It’s been forty years since the release of David Lynch’s Dune, and although the film is certainly a flawed adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel, there’s something inherently fascinating about it. That fascination has led to the film growing a substantial cult following over the years, which obsesses over every little detail. After all these years, fans of Lynch’s Dune actually have something new to enjoy, thanks to a never-before-seen deleted scene which has been restored by the folks at Nerdist.
The Dune deleted scene centers around Harah (Molly Wryn), a Freman character who originally had a bigger role in the movie. The scene finds Harah explaining to Lady Jessica (Francesca Annis) why the young Alia (Alicia Witt) scares the other Freman. You can check it out in the video below, which includes an introduction from Wryn herself.
Wryn sent the deleted scene to Max Evry while he was working on his book, A Masterpiece In Disarray (David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History). Nerdist editor Matt Caron then lovingly restored the scene from its VHS source, which will be included in ViaVision‘s upcoming Blu-ray release of the movie.
Although David Lynch’s movie received largely negative reviews at the time of its release, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptations have been critically acclaimed. Our own Chris Bumbray gave the recent Dune sequel a rave review. “In this day of assembly line blockbusters, it’s a miracle that director Denis Villeneuve has managed to get not one but two incredible, uncompromised epics like this through the studio system,” he wrote. “It works as a tentpole blockbuster, but Dune Part Two is also filmmaking at the highest level. It’s a real cinematic event everyone owes it to themselves to take in and hopefully won’t be forgotten come Oscar time. It’s a masterpiece.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here.
Dune: Part Two will “explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.” The film is now playing in theaters, so be sure to let us know what you thought of it!