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- Frank Herbert's Dune - The Spence Edit Revised
Frank Herbert's Dune - The Spence Edit Revised
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2000
Original Running Time:
265 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
169 minutes
Time Cut:
96 minutes
Subtitles Available:
Available in HD:
Additional Links:
Synopsis:
Frank Herbert's Dune is a fantastic miniseries adaptation of the original novel, but what would it look like as a feature length film?
Intention:
Cut the 3-part miniseries of Dune into a feature film that makes sense from beginning to end and has a reasonable runtime (under 3 hours). Color correct and crop the footage to make it more cinematic, and use the score from Children of Dune throughout.
Other Sources:
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune OST by Brian Tyler
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune OST by Brian Tyler
Special Thanks:
ArtisDead
Bionicbob
Stromboli Bones
Bionicbob
Stromboli Bones
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
This is a remake of the edit from the ground up with a better HD quality source, new and extended scenes, different color timing, and a 5.1 surround track. This will be the definitive version of my Dune edit, so if you're curious about it, I'd wait for the newer version.
Some changes:
- Additional scenes: New/extended dream sequences for Paul, Yueh and Jessica in the palace, Paul is visited by the Reverend Mother, Paul rides the worm.
- 2:35:1 cropping is further refined, now moving within the same shot to keep the framing correct throughout.
- Further color correction and use of LUT's to make the cinematography more cinematic.
- Further soundtrack replacement/additions from Children of Dune.
- Extended runtime, it will still be under 3 hours. Goal is 2:50-2:55.
Some changes:
- Additional scenes: New/extended dream sequences for Paul, Yueh and Jessica in the palace, Paul is visited by the Reverend Mother, Paul rides the worm.
- 2:35:1 cropping is further refined, now moving within the same shot to keep the framing correct throughout.
- Further color correction and use of LUT's to make the cinematography more cinematic.
- Further soundtrack replacement/additions from Children of Dune.
- Extended runtime, it will still be under 3 hours. Goal is 2:50-2:55.
Cuts and Additions:
- Crop the footage to 2:35:1 and desaturate the over-bright colors to make it more "cinematic". The film was actually originally shot in 2:1 ratio, so the cropping actually works quite well. Still, ever shot had to be hand cropped.
- Brian Tyler's score from Children of Dune has been incorporated and blended in with Graeme Revell's original score. Both composers are credited.
- New opening credits sequence.
- Princess Irulan's subplot with Feyd is removed. It doesn't really add anything to the story, she's just finding out things we already know.
- Paul is less whiny, less childish. Because this footage is so condensed, I needed to make him a little stronger right off the bat, so we can believe he has grown into the leader he becomes.
- The first act of the movie has been chopped up the most, completely reordered with a large amount of scenes removed.
- The majority of the cutting I did was for pacing and truncating the plot. Though it's still a long film, this length to me feels like the perfect amount of time to tell this story without it feeling hacked to bits.
- Brian Tyler's score from Children of Dune has been incorporated and blended in with Graeme Revell's original score. Both composers are credited.
- New opening credits sequence.
- Princess Irulan's subplot with Feyd is removed. It doesn't really add anything to the story, she's just finding out things we already know.
- Paul is less whiny, less childish. Because this footage is so condensed, I needed to make him a little stronger right off the bat, so we can believe he has grown into the leader he becomes.
- The first act of the movie has been chopped up the most, completely reordered with a large amount of scenes removed.
- The majority of the cutting I did was for pacing and truncating the plot. Though it's still a long film, this length to me feels like the perfect amount of time to tell this story without it feeling hacked to bits.
Trailer
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2000
Original Running Time:
265 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
169 minutes
Time Cut:
96 minutes
Subtitles Available:
Available in HD:
Additional Links:
Synopsis:
Frank Herbert's Dune is a fantastic miniseries adaptation of the original novel, but what would it look like as a feature length film?
Intention:
Cut the 3-part miniseries of Dune into a feature film that makes sense from beginning to end and has a reasonable runtime (under 3 hours). Color correct and crop the footage to make it more cinematic, and use the score from Children of Dune throughout.
Other Sources:
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune OST by Brian Tyler
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune OST by Brian Tyler
Special Thanks:
ArtisDead
Bionicbob
Stromboli Bones
Bionicbob
Stromboli Bones
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
This is a remake of the edit from the ground up with a better HD quality source, new and extended scenes, different color timing, and a 5.1 surround track. This will be the definitive version of my Dune edit, so if you're curious about it, I'd wait for the newer version.
Some changes:
- Additional scenes: New/extended dream sequences for Paul, Yueh and Jessica in the palace, Paul is visited by the Reverend Mother, Paul rides the worm.
- 2:35:1 cropping is further refined, now moving within the same shot to keep the framing correct throughout.
- Further color correction and use of LUT's to make the cinematography more cinematic.
- Further soundtrack replacement/additions from Children of Dune.
- Extended runtime, it will still be under 3 hours. Goal is 2:50-2:55.
Some changes:
- Additional scenes: New/extended dream sequences for Paul, Yueh and Jessica in the palace, Paul is visited by the Reverend Mother, Paul rides the worm.
- 2:35:1 cropping is further refined, now moving within the same shot to keep the framing correct throughout.
- Further color correction and use of LUT's to make the cinematography more cinematic.
- Further soundtrack replacement/additions from Children of Dune.
- Extended runtime, it will still be under 3 hours. Goal is 2:50-2:55.
Cuts and Additions:
- Crop the footage to 2:35:1 and desaturate the over-bright colors to make it more "cinematic". The film was actually originally shot in 2:1 ratio, so the cropping actually works quite well. Still, ever shot had to be hand cropped.
- Brian Tyler's score from Children of Dune has been incorporated and blended in with Graeme Revell's original score. Both composers are credited.
- New opening credits sequence.
- Princess Irulan's subplot with Feyd is removed. It doesn't really add anything to the story, she's just finding out things we already know.
- Paul is less whiny, less childish. Because this footage is so condensed, I needed to make him a little stronger right off the bat, so we can believe he has grown into the leader he becomes.
- The first act of the movie has been chopped up the most, completely reordered with a large amount of scenes removed.
- The majority of the cutting I did was for pacing and truncating the plot. Though it's still a long film, this length to me feels like the perfect amount of time to tell this story without it feeling hacked to bits.
- Brian Tyler's score from Children of Dune has been incorporated and blended in with Graeme Revell's original score. Both composers are credited.
- New opening credits sequence.
- Princess Irulan's subplot with Feyd is removed. It doesn't really add anything to the story, she's just finding out things we already know.
- Paul is less whiny, less childish. Because this footage is so condensed, I needed to make him a little stronger right off the bat, so we can believe he has grown into the leader he becomes.
- The first act of the movie has been chopped up the most, completely reordered with a large amount of scenes removed.
- The majority of the cutting I did was for pacing and truncating the plot. Though it's still a long film, this length to me feels like the perfect amount of time to tell this story without it feeling hacked to bits.
Trailer
Trusted Reviewer reviews
2 reviews
Overall rating
9.7
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
9.0
Dune 2000 is one I've always found hard to enjoy. What is good about it is the strenght of the story as told in the book, but taken as cinema... it just lays there, in the best of cases. It lacks a grandiose directorial vision beyond going through the motions (say whatever you want about the Lynch version, but you can't deny that it looks and feels majestic), and that's without even taking into account the horrendous CGI, the "exteriors shot in a soundstage" factor, the supremely silly costumes, the uneven pacing, and the wrongness of quite a few of the performances (Paul being the worst offender - from the start I thought the actor would have made a better Feyd).
But along came Spence, and the clips he posted on the forum with his version of certain scenes were a real eye-opener. Somehow, it all now felt way more exciting than I ever expected it to feel. And after watching the full edit, my best hopes were confirmed. While nothing can really be done about the worst visual aspects listed above, the spice of this cut does flow much better than it used to, and even Paul finally feels pretty much like Paul. It's true, though, that as other reviewers have mentioned the edit really finds its legs from the second act on (more due to the source than to the editing), and it is also true that I didn't think all of the changes worked for the best (for example, I think opening on Paul's vision was a better start, cinematically speaking, than doing so on the Reverend Mother Mohiam arriving on Caladan, which is of course the start of the book but is filmed in such a flat way that it lacks the power to hook the viewer from the get-go), but this is now a whole lot closer to how I imagine Dune. And it even manages to feel a bit more grandiose due to the excellently executed reframing to a wider aspect ratio and the color correction. Less obviously TV-ish, fortunately.
Thanks to Spence this sleeper has awakened. This is a clear replacement of the original for me, and will stand proudly on my shelf next to Spicediver's cut of the Lynch film. Highly recommended.
But along came Spence, and the clips he posted on the forum with his version of certain scenes were a real eye-opener. Somehow, it all now felt way more exciting than I ever expected it to feel. And after watching the full edit, my best hopes were confirmed. While nothing can really be done about the worst visual aspects listed above, the spice of this cut does flow much better than it used to, and even Paul finally feels pretty much like Paul. It's true, though, that as other reviewers have mentioned the edit really finds its legs from the second act on (more due to the source than to the editing), and it is also true that I didn't think all of the changes worked for the best (for example, I think opening on Paul's vision was a better start, cinematically speaking, than doing so on the Reverend Mother Mohiam arriving on Caladan, which is of course the start of the book but is filmed in such a flat way that it lacks the power to hook the viewer from the get-go), but this is now a whole lot closer to how I imagine Dune. And it even manages to feel a bit more grandiose due to the excellently executed reframing to a wider aspect ratio and the color correction. Less obviously TV-ish, fortunately.
Thanks to Spence this sleeper has awakened. This is a clear replacement of the original for me, and will stand proudly on my shelf next to Spicediver's cut of the Lynch film. Highly recommended.
(Updated: December 17, 2021)
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I loved Spense's 2014 edit of the ScfFi Channel mini-series DUNE.
But this. THIS!
THIS IS WHY I STILL WATCH FAN EDITS.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!
Using the blue prints of his original fan edit, Spense has constructed a better, stronger and more powerful viewing experience.
This time around, there is more emphasis on relationships and allowing the lead characters to breath more. This in turn, creates a more visceral connection to the story for the audience and makes them more willing to embrace the dense mythology and go on the hero's journey.
And yet, for all this increased character development, the fan edit never sacrifices pacing or action. The less than 3 hour runtime flies by and is fully satisfying.
The editing is ambitious and executed with incredible skill. Spense has rearranged the order of scenes, reframed the material, added music, cut over 90 minutes of material and every remaining scene has been tweaked or trimmed. Technically, on the final version I watched, everything looked and sounded perfect.
While I thoroughly the enjoy the Directors Cut of the 2000 mini--series, Spense has expertly recrafted it into an engaging, fast paced, character rich, epic cosmic movie.
As I said at the beginning, I loved Spense's 2014 version, but this new Revised Cut is a MASTERPIECE.
Two Thumbs Way, WAY UP!!!
But this. THIS!
THIS IS WHY I STILL WATCH FAN EDITS.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!
Using the blue prints of his original fan edit, Spense has constructed a better, stronger and more powerful viewing experience.
This time around, there is more emphasis on relationships and allowing the lead characters to breath more. This in turn, creates a more visceral connection to the story for the audience and makes them more willing to embrace the dense mythology and go on the hero's journey.
And yet, for all this increased character development, the fan edit never sacrifices pacing or action. The less than 3 hour runtime flies by and is fully satisfying.
The editing is ambitious and executed with incredible skill. Spense has rearranged the order of scenes, reframed the material, added music, cut over 90 minutes of material and every remaining scene has been tweaked or trimmed. Technically, on the final version I watched, everything looked and sounded perfect.
While I thoroughly the enjoy the Directors Cut of the 2000 mini--series, Spense has expertly recrafted it into an engaging, fast paced, character rich, epic cosmic movie.
As I said at the beginning, I loved Spense's 2014 version, but this new Revised Cut is a MASTERPIECE.
Two Thumbs Way, WAY UP!!!
User reviews
13 reviews
Overall rating
9.7
Audio/Video Quality
9.8(13)
Audio Editing
9.9(13)
Visual Editing
9.9(13)
Narrative
9.5(13)
Enjoyment
9.5(13)
(Updated: April 03, 2024)
Overall rating
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
8.0
I watched the 2000 mini series several years ago, and while I enjoyed it, it was quite long and bloated at 4-5 hours, which has made it difficult to want to revisit. So I was happy to see an version that retains the main story beats while narrowing the runtime to a brisk 3 hours. Not an easy feat I'm sure. I enjoyed a lot of this edit, it worked really well! But even with not knowing what was cut, I can feel certain things missing. Some characters may have had almost too little screentime and could use one or two more scenes restored to ground their characters a little better, Mapes for example had her introduction cut so when she gets stabbed during the ambush on Atreides, it's like who is this? Feyd Rautha could have had his fight scene with the prisoner on Geidi Prime restored for a little more screentime, these are just some examples of things I'd personally change.
So I think if some character introductions weren't cut and just a few more scenes were kept in here and there to flesh out characters a little more and add a little more weight, it'd add like 10-15 minutes so a tad longer but more rounded out. So I wouldn't recommend this as a first watch of the miniseries of course, I absolutely recommend the full mini series still. But if you've seen it already once and and want a condensed version that hits the main points while not compromising too much instead of watching all 4-5 hours again, I can recommend this, after all this is more of an experiment to reduce down to a feature length and not trying to be a new definitive edit.
Quality in HD was great, looked fine on my plasma TV. I did like the re framing to 2:40:1 aspect ratio, it worked quite well most of the time, and desaturating the colors in a lot of the scenes made them a little easier on the eyes. From a technical standpoint, the edits were seamless except for a moment around 17:11 where for 1 frame the shot was framed differently before shifting to different framing for the rest of the shot.
Thank you for making this, because I don't know if I can bring myself to find time to watch the full mini series again otherwise!
So I think if some character introductions weren't cut and just a few more scenes were kept in here and there to flesh out characters a little more and add a little more weight, it'd add like 10-15 minutes so a tad longer but more rounded out. So I wouldn't recommend this as a first watch of the miniseries of course, I absolutely recommend the full mini series still. But if you've seen it already once and and want a condensed version that hits the main points while not compromising too much instead of watching all 4-5 hours again, I can recommend this, after all this is more of an experiment to reduce down to a feature length and not trying to be a new definitive edit.
Quality in HD was great, looked fine on my plasma TV. I did like the re framing to 2:40:1 aspect ratio, it worked quite well most of the time, and desaturating the colors in a lot of the scenes made them a little easier on the eyes. From a technical standpoint, the edits were seamless except for a moment around 17:11 where for 1 frame the shot was framed differently before shifting to different framing for the rest of the shot.
Thank you for making this, because I don't know if I can bring myself to find time to watch the full mini series again otherwise!
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Exceptional edit that retells the original mini-series Dune story in a concise, modern and narritatively better way. Objectively, separate to reviewing this as a fanedit, this was straight up just a really good movie and was a really enjoyable watch.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Overall rating
9.7
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
9.0
Great edit! Definitely improves this miniseries a lot. Color correction is very nicely done. The shorter runtime works well, too.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Spence, well done with this edit. I was a fan of the mini-series but the effects were awful and distracting. I noticed you gave the VFX in this an 80's aesthetic which is simple and it instantly improves them . The mini-series was bloated and it looked really cheap, I thoroughly every ideation of Dune and this is one of my favorites. Thanks man
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Amazing. Spence has worked wonders with what really is a neglected series in Dune lore, but one that tells the story with far more clarity and structure than Lynch, and with less hangups than Villeneuve. I have a special place in my heart for these films as well, as I do the novel, but this one will stand beside them indefinitely.
I hadn’t taken in the miniseries for reasons others neglect it - it’s a TV movie, which in the old days meant “cheap”. And yes, there are scenes Spence does what only can be done. The film has qualities of a well-blocked and rehearsed stage play, which, for some intents, it is (check those rear projection shots!) It has an almost-old fashioned feel that is, however, absolutely charming.
Lynch’s film took a lot of chances. It’s weird to think how much of what we think of the story of Dune we’re inventions of Lynch. Despite my heroic devotion to DL I never liked his Dune - it suffered mostly from his shockingly quaint decision to transfer Herbert’s character editorializing on screen, a decision made all the more surprising due to the fact he remains the supreme “show don’t tell” cinematic master (check Twin Peaks). Spicediver’s alternative redux saved that to a degree, and my love for Lynch’s Dune is really for Spicediver’s. In terms of taking what was an almost-impossible job - salvaging the narrative and story where one was sorely and initially neglected (the first 2/3rds are incredibly sustained, the last 1/3rd given over to a continual series of melting dissolves and very little else - it works in a form = content kind of way.
Villeneuve’s film also has its charms; certainly it has the luxury to tell a more intricate story, standing in Lynch’s shadow. So far, however, it is surprisingly conservative in its approach. If it is trying to avoid terminally weird pitfalls the way Lynch couldn’t help but step into, it is certainly succeeding, but it’s not terribly inventive, either. We’ll see how the second film plays out.
Now, in the middle comes this SF network effort by one John Harrison, a name which won’t ring any bells (curiously, he is an executive producer on Villeneuve’s films!) . I never had any interest in this stuff for reasons already mentioned. But being on a Dune kick this summer and having utter respect for Spence’s Hobbit edit from long ago, I wanted to see what was up here.
I have to say it really is the definitive version of the story, splitting the difference between Lynch (it’s a little weird, but not jaw-agape weird) and Villeneuve (it stays with the narrative, but dares to take chances). Somehow Spence managed to truncate 90 minutes or so from the story and still tell the tale, proving you don’t need internal monologue or exposition. You simply need a sense of narrative.
Spence has a careful sensibility to Harrison’s workhorseman, respectful narrative. Dune is an incredibly difficult novel to film in its entirety- if you’re familiar with it it’s clear how much Lynch left out. One or two scenes can go a long ways, however (check Yueh and Jessica here), and the way this is edited doesn’t at all feel rushed. 3 hours is indeed perfect, proving many things - if you know how to bring scenes out with your actors and block them appropriately (I wouldn’t be surprised if Harrison has a theater background), and are aware of one’s limitations (this one isn’t trying to be Lynch), you can create something miraculous in its alchemy.
The limitations are there for those who want to gripe about them - the obvious low budget, etc. But one really cannot complain when it comes to narrative. Spence has done what a faneditor does best - tell a story.
There are scenes here which are remarkable - we don’t have Eno’s haunting prophecy theme to work with, but the 3rd stage guild spacefold scene holds its own. Jessica’s water of life trip-out is absolutely awesome in its actualization. Many many scenes here are just so cleanly and professionally done it makes me wonder why Lynch was, again, unable (or unwilling) to pull them off. Spence’s editing to make this feel like a real film is seamless, never forced, always within the scope of believability.
This film will reside proudly alongside Spicediver’s edit and Villeneuve’s ongoing saga. It’s a curious thing to consider that, when all is said and done, this version of Dune may be, all-around, the definitive one.
Bravo, Spence. I’ll be checking out Children of Dune in it’s entirety this week.
I hadn’t taken in the miniseries for reasons others neglect it - it’s a TV movie, which in the old days meant “cheap”. And yes, there are scenes Spence does what only can be done. The film has qualities of a well-blocked and rehearsed stage play, which, for some intents, it is (check those rear projection shots!) It has an almost-old fashioned feel that is, however, absolutely charming.
Lynch’s film took a lot of chances. It’s weird to think how much of what we think of the story of Dune we’re inventions of Lynch. Despite my heroic devotion to DL I never liked his Dune - it suffered mostly from his shockingly quaint decision to transfer Herbert’s character editorializing on screen, a decision made all the more surprising due to the fact he remains the supreme “show don’t tell” cinematic master (check Twin Peaks). Spicediver’s alternative redux saved that to a degree, and my love for Lynch’s Dune is really for Spicediver’s. In terms of taking what was an almost-impossible job - salvaging the narrative and story where one was sorely and initially neglected (the first 2/3rds are incredibly sustained, the last 1/3rd given over to a continual series of melting dissolves and very little else - it works in a form = content kind of way.
Villeneuve’s film also has its charms; certainly it has the luxury to tell a more intricate story, standing in Lynch’s shadow. So far, however, it is surprisingly conservative in its approach. If it is trying to avoid terminally weird pitfalls the way Lynch couldn’t help but step into, it is certainly succeeding, but it’s not terribly inventive, either. We’ll see how the second film plays out.
Now, in the middle comes this SF network effort by one John Harrison, a name which won’t ring any bells (curiously, he is an executive producer on Villeneuve’s films!) . I never had any interest in this stuff for reasons already mentioned. But being on a Dune kick this summer and having utter respect for Spence’s Hobbit edit from long ago, I wanted to see what was up here.
I have to say it really is the definitive version of the story, splitting the difference between Lynch (it’s a little weird, but not jaw-agape weird) and Villeneuve (it stays with the narrative, but dares to take chances). Somehow Spence managed to truncate 90 minutes or so from the story and still tell the tale, proving you don’t need internal monologue or exposition. You simply need a sense of narrative.
Spence has a careful sensibility to Harrison’s workhorseman, respectful narrative. Dune is an incredibly difficult novel to film in its entirety- if you’re familiar with it it’s clear how much Lynch left out. One or two scenes can go a long ways, however (check Yueh and Jessica here), and the way this is edited doesn’t at all feel rushed. 3 hours is indeed perfect, proving many things - if you know how to bring scenes out with your actors and block them appropriately (I wouldn’t be surprised if Harrison has a theater background), and are aware of one’s limitations (this one isn’t trying to be Lynch), you can create something miraculous in its alchemy.
The limitations are there for those who want to gripe about them - the obvious low budget, etc. But one really cannot complain when it comes to narrative. Spence has done what a faneditor does best - tell a story.
There are scenes here which are remarkable - we don’t have Eno’s haunting prophecy theme to work with, but the 3rd stage guild spacefold scene holds its own. Jessica’s water of life trip-out is absolutely awesome in its actualization. Many many scenes here are just so cleanly and professionally done it makes me wonder why Lynch was, again, unable (or unwilling) to pull them off. Spence’s editing to make this feel like a real film is seamless, never forced, always within the scope of believability.
This film will reside proudly alongside Spicediver’s edit and Villeneuve’s ongoing saga. It’s a curious thing to consider that, when all is said and done, this version of Dune may be, all-around, the definitive one.
Bravo, Spence. I’ll be checking out Children of Dune in it’s entirety this week.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital