Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune isn’t the only film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic getting a 4K release this year. That is on the grounds that the original adaptation, made in 1984 by a youthful David Lynch, is getting a limited edition 4K Blu-ray release on August 30th. The film was both a critical and box office bomb that Lynch later disowned, but at the same time it’s a fascinating historical artifact and sci-fi cult-classic.
Bolt Films, the distributor handling the release, says the 4K restoration is sourced from the film’s unique camera negative, scanned at 4K 2160p and mastered in Dolby Vision HDR. It additionally includes uncompressed stereo audio and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound mix.
There are two versions of the 4K release available to pre-order: a standard release containing the film alongside a bonus disc of additional content, and a steelbook edition which adds a third non-4K Blu-ray disc containing the HD version of the film. Additional features include brand new audio commentaries (from film student of history Paul M. Sammon and podcaster Mike White), another full length narrative, and blend of new and old featurettes. It will be accessible to purchase in the UK, US, and Canada when it discharges one month from now.
It’d most likely be an understatement to say the original Dune got a mixed reception upon its release. Pundit Robert Ebert called it “an incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time.” But the tale of how it came to be is fascinating, with Ridley Scott being connected to coordinate at one point before he exited and coordinated Blade Runner all things considered. Vulture has a good timeline of the struggles various filmmakers have experienced throughout the years attempting to adjust the novel.
In the mean time, the 2021 Dune adaptation is as of now release of delivery on October first, when it will be available simultaneously to watch in films just as HBO Max in 4K HDR.