Dune 

A three-part miniseries on politics, betrayal, lust, greed and the coming of a Messiah. Based on Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel.

Stars:

William Hurt, Alec Newman, Giancarlo Giannini

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 7 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
William Hurt	...	Duke Leto Atreides 3 episodes, 2000
Alec Newman	...	Muad'Dib / ... 3 episodes, 2000
Saskia Reeves	...	Lady Jessica Atreides 3 episodes, 2000
P.H. Moriarty	...	Gurney Halleck 3 episodes, 2000
Ian McNeice	...	Baron Vladimir Harkonnen 3 episodes, 2000
Matt Keeslar	...	Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen 3 episodes, 2000
László I. Kish	...	Glossu Rabban 3 episodes, 2000
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Padishah - Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV 3 episodes, 2000
Julie Cox	...	Princess Irulan Corrino 3 episodes, 2000
Uwe Ochsenknecht	...	Stilgar 3 episodes, 2000
Zuzana Geislerová	...	Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam 3 episodes, 2000
Philip Lenkowsky	...	Guild Agent 3 episodes, 2000
Laura Burton	...	Alia / ... 3 episodes, 2000
Pavel Vokoun	...	Guard 3 episodes, 2000
James Watson	...	Duncan Idaho 2 episodes, 2000
Miroslav Táborský	...	Count Hasimir Fenring 2 episodes, 2000
Barbora Kodetová	...	Chani 2 episodes, 2000
Jakob Schwarz	...	Otheym 2 episodes, 2000
Karel Dobrý	...	Dr. Pardot Kynes / ... 2 episodes, 2000
Pavel Cajzl	...	Sardauker Captain 2 episodes, 2000

Storyline

In the 11th millennium, Shaddam IV, ruler of the Galactic Empire, rids himself of his competitor Duke Leto Atreides by giving him control of the desert planet Dune also called Arrakis; fully aware that its present owner, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, will not give it up without a fight. The reason is that Arrakis is the source of the valuable spice, a substance produced by enormous and dangerous sandworms, which bestows special mental qualities on anyone who consumes it. A short while later Harkonnen does indeed succeed in ambushing and massacring Leto and his men. Leto's mistress Lady Jessica, who is a member of the clairvoyant order of Bene Gesserit, manages to escape into the desert with her son Paul, and after a long and dangerous march they finally encounter the Fremen, the long suppressed desert tribe of Arrakis. Impressed by Paul's clairvoyant abilities, tribal prince Stilgar takes in the fugitives. Very soon the Fremen are convinced that Paul is their long-prophesied redeemer, and...

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Plot Keywords:

spice | desert planet | dune | giant worm | planetary romance | 

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Taglines:

Discover the greatest treasure in the universe.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

SCIFI.COM scifi.com

Country:

USA Canada Germany Italy

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

3 December 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frank Herbert's Dune

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Milk & Honey Pictures,Evision,New Amsterdam Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

292 min (3 parts) 277 min (Entire series) 272 min (Entire series) 90 min (3 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cinematographer used matte backgrounds for the "exterior" shots, painted on massive fabric sheets. The detail worked so well that it eliminated the need to film the exteriors in an actual desert, and allowed the filmmakers to create a film with production values on par with most big screen science fiction productions at a fraction of the cost.

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Goofs

The moons in the background never move (because they are on painted "translights"). The most noticeable example is out of the Arrakeen palace window. The moon never moves from its position through a gap in the shield wall for the entire duration of the banquet.

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Quotes

Baron Harkonnen: My family has hated the Atreides for centuries. They have been the sand in our eyes, the stink at our meals, these arrogant Atreides, always standing in our way. I want Leto to appreciate the beauty of what I've done to him. I want him to know that I, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, am the instrument of his family's demise. The extinction of House Atreides and the glorious ascension of House Harkonnen.

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Alternate Versions

The Region 1 Standard DVD contains the American TV version. All scenes involving nudity are edited out. Most of the scenes involving the sultry seductress and spy Farrah have been completely removed, which makes her role in this version of the story almost inexplicable. Other scenes have been severely truncated or re-shot: There is a scene with Feyd Harkonnen in a bath being pampered by three women. In this version the women are fully clothed. When Princess Corrino seduces Feyd Harkonnen for information, the scene fades out abruptly, implying that the Princess gave herself to Feyd for the information. In uncut version, after extracting the information, the Princess presents a topless Farrah as a gift to Feyd, and during the 'love scene' that ensues, the Princess slips away. Considering that the Princess' virginity is the prize offered to both the male heirs of the Atreides and Harkonnen clans, this clumsy cut significantly changes the story. There is a scene where the Fremen remove their desert camouflage and uniforms, revealing their nakedness to Paul Atreides. It is a symbolic scene, for Paul sees that under their uniforms, the Fremen are people, just like he and his mother. The American TV version is so heavily cut that Paul seems to be just looking blankly into space.

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Connections

Featured in The Dom Reviews: Frank Herbert's Dune (2017)

User Reviews

Superb. Even my non-sci-fi wife was captivated.

The comments immediately below from Germany sum up how you will find this film. All I can add is that last night while my wife was sleeping when I put this film in the VCR, she woke up and enjoyed watching this film. This surprised me since she is not into sci-fi films. We found the acting, script, sets and costumes were excellent, and this comes from a couple in their early 50's who can be quite critical of films. See it and enjoy - just keep in mind it is not the usual thin Hollywood story but is from one of the great writers of last century.