Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Jodorowsky's Dune Blu-ray Movie Review

The best film about the best film that was never filmed.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 3, 2014

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 says that one's goal in life should be "to create yourself a soul." For him, that creation process comes from the world of motion pictures. He found almost instant success -- though certainly well outside of the mainstream -- with El Topo and The Holy Mountain, two films that would open eyes and speak to filmgoers in different ways, or not at all, but in some way show the value of cinema beyond the commercialized confines of the medium that, admittedly, were a little less the proverbial elephant in the room back in the 1970s that they are today but nevertheless represented a far break from the norm. In those films, one can clearly see a filmmaker in search of something less about mass appeal and more focused on the search for meaning through the prism of the unconventionally abstract. In Author Frank Herbet's Dune, Jodorowsky saw the potential for the ultimate fulfillment of his life's journey, a story resplendently capable of enveloping not only a vision but a reason, of displaying not only pictures but the final realization of his creative genius and his very essence as a human being. Imagine all of that being yanked away at the last minute.

Jodorowsky's Dune takes viewers on a fascinating journey through the creative process that was the build-up to the film's rejection by the studio system. Dubbed "the greatest movie never made" by Hardware Director Richard Stanley, Jodorowsky's Dune began as a collaboration between the filmmaker and Michel Seydoux, the latter of whom granted Jodorowsky free reign in putting together his would-be masterpiece. This film examines that creative process of that film from imagination to page, from page to cast and crew assemblage. It looks at Jodorowsky's work with visaulists Jean Giraud and H.R. Giger. It looks at casting, including Jodorowsky's son Brontis, Singer Mick Jagger, Actor Orson Welles, and Artist Savador Dalí. It covers music and Jodorowsky's push to bring aboard the legendary rock group Pink Floyd to work on the soundtrack, and it also examines the film's ultimate failure to get any further out of the gate, particularly with regard to concerns over budget, length, and Jodorowsky himself.

Jodorowsky's Dune is a veritable treasure trove for cinephiles, a brilliant behind-the-scenes examination of not just an assembled work that fate never allowed on the screen but also an insight into a man whose love for and appreciation and understanding of the cinema medium is both unique and refreshing, but more on that in a moment. Superficially, the film takes an oftentimes breathless journey into "what if" land, this times the "whats" and the "ifs" very well defined and preserved in Jodorowsky's monstrous volume of all things Dune, which, at least on film, looks as long as a coffee table book and at least as thick as just about any unabridged dictionary one has ever seen, and probably heavier. It's amazing to see so much work, so much love, so much dedication not only from Jodorowsky but from the people with whom he worked -- H.R. Giger, Jean Giraud -- and who must have certainly felt the same disappointment, perhaps even betrayal, when it all amounted to nothing tangible, nothing on a resumé, nothing on the screen. The film does, in its final minutes, dabble in the wealth of indirect influences that the film has arguably had on the cinema landscape, including everything from Star Wars to Contact, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to Prometheus, and from The Terminator to Masters of the Universe. Winks and nods are nice, but the film does a wonderful job of conveying the passion for the material, the disappointment in its premature termination, and even Jodorowsky's glee that David Lynch's cinematic take on the novel didn't exactly turn up smelling like roses.

But the film's finest moments -- which, really, is the entire thing, both directly and indirectly -- is understanding and appreciating Jodorowsky's passion for cinema and almost literally feeling it radiating off of him, out of the screen, and into the very essence of his audience, particularly if that audience already has at least its own personal inkling towards the greater magic the cinema medium has to offer. Jodorowsky's fire for his unmade film is topped by that for cinema itself. He sees cinema -- the avenues of opportunity it opens -- as celluloid nourishment for the body which in turn serves as a facilitator for the opening of the mind and leads one on a journey towards shaping and/or discovering the very essence of his or her soul. Jordorowsky represents everything that's missing from so many movies today. He's a man who sees the value of film not for the number of tickets it moves, the merchandise sold, and the bottom line on the bank account but for the character it builds, the depth it's capable of exploring, the detail with which it leads audiences on a journey, the purpose it can so precisely demonstrate, and the soul it rewards to the persistent, who discover their centers with or through a work of motion art.

Jodorowsky's Dune Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): A Nice Killing (1:45), Costumes of 'Dune' (4:02), Frank Herbert's Novel (5:57), Jodorowsky and Seydoux Reunited (12:34), Jodorowsky on 'Dune's' Length (3:31), Jodorowsky on Hollywood (5:33), Jodorowsky's Film Philosophy (5:27), Seydoux on Dino De Laurentis (7:20), and The Conception of Alia (1:07). The scenes reinforce the passions of the man and leave the audience only to further linger on the "what if" questions that arise with a viewing of the final film. Optional English subtitles are included for the segments presented in French.
• Jodorowsky's Dune Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:03).
• Previews (1080i/1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Jodorowsky's Dune Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.