6.2 Is there more than one version of the movie?
Description
This article is from the Dune FAQ, by Alan Schwartz with numerous contributions by others.
6.2 Is there more than one version of the movie?
Yes. There are actually 3 versions of the movie.
6.2.1 Theatrical release
_Dune" had its theatrical release in 1984. Its length is 2 hours and 17
minutes. It has also been shown on the Sci-Fi channel. This version is
also the standard video release. On the video release, approximately 20
minutes of footage near the end of the film has been photographically
flipped, so that Paul carries his ring on his left hand etc.
6.2.2 Alan Smithee version
The version which is commonly shown on television contains some scenes
which were not in the movie. It is not on video cassette. It is 4 hours
long with commercials, roughly 3 hours without. This version contains
certain scenes that the director, David Lynch, did not want; such as a
scene of Gurney playing the baliset, and a voice-over introducing some
of the characters and societies. Lynch petitioned the Director's Guild
to have his name removed from the credits of this version. The generic
'Alan Smithee' appears in his place. Despite this, this version is often
erroneously referred to as the "director's cut".
6.2.3 KTVU version
There is a third version that was cobbled together out of pieces of the
above two films by KTVU. It contains no new scenes; rather it is simply
a re- edit of the same material.
There is also a laserdisc letterboxed edition of the movie. It contains
versions 6.2.1 and 6.2.2 for a total of 320 minutes from beginning to
end of the disc. It contains no new scenes that are not in 6.2.1 and
6.2.2. The laserdisc is available only as a Japanese import. Each
version is subtitled in Japanese, and the theatrical release (version
6.2.1) is in a very nice widescreen format.
For more information about the movie and its variants, look at the
"Arrakis File" at:
<http://members.aol.com/Hiphats/arrakis.html>
For "behind the scenes" information and trivia on the movie, try "Dune -
Behind the Scenes" at:
<http://www.flg21.com/dune/>
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