Young Paul Atreides and his family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis and a power struggle ensues as the rival Harkonnen plot their revenge.
There are a number of different cuts of David Lynch’s film, to his credit his offering does try to offer a self contained film even if disappointing for fans who wanted further adaptations of Frank Herbert’s novels.
It has a fantastic unique atmosphere, complemented by the great score from Toto and Brian Eno (Prophecy Theme), there’s fantastic costumes and amazing sets, with a great cast. Sadly, some of the special effects haven’t aged well, and are of the time. But there are some very impressive SFX shots, including notable model work and makeup; but like the script it’s a mixed bag, clearly plagued by behind the scenes and post production wrangling.
As much as I like the David Lynch’s theatrical version and miss the brief introduction narration spoken by Princess Irulan, played by Virginia Madsen, the extend version even though hacked is more interesting and made up of outtakes, additional footage, test close-up shots etc. It has has a longer spoken introduction by an uncredited male narrator, with still paintings and drawings used to bring the viewer up to speed on the story. There’s shoehorned additional dialogue and sound cues. The narrator pops up now and again offering more (sometimes repetitive) information, it’s no more annoying than the inner monologue voices. It’s by no means perfect but expands the narrative.
The cast are diverse in their delivery. Kyle MacLachlan does his best with the script. Notable are Richard Jordan, Everett McGill and Jürgen Prochnow as the Duke. But Siân Phillips steals every scene as the Reverend Mother. Francesca Annis gives a fantastic performance as Lady Jessica. Memorable are Brad Dourif, Patrick Stewart, Dean Stockwell and Freddie Jones. Max von Sydow, José Ferrer, Sean Young and Virginia Madsen screen time is limited but they offer plenty of screen presence. Bad guy Harkonnens Sting, Paul L. Smith and Kenneth McMillan have a great time menacingly hamming it up. Lynch cameos. Leonardo Cimino and Linda Hunt also appear.
In either version while the direction is surprisingly standard along with the editing for Lynch, his unique visual flair is unmatched and in a class of its own. Every frame is interesting on its own. And even with other more complete and/or rounded and refined adaptations – this retains a place in film history due to its cast, distinct look and feel.
Overall, flaws aside it’s has grand feel even if tone emulates the theatrics of those epic films of the 50s and 60s. Gets better with time. Recommend.
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