David Lynch’s Dune: The Third Stage Edition

i love dune and had been after this version for a while.
so after getting my hands on this i watched it that night.
i love this edit but i loved the alternative redux more.
i love how this cut is closer to Davids version of dune more than the studios.
the only real problem i have with this edit is the quality is a little rough but you can only use what ever you have to work with.
this is a real solid edit and really improves the movie greatly, it defiantly taking a spot next to the alternative redux and kicking the theatrical cut off the DVD shelf.

thank you to PhineasBG for giving us the version of dune so meny people have waited for for so long and this edit was worth hunting down. tops job i loved it

highly recomended

I just made an account to THANK YOU SO MUCH for making this...! I haven't seen Dune in a long time. I love the book so much, so I just downloaded your version and at the same time, the 1080p theatrical cut. I watched the first ten minutes of both and instantly knew yours was going to be the more wonderful experience... even at the 480 resolution (I assume?). Thanks again for putting so much time and care into this edit. Really feels like I'm watching the intended version, flaws and pacing issues are no matter, because it's what the book feels like... a true edit for the fans! THANK YOU!

February 18, 2009

FanEdit Review by Molasar

Title/FanEditor: David Lynch's Dune: The Third Stage Edition by PhineasBg & Nighthawks

Prologue: I love Dune. Besides The Keep, being a fan of David Lynch's Dune has been tough over the years. I have read the book and watched the Sci-Fi Channel mini-series. They simply do not hold a candle to David Lynch's oft-maligned vision. The film is gorgeous to look at. Bob Ringwood's costumes are phenomenal in and of themselves. The still suits are one of the best costumes ever put on celluloid. Add to that the amazing set design, the awesome cinematography by Freddie Francis and the extraordinary effects work by Carlo Rambaldi and Albert Whitlock and you have a misunderstood masterpiece. I could care less that Lynch changed the story. I love every frame of the theatrical cut. I have seen the extended TV edition many times. It features more good things to see and hear but the cut was nonsensical. PhineasBg and Nighthawks have created something very special. Using the shooting draft of Lynch's screenplay (which I have read), they have reconstructed the film in a way that every Dune fan has to see.

The Edit: What's best about this fan edit is they rearranged the extended edition and added in the deleted scenes for a complete version of David Lynch's film. The cuts are seamless. The rearrangement of the scenes, compared to the confusing TV cut, is perfection. Everything is there. For those who want all the deleted scenes and the “painting narrated” prologue they're presented as Special Features. Nothing is lost. The only complaint I have is that the deleted scene footage is not very good, no fault of the faneditors so there are no deductions. They have done the best they could. Their inclusion is not distracting because the editing and sound syncing is so well done. Biggest and best improvement — the blue Fremen eyes added to the extended footage. Totally cool. This is my new version to watch when I give Dune a spin. Simply excellent. *****/*****

Image Quality: Besides the aforementioned deleted scene footage, everything else looks very good. Colors are rich and blacks are deep. I noticed some jaggies and moire effects on striped areas, like Feyd's chest. Given these limitations, I still think fans will be very pleased with the video quality of this presentation. ****/*****

Audio Quality: Although the audio is listed as 5.1 surround, it really isn't. The sound field is center-heavy. I did not hear anything from my rears and no LFE whatsoever during the film. The audio is loud and clear, free from pops or hiss yet I can't help but wish that the sound field was wider and more enveloping. To be fair, the DVD special edition is not a great 5.1 soundtrack. It's not one I'd use to show off my system. This one’s just fine. ***.5/*****

The DVD: Static menus. Specials Features include deleted scenes and the prologue for us completists. ****.5/*****

Overall Rating: Simply the best version of Dune out there. A must for fans. ****.5/*****

Epilogue: Whenever Dune comes up in conversation, I will recommend that its detractors see this cut. They won’t be able to deny that David Lynch’s stunning epic is not as bad as they remember.

MOLASAR HAS SPOKEN.

Reviewed using Sony 51” 16×9 RPTV with Oppo DVD player upconverting to 1080i via DVI and Onkyo 650 Watt 5.1 surround sound.

There are many, many Dune edits out there, and this is a very good one. My thoughts on the film and the fanedit in a more general, thematic way are here: https://boxd.it/3d7HvB

In technical terms, this fanedit shows its age and age of the source material. The added footage has supposedly been cleaned up and had special effects added/completed, but I caught a number of shots without that. The footage shows a huge difference between sources at times. The audio work is much stronger though, with reworked themes from both major cuts to produce a smooth soundscape here.

Much of the added material comes in the beginning, which can make the earlier part of this feel slow and then make the ending seem rushed. That said, it's not ALL character development; there are some more action shots and that great knife fight scene in the desert. If you can get over the difference in video quality, this is a version I'd recommend over the theatrical version or the 'official' extended version.

A great edit of Dune. The deleted scenes were cleaned up as much as could be expected, and integrated well enough. You could tell where they were, but there's only so much that could be done and it's not jarring. The audio was excellent, no issues there at all.

My only real quibble is it seems something was missing from the Paul meets the Fremen scene. It felt a bit jarring & quick. I swear I recall a bit more to it in other versions. Other than that, it all flowed smoothly.