Lynch spent 4 years pitting the film together. I think he did an incredible job with it.
Every media story praises Dennis Villenvue version as definitive and paint’s the lynchversion as inferior.
Dune was a remarkable achievement and is a Special film. It’s sci fi and it’s not. It wants to be a normal film but set in a time and place where things are very different.
I found a good sized image for the actual planet Caladan matte painting which is nice to see. So that particular piece is available online.
It does not look exactly the same as in color is wrong when we see it it is green in secret report and in filmbook it is blue but it is more pale white with green and blue in raw format.
Wanted to add my full observation list
The Opening Narration - Although Good seems like it should be intercut with Show don’t tell images or footage whilst the “hidden away within the rocks are a people known as the Fremen” should be spoken in the part where they land on Arrakis as in the TV Version. This gap would then potentially be filled with alternate dialogue possibly regarding the bene geserit and the guild. So the opening Narration is actually an edit which removed Irulan Naration from extended footage to lose other information from what should have been said and accompanying images.
Irulan Talking of the Red Sapho Juice and mentats should probably go in the place of the audio repeat of “It is by will alone I set my mind in motion” aboard the cable car.
As Paul Atreides is looking at the film book on Caladan once his mentors enter the room it should focus on the planet “Beneth thielax training planet of the mentats” then back to freddie Jones looking angry cut then with the audio "Know a mentat by his red stained lips. Cut back to Paul "I know Thuffer I heard you, Gurney (cut to patrick stewart from TV Version) and Yueh (cut to dean stockwell from TV version) coming down the hall. Then finally Freddie Jonnes “Those sounds could be imitated.”
This scene was trimmed down Note Patrick Stewart mouthing lines but silence and there was an extended scene involving THuffer on mentat traininng which is unreleased.
It should also be noted that the TV cut seems to correctly place the Spice Harvester footage from film book on Arrakis in Pauls Room also “Weather See storms” should be accompanied by sand storm storm footage not english text. So that actually should be excised from it’s placement on Caladan But the see storms part stays on Caladan.
The final filmbook sequence for when Duke Leto visits his son Is Regarding Sandworms to complete this sequence it would be possible to lift the Audio from the TV mini series as there is a Filmbook on worms in that. and show footage of worms. Note that it was “Sir Duncan Idaho is here” was the reason Leto left Paul’s side where as in the film it is not correct audio dub. Obviously then Leto meets Duncan… and looked in on Jessica which is unreleased.
During the Guild Navigator sequence on Kaitain there is a shot from within the tank looking at the emperor but there is no gas in the tank missing special effects.
I also noted an issue with when the Navigators Tank unlock the sound of the Tank unlocking is placed over Reverend mother Mohiam rather than on the actual Tank so I’m assuming there is shots in the wrong order here.
Upon Helen Guias Mohim saying "we need to have a look at Paul Atreides on Caldan the TV version shows ships taking off reused footage but the script states shots of the Universe now here is the thing I think the shots of Space and Pauls Dream is meant to be joined together or interwoven if you like, with some editing but of note because paul’s dreams are premonition based it seems seeing Feyed and muttering “I will kill you” is too early meaning that this should have shown Chani and the Reverand mother with fire and water. Also I would put Caladan as the opening of the film no secret report then we go to Kaitain after Duke Leto talks to Paul. The only way to make this correctly play out is to start the film on Caladan then go to Kaitain for the Guild visiting the Emperor and then Pauls Dream intercut with Space and water and dream images removing the secret report within the guild as it is redundant.
When Duke Leto and Paul talk a Harkonnen flag is seen as Paul looks up rather than the green Atredies flag Lynch must have been pissed! weather this was to be Duncan leaving for Arrakis in a ship? I don’t know…But it’s really bad.
From this TV version of trip to Caladan the extended footage of Reverend mother in the chair may have been where Jessica inner monologue talking of the Test and losing her son was meant to go rather than as she has this before she knows what the reason for the vist was all about. There is also a shot of Lightning Striking at the very end of the TV version in the sky. This shot I believe to be caladan storm so when the Reverend mother exclaims “He is Here” we cut to the Lightning Strike then to the Reverend mother in the chair then Jessica opening the door. Important that Mohiam and Jessica first go to pauls room and then talk about everything else.
When Duke Leto stamps the message for the Baron with the signet ring “Herald of the change” Note that the cylinder would resemble a highliner. It is possible that the cylinder was to fade through into a highliner above Geidi prime. It feels like an obvious visual cue the TV cut has a painting of the planet. Also this scene may have been intended to include a voice over from the Baron Harkonnan. The scene with the Baron was slightly trimmed but not by much but it did include the famous dialogue about Arrakis plot.
So in Pauls Room when he has the Spice vision in the script it states Paul dead on a stone Floor… This is the vision of Feyed “I will kill you” into the hunter seeker appearing from the wall. So it seems that they messed with the premonitions too as they are not in the correct order or sequence of premonition.
Some shots of shadout mapes creeping about where meant to go before the door opens and paul saves her from the hunter seeker.
The expanded soundtrack “secrets of the fremen” is the music for when Shadoubt mapes gives the Crysknife to Jessica when she screams I feel that a shot of a worm transparent overlayed as she yells for the understanding of “The maker” should be the open mouth showing teeth Spiral turn with sound effect.
The expanded soundtrack “The Fremen” is for Jamis funeral but segways in to Liets Kynes and his still suit being ripped apart. This gives us correct scene orders.
When Paul and Jessica are being taken to the desert to be eaten by the worms The shots of the cliffs below as the fight on the ship ensues are missing the model of the Harkonan Ornithopter ship
When Paul get’s control of the Harkonen ship after they hit the cliff it feels like the next scene of them in the cockpit was an insert and a poor one at that. It felt like Jessica shouting “Leto he’s dead” and Paul saying “I know” could all be done via audio while we see Paul from behind struggling with the controls. Now we can join the footage of the actual crash excising all the clunky inner monologue about altitude and getting to rocks… Upon leaving the ship “This crash might bring a worm” is another insert originally it was “hurry these men will have watchers” which tallies up with Piters remark “Continue reconnaissance” So we can assume that they were hiding from other ships for a while although this is never shown. It’s unclear weather Leto.s death was meant o be aboard the Ornithopter or when they get to the safety of rock and Paul has his visions.
Mother Ramallo exclaiming the prophecy would originally be placed after the crash rather than when they first arrive at Arrakis.
Then the film sort of plays out ok from here on out somewhat so sorry for the long post on observations but it just feels like it needs putting right and actually dissecting what the substituted was and what was moved about.
The secret report within the guild was actually meant to do with the guild visiting the emperor the second time without the 3rd stage navigator and was to be not Kyle Mcglaughan voice.
There is couple more shifted footage that I can cite the emperor was to arrive on Arrakis whilst Paul takes the water of life (removing ship on the echo “we come for you”) hence bene gesserit having the nose bleeds at exactly the same time Mohiam, Alia and Jessica. Also the shot of Alia with the Crysknife is before she is taken hostage by the Sandarkar not the Fremen Victory end of the battle.
MAF 15 Dune Deluxe edition I really think the standout moments were the box music restored the gurney halleck speech music score restored and to also state the Jamis fight was very good music restoration also.
You might be pleased that I just figured out the extended soundtrack “the betrayal / shields down” is missing music for the hunter seeker scene whilst the end part is for when the shields are down after Leto is shot. However there is a segment in a Special Edition documentary that is included right at the end that has the stand alone music cue for when Paul grabs the hunter seeker and thrusts it into the wall. The shots approaching the door were Shadoubt Mapes before the door opens not Paul going to his Room.
When we see the repeated shots of Sandarkar fighting Atredies on Arrakis This was to Omit an Atreidies Soldier being stabbed through his head. The Sandakar soldiers approaching battle are flipped horizontally and the shot where a Sandakar comes through a doorway is missing the Lasers or Special effects. There is a brief snippet from a trailer of an Atreidies soldier being blown in an explosion up not in the film.