was Dune Messiah a little streamlined, but with all the important bits. Nights 2 and 3 was pretty much the entire Children of Dune. It's what The Last Jedi wanted to be, but was actually pulled off by an excellent writer that laid a foundation that (at the time) no one had actually attempted. The Miniseries did give us first exposure to James Mcavoy and was one of Brian Tyler's first breakout soundtracks. The books and the miniseries also deals a bit with the sins of the father with Muad'dib creating a jihad that was out of his control and leaving his son to pay a huge price to keep humanity from becoming extinct.

God Emperor of Dune is interesting if you can get past the preaching to the reader, but entirely unfilmable as a movie. Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune can be streamlined a bit, but the basis of the Dune 7 storyline almost an entire rethink to not only be filmable, but actually good and not trashing the worth of the new characters created.

As for a proper Dune for the big screen, Denis Villeneuve (Sicario/Arrival/Blade Runner 2049) is working on spitting Dune into 2 movies so the book can actually get enough of the story out. I know I'll be seeing it.

thanks

I remember the SciFy bit, but never got to watch it,

I'll look and see if it is on netflix or amazon,



and yes, bring dune back in 2 prts and I will be there as well