7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
The story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux, Richard Stanley (I), Brontis Jodorowsky, H.R. GigerDocumentary | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
You can't have a masterpiece without madness.
Imagine this pitch: "we want to make a Documentary about a movie that was never made, something that, aside from a thick tome packed with
sketches, storyboards, and script pages, exists only in the mind of one of cinema's most divisive, misunderstood, and out-of-the-mainstream
filmmakers." It must have been much like Alejandro Jodorowsky's pitch for his version of Dune, likely the most ambitious film project never
made, one that seemed like a good idea but that wasn't quite all there, at least in the cosmic sense of the Hollywood numbers and figures necessary
to
bring something so abstract to fruition. In essence, Jodorowsky's Dune is a Documentary about almost nothing tangible, and it's
brilliant. It's ultimately more about the man behind the ill-fated project and the inner-workings of cinema than it is details about the doomed film,
though
certainly all of those more abstract ideas are born from the sharing of the project that sadly never got off the ground. Director Frank Pavich's film
makes a case less for Jodorowsky's Dune and more for Jodorowsky's vision of Hollywood and what, exactly, he hoped to accomplish with
Dune, making, in his words, the film equivalent of a "prophet" that would change minds and signal "the coming of a god."
Memories.
Jodorowsky's Dune arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The image is rather typical of a technically midrange Documentary, the HD video source showing some imperfections but proving more than serviceable and capable of capturing the film with the sort of HD precision modern delivery demands. Details are never quite exacting; the image is rather flat and, while crisp and well-defined, not the sort of meticulously detailed, razor-sharp, and perfectly rendered image the best of digital allows. Clothing and facial features are never all that visually arresting, but the many drawings of varied complexity and, even, sometimes, movement, are very well represented in high definition. Colors are stable, not eye-catching by any stretch but more than capable of revealing colorful nuance in some of the more detailed images and across general static interview shots. Minor aliasing is sometimes evident, as are some mild compression issues, noticed particularly in the handful of interview clips featuring Drive Director Nicolas Winding Refn. This isn't a movie that screams for a pristine picture, and while there are a few bugaboos and a fairly dull general view, Sony's transfer capably gets the job done.
Jodorowsky's Dune features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Sony's Blu-ray delivers the film's frequently active track with relative ease. There's some deliberately hissy and muddled music over the open, as well as a variety of styles and delivery throughout, including some era-inspired electronic notes that pulsate nicely and crisply across the front. Additionally, some scattered, oddball era-specific Science Fiction sound effects support some of the static images seen throughout the film. At its heart, however, is a dialogue-heavy film. The various accents and tongues are handled equally well, with care and attention to verbal detail and accuracy.
Jodorowsky's Dune contains a collection of deleted scenes and a trailer. A DVD copy of the film is included in the Blu-ray case.
Jodorowsky's Dune is one of the most fascinating Documentaries of the past few years and one of a select few that truly captures the power and essence of cinema. Through the eyes, heart, and molded soul of one the medium's finest craftsman comes not simply a look at a movie that was never made but a look at a moviemaker whose love for the medium is equalled, or bested, only by his personal accomplishments in using it as a springboard of self-discovery, satisfaction, and realized and fulfilled purpose. It's a shame -- for Jodorowsky and cinephiles -- that his Dune never saw the light of day, but here in Jodorowsky's Dune lies, perhaps, something much more valuable: a deeply inward look at just what sort of power cinema -- even cinema that never saw the light of a projector and the flicker of a frame -- truly has on those who genuinely appreciate it, explore it, shape it, and live it for the betterment of themselves and of others. Sony's Bu-ray release of Jodorowsky's Dune delivers satisfactory video and audio. Supplements are limited to a selection of deleted scenes, but the film is, by itself, a testament that no extra needs further examine. This release earns my highest recommendation.
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