I am revisiting Dune again. In the book series I am reading Frank Herberts Children of Dune once more. It is the second reading as the books are complex but awe-inspiring in there scope. I make no apologies for discussing Dune again as I feel it demands deliberation of all kinds. I was reading the fabulous blog the illustrator Ron Miller wrote on the 30th Anniversary of the David Lynch film version. He was the production artist and his wife Judith made and designed some of the model ideas. Ron writes with great gusto about the intricate detail that went into the production. How each planet had its own unique identity and how all the artisans teamed up to make the highest quality film possible.
 

Ron added concept art never seen before this year. It is incredibly exciting to see. Ron is supremely talented at his work and you can see the influence in the movie. His paintings and concepts would be a perfect match with people like Tony Masters. Tony was the production designer behind 2001 a space odyssey. What a task they had. While Arthur C Clarkes stories are science based and have complex theories based on estimated and known knowledge, Frank Herbert’s Dune series is generally multifaceted political mysticism. They are almost a religion in their own write. How do you illustrate that? It can’t have been easy but on reading Ron’s blog you get the feeling that the team really enjoyed that challenge.
 

The pre production art is a thrill. Even at that stage you can see how the film was, even in its infancy, having the wright crew work on its elements. Once the blueprints were created the sets and models could be built. Now film work is green screen and CGI (and there is nothing wrong with this) but for me the look of real sets and design cannot be beat. Avatar is a great film, just breathtaking, but I just prefer the real deal. Finance will not allow these movies now. Artisans such as the wonderful Carlo Rambaldi and those stunning ‘illusions’ and creature creations can only be classed as clever perfection.
 

This brings me onto a fan edit of the film I have just watched. You can find it on the internet to download. The fan that created it is called ‘Spicediver’ and the film is called Dune Alternative Edition Redux. It runs as 178 minutes and the film is the best cut I have seen so far. David Lynch will never re visit the film so we have Spicediver to thank. He did the most superb job of readapting the footage and placing scenes in a more cohesive order. He than added some of the known deleted scenes and colourised them in order to make the film flow. What a great job he has done.
 

Ron Millers Dune concept art

Ron Millers 30th Anniversary Dune blog

Spicediver's incredible fanedit details

Spicediver's Alternative Edition Redux Trailer