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I saw it at the time, having read the books (through Heretics, with Chapterhouse being published after the 1984 film). I've yet to see any of the subsequent or

I saw it at the time, having read the books (through Heretics, with Chapterhouse being published after the 1984 film). I've yet to see any of the subsequent or current production(s) absent online clips. The biggest problem with Lynch version (I think of it as the De Laurentiis version, as his name eclipsed Lynch's in the promotions at the time, and Lynch hadn't yet risen in stature with Twin Peaks) is that the story is simply too vast to be told in a single film, let alone one of < 140 minutes running time. Other than that ... the De Laurentiis version was very uneven. Parts of it were excellent. Kyle McLaughlin as Paul was excellently cast, and there were several other notable players and performances (many of whom I wouldn't appreciate until much later), and when the sandworms appeared on screen, I believed. Other effects and editing ... not so much. Critics overwhelmingly panned the film, and it performed quite poorly at the box office. The clips I've seen of Harrison's 3-part miniseries by John Harrison, and the current Villeneuve production, look considerably stronger.

hulitu 3y ago
I liked that Lynch somehow preserved the mythology. In contrast, the new Dune, looks like an action movie.
- dredmorbius 3y ago
  That's a legit assessment, though I didn't feel as if De Laurentiis had in fact preserved the mythology. Again: far more time would have been required. Checking, it appears that among the longest-running mainstream films of all time were Cleopatra (243 minutes, or 4h8m), Gone With the Wind (238 minutes, or 3h58m), Lawrence of Arabia (222 minutes), and Ben Hur (217 minutes). Gandhi, which I recall being remarkable at the time and including an intermission, ran only 191 minutes, or 3h11m. The full Lord of the Rings trilogy runs 9h17m. <https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/the-top-15-longest-hollywood-movies/ https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/the-top-15-longest-holly...>

hulitu 3y ago

I liked that Lynch somehow preserved the mythology. In contrast, the new Dune, looks like an action movie.

dredmorbius 3y ago
That's a legit assessment, though I didn't feel as if De Laurentiis had in fact preserved the mythology. Again: far more time would have been required. Checking, it appears that among the longest-running mainstream films of all time were Cleopatra (243 minutes, or 4h8m), Gone With the Wind (238 minutes, or 3h58m), Lawrence of Arabia (222 minutes), and Ben Hur (217 minutes). Gandhi, which I recall being remarkable at the time and including an intermission, ran only 191 minutes, or 3h11m. The full Lord of the Rings trilogy runs 9h17m. <https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/the-top-15-longest-hollywood-movies/ https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/the-top-15-longest-holly...>