Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a new 4K film restoration of director David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune ready for a 4K Ultra HD release on Aug. 31.
This is a new restoration from the film’s original camera negative and the release configuration from Arrow Video will be a three-SKU affair. There will be a 4K Ultra HD edition, with a bonus Blu-ray disc (additional bonus features, more on that in a moment), a limited edition SteelBook 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack (with the aforementioned Blu-ray bonus disc) and a double-disc Blu-ray selection.
Some 14 years before Lynch’s film arrived in theatres during the Christmas season of 1984, the Hollywood trade press was alive with news that film producer and director Roger Corman, yes, THE Roger Corman, had snapped up the rights to Herbert’s 1965 best-selling sci-fi novel. It is hard to imagine a Roger Corman-version of Dune.
In any case, he parted with the rights and Planet of the Apes’ producer Arthur P. Jacobs took over and began planning for the film’s production, with Haskell Wexler in place as the director. However, in June of 1973 Jacobs dropped dead of a heart attack and that was the end of that.
Six years went by and nothing. A false start with Jodorowsky set to direct blew up … and then another false start followed, with producer Dino De Laurentiis set to begin production with none other than Ridley Scott as the director. That too fell through and Ridley Scott moved on to direct Blade Runner.
Finally, De Laurentiis’ daughter, Raffaella, who had hit it big with her production of Conan the Barbarian, convinced her father to get things under way again with David Lynch as the director … he had been nominated for directing and writing Oscars for his October of 1980 film release of The Elephant Man. The film itself was nominated for Best Picture.
Production began in Mexico in March of 1983 and that would go on for nearly six months. A full year of post-production followed and the film finally opened in December of 1984 … almost 20 years since the book was published. In retrospect, it was probably too much for just one film.
As to bonus goodies, Arrow Video has loaded the various Dune home entertainment release configurations with a ton of extras. We begin with two newly-prepared commentary options … the first with film historian Paul M. Sammon (“Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner,” “The Complete Aliens Companion”) and the second features Mike White of The Production Booth podcast.
Also to be found among the bonus selections is director Jarrord Harlow’s 2003 documentary, Impressions of Dune, five vintage featurettes — “Destination Dune,” “Designing Dune,” “Dune F/X,” “Dune Models & Miniatures” and “Dune Costumes” — 11 deleted scenes and a massive stills gallery.
The companion Blu-ray disc (with all three release SKUs) contains additional bonuses, including the debut of the new feature-length documentary titled The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune, two new featurettes — “Beyond Imagination: Merchandising Dune” and “Prophecy Fulfilled: Scoring Dune” — a new video session with make-up effects artist Giannetto de Rossi and a trio of vintage video sessions with production coordinator Golda Offenheim, make-up effects artist Christopher Tucker and actor Paul Smith (The Beast Rabban).
There will likely be more additions to the bonus selections as we get closer to that Aug. 31 street date.
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