Category Archives: book adaption

virginia madsen in diminshed capacity

Diminished Capacity / Cardboard Memories

Diminished Capacity is a comedy from 2008 and was first screened in January of the same year at the Sundance Film Festival before hitting cinema screens in July. It’s based on a novel of the same name, written by Sherwood Kiraly.

It’s a quaint little movie. I think that’s the right word.

The story follows Cooper (Matthew Broderick) who is suffering from a bout of memory loss due to hitting his head against a wall in a bar fight in which he was collateral damage, it wasn’t his fight but he took a hit.

After being let go from his job as a Political Correspondent at a newspaper he finds himself heading home at his Mothers (Lois Smith) request to help take care of his Uncle Rollie (Alan Alda). His Uncle is also suffering from his own form of memory problems, his are age related though,  Alzheimers, and he’s not getting any better from it. His Mother hopes Conner can persuade him to get more professional help.

This might not be as helpless as it all seems as it’s revealed that Uncle Rollie is in possession of a rare baseball card; Frank Schulte from the 1908 Chicago Cubs lineup. And, if they could convince Rollie to sell this card they could potentially put all their financial woes behind them and get Rollie the help he needs.
Virginia Madsen as Charlotte in Diminished Capacity, wearing a light blue hoodie and standing inside a small store with a shopping basket. She has a soft, amused expression while interacting with Matthew Broderick’s character, who smiles at her. The cozy, rustic setting adds to the film’s small-town charm.As he’s back home for the first time in a good while, the inevitable happens and he runs into his ex-girlfriend, Charlotte (our Virginia Madsen). Charlotte is single, good news for Connor. She had a husband, and a child, Dillon (Jimmy Bennett) now she’s back on the market. The two hit it off quite well and rekindle their acquaintance. Not in a romantic way, but a friend way.

One thing leads to another and before you know it, Connor, Uncle Rollie, Charlotte and Dillon are on the road to a Sports Memorabilia Convention to sell the card.

And, yeah – That about sums up the premise and you can probably work out the sentimental trip to the Convention that follows.

It’s not a bad film, and it’s not a good film. It has a lot of heart, I’ll say that much. The performances from all the cast are spot on. Matthew Broderick has a knack for this kind of sentimentality, Alan Alda is always a joy to watch and he pulls off the role with as much gravitas as you’d imagine he would.
Virginia Madsen as Charlotte in Diminished Capacity (2008), sitting in an auditorium with a concerned yet engaged expression. Her curly blonde hair frames her face as she looks intently at Matthew Broderick’s character, who is partially visible in the foreground.Virginia Madsen does her whole “Single Mother with a heart of gold just waiting for her chance” thing in this one, it’s not a bad dialled in performance by any means – It’s nothing new though  While all of the acting her,e is above par you wouldn’t expect anything less from the cast.

It’s worth a watch, it’s likely nothing you haven’t seen before but it’s still worth a watch for the performances alone. It’ll touch your soul in all the right places and maybe give you a little hope that things aren’t that bad at the same time.

Availability:

Good, not hard to find on DVD and on some streaming services depending on your location (or access to a VPN).

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virginia madsen in the apocalypse watch

The Apocalypse Watch

The Apocalypse Watch is 1997 TV Movie based upon a 1995 novel by Robert Ludlum, which is a pretty darn quick thing to happen.

The story follows the story of American intelligence officer Drew Latham (Patrick Bergin), who is plunged into a high-stakes conspiracy that threatens global security. The novel begins with the discovery of a neo-Nazi group called the Brotherhood of the Watch, which has infiltrated high levels of government and corporate structures worldwide.

Drew’s brother, James, an undercover operative, is murdered while investigating the Brotherhood. Determined to uncover the truth, Drew takes on his brother’s mission. He partners with French agent Karin De Vries (Virginia Madsen), and together they navigate a treacherous world of espionage, betrayal, and murder.

Sounds like a Robert Ludlum novel for sure.
virginia madsen in the apocalypse watchIn truth, I got kind of bored of this one. It’s, very long. It clocks in at 2 hours and 56 minutes long. It was originally shown in two parts on TV, which I didn’t know when I started watching because I have it on DVD. I don’t mind spy movies, but I like some action to go with it and while not completely lacking, it’s not a Bourne film.

Virginia Madsen doesn’t seem to make much effort at a French accent, but she does her thing well here. I’d have switched it off long before I did if it wasn’t for her. Kind of an odd role for her in the grand scheme of things, but it makes for an interesting change.
virginia madsen in the apocalypse watchI don’t know if I’d recommend this one. If you’re a fan of the genre then go for it, it did seem to be reasonably well made, and there was some intrigue to be had for sure. But, at the risk of repeating myself it’s not a Bourne film which, I wasn’t expecting, but given it’s from the same author I expected similar. If that makes sense.

Availability:

Not impossible to get hold of, but you’ll pay for it on DVD, it can command a high price for whatever reason. It seems popular in Germany for some reason.

It is available to stream on various channels, and, YouTube can be your friend here.

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Not for this one.

virginia madsen in crossfire trail

Crossfire Trail

Crossfire Trail is a TV Movie from 2001 and is based upon a 1954 Novel of the same name by author Louis L’Armour. It’s a Western, which is a little surprise when it comes to Virginia Madsen films, besides Hell on Wheels which would come further down the line in her career she hasn’t made many of these.

The tale opens with Charles Rodney beaten half to death on a ship, by its Captain. While on his deathbed, Rafe Covington (Tom Selleck) tends to him. Charles makes Rafe swear on oath to protect his family and avenge his death. Rafe makes short work of killing the Captain of the ship and once they reach the shore he and two friends make their way to Charles’s ranch to make good on their promise.
virginia madsen in crossfire trailHe finds Charles wife, Anne (Virginia Madsen) and the Ranch where they live in a state of disrepair. The Ranch has seen better days and Anne is being wooed by a local businessman who is trying to get hold of the ranch off her.

Rafe and his friends set about getting Anne and the ranch back on track, but obviously things aren’t all that straightforward and nothing ever runs as smooth as that.
And from my incredibly short description of the film’s plot it won’t come as any surprise when I tell you that I didn’t really watch this one. I mean, I did, but I was on my phone within 30 minutes. Not necessarily because of the film, but because I’m not a fan of period stuff and that includes Cowboy movies.
virginia madsen in crossfire trailWhat I did see of it (when Virginia was on screen) seemed to be well done for the most part, Virginia is in fine form in this one as we’ve come to expect from her.

I’m not qualified to recommend either way for viewing on this one. My Googling about the film did tell me that it was actually quite well received, for what it’s worth.

Availability:

Good – Seems to be no shortage of the film on Region 1 DVD.

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Title card for Candyman (1992), featuring bold white text over an aerial view of Chicago. The opening shot establishes the film’s urban setting and ominous tone.

Candyman

Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candy… No. Wait.

… Candyman surely needs little to no introduction, it is without doubt what most of the general public probably think of when they hear the name Virginia Madsen.

And if, for some inexplicable reason, they don’t know her name you can probably go with “she was the one in Candyman” and most people would get a sudden expression of realisation on their face, and hopefully remember the name Virginia Madsen forever more.

Candyman is a film from 1992, it was written and directed by Bernard Rose and taken from a short story by Clive Barker, “The Forbidden”. The Candyman himself is played by Tony Todd, the film follows the story of Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) as she investigates the mythos of various Urban Legends for her college thesis. As part of her research she comes across the Candyman story and the folklore around it.
Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle in Candyman (1992), wearing a black turtleneck and looking to the side with a concerned expression. Her short, curly blonde hair is slightly tousled. A blue-screen computer monitor and a chalkboard in the background, reinforcing her role as a graduate student investigating urban legends.The Candyman is given credit for a series of killings in the modern day, which seems preposterous to Helen.

The more she learns about the origin of the Candyman, the deeper she gets invested in the lore until she eventually meets the literal man, the myth and the legend.

At its core, it’s a slasher flick as was all the rage at the time. But it’s an intelligent one, it’s not simply a gorefest as many as its contemporaries were at the time. It’s got an underlying meaning behind it all which goes deeper than most.
Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle in Candyman (1992), sitting in a dimly lit room, holding a cigarette with a calm yet intense expression. Her short, curly blonde hair frames her face, and the warm lighting highlights her features. The blurred background adds to the moody atmosphere of the scene.Candyman, or should we call him Daniel Robitaille, isn’t a traditional monster in the true sense of the word, he was wronged and while he does seek his vengeance it isn’t without justification. I think many of the other “Slasher” flicks more or less all feature a protagonist who was “evil” before they became the monster.

Or at least the ones that instantly spring to my mind at least, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers – I’m not sure if that’s just my age showing there though – The newer wave of ‘Slasher’ movies don’t seem to follow the same tropes.

As Virginia Madsen herself told The Moving Picture;

“I think it would be different if Tony Todd’s character were a monster. But he’s not a monster — he’s a phantom. He is like Dracula, a romantic phantom. He’s beautiful, he’s seductive, he wants you to join him in immortality.”

Not going to lie – I don’t know how much I can add to the whole ‘Candyman’ thing here, and I don’t know if I even want to after going deeper into search results than I normally would while researching this. I mean, wow… There are some interesting takes on it out there.
Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle in Candyman (1992), sitting in a hospital gown with a distant, shocked expression. Her short, curly blonde hair is slightly disheveled. The dimly lit background features a medical examination room with a bulletin board and an empty bed, emphasizing the tense and unsettling atmosphere of the scene.Hell, after reading some of the stuff about the film and its implications I’m not even sure I’m qualified to write about the film on a site about collecting other films from one of the actresses in it.

And, that’s all this site is – So, I’ll leave those conversations and observations for another site on another day.

As for Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle? Spot on. While there is no doubt that the film would have seen the same levels of success without her, I do genuinely think Candyman does benefit from having someone of her caliber play this lead role. It’s pretty well known at this point that the way Bernard Rose directed some of the scenes in Candyman was unconventional to say the least. In the scenes which have Candyman and Helen together, Virginia would be hypnotised beforehand which kind of gives it / her an ethereal quality for want of a better way of putting it.

Is it worth a watch if you’ve never seen it? – Well, yeah – Candyman has its detractors and was originally released to mixed reviews but I think over time more and more people have come to appreciate the film more than ever. It’s often referred to as one of the best adaptations of Clive Barkers work on film.
Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle in Candyman (1992). She appears distressed, with short, curly blonde hair, wearing a blue blouse and knitted cardigan. The background features a pink wall with a shadow. Madsen’s performance in Candyman is one of her most notable horror roles.The Candyman legend would continue in two direct sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman: Day of The Dead (1999) and more recently a fourth entry into the franchise reverting back to the original title Candyman (2021) which could be considered both a reboot and a sequel.

It’s almost a shame that the Helen Lyle character wasn’t followed up on, properly at least. I used to harbour some hope we’d get to see Virginia Madsen reprise the role at some point, but I think even I have to admit that it’s very unlikely at this point.

Availability:

Yeah, I think if you walked far enough you could literally trip over a copy of this film in one form or another. Freely available on DVD and Blu-Ray at the time of writing, with a special 4K release from Arrow Video also kicking around quite freely still.

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virginia madsen candyman press kit photo virginia madsen candyman press kit photo virginia madsen candyman press kit photo
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virginia madsen in brace new girl

Brave New Girl

Brave New Girl is a TV Movie released in 2004 by ABC Family. It’s based on the novel “A Mothers Gift” which was written by Britney and Lynne Spears which was loosely based on Britney’s life. Although it was based on the book, the plot has been changed significantly, Britney still takes a credit as Executive Producer on the film though.

Brave New Girl tells the tale of schoolgirl Holly Lovell (Lindsey Haun) and her dreams of making it big as a Singer. Holly lives with her Mother, Wanda (Virginia Madsen) in a small Texan town without much a future in front of her, she sees music as her only chance.
Virginia Madsen as Wanda Lovell in Brave New Girl (2004), wearing a black jacket with her blonde curls framing her face. She looks down at a piece of paper with a soft, contemplative expression in a dimly lit room.So set on this future is Holly that Wanda gives up everything for her daughter to have the chance she wants.

Yes, it’s that kind of movie.

We see Wanda literally give everything for Holly to attend the prestigious Haverty School of Performing Arts, but once she’s there it isn’t the smooth ride Holly thinks it’s going to be. Being from a small Texan town she’s given the cold shoulder somewhat by the other more popular girls in the school which obviously causes some drama.

One teacher takes her under their wing though and helps Holly realise her potential.

Told you it was that kind of movie.

Wanda ends up hanging around the school as she has nothing to go home for. She meets a man in a local bar she’s frequenting wondering what to do with her life now she has no home and no job to go back to. One thing leads to another and she ends up working as Waitress in a nearby Cafe (It’s OK – I know you didn’t expect me to say that).

She still needs a place to stay though, and that’s when she ends up staying with Holly in her room at the school. (I know, I know).

Small town bigotry overcome and Holly goes on to do well at the school. Etc.
Virginia Madsen as Wanda Lovell in Brave New Girl, wearing a brown jacket with floral embroidery. She smiles with teary eyes, looking emotional, while sitting in a dimly lit audience. A dark-haired woman in the background watches her with a smile.I bought this years ago and filed it away thinking I’d probably never watch it. It was only when it came to this project I even considered it. I put it in the DVD player with a loud sigh and fully thought I’d be switching it off after 30 minutes or so. But, that never happened. It wasn’t necessarily because it’s a good film, and it’s wholly predictable, but… I don’t know. I ended up being sucked in for some reason. Maybe it was the sheer implausibility of it all, maybe it was the message of hope reaching into my dark cold soul. Who knows?

Virginia Madsen does her doting Mother thing in this one. And, to be fair she does it well. But we wouldn’t expect anything less. And to be fair she does get a fair bit to do on her own while she’s hanging around making sure Wanda gets a fair go. It’s a fun role for her and you can kind of tell she enjoyed doing it.

Don’t think I’ll be watching it again anytime soon though.

Availability:

Good, easily found on Region 1 DVD.

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virginia madsen in the truth about the harry quebert affair

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is a 2018 10 part mini series based upon the 2014 book of the same name by Joel DIcker.  It was originally shown on the Epix channel starting in September.

We start off following a young author by the name of Marcus Goldman (Ben Schnetzer). He’s had a successful book published but now his Agents and Publishers want another one and he’s got a bad case of the writers block. He reaches out to his old School Teacher and Mentor, the titular Harry Quebert (Patrick Dempsey) to see if he has any advice for him.

Harry Quebert is himself a much celebrated Author and local hero in the town he lives in. He’s originally from New York but moved there to write his book and ended up staying. The book, The Origin of Evil, was a resounding success and is classed as one of the greatest books of the generation.

Life is good for Harry enjoying his low key celebrity life in the town. When Marcus calls him for advice he offers him a place to stay to blow away the cobwebs and maybe get some inspiration from fresh surroundings.

The visit goes well, but as Marcus  is preparing to leave news comes out that Harry has been arrested for the murder of a teenage girl, Nola (Ryan Kiera Armstrong),  who went missing 33 years before. Nola’s body has been found in the back garden of Harry by the same workers that Harry has employed to do so some work.

Marcus decides he’s to stay and help Harry in any way he can not wanting to believe Harry is guilty. He goes to visit him in jail where Harry manages to slip him a note. On the note are instructions to find some evidence that could incriminate him and burn it.

It turns out that Harry and Lola where in fact closer than they should have been for a man of his age and a girl of her age, but he insists it “wasn’t like that” and that he’s innocent. He knows how it looks however and fears people won’t understand.
Virginia Madsen as Tamara Quinn in The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. She is wearing a retro diner waitress uniform with a yellow collar and a name tag reading 'Tamara.' Her hair is styled in a vintage updo, and she wears red lipstick and pearl earrings. She is speaking with an expressive look, standing in a warmly lit diner with shelves of snacks and drinks in the background.Virginia Madsen plays Tamara, she first appears in the second episode as the owner of the road side restaurant that Harry would go on to write his novel in. In the past we see she’s one of Harry’s biggest fans and instructs the staff to treat Harry like royalty. Later we see her after Harry’s arrest and her tune has significantly changed and she can’t wait to tell everyone how she knew he was no good.
Virginia Madsen as Tamara Quinn in The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. She has curly gray hair and wears a burgundy cardigan over a leopard-print blouse. She is in conversation with a younger man, gesturing with her hand while speaking. The setting is outdoors with lush green foliage in the background, creating a natural and serene atmosphere.We see the story unfold through the eyes of Marcus as he conducts his own investigation as most of the town folk have turned their back on their hero. Obviously there are twists and turns as these things are apt to do. Secrets are revealed, red herrings are, herringed, We see the story play out in both the present day and through flash backs to the time before Lola disappeared and the time immediately after it.

It’d be stupidly easy to spoil something if I continued (I’ve already had to hold back!) and so I’ll leave it at that with a recommendation that if you like this kind of thing then you’d be well advised to seek it out as it’s one of the good ones.

As a Virginia Madsen fan it’s definitely worth a watch. She’s on top form here and it’s good to see her take another role which can show her range. In my head I kind of likened the role to the one she took in the Anna Nicole biopic. It’s perhaps not what you’d expect from her, especially the present day version of her character.

Availability:

I was actually surprised to find you can’t buy this on physical media in any form. Which is a shame. It’s currently available on Amazon Prime if you do want to watch it.

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virginia madsen in wonder woman

Wonder Woman

Sticking within the DC Universe Virginia Madsen would lend her voice to Hippolyta in the 2009 animated version of Wonder Woman.

The film is loosely based upon the 1987 reinvention of the character in the comics universe by George Perez in the arc known as Gods and Mortals.

As I’ve stated before, I’m a fan of DC Comics, but Wonder Woman isn’t a character I’ve particularly read up on. Not for any particular reason and I’ve always enjoyed her as a character when she’s made guest appearances in other comics I do read.

The film serves as an Origin Story for Wonder Woman really, and in this version it’s not a million miles away from what we’ve seen on the big screen with Zack Snyder’s attempt at a DC Universe and the films starring Gal Gadot.

In short the film deals with Hippolyta and the eternal battles of the Gods. The film begins in times long gone with a battle between Hippolyta fighting alongside the rest of the Amazons against Ares and his army.
virginia madsen in wonder womanHippolyta is about to deal a devastating final blow to Ares when Zeus stops her. Zeus promises Hippolyta and the Amazons an island they can call their own where they can live in peace and serenity if Ares life is spared.
virginia madsen in wonder womanThey agree and begin to their lives on an island paradise away from all the troubles in the world. As part of the deal Hippolyta is granted a daughter from which she crafts from the sands of the island and names Diana (Keri Russell).

Diana eventually grows bored with the island and seeks out new adventures, when Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion) is shot down in a plane over their island she takes the chance to return with him to the world of Man.

In the background Ares has been plotting his own return and it just happens to be all kicking off for him at the same time Diana makes her way to the same place.

Ares attacks Washington…. And, yeah. You know the rest. Fisticuffs, ancient battles reignited, yadda yadda.
virginia madsen in wonder womanI’ve got to say, I was impressed with Virginia Madsen again here. Each voice she does in her voice over work is significantly different from the other which shows some real talent. The voice she gives Hippolyta is perfect, it’s commanding when it needs to be and gentle as a Mother.

Speaking of her role with comicbookmovie.com she commented on this herself;

“Hippolyta has a really wide range – I use a lot of notes when I play her. She has a larger, more regal voice. I liked the range we use to create her vocally, and the way that she was written. It’s not that she’s over the top, but she’s just a very, very big character. And I don’t usually get to do that on onscreen. ”

If you’re a fan of Wonder Woman, or even just the whole DC Universe thing then you’re not going to want to miss this one. I persoanlly think it’s one of the better and more grown up versions of the story.

Availability:

Good. Not hard to get hold of on DVD or Blu Ray. Or, both at the same time if you pick up the combo pack..

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virginia madsen in heart of dixie

Heart of Dixie

Heart of Dixie, well. Isn’t a film for me. If you’ve read any of the other pages about Virginia Madsens work in period pieces then you know this. If not, then get ready for a reoccurring them on the other ones.

Heart of Dixie is a film from 1989 that’s set in 1957. It’s an adaption of a 1976 novel, Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons.

The story of the film follows three Sorority Sisters on their journey through college as racial segregation in Alabama is coming to an end. Maggie DeLoach (Ally Sheedy) is one of these sisters, she’s enjoyed the good life while growing up and slowly comes to realise just how badly African-Americans have been treated in their community which leads her on a bit of a mission about educating everyone around her.

Which of course is good, and it’s good to remember and point to this kind of thing in history and scream about how bad it was.

The other two, Aiken Reed (Phoebe Cates) and Delia June Curry (our heroine) are basically noise for Maggie to be around and bounce off of. Delia is very well realised noise, she does have a few stand out moments within the whole narrative, but noise all the same. AIken, well, I’m not really sure what the point if her is.
virginia madsen in heart of dixieI honestly tried to watch this one, and ended up failing. It’s uhm – Well, I don’t know. I get what the film is, and what it’s trying to say and do. But, it does it well, badly. To me at least. Perhaps it’s the fact I’m watching it over 30 years later and times have (allegedly) changed. For want of a better way if putting it, it all seems kind of stereotypical to me.  Or, maybe it’s because of films like this I see it as stereotypical.

There are a few scenes towards the end, that are kind of hard to watch, as they should be, but again, it seems out of place here even though it’s exactly where it should be. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain how much I want this film to be better than it is at telling the story that should be told. Again though, I think it’s down to the age of the film and the time it was made more than anything else.
virginia madsen in heart of dixieHeck, maybe I just feel bad because I don’t like the film and feel like I should, such as is the world we live in today.

The reviews online for this one place it in the middle ground. iMDB reviews are mostly favourable in the recent ones but those reviews seem a little more in favour of the message behind the movie more than the movie itself. Which I get, whole heatedly, but there are better movies than this that get that point across.

Obviously this is a hard one for me to recommend. I’d recommend anyone educate them on this kind of nonsense the best they can, if this is the kind of film you need to watch to do that, then good. Go watch it.

Anyways. Yeah.

In bonus news for this one – Treat Williams also stars in this one alongside Virginia, they can’t gave filmed that far apart from making Third Degree Burn together earlier. While Virginia isn’t playing a part a million miles away from Anna in that, Treat’s Hoyt Cunningham is worlds apart from Scott in that movie. Love to see this.

Availability:
Not hard to find on Region 1 DVD reasonably priced.

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virginia madsen in dune

Dune

Dune is the film that arguably brought Virginia Madsen into the big league and without doubt the biggest film she had worked on up to that point in her career.

She took on the role of Princess Irulan, she wasn’t actually on screen that much but served as the narrator of the film and brought sense to the world of Dune with her opening monologue.
Virginia Madsen as Princess Irulan in Dune (1984), gazing forward with an intense expression. Her ornate golden curls are adorned with jeweled pins, and she wears a dark, high-collared gown. A starry backdrop enhances the regal, otherworldly feel.Dune is based upon a book of the same name, which would later become a series of books collectively called The Dune Chronicles by author Frank Herbert. The original novel was published in 1965, the last book of the series written by Frank Herbert would be released in 1985 – a year before his death.

For those that don’t know, yes, you in the back, Dune is a massively, visually ambitious sci-fi epic. It’s got political intrigue, space battles, giant sandworms and tells the tale of an intergalactic power struggle over a precious substance called “melange” or “spice,” which extends life and enables space travel.Virginia Madsen as Princess Irulan in Dune (1984), wearing an elegant off-the-shoulder white gown adorned with pearls. A jeweled tiara crowns her head as she stands in a grand, ornate hall filled with robed figures and guards, looking off with a solemn expression.Princess Irulan is the daughter of the Emperor Shaddam IV (played by José Ferrer). In this version of the story mostly seen in the film’s opening narration, giving this dreamy, almost hypnotic exposition about the universe, the spice, and the conflict between House Atreides and House Harkonnen. In the book her role was much bigger. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of her on this version, but it is what it is.

The movie stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, the noble heir who discovers his destiny as the prophesied leader of the desert-dwelling Fremen. There’s a stacked supporting cast, including Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow, and Sting (yes, Sting).

The book series continues to this day with prequels written by Herbert son and Kevin J. Anderson. Other books in the series have been written by various authors over the years.

David Lynch would take on the task of bringing the epic and complicated story to screen but would soon come to regret his decision for one reason or another. The troubles with the film started in post production when the studio took over editing duties and reduced the film from a 3 hour run time to 2 hours and 15. Quite the cut.
Virginia Madsen as Princess Irulan in Dune (1984), standing beside her father, Emperor Shaddam IV, played by José Ferrer. She wears an ornate black and gold gown with a high collar, her expression poised. The Emperor sits on a green throne, looking stern, as robed attendants stand behind them in the grand hall.The movie was a commercial failure, the budget of $40/$42 million only managed to recoup $30/$37 million. It would however go on to find a new life in the home movie market and over time became a cult classic.

Much has been written about the highs and lows of the film over the years, I don’t need to rehash any of that here. Hell, there has been a literal book written about the whole debacle.

Virginia would come out of the movie relatively unscathed, some of the other cast and crew would have previously wide open doors shut on them. Perhaps it was because of her limited screen time that did her the most favours in this case. Certainly, when reading about the movie in the present day one of the things that people comment positively on is her opening introduction to the movie.

She was cast in the movie without an audition, a rarity both then and now. When asked about the movie in interviews she has mostly good things to say about the experience.

“It was very, very exciting because I got to watch all these extraordinary actors,I had a heartbreaking crush on Patrick Stewart, Sting was running around in a loincloth and Kyle MacLachlan was going through the book with me to help me understand the world I was in.”

It was also a great thrill for her to see herself in such a massive production on the big screen saying;

“It was kind of hard for me to recover from the fact that my face was 25 feet tall in the theatre. That was the coolest thing I could have ever dreamt of as a little girl. There it was. I might not have been Barbara Stanwyck, but there I was. To me, everything about the movie was perfect because I was so proud to be a part of something that big when I was such a sci-fi / fantasy/horror fan. It was very exciting and very beautiful. I wanted to see it again immediately.”

She loved working David Lynch and was allowed, along with the rest of the cast, to watch him edit the movie before it was taken away from him. I’d imagine that being quite the experience for such a new and inexperienced actress.
Virginia Madsen as Princess Irulan in Dune (1984), standing beside her father, Emperor Shaddam IV (José Ferrer), who looks tense. She wears an ornate black and gold gown with a high collar, her jeweled hairpiece glinting as she gazes forward with concern. Soldiers and officials surround them in the background.

Availability:
Dune is widely available even today, there have been many releases of it over the years. There is no problem in getting hold of it on DVD or Blu-Ray. There are Special Editions and 4K versions galore.

Though you might have to fight your way past the versions of the newer film(s) to get to it.

Most commonly you can look for the standard version, and the extended version – These are easy to spot if they aren’t already noted by the films running time. And, the extended version is given the Directors credit to Alan Smithee, Mr Lynch apparently wanted nothing more to do with the film at this point even if he did oversee the cut.

Gallery:

Trailer:

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