Hail from Indonesia! I bring some info about...

[TheFraix]

Hi... my name is Fraix (it's a pseudonym actually),

and I'm hailing all the way from the archiphelago country of Indonesia!

I've heard of FH's Dune long before Dec 2000, and it took my utter patience to wait for the DVD/VCD/VHS version of the film to arrived in Indonesia.  By the beginning of 2001, several bootlegs VCD of each Episode was available, and by the time the Artisan Entertainment DVD was available for import.

It was by sheer chance that I stumbled upon that very Artisan DVD at a local mall.  It was quite a buck (roughly $30 US) and I immediate withdraw my bank savings to purchase it.

It was either a foolish move, since I didn't have a DVD player then... (more foolish when I realized my bank account was closed because of being under limit for too long) and so I only read the inlay sheet and put it on a shelf.  Several months later, a DVD player was purchased, and I watched it.  Watched it... pretty much enjoyed though there was a lack of subtitles for my English hearing-impaired friends.

It was really the Artisan Entertainment DVD which I purchased... divided into three episodes (just like the Sci-Fi channel) with a special photo gallery, cast biography, a making of featurette and the special production notes by Vittorio Storaro in the second disc.

Around June 2001, I stumbled upon a 4 disc VCD of the FH's Dune, distributed and translated by Dutamitra Entertainment (a local original VCD/DVD distributor for Columbia/Tristar pictures).  I spent my one month's work pay for that VCD.  Unlike the Artisan DVD, the VCD was much like a long VHS movie, in full screen format and Indonesian subtitles.  Funniest thing was they translated 'the spice must flow' as 'rempah harus tetap diproduksikan' (the spice must always be produced, lessening the poetic touch of the quote.)  

 One other point of interest, was the transition from one episode to another (eg: The part where Paul and Jessica escaped on a 'thopter into a storm and Irulan's quote about Caladan.  Afterwards there were no darkened screen with the words "Muad'Dib".)

And the more interesting things I've found on the VCD version: there were added scenes that weren't in the Artisan DVD.  The first among them was a scene where Paul ask why Thufir Hawat hates the Bene Gesserit.  Thufir explains that he's a Mentat, brought up by logic and statistics.

Well... if the total running time for the Artisan DVD was 265 minutes, the Dutamitra VCD was about 273 minutes. Quite a difference I'd say.

So there I was confounded!

Half a year later, I was shocked to see a new DVD on the shelves of a local Music store.  It was the Dutamitra DVD version of FH's Dune, with a very... very different cover (not Paul's blue in blue eyes).  There was also these special features: Dolby digital or Dolby surround sound options, English as well 5 other languages subtitles, Filmmaker's Vision, Production Story, Photo Gallery and an alternative trailer of FH's Dune and trailers of Dr. Strangelove, Krull and Close Encounters of a Third Kind.

I purchased the DVD by the beginning of 2002.

My guess is the Dutamitra VCD and DVD might be the special edition of FH's Dune I've been hearing of in another thread.

The Dutamitra VCD costs Rp. 69,000 (about $7 US)

and the DVD costs Rp. 199,000 (about $20 US).

ps: perhaps I should get a scan of the DVD and VCD covers?