The Director's/Theatrical/Extended/Other Cuts Discussion

[Escapay]

I've been meaning to update this thread, and finally am, though in a different format than what I had originally done here in this first post. Unfortunately, most of the entries are incomplete (no director, year, or runtimes), and only a few have paragraphs of explanation. What I plan to do is make this a definitive list, if possible, of the various different cuts and versions there are of movies, explanations of why, and if space provides, what's different for each version.

Right now this is in its early stages, and is very much a work in progress, but I hope to get it completed one of these days. For space reasons, I had to remove the original post that was here, but it's saved on my computer for me to consult on titles I haven't updated here. Also, it's quoted several times in here, so it survives in some form or another.

1776: Theatrical Cut (1972) - 142 minutes
1776: Extended Cut (1992) - 180 minutes
1776: Director's Cut (2002) - 168 minutes
Director: Peter Hunt

The 1992 extended cut is only available on laserdisc and VHS, while the director's cut is available only on DVD.

1941: Theatrical Cut (1979) - 118 minutes
1941: Director's Cut (1996) - 146 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg

The Abyss: Theatrical Cut (1989) - 146 minutes
The Abyss: Director's Cut (1992) - 171 minutes
Director: James Cameron

The Alamo: Roadshow Cut (1960) - 202 minutes
The Alamo: General Release Cut (1960) - 167 minutes
Director: John Wayne

Alexander: Theatrical Cut (2004) - 175 minutes
Alexander: Director's Cut (2005) - 167 minutes
Alexander Revisited: Unrated Final Cut (2007) - 220 minutes
Director: Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone's theatrical cut was met harshly by critics and historians, and several vocal groups voiced their disdain over the bisexual portrayal and homosexual scenes of Alexander. In an effort to appease those complaints, and to better the film, Stone deleted 15 minutes, reinstated nine, and the end product is considered a tighter film, with several nuances and character moments addressed along with giving the film a more action and epic feel. He considers this shorter film his director's cut, but even so, Stone later announced that he is also preparing an epic extended edition, that will utilize most/all the important footage shot. It is expected to be release to DVD on February 27, 2007. The film will be separated into three parts: "Seeds of the Man", "Introspection", and "Revolution".

Ali: Theatrical Cut (2001) - 159 minutes
Ali: Director's Cut (2001) - 165 minutes
Director: Michael Mann

Alien: Theatrical Cut (1979) - 117 minutes
Alien: "Director's Cut" (2003) - 116 minutes
Alien: Alternate Score Cut (1979) - 117 minutes
Alien: Alternate Effects Cut (1979) - 117 minutes
Director: Ridley Scott

This film is one of the few where the director prefers the theatrical cut, and considers it his final cut. However, since they needed a new cut for the Quadrilogy (marketing reasons), Ridley Scott went back and tightened up the film, giving it a faster pace. At the same time, he added a few deleted scenes the fans wanted. Despite the addition of scenes, the fact that he trimmed a lot to help pacing made the film one minute shorter. Scott still considers the 1979 theatrical cut his true director's cut, as the 2003 edition is merely a label. The original single-disc DVD contained two alternate audio tracks that synch with the film. The first was Jerry Goldsmith's original score, in most scenes it's different from his final score. The other track is an alternate production score and effects track, adding or removing dialogue and effects over certain scenes.

Aliens: Theatrical Cut (1986) - 137 minutes
Aliens: Director's Cut (1991) - 154 minutes
Director: James Cameron

James Cameron, known for re-instating footage to his films, completed the then-titled "Special Edition" in 1991 for the laserdisc collection. Unlike the theatrical cut, the added footage helps give more character moments and a few storyline enhancements to Ripley, namely scenes about her daughter, and a couple personal scenes with Hicks. Also included is a few minutes of scenes on the colony where they find the Aliens. The fans are split 50/50 over which is superior. The theatrical cut is told entirely from Ripley's point of view and has a greater element of surprise/suspense, while the director's cut benefits the characters and offers more to the story.

Alien 3: Theatrical Cut (1992) - 104 minutes
Alien 3: Extended Cut (2003) - 144 minutes
Director: David Fincher

The troubled production and release of Alien 3 led to Fincher disowning the film and wanting nothing to do with it. Fox offered him the chance to re-edit it for the Quadrilogy, but he refused. So, in an effort to provide another edition of the film, editors sourced old scripts and storyboards, as well as Fincher's own notes, and put together a "Work Print" edition, that they consider closest to Fincher's vision of the film. It adds a half-hour of footage and in several cases, utilized CGI to complete effects that were abandoned after they were cut from the film before release.

Alien: Resurrection: Theatrical Cut (1998)
Alien: Resurrection: Extended Cut (2003)
Director: Jean-Pierre Juenet

All Quiet on the Western Front: Silent Cut (1930/2003) - 133 minutes
All Quiet on the Western Front: Director's Cut (1930) - 131 minutes
All Quiet on the Western Front: Theatrical Cut (1930) - 105 minutes
All Quiet on the Western Front: UK Cut (1930) - 145 minutes
All Quiet on the Western Front; German Cut (1930) - 136 minutes
Director: Lewis Milestone

Almost Famous: Theatrical Cut (2000) - 123 minutes
Untitled: Bootleg Cut (2000) - 162 minutes
Director: Cameron Crowe

Amadeus: Theatrical Cut (1984) - 160 minutes
Amadeus: Director's Cut (2002) - 180 minutes
Director: Milos Forman

American Pie: Theatrical Cut
American Pie: Unrated Cut
American Pie 2: Theatrical Cut
American Pie 2: Unrated Cut
American Wedding: Theatrical Cut
American Wedding: Unrated Cut
American Pie Presents Band Camp: Rated Cut
American Pie Presents Band Camp: Unrated Cut
American Pie Presents The Naked Mile: Rated Cut
American Pie Presents The Naked Mile: Unrated Cut

Any Given Sunday: Theatrical Cut (1999)
Any Given Sunday: Director's Cut (1999)
Director: Oliver Stone

Apocalypse Now: Workprint Cut (1979) - 289 minutes
Apocalypse Now: Theatrical Cut (1979) - 153 minutes
Apocalypse Now: Redux Cut (2001) - 202 minutes
Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Armageddon: Theatrical Cut (1998) - 150 minutes
Armageddon: Director's Cut (1998) - 153 minutes
Director: Michael Bay

Army of Darkness: Theatrical Cut (1993) - 81 minutes
Army of Darkness: Director's Cut (????) - 96 minutes
Army of Darkness: Television Cut (????) - ??? minutes
Army of Darkness: UK Cut (????) - ??? minutes
Army of Darkness: German Cut (????) - ??? minutes
Army of Darkness: Australian & Japanese Cut (????) - ??? minutes
Director: Sam Raimi

Bad Santa: Theatrical Cut (2003)
Bad(der) Santa: Unrated Cut (2003)
Bad Santa: Director's Cut (2006)

Basic Instinct: Theatrical Cut (1992) - 123 minutes
Basic Instinct: Director's Cut (1992) - 128 minutes
Director: Paul Verhoeven

Five extra minutes of sex and violence.

Batman Forever: Director's Cut (1995) - 150 minutes
Batman Forever: Theatrical Cut (1995) - 121 minutes
Director: Joel Schumacher

The original preview screening cut was considered too long, and so Schumacher and to re-edit the film to a two-hour runtime, as well as have the film start with an action sequence (Two-Face robbing the bank) rather than the original opening, with Two-Face escaping Arkham. Several scenes have been reshuffled, and the film lost quite a bit of character development and background for Bruce Wayne (including the meaning behind the red journal in his flashbacks). When the two-disc special editions for all four Batman films were being prepped, there was speculation that Schumacher would be allowed to edit his first film the way he meant for it to be seen. Instead, the deleted scenes were presented as bonus material on the second disc, and only 14 minutes of the deleted 30 minutes is presented.

Beauty and the Beast: Work in Progress Cut (1991) - 84 minutes
Beauty and the Beast: Theatrical Cut (1991) - 84 minutes
Beauty and the Beast: Extended Cut (2002) - 90 minutes
Directors:

Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Roadshow Cut (1971) - 142 minutes
Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Theatrical Cut (1971) - 117 minutes
Bedknobs and Bromsticks: Television Cut (1979) - 97 minutes
Bedknobs and Broomsticks: German Cut (1971) - 89 minutes
Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Restored Cut (1996) - 139 minutes
Director: Robert Stevenson

After the premiere at Radio City Music Hall, the theatre demanded a shorter cut that ran under two hours, that way they could show it as a general release in a Christmas package (Roadshow films were shown only once a day). Against the director and producer's wishes, Disney cut out three songs ("With A Flair", "Eglantine" - Lansbury's lyrics, and "Nobody's Problems for Me"), as well as a sizable amount of the dance sequence from "Portobello Road" and several lines of dialogue throughout the film that were deemed unnecessary. Despite sharing third billing, Roddy McDowall's part was greatly reduced due to the cuts. In 1979, the television version of the film was cut by 20 minutes. The initial version shown in Germany is of interest, as it ends after they return to Naboombu, and eliminates the Nazi plot entirely. In 1996, for the 25th Anniversary, the filmmakers went back and reinstated all the footage they could (though a minute of scenes from Portobello Road had to come from a lower-quality workprint), though audio tracks for non-musical scenes were lost and had to be dubbed. This made for especially jarring scenes, as the dubber for Mrs. Hobday has a different accent than the original actress, and the voice dub actor for Charlie did a pathetic job (just listen to him say "mango wuzzle"). The restored cut, unfortunately, does not include "A Step in the Right Direction", as the audio was found, but the video footage was not.

The Big Sleep: Pre-Release Cut (1945) - 114 minutes
The Big Sleep: Theatrical Cut (1946) - 116 minutes
Director: Howard Hawks

Initially completed in 1945, The Big Sleep was scheduled for a release, however the failure of Lauren Bacall's second film, Confidential Agent, led to WB re-thinking her bankability as a star. Remembering her chemistry with Bogart in To Have and Have Not, WB ordered Hawks to refilm several scenes as Bogart and Bacall scenes, in order to utilize their chemistry together. The refilmed scenes were added to the film, and several scenes had to be dubbed with different dialogue (due to several changes in the story). While the Pre-Release cut is more linear in story, the theatrical cut, which finally premiered in 1946, is better at showcasing Bogart and Bacall.

The Black Cauldron: Original Cut (1985) - 92 minutes
The Black Cauldron: Theatrical Cut (1985) - 80 minutes
Directors:

Having been in production for 15 years, the finished product, I assume in final storyboard or rough animation form, clocked in at 92 minutes. Katzenberg, who arrived in 1984 with Eisner and company, saw the film, and realized it was too dark for what Disney wanted. He ordered several minutes cut (of which 2 minutes were already in their final animation form), and the 80-minute cut is all that has ever been seen, and likely all that will be seen. It's not known whether or not the rough and final animation for the cut scenes still exist.

Black Hawk Down: Theatrical Cut (2001) - 144 minutes
Black Hawk Down: Extended Cut (2006) - 152 minutes
Director: Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott had no hand in the extended edition, does not consider it to be his true director's cut, and it merely re-instates 8 minutes of deleted scenes.

Blade Runner: Workprint Cut (1981) - 113 minutes
Blade Runner: European Cut (1982) - 117 minutes
Blade Runner: US Theatrical Cut (1982) - 117 minutes
Blade Runner: Director's Cut (1992) - 117 minutes
Blade Runner: Final Cut (2001/2007) - ??? minutes
Director: Ridley Scott

While the workprint cut is not really meant to be a definitive edition, it featured quite a few different scenes, and naturally did not contain voiceover narration. Also, there was temp music during the end of the film, and several unfinished effects shots. The European cut differed from the US cut in several ways as it contains some graphic shots that were changed in the US version, and doesn't contain voiceover narration. The US cut is the only version with the voiceover narration. In 1992, a director's cut was made that simply removed the narration and the happy ending, and added the unicorn sequence. Ridley Scott, however, has completed one "Final Cut" that was due out in 2001, but rights issues prevented its release on DVD. WB finally acquired all the rights needed for the film, and have planned a multi-disc set to release next year (2007) for the 25th Anniversary.

Brazil: Director's Cut (1985) - 142 minutes
Brazil: Theatrical Cut (1985) - 94 minutes
Brazil: Television Cut (1988) - 131 minutes
Director: Terry Gilliam

The Breakfast Club: Director's Cut (1985) - 150 mintues
The Breakfast Club: Theatrical Cut (1985) - 98 minutes
Director: John Hughes

When John Hughes filmed "The Breakfast Club" his original cut was two and a half hours long. However, Universal executives didn't want to release that long a film for a teen comedy, and didn't feel teen audiences would sit through it. He pared it down to 98 minutes, and it has since been a cult classic. It's rumored that Hughes still owns the 150 minute cut.

The Butterfly Effect: Theatrical Cut (2004) - 113 minutes
The Butterfly Effect: Director's Cut (2004) - 120 minutes

Carnival of Souls: Theatrical Cut (1962) - 78 minutes
Carnival of Souls: Director's Cut (1962) - 84 minutes

Casablanca: Theatrical Cut (1942) - 102 minutes
Casablanca: Unauthorized Cut (1983) - 102 minutes
Director: Michael Curtiz

An unauthorized cut was shown at a film festival in 1983, with an alternate ending in which Ilsa stays behind with Rick. It has never been seen since, but the alternate ending would have made for an interesting deleted scene on the DVD.

Cinema Paradiso: European Cut (1989) - 1xx minutes
Cinema Paradiso: US Theatrial Cut (1991) - 123 mintues
Cinema Paradiso: Director's Cut (200x) - 170 minutes

Cleopatra: Director's Cut (1963) - 320 minutes
Cleopatra: Roadshow Cut (1963) - 240 minutes
Cleopatra: General Release Cut (1963) - 193 minutes
Director: Joseph L. Mankewicz

Mankewicz originally wanted to release two films, both a three-hour epic. The first would have been "Caesar and Cleopatra", and following it up was "Antony and Cleopatra". However, Fox had already put a lot of money into the production, and demanded one movie. They initially fired him from editing and tried to do it themselves, but since Mankewicz wrote the script as he filmed (and there was no definite screenplay for an editor to work off of), they rehired him and had him edit a four-hour film for roadshow presentations. It was later edited down to a little over three hours for general release, and it wasn't until a few decades later that the four-hour roadshow release was put together again. The remaining two hours that have never been seen remains lost.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Theatrical Cut #1 (1977) - 135 minutes
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Theatrical Cut #2 ( 1980) - 132 minutes
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Television Cut (1982) - 143 minutes
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Director's Cut (1998) - 137 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg

Clue: Theatrical Cut (1985) - varies
Clue: Extended Cut (1985) - 96 minutes
Director: Jonathan Lynn

In theatres, audiences would read the newspapers to see which theatre was playing either ending A, ending B, ending C, or a random ending. When the film went to home video, it was edited as two alternate endings and one real ending. Many audiences know of the film that way, but the DVD offers both the home video ending, or a randomly assigned ending that changes with viewings. A fourth ending, in which Wadsworth did all the murders and poisoned the guests, was shot, but not used, and hasn't been seen except for one still in a children's book of the film.

Con Air: Theatrical Cut
Con Air: Director's Cut

Cop Land: Theatrical Cut
Cop Land: Director's Cut

Crash: Theatrical Cut (2005)
Crash: Director's Cut (2006)
Director: Paul Haggis

Dances With Wolves: Theatrical Cut (1991) - 181 minutes
Dances With Wolves: Director's Cut (2003) - 236 minutes
Director: Kevin Costner

An unimpressive extended cut for a film long enough as it was. While the three-hour version was a beautiful film that allowed viewers to see only what they needed to with a story that went at an easygoing pace, the Director's Cut gives way to unnecessary long shots and ultimately slow down the film.

Daredevil: Theatrical Cut
Daredevil: Extended Cut

Darling Lili: Theatrical Cut (1970) - 136 minutes (143 minutes with overture and exit music)
Darling Lili: Director's Cut (1990) - 114 minutes
Darling Lili: Director's Cut (????) - 107 minutes
Director: Blake Edwards

A flop at the box-office, the comedy-musical was a showy World War I musical starring Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson. In one of the rare cases, the director's cut of the film is shorter than the theatrical cut, and an even rarer case, there are two versions of the Director's Cut. The 1990 was personally supervised by Blake Edwards for showings on TNT, but the DVD offers an even shorter cut, which I can't find any explanation for.

Donnie Darko: Theatrical Cut (2001) -
Donnie Darko: Director's Cut (2005) - 133 minutes

Dune: Theatrical Cut (1984) -137 minutes
Dune: Extended Television Cut #1 (1988) - 177 minutes
Dune: Extended Television Cut #2 (1992) - 180 minutes
Director: David Lynch (theatrical), Alan Smithee (extended)

There is NO four hour cut of Dune. There was a preliminary three-hour cut with notes of where to put special effects, but it was never meant to be the theatrical cut. David Lynch knew this, and refilmed several scenes to help further the story and remove lengthy footage. The theatrical cut is considered his director's cut. In 1988, Universal and Dino deLaurentiis chose to make an extended television version, though Lynch was not happy with the final product and disowned the film (hence the Alan Smithee credit). The extended version re-instated footage as well as repeated some stock footage. Also, the opening prologue was changed, with new scenes that used concept art and deleted Irulan's narration in favor of a generic one by a male narrator. Universal released both versions on VHS and laserdisc, then initially released the theatrical version on DVD, but it went out of print a couple years later. It wasn't until January 2006 that Region 1 got the extended edition on DVD (and the theatrical edition in anamorphic widescreen). Other regions have released several DVD versions of the film, the best is likely Spectrum's Ultimate Edition (R3, South Korea), which despite its packaging claiming only R3 encoded, is R0 and able to play on any player.

Dune: International Cut (2000) - 280 minutes
Dune: US Miniseries Cut (2000) - 265 minutes
Dune: Director's Cut (2002) - 295 minutes
Director: John Harrison

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Theatrical Cut (1982) - 115 minutes
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Extended Cut (2002) - 120 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg

Elektra: Theatrical Cut
Elektra: Extended Cut

Enemy of the State: Theatrical Cut (1998) - 131 minutes
Enemy of the State: Director's Cut (2006) - 140 minutes
Director: Tony Scott

The Exorcist: Theatrical Cut
The Exorcist: Extended Cut
Director: William Friedkin (theatrical cut), William Peter Blatty (extended cut)

Fantasia: Roadshow Cut (1940) - 125 minutes
Fantasia: General Release Cut #1 (1942) - 86 minutes
Fantasia: General Release Cut #2 (1946) - 115 minutes
Fantasia: General Release Cut #3 (1969) - 115 minutes
Fantasia: General Release Cut #4 (1982) - 115 minutes
Fantasia: Restored Roadshow Cut (1990) - 120 minutes
Fantasia: DVD Roadshow Cut (2000) - 125 minutes

Far and Away: Theatrical Cut (1992) - 140 minutes
Far and Away: Extended Television Cut (1995) - 175 minutes
Director: Ron Howard

The Frighteners: Theatrical Cut (1996)
The Frighteners: Director's Cut (2006) - 123 minutes
Director: Peter Jackson

Galaxy Quest: Original Cut (1999) - ??? minutes
Galaxy Quest: Theatrical Cut (1999) - 102 minutes
Director: Dean Parisot

The Girl Next Door: Theatrical Cut
The Girl Next Door: Unrated Cut

Gladiator: Theatrical Cut (2000) - 155 minutes
Gladiator: Extended Cut (2005) - 171 minutes
Director: Ridley Scott

The Godfather: Theatrical Cut (1972) - 175 minutes
The Godfather, Part II: Theatrical Cut (1974) - 200 minutes
The Godfather, Part III: Theatrical Cut (1990) - 162 minutes
The Godfather Saga: 1901-1959 (1977) - 434 minutes
The Godfather Saga: 1901-1980 (1992) - 583/656/710 minutes
Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Godzilla (Gojira): Original Cut (1954) - 98 minutes
Godzilla (Godzilla, King of the Monsters): US Theatrical Cut (1956) - 78 minutes
Director: Ishiro Honda

Gone in 60 Seconds: Theatrical Cut
Gone in 60 Seconds: Director's Cut

The Great Raid: Theatrical Cut (2005)
The Great Raid: Director's Cut (2005)

Greed: Director's Cut (1924) - 600 minutes
Greed: Pre-Release Cut (1924) - 239 minutes
Greed: Theatrical Cut (1924) - 149 minutes
Greed: Recreated Cut (1999) - 239 minutes
Director: Erich Von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim's complete adaptation of the novel McTeague was faithful in every way, likely the reason it was ten hours long. MGM balked at the length, and ordered a drastic edit ot the film. von Stroheim managed to cut it down to four hours, but MGM took over and cut it to the 149 minute theatrical release, which did badly in theatres. In 1999, Turner Entertainment attempted to recreate the film's four-hour version by using whatever footage still survived (it's speculated that most of it was destroyed in the late 1950s), along with still photographs of lost scenes, as well as outlines by von Stroheim. Nowhere near the original director's cut, it's probably as close to one as we'll ever see.

The Happiest Millionaire: Roadshow Cut
The Happiest Millionaire: Theatrical Cut

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone: Theatrical Cut
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone: Director's Cut +20
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Theatrical Cut
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Director's Cut +13
Director: Chris Columbus

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Theatrical Cut
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Director's Cut
Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Theatrical Cut
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Director's Cut
Director: Mike Newell

Heaven's Gate: Pre-Release Cut (1980) - 325 minutes
Heaven's Gate: Theatrical Cut (1980) - 149 minutes
Heaven's Gate: Director's Cut (1980) - 219 minutes
Director: Michael Cimino

Hellboy: Theatrical Cut (2004)
Hellboy: Director's Cut (2004)

Hercules: Original Cut (2005) - 177 minutes
Hercules: Broadcast Cut (2005) - 127 mintues
Director:

When NBC originally planned to air this film, it was a two-part miniseries that would have been spread over two nights. However, one of its scheduled airing dates coincided with the season finale of Desperate Housewives. The producer Robert Halmi, Sr. knew that it'd be killed in the ratings, so he asked NBC to reschedule it to the Saturday before, and condensed the film into a two-hour film in a three-hour timeslot with commercials. This truncated two-hour cut loses several vital scenes from Hercules' tasks, as well as other character moments. It was released on DVD in September 2005, as the two-hour version. SciFi Channel later aired the original miniseries in its four-hour (with commercials) form, and has rerun it several times. The film was co-produced with foreign companies, therefore international DVDs (I believe the R4 version) is the complete three-hour version of the film, while the R1 version is the only two-hour version available. The three-hour version is recommended over the two-hour version, as it's both the full version of the film and in anamorphic widescreen.

In Old Chicago: Roadshow Cut
In Old Chicago: Theatrical Cut

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Pre-Release Cut (1963) - 300 minutes
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Roadshow Cut (1963) - 192 minutes
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Theatrical Cut (1963) - 161 minutes
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Extended Cut (1988) - 188 minutes
Director: Stanley Kramer

JFK: Theatrical Cut (1991) - 189 minutes
JFK: Director's Cut (1997) - 206 minutes
Director: Oliver Stone

Journey Back To Oz: Theatrical Cut (1964) - 88 minutes
Journey Back To Oz: Television Cut (1976) - 96 minutes
Director: Hal Sutherland

An animated and official MGM sequel to the 1939 classic, an extended edition for television featured Bill Cosby as the Wizard. The DVD retains the original theatrical cut, though the Cosby segments are presented as bonus material.

King Arthur: Theatrical Cut (2004) - 126 minutes
King Arthur: Director's Cut (2004) - 140 minutes
Director: Antoine Fuqua

King Kong: Original Cut (2005) - 215 minutes
King Kong: Theatrical Cut (2005) - 187 minutes
King Kong: Extended Cut (2006) - 201 minutes
Director: Peter Jackson

Kingdom of Heaven: Theatrical Cut (2005) - 145 minutes
Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut (2006) - 194 minutes
Director: Ridley Scott

Laura: Theatrical Cut (1944) - 87 minutes
Laura: Extended Cut (19xx) - 88 minutes
Director: Otto Preminger

Lawrence of Arabia: Original Cut (1962) - 222 minutes
Lawrence of Arabia: General Release Cut (1962) - 202 minutes
Lawrence of Arabia: Re-Release Cut (1971) - 187 minutes
Lawrence of Arabia: Restored Cut (1989) - 216 minutes
Director: David Lean

Legend: Workprint Cut (1984) - 156 minutes
Legend: Pre-Release Cut (1985) - 125 minutes
Legend: LA Screening Cut (1985) - 113 minutes
Legend: European Cut (1985) - 94 minutes
Legend: US Theatrical Cut (1986) - 89 minutes
Legend: Network Television Cut (????) - 94 minutes
Legend: Director's Cut (2002) - 113 minutes
Director: Ridley Scott

The Lion King: Theatrical Cut (1994) - 87 minutes
The Lion King: Extended Cut (2003) - 90 minutes

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Theatrical Cut (2001) - 178 minutes
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Cut (2002) - 208 minutes
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Theatrical Cut (2002) - 179 minutes
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Extended Cut (2003) - 223 minutes
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Theatrical Cut (2003) - 201 minutes
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Extended Cut (2004) - 251 minutes
Director: Peter Jackson

Lost Horizon: Preview Cut (1937) - 180+ minutes
Lost Horizon: Pre-Release Cut (1937) - 132 minutes
Lost Horizon: General Release Cut (1937) - 118 minutes
Lost Horizon: Television Cut (19xx) - 95 minutes
Director: Frank Capra

Love Actually: Original Cut (2003) - X minutes
Love Actually: Theatrical Cut (2003) - 135 minutes
Director: Richard Curtis

Macbeth: Original Cut (1948) - 107 minutes
Macbeth: Theatrical Cut (1948) - 89 minutes
Director: Orson Welles

The Magnificent Ambersons: Original Cut (1942) - 148 minutes
The Magnificent Ambersons: Pre-Release Cut #1 (1942) - 131 minutes
The Magnificent Ambersons: Pre-Release Cut #2 (1942) - 110 minutes
The Magnificent Ambersons: US Theatrical Cut (1942) - 88 minutes
Director: Orson Welles, Fred Fleck & Robert Wise (additional sequences)

After a bad preview, the film was cut by editor Robert Wise, and after another preview, was cut once again. Again, the preview didn't do too well, so RKO deleted even more material, and opted to have Wise re-shoot the ending, leading to an 88-minute theatrical cut. The negatives for all the material that was removed was later destroyed to make room in a film vault. It's suggested that a print of the 148-minute version was sent to Welles while he was in Brazil, but it has yet to turn up.

Major Dundee: Original Cut (1965) - 278 minutes (Daniele Amfitheatrof score)
Major Dundee: Pre-Release Cut (1965) - 156 minutes (Daniele Amfitheatrof score)
Major Dundee: Initial Release Cut (1965) - 136 minutes (Daniele Amfitheatrof score)
Major Dundee: Genereal Release Cut(1965) - 123 minutes (Daniele Amfitheatrof score)
Major Dundee: Restored "Director's Cut" (2005) - 136 minutes (Christopher Caliendo score)
Director: Sam Peckinpagh

Quite simply, Peckinpagh's original film suffered edit after edit which affected the story, and the Columbia insisted upon an over-the-top score that Peckinpagh did not like. In the end, the final release version (123 minutes) was a critical and box office flop that neither Peckinpagh or producer Jerry Bresler approved of. The 2005 version of the film is the Initial Release Cut, as earlier versions likely no longer exist. It sports a new score that is truer to what Peckinpagh might have wanted and most critics agree that it's superior to the original.

Malena: Director's Cut
Malena: US Theatrical Cut

Manhunter: Theatrical Cut (1986) - 121 minutes
Manhunter: DVD Theatrical Cut (2001) - 121 minutes
Manhunter: Director's Cut (2001) - 124 minutes
Manhunter: Restored Director's Cut (2003) - 124 minutes
Director: Michael Mann

Metropolis: Premiere Cut (1927) - 210 minutes
Metropolis: US Theatrical Cut (1927) - 159 minutes
Metropolis: German Theatrical Cut (1927) - 153 minutes
Metropolis: Moroder Cut (1984) - 80 minutes
Metropolis: German Re-Release Cut (19xx) - 93 minutes
Metropolis: German Restored Cut (2001) - 147 minutes
Metropolis: Murnau Foundation Restored Cut (2002) - 123 minutes
Director: Fritz Lang

Mission: Impossible: Pre-Release Cut (1996) - 180 minutes
Mission: Impossible: Theatrical Cut (1996) - 110 minutes
Director: Brian De Palma

Mr. Arkadin: US Theatrical Cut
Confidential Report: European Cut
Mr. Arkadin: Restored Cut
Director: Orson Welles

Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Theatrical Cut
Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Extended Cut

The Muppet Christmas Carol: Theatrical Cut
The Muppet Christmas Carol: Extended Cut

Napoleon: Original Cut (1927) - 360 minutes
Napoleon: Restored Cut #1 (1981) - 235 minutes
Napoleon: Restored Cut #2 (2000) - 330 minutes
Director: Abel Gance

There are allegedly 19 different versions of the film, and it was the first to use widescreen by having three screens next to each other via triple-projection.

The NeverEnding Story: US Theatrical Cut (1984) - 92 minutes
The NeverEnding Story: German Theatrical Cut (1984) - 102 minutes
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Oklahoma: CinemaScope Cut (1955)
Oklahoma: Todd-AO Cut (1955)

The Outsiders: Theatrical Cut (1983) - 91 minutes
The Outsiders: Director's Cut (2005) - 113 minutes
Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: Theatrical Cut (1973) - 105 minutes
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: Turner Preview Cut (1988) - 122 minutes
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: Special Edition (2005) - 115 minutes
Director: Sam Peckinpagh

While the preview cut is definitely the first cut of the film, it wasn't released until 1988, which is why there's a 15 year gap between the two versions. The preview version is what Peckinpagh had put together in post-production, before the studios ordered more cuts without Peckinpagh's hand in the editing process. While it's not a definitive Director's cut, it's as close to what Peckinpagh intended. The 2005 Special Edition is a mixed bag, as a Hollywood editor (Paul Seydor), with much knowledge of Peckinpagh and his films, decided to recut the film as he believed Peckinpagh had intended, by working from the theatrical cut and re-instating or removing scenes from the Preview cut. Seems to me more like a Seydor Edition of the film rather than a speculative Peckinpagh Edition, but I guess they needed something new for the release as opposed to just offering the 1988 cut.

Payback: Theatrical Cut
Payback: Director's Cut

Pearl Harbor: Theatrical Cut (2001) - 183 minutes
Pearl Harbor: Director's Cut (2002) - 185 minutes
Director: Michael Bay

Pete's Dragon: Premiere Cut (1977) - 134 minutes
Pete's Dragon: General Release Cut (1977) - 121 minutes
Pete's Dragon: Restored Cut (1980) - 128 minutes
Pete's Dragon: Re-Release Cut (1984) - 105 minutes
Pete's Dragon: Television Cut (19xx) - 94 minutes
Director: Don Chaffey

The Phantom of the Opera: Original Cut (1924/1925)
The Phantom of the Opera: Second Cut (April 1925)
The Phantom of the Opera: Theatrical Cut (September 1925)
The Phantom of the Opera: Ernst Laemmle Cut (1929) - 95 minutes
The Phantom of the Opera: Kino Cut (1995) - 92 minutes
The Phantom of the Opera: Navarre DVD Cut (19xx) - 107 minutes
Directors: Rupert Julian (January 1925 preview), Edward Sedgewick (April 1925 preview), Maurice Pivar & Lois Webber (September 1925 preview), Ernst Laemmle (1929 Sound Version)

Pocahontas: Theatrical Cut (1995) - 81 minutes
Pocahontas: Extended Cut (2005) - 84 minutes

The Poseidon Adventure: Television Cut (2005) - 120 minutes
The Poseidon Adventure: Extended Cut (2005) - 170 minutes

Remember the Titans: Theatrical Cut
Remember the Titans: Director's Cut

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Theatrical Cut (1991) - 144 minutes
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Director's Cut (2003) - 155 minutes
Director: Kevin Reynolds

Saturday Night Fever: Theatrical Cut (1977) - 119 minutes
Saturday Night Fever: PG Re-Release Cut (1979) - 108 minutes
Saturday Night Fever: Television Cut (19xx) - ?? minutes
Director: John Badham

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: CinemaScope Cut (1954)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: Flat Widescreen Cut (1954)

Seven Samurai: Director's Cut (1954) - 207 minutes
Seven Samurai: Non-US & Non-UK International Cut (1954) - 160 minutes
Seven Samurai: UK Theatrical Cut (1954) - 150 minutes
Seven Samurai: US Theatrical Cut (1954) - 141 minutes
Seven Samurai: UK Restored Cut (1991) - 190 minutes
Director: Akira Kurosawa

The Shining: US Theatrical Cut (1980) - 146 minutes
The Shining: European Cut (1980) - 119 minutes
Director: Stanley Kubrick

Sin City: Theatrical Cut (2005) - 124 minutes
Sin City: Extended Cut (2005) - 147 mintues
Directors: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, & Quentin Tarentino

Singin' in the Rain: Pre-Release Cut (1952)
Singin' in the Rain: Theatrical Cut (1952)
Director: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen

The pre-release version of the film contained the scene between "You Were Meant for Me" and "You Are My Lucky Star", as well as Gene Kelly's version of "All I Do is Dream of You" (set in a bedroom and clad in pajamas). The two songs (and the scene before "You Are My Lucky Star") were cut for time. "You Are My Lucky Star" is featured as a bonus "outtake" in the two-disc edition of the film.

Sixteen Candles: Director's Cut
Sixteen Candles: Theatrical Cut
Sixteen Candles: Television Cut
Director: John Hughes

Sling Blade: Theatrical Cut
Sling Blade: Director's Cut

The Sound of Music: Theatrical Cut (1964) - 174 minutes
The Sound of Music: Shorter Television Cut (1987) - 140 minutes
The Sound of Music: German Cut #1 (19??) - ??? minutes
Director: Robert Wise

The initial German cut of the film ended right after the Captain and Maria's wedding, omitting the third act (with the Nazi plot) entirely. Future versions reinstate the third act. On television, the film is either shown in a 4-hour timeslot (completely intact), or in a 3-hour timeslot with an hour removed.

Removed for the two-hour cut: (roughly 35 minutes)
-The nuns singing "Alleluia" is cut straight to the nun telling Mother Abbest that Maria is missing
-The end of "I Have Confidence In Me" is cut, going to commercial right after Maria says "Oh, help".
-Captain Von Trapp tells his children at the dinner table he is going to Vienna the next day, with the discussion about the Baroness and Uncle Max
-Said cut above ended with Liesl asking to be excused, cutting to her running out the door towards Rolf.
-The Captain and Baroness walking in the hall during the ball is cut.
-The "cuckoo" introduction to "So Long, Farewell" is cut, having the song begin with them already in a straight line.
-The scene where the Captain rips the Nazi Flag is cut, going right to Liesel talking to Maria (before the reprise of "Sixteen Going on Seventeen")

South Pacific: Roadshow Cut
South Pacific: Theatrical Cut

Spartacus: Premiere Cut (1960) - 184 minutes
Spartacus: Re-Release Cut (1967) - 161 minutes
Spartacus: Restored Cut (1991) - 198 minutes
Director: Stanley Kubrick

A Star Is Born: Premiere Cut (1954) - 181 minutes
A Star Is Born: General Release Cut (1954) - 150 miniutes
A Star Is Born: Restored Cut (1983) - 176 minutes
Director: George Cukor

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Theatrical Cut (1979)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Television Cut (1983)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Director's Cut (2001)
Director: Robert Wise

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Theatrical Cut (1982)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Television Cut (1986)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Director's Cut (2002)
Director: Nicholas Meyer

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: Theatrical Cut (1991)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: Extended Home Video Cut (1992)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: Director's Cut (2004)
Director: Nicholas Meyer

Star Trek: Insurrection: Director's Cut (1998)
Star Trek: Insurrection: Theatrical Cut (1998)
Director: Jonathan Frakes

Star Trek: Nemesis: Director's Cut (2002) - 180 minutes
Star Trek: Nemesis: Theatrical Cut (2002) - 116 minutes
Director: Stuart Baird

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace: Theatrical Cut (1999)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace: DVD Cut (2000)
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones: Theatrical Cut (2002)
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones: DVD Cut (2002)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: Theatrical Cut (2005)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: DVD Cut (2005)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope: Theatrical Cut #1 (1977)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope: Theatrical Cut #2 (1980)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope: Extended Cut (1997)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope: Extended Cut (2004)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Theatrical Cut (1980)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Extended Cut (1997)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Extended Cut (2004)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi: Theatrical Cut (2003)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi: Extended Cut (1997)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi: Extended Cut (2004)
Directors: George Lucas (I-IV), Irvin Kershner (V), & Richard Marquand (VI)

Strangers on a Train: UK Pre-Release Cut
Strangers on a Train: US Theatrical Cut
Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Straw Dogs: Director's Cut (1971) - 118 minutes
Straw Dogs: R-Rated Theatrical Cut (1971) - 113 minutes
Director: Sam Peckinpagh

A heavily graphic and violent rape scene was edited down for the R-Rated cut.

A Streetcar Named Desire: Theatrical Cut (1951) - 122 minutes
A Streetcar Named Desire: Reconstructed Cut (1995) - 125 minutes
Director: Elia Kazan

Supergirl: Original Cut (1984) - 150 minutes
Supergirl: Director's Cut (1984) - 138 minutes
Supergirl: International Cut (1984) - 124 minutes
Supergirl: US Theatrical Cut (1984) - 105 minutes
Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Superman: The Movie: Rough Cut (1978) - 180 minutes
Superman: The Movie: Theatrical Cut (1978) - 146 minutes
Superman: The Movie: Salkind International Cut (1981) - 188 minutes
Superman: The Movie: Television Cut (1982) - 182 minutes
Superman: The Movie: Director's Cut (2001) - 154 minutes
Director: Richard Donner

Superman II: Theatrical Cut (1980) - 127 minutes
Superman II: International Cut (1983) - 146 minutes
Superman II: Television Cut (1984) - 151 minutes
Superman II: Restored International Cut (2005) - ??? minutes
Superman II: Donner Cut (2006) - 118 minutes
Directors: Richard Donner/Richard Lester

Superman III: Theatrical Cut (1983) - 125 minutes
Superman III: Television Cut (1985) - 143 minutes
Director: Richard Lester

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: Pre-Release Cut (1987) - 134 minutes
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: Theatrical Cut (1987) - 90 minutes
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: Television Cut (1987) - 93 minutes
Director: Sidney J. Furie

Terminal Station: Director's Cut
Indiscretion of an American Housewife: US Theatrical Cut
Director:

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Theatrical Cut (1991) - 139 minutes
Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Director's Cut (1993) - 152 minutes
Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Extended Director's Cut (2000) - 156 minutes
Director: James Cameron

The Thief and the Cobbler: Workprint Cut (1964-1991) - 91 minutes
The Thief and the Cobbler: Australian/South African Theatrical Cut (1993) - 77 minutes
The Thief and the Cobbler: US Theatrical Cut (1995) - 72 minutes
Director: Richard Williams

THX 1138: Theatrical Cut
THX 1138: Director's Cut
Director: George Lucas

Touch of Evil: Director's Cut (1957) - 112 minutes
Touch of Evil: Theatrical Cut (1958) - 95 minutes
Touch of Evil: Extended Cut (1975) - 108 minutes
Touch of Evil: Reconstructed Cut (1998) - 111 minutes
Director: Orson Welles

True Romance: Theatrical Cut
True Romance: Director's Cut
Director: Brian De Palma

The Watcher in the Woods: Director's Cut (1980) - 100 minutes
The Watcher in the Woods: Theatrical Cut (1980) - 84 minutes
Director: John Hough

Wedding Crashers: Theatrical Cut (2006)
Wedding Crashers: Extended Cut (2006)

The Wicker Man: UK Theatrical Cut (1975) - 99 minutes
The Wicker Man: US Theatrical Cut (1975) - 88 minutes
Director: Robin Hardy

The Wild Bunch: European Cut (1969) - 145 minutes
The Wild Bunch: US Premiere Cut (1969) - 143 minutes
The Wild Bunch: US General Release Cut (1969) - 135 minutes
The Wild Bunch: Director's Cut (1995) - 145 minutes
Director: Sam Peckinpagh

The only difference between the European and US Premiere cut is an intermission, which was used in European markets, but not in US ones. General releases of the film was edited down by 10 minutes to allow more show times in theatres. The Director's Cut of 1995 is the same US Premiere cut, still without the intermission, though sharing the same runtime as the European cut.

Windtalkers: Theatrical Cut (2003) - 134 minutes
Windtalkers: Director's Cut (2003) - 153 minutes
Director: John Woo

Escapay

[orestes.]

Wow nice thread. It was a good read. Apparently there were some editions and cuts I never knew of. I've commented on a few (although I doubt any will read).
Well before I start that I'll add 'American Wedding' to my personal list simply because I'm in the mood to see that again but the DVD version I borrowed is a little finger-print filled.
I've only seen the extended version and I love the bachelor party scene. It's so hectic and crazy I can't imagine seeing the movie without it.

Oh and another, 'The Sweetest Thing'. I like this movie a lot for some reason and the only way I like to see it is the unrated vserion. I saw the rated version once (although in Canada both versions are rated as well as all 'unrated' movies) and I didn't enjoy it as much because of the wacky out of place singing and dancing in the restaurant. It's so spontaneous and well it's not needed to complete the story but seeing the movie without it now isn't the same.

Alien - The Theatrical Cut
Alien - The Director's Cut
Alien - The Alternate Score Cut
Alien itself is already a great movie, and the theatrical cut is probably the only version I've seen the most. Ridley Scott has said that "Director's Cut" was simply a marketing term for the 2-disc edition, as he was fine with the theatrical version, but fans had been clamoring for scenes to be added and the like. He also cut scenes by 10 or 15 seconds to make them tighter and the like. Since this is only on the 2-disc edition (which I don't have), I can't comment on it. Also, the original single-disc edition (20th Anniversary) featured an alternate Goldsmith score, which I hadn't listened to yet.

I've only seen the theatrical cut and I'm okay with that since the movie is only so-so for me. I love sci-fi and I love horror and I really like some of Ridley Scott's films but for some reason I've never been a fan of the Alien series so I have no real interest in seeing the different cuts.

Beauty and the Beast - The Work in Progress Cut
Beauty and the Beast - The The Theatrical Cut
Beauty and the Beast - The "Human Again" Cut
All 3 on DVD. WiP is worth looking at once, but that's about it. I personally enjoy the song Human Again, though if I were to watch the movie, I'd choose the theatrical cut.

Since I don't own the DVD I've only seen the first version.
i'm curious about the other two though even if the "Human Again" cut is just an added song or is it more?

Bedknobs and Broomsticks - The Theatrical Cut
Bedknobs and Broomsticks - The Restored Cut
The theatrical cut is okay, a much tighter film that has been seen everywhere up until 1996, when they restored all the cut songs and scenes (save for A Step in the Right Direction). Unfortunately, the audio dubbing is particularly jarring for the children in the restored scenes (Charlie's especially). Hopefully Disney will release a 2-disc special edition with both editions (one on each disc since branching will not be possible based on the audio alone). And more hopefully, they'll get a better dubber for Charlie (just listen to him say mango wuzzle, you'll know what I'm talking about).

I've no clue what version I have seen since it's been so long!

Clue - The Theatrical Cut
Clue - The Home Video Cut
Quite simply, the theatrical cut had one of 3 endings play, where the home video cut had a "that could have happened", "how about this?", and "this is what really happened" ending. The current DVD allows you to play either version.

Great movie I haven't seen in a while and hearing that the DVD contains both versions I'm sold on it. I might pick this up as soon as possible.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - The Theatrical Cut
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - The Director's Cut
The Director's Cut CGI-ifies E.T., adds a couple scenes, and magically turns rifles into guns, thus losing the tension between the FBI and the kids on the bikes. Go for the Theatrical cut, on the OOP 2-disc edition.

It's my favourite movie of all-time! (one of a few anyways) I enjoyed both versions but I prefer the original more of course. I really like the ET bathtub scene so that's why I do watch both versions alternatively.

Legend - The US Theatrical Version: A much-too-short choppy film that stands out as 80s camp with a dated but much-loved score by Tangerine Dream. Pretty good flick to MST3000 to.
Legend - The European Theatrical Version: Essentially the US version with Goldsmith's score, and apparently a couple minor extensions. Haven't seen it, so I can't comment.
Legend - The TV Version: A strange hybrid of the US and Euro edition, with Goldsmith's score and Tangerine Dream's score both used.
Legend - The "Director's Cut": Technically, it's not the director's cut, but merely an early pre-release version that's closest to what Ridley Scott Wanted. A far superior version of Legend, with a beautiful Goldsmith score and much much more to the story. Even though the movie still has faults, the "Director's Cut" is the best way to see the world of Legend.

On the DVD I really like both versions. I do really like the Tangerine Dream score although I prefer the Goldsmith score a little more. Watch out with MST3K comments.

The Lion King - The Theatrical Cut
The Lion King - The Morning Report Cut
"The Morning Report" is unnecessary, and I'm still scratching my head as to why they changed some animation. Until they fix it, stick with the theatrical cut.

I prefer the original theatrical cut but I did always think those alligators were animated oddly in the original but seeing them repelaced in the new cut felt wrong.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy - The Theatrical Cut
Lord of the Rings Trilogy - The Extended Cut
For the casual fan, I'd recommend the theatrical cut. For the fanatic, I'd recommend the extended cut (which I don't have yet).

I saw the theatrical cut versions all in the theatres so that was good enough for me. Now I stick with the extended versions.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - The Theatrical Cut
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - The 3 standalone shorts
A great film, put together by taking their 3 1960s shorts and adding some animation to bridge them all together. Disney hasn't released the shorts as standalone, though, so the movie version is the only way to see them.

I prefer them together in the movie but I do believe I have seen them seperate somewhere before way before DVDs came around on TV I think but it was also on VHS so that could be where I saw them as standalones.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - Theatrical Cut
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - 1997/2004 Extended Cut
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - Theatrical Cut
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - 1997/2004 Extended Cut
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi - Theatrical Cut
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of hte Jedi - 1997/2004 Extended Cut
Everyone has their own opinions about these. I prefer the theatrical cuts over the somewhat-unnecessary-extended-cgi-happy cuts.

I like all cuts. There are some things that are enhanced that I like and other things I could have done without so to me none of them are perfect but all are good.
I've got the first two cuts on VHS and the last on DVD but it would have been nice to have them ALL on DVD since I only have the fullscreen versions on VHS.
One day all versions will be released but that could be many years after Lucas is gone. (Criterion Collection 2050 perhaps?)

Superman - The Theatrical Cut
Superman - The Extended Television Cut
Superman - The Director's Cut
I've only seen the TV cut and the Director's cut, so I'd go for the Director's cut as it flows better than the quite a bit too long TV cut.

Superman II - The Theatrical Cut
Superman II - The Extended Television Cut
Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut
What I'd give to see this film the way Richard Donner intended. Until then, you've got the theatrical cut on DVD and the Television cut on VHS's people take off the telly.

Whoa I'm a Superman fan but I've been so unaware of different Superman movie cuts!


Lastly if you read this Escapay have you seen both editions of 'Blade Runner'?

[Escapay]

Whoa I'm a Superman fan but I've been so unaware of different Superman movie cuts!

Lastly if you read this Escapay have you seen both editions of 'Blade Runner'?

Haven't seen Blade Runner, though it does sound interesting to me, and it's from Ridley Scott, who I have a strange fascination for his movies (well, mainly Alien and Legend). I've been hearing of better editions of Blade Runner for DVD, and I know that the current DVD is a Director's Cut, so it'd be interesting if a new DVD had the theatrical and director's cut, just so I can compare it.

As for Superman, here's a quick explanation:

Superman Theatrical Cut is just that, the theatrical cut.

When it was aired on TV, A LOT was added, simply to make it longer, so that the Salkinds could get more money out of it (they produced it, WB distributed it). Essentially, the more content to the movie, the more the network had to pay for broadcast rights, and sponsors for commercials (well, with more content, there's more commercial breaks).

The Director's cut, in 2001 is essentially the theatrical cut, with Donner doing some cut and paste with select scenes from the tv cut. All the scenes in the tv cut that weren't in the director's cut are still on the DVD.

Superman II is the same for the TV cut (more content means more commercial breaks and more money, etc.) But there are two different versions of the film:

The Richard Donner cut: Technically not completed, since at the last minute the Salkinds fired him and brought in Richard Lester. But everyone knows that Superman and Superman II were filmed together, and there was very little left for Donner to do to finish Superman II. Creative differences or something ended with Lester replacing Donner.

The Richard Lester cut/theatrical cut: Essentially most of the material filmed by Donner, with a sizeable amount reshot by Lester, along with new material. I don't know quite the specifics, but the Donner cut is greatly different from the Lester/theatrical cut.

There's rumors that with Bryan Singer's Superman Returns in 2006, WB is doing 2-disc sets for their 4 Superman movies (much like how the Batman movies got 2-disc treatments), and that maybe, JUST MAYBE, they can get Richard Donner to put together HIS cut of Superman II. So come October 2006, we may see a Superman Anthology to be released with Superman Returns on DVD.

Escapay or Zulu or Frozone or just plain Al

[Evil Genie Jafar]

Let's see:

Daredevil: Theatrical/ 2 Disc Set: This version is actually pretty bad by itself, since it does feel incomplete and lacking of something.

...however, the second DVD is full of so much material that helps you understand the whole character background.

Daredevil: Extended: Now, THIS is the movie that should have been. It is 30 mins longer. If they had left this version, then Marvel would have had their own version of Batman and a superhero movie(s) to appeal at adult audiences.

In the end, it is up to you to decide: 1) want the second DVD full of extras to comprehend the whole thing, but keep the worst version of the movie? 2) get the REAL movie (actually the director mentions this was his idea from the beginning but Fox made him cut it in order to get the PG-13 rating or 3) if you're a fan of the character get both versions.

In my opinion: stick with the Extended. With this definite version, you don't need to have the extras to help you like the movie,



2. Gladiator: 1 Disc: Obviously, just for the people that simply like the movie.

Gladiator: 2 Disc: For most of us that got it as soon as it was released. Plus it contains the extra footage of the 3 Disc set, but not added . And the extras were nice enough.

Gladiatior: 3 Disc Set: Die hard fans only. It used to be my favorite movie, so just because of that I might get it. The real reason to get this set is all the extras. As mentioned, the extra scenes are already available in the prior edition, and frankly they don't add anything to the movie... just make it longer. And it is already long enough.


3. LOTR:EE/ all 3 vs Theatricals: Again, for die hard fans only to have both versions of each because of the differences in extras. Plus, the extras in the EE cover every single detail there is to know. On a side note, the EE give TOO MUCH time for the people that just like them.

Into each one:

Fellowship EE: Give an even longer epic feel to this journey adventure. So, I'd say is up to choice. Do you want this one longer or are happy enough as it was.

Two Towers EE: I'd say this one is the one that benefits the most. In terms of much more character development and more action scenes.

The Return of the King: This one is actually the one that was MUCH better in the original theatrical. The movie sure was long enough and perfect enough as it was. Besides, there are certain scenes in the EE that take away the emotion/suspense the original had.

4. Elektra Extended: This one is a joke. The movie was already flawed in the original, and the "EXTENDED" just add 2 miserable mintues. The only reason to get the new version is if you didn't buy it the first time already because of the new and more extras.

5. Alien vs Predator: If you were one of those, who like me, just liked the movie and bought it originally, there's no point in upgrading for the Extended.

AVP "Blockbuster" Gift Set: At $50 that was sold in the original release, just for fans. However, if you're luck enough to find one now is the time to get it as the price dropped to $35 and I find it to be very reasonable; especially since they don't longer sell them.

AVP: Extended: This one is no brainer. If you're yet to get the movie this one is the version to get. Not too much in terms of added footage (like around 2 minutes, that I read improves it marginally) but has a second DVD of extras.

6. Dawn of the Dead: Unrated : I really can't tell the differences between this one and the theatrical version since I just saw it at the movies once, and from there, bought the UNRATED and seen it so many times I just don't know anymore. However, I'd say without a second thought: if you really liked it at the movies, get this one as it is more gory and has more scenes.

7. Land of the Dead: Unrated: This one I didn't even saw on theaters. But I'd say ,as with DAWN, get this version if you want more blood/gore.

8. The Sweetest Thing: Unrated: Another one where I can't say much since from my very first viewing I've seen the UNRATED. But, I'll definitley say go for this one. It just adds more brief moments but it DOES include "The Penis Song", and the main reason for this version... and it is actually funny and worth it.

9. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (UNCUT): Please, do yourself a favor and get THIS ONE. Not only the first version was edited in too many ways to make it a "kid friendly" version. But it also got cut one of the more intense and shocking scenes of the movie.

10. Underworld: Unrated: Just because of the extras and the much better packaging if you haven't bought it already. Otherwise, stay with the original release.

11. Scary Movie 3.5: I didn't like the movie that much as to think the added scenes would help it make it a better movie. So, if you ask me. There's no reason to upgrade at all. Just get it if you haven't bought it already.

12. Saw: Uncut: Go get it just because of the AWESOME packaging. Im' yet to buy it.


PS

By the way, NICE IDEA ESCAPAY!

.... I'm acutally interested to know how much better is The Ring 2: Unrated from the original version. Without spoiling the new scenes.

[2099net]

4. Elektra Extended: This one is a joke. The movie was already flawed in the original, and the "EXTENDED" just add 2 miserable mintues. The only reason to get the new version is if you didn't buy it the first time already because of the new and more extras.

It's not sold as "Extended" and its more has changed than just 2 minutes. Lots of the movie has been reedited, with alternative takes being used as well as the additional footage and a less frantic feel.

I'll always be proud of it and I did a director's cut that will be coming out in November. That is an R-rated movie, it has things that were removed to get the PG13 rating. It's not I8 minutes longer, but in many parts of the movie it's a little different. The music is different in some parts and I don't feel obligated to have this adrenalized pace that I know some people think is important for a theatrical movie.

[Evil Genie Jafar]

4. Elektra Extended: This one is a joke. The movie was already flawed in the original, and the "EXTENDED" just add 2 miserable mintues. The only reason to get the new version is if you didn't buy it the first time already because of the new and more extras.

It's not sold as "Extended" and its more has changed than just 2 minutes. Lots of the movie has been reedited, with alternative takes being used as well as the additional footage and a less frantic feel.

Although I have not yet seen this new version. I could safely say it doesn't improve it in any way.

Take Daredevil as an example of how to actually improve a flawed fim.

[2099net]

Although I have not yet seen this new version. I could safely say it doesn't improve it in any way.

More doesn't mean better. Less doesn't mean worse. The Scott's Director's Cut of Alien, for example is shorter, and Scott doesn't seem impressed with his Extended Gladiator on his introduction.

The point is, this new Elektra is closer to the film as it was visualised by the director, before studio executives meddled. No, it doesn't mean it improves it, but generally, having one voice in the making of a film results in better films than those made by comittee and edited for financial reasons.

I haven't seen it either. But I predict it will be an improvement. Films like Gladiator, the extended AvP (which has more than two minutes added for the new R1 DVD, making it the second time it has been 'extended'), are less likely to be an improvement, because normally, scenes are deleted for a reason.

Although I doubt the transformation will be as noticable as Scott's Legend (go to back to Ridley Scott's films as examples) the new and old Elektra are more like Scott's two versions of Legend, than his extended Gladiator. Both had changed made from the original "vision" for commercial purposes.

Oh and Escapay, sorry to disappoint you, but now word is that Richard Donner's involvement in Superman II is tidying up his scenes for inclusion on the new disc as supplements, rather than a new cut of the movie.

[Evil Genie Jafar]

You're right 2099net more doesn't mean better (as is the case with ROTK: EE. Howver, as I mentioned Daredevil is a prime example of how the Extended version makes it better.

As I said, when I first saw the original Daredevil it felt flawed (although not as bad as Elektra ) and lacking something. Add those 30 min to make an "original" PG13 movie the R rated movie it was meant to be. And here you get the improvement.


And as I said in other post, Elektra felt the exact same way DD did. Besides, by the story it has, it most obviously had to be much more darker/ "mature" than it is. And there must be footage out there to prove it and actually improve the film.

Sometimes, deleted/changed scenes are cut/edited not because the director believes it that way but because the studio want to make the movie as "profitable" as possible.

PS

Besides, I might be a little upset because, although I'm not fan of the character or Jennifer, I really wanted to like the movie.

Probably, the worst part of it was the ending battle (or is the the battle before? ) that leaves you: "that was it?"

Tell me if that improves somehow and in the future I might get it.






Also, now that we're dealing with the subject. What's the point on releasing Unrated/Extended versions of the movie at the same time of the original theatrical cuts?

By this I mean, of course I'll understand if they do it later to make people double dip. But at the original release of the theatrical? I'd believe most people would want the Unrated/Extended version. As it is "more to like" about the movie and a version you've never seen before.

[Escapay]

Oh and Escapay, sorry to disappoint you, but now word is that Richard Donner's involvement in Superman II is tidying up his scenes for inclusion on the new disc as supplements, rather than a new cut of the movie.

Aw dammit!

Sometimes, deleted/changed scenes are cut/edited not because the director believes it that way but because the studio want to make the movie as "profitable" as possible.

That definitely was the case with Legend. Reading up about it, it simply didn't click immediately with the audience in test screenings, so Universal kept pressuring Scott to tighten the film, and eventually change the soundtrack. What we got left was essentially only half a movie, simply because even though it was a very simple story, there is so much to know and 89 minutes isn't enough to know it all. The 113 minute cut is much better.

It's also kind of a miracle how they found the 113 minute cut. Apparently when they were prepping the DVD (it was to include the US and European version), they found a scant-labeled film at their archives in England, and found (to everyone's delight) the 113-minute cut intact, and it was the SECOND screening cut that was tested (the first was 140-minutes, what I'd give to see that!).

What I'd really like to see, even though I've never seen the movie itself, is all 3 versions of Heaven's Gate. There's the ridiculously long 5 hours and 25 minutes first cut, followed by the 3 hours and 39 minute director's cut, and of course the abysmal 2 hours and 29 minute cut. MGM released the 3+ hour cut, and the 5+ hour cut is most likely lost, but I don't think the theatrical cut has been seen since it was in theaters.

Escapay or Zulu or Ishtar

[Disneykid]

This is a very fascinating thread! One addition I'd like to make is for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Extended Version
This has yet to arrive on DVD (grr), but all TV airings of this film in the U.S. have been the director's cut, with 13 minutes of new footage. Even though all airings call this an extended version, I like to refer to it as a director's cut because Chris Columbus has said that he only cut things from the first two movies due to length and not because of story flaws (with the exception of Peeves which he didn't like the design for). The extended TV version of CoS is much better than the theatrical because it clears up so many plot holes for non-book readers. In the theatrical version, the attacks on Mrs. Norris, Colin, and Justin all seem somewhat random. In the extended version, we're told that Colin and Justin both come from muggle families while Mrs. Norris' owner (Filch) is a squib who can't do magic. It's also answers the somewhat disturbing question of, "Whose blood did Ginny use to write the messages on the walls?" (rooster blood since roosters are fatal to basilisks). The appearance of the Ford Anglia at the end doesn't seem as contrived and random, either, since we see Harry and Ron stumble across it before reaching Aragog's lair.

There's also an extended TV version of Sorcerer's (aka Philosopher's Stone), but I don't consider that a director's cut at all. With CoS's EE, we got every single scene that was cut put back into the film. I know this for sure because very early test screenings were stating that the film ran three hours with ending credits, which is how long the EE runs. SS/PS, on the other hand, only includes the 7 minutes of extra footage shown as supplements on DVD when there is for sure more footage out there. Chris Columbus said in an interview that he planned on putting back 20 minutes of footage back into the first film for an upcoming DVD release (putting it at the three-hour mark just like CoS). This was later confirmed by Chris Rankin, who plays Percy Weasley.

I don't know if Prisoner of Azkaban's TV airing next year will be extended, but I can tell you what was cut out because I've read the final draft of the script and have read interviews with the cast confirming these:

* A longer Knight Bus ride, some of which appears as a DVD supplement, but some of it can only be seen in one of the international trailers.

* The scene where Sirius breaks into the boy's dormitory and Ron screams out. The scene that follows this (where all of the Gryffindors are awake in the common room) is on the DVD as a supplement.

* Harry snapping at Ron and Hermione to shut up about the whole Scabbers/Crookshanks thing, and Ron snapping back about how he almost got killed the night before just because of Harry.

* Hagrid making Ron and Harry shake hands, then Ron and Hermione hug in the scene where Scabbers is found.

* Lupin explaining to Harry about James being a stag in the scene where he packs his things (why was this cut?!).

Ok, I've officially turned into Deathie (;)), so I'll just stop now. Needless to say, WB really needs to release extended versions of all of these films. I don't know how Alfonso Cuarón would feel about an extended PoA, but Chris Columbus has said several times that he's all for it, and is rumored to be working on a director's cut for film one. If WB does this, I hope they also add quality supplements (detailed documentaries, commentaries, tests, etc.) to those editions.

[Escapay]

Is the deleted scenes on the CoS DVD everything that's included in the EE? Or is there more that don't appear on the EE? It's been awhile since I've sat down and watched the Harry Potter movies, but what I read for PoA sounds familiar.

If WB does this, I hope they also add quality supplements (detailed documentaries, commentaries, tests, etc.) to those editions.

I'd love those supplements! The interviews are probably the only meaty supplements on the DVDs, and they're boring!

Escapay or Zulu or Ishtar

[Escapay]

Thought of a few more...

Apocalypse Now - The Theatrical Cut
Apocalypse Now - The "Redux" Cut
Don't know the specifics, but Coppola was able to re-insert about 40 or so minutes of footage in his movie. Haven't seen either version, so I can't comment.

The Black Cauldron - The Theatrical Cut
The Black Cauldron - The Original Cut
As everyone knows now, Katzenberg orderded a snippet of animation to be cut, and I highly doubt Disney will re-release the Black Cauldron as an SE with this deleted animation as a bonus feature...

Casablanca - The Theatrical Cut
Casablanca - The Unauthorized Cut
Don't know how I missed listing this initially, but an unauthorized cut of Casablanca was screened at a film festival in the early 80s and had a different ending, where Ilsa stayed with Rick! As far as I know, that's the last we've seen of it and it's not available anywhere.

The Godfather Series - The Theatrical Cuts
The Godfather Series - The "Saga" Cut
In the late 70s, Coppola re-edited the first two movies into one long movie, deleting and adding footage. He did it again after the release of The Godfather Part III. So far only the theatrical cuts are on DVD, but the "Saga" cut is on laserdisc and VHS.

The Happiest Millionaire - The Roadshow Cut
The Happiest Millionaire - The Theatrical Cut
As was the case with Bedknobs, HM was cut for time, but only for general theatrical release. Its roadshow edition was always intact, just not screened regularly.

Hercules - The NBC Cut
Hercules - The Sci-Fi Cut
The 2005 telemovie/miniseries aired in May on NBC and in October on Sci-Fi, with the Sci-Fi being its original form as a miniseries. Unfortunately, the DVD is only offered as the NBC telemovie, cutting out 45 minutes.

Lady and the Tramp - The Cinemascope Edition
Lady and the Tramp - The Academy Edition
Can't remember where I heard it, but because Disney was still experimenting with widescreen for their animated features, they had two versions of L&TT drawn: a Cinemascope version, and another in the Academy ratio. Unfortunately, every fullscreen version of Lady and the Tramp is always just a P&S of the Cinemascope version, and it looks to be that way on the DVD as well.

Mission: Impossible - The Theatrical Cut
Mission: Impossible - The Original Cut
Apparently the original cut was a little over 3 hours long, and helps explain the story, which is why the current version is rather choppy storywise and you scratch your head at points. Here's hoping that with MI3 shooting, we'll see a new SE of Mission: Impossible on DVD next year, hopefully in the original cut, or at least with the deleted scenes as a supplement

[Disneykid]

Is the deleted scenes on the CoS DVD everything that's included in the EE? Or is there more that don't appear on the EE? It's been awhile since I've sat down and watched the Harry Potter movies, but what I read for PoA sounds familiar.

Basically, yes, but there's a few new shots and lines here and there that I guess were too brief to include in the deleted scenes section of the DVD.

[Blissey02]

What about:

American Pie-Theatrical Cut
American Pie-Unrated Cut

The Unrated version of American Pie contains some of the material cut from the film in order to avoid an NC-17 rating. The most noticable addition for the unrated version is an alternate version of Jim humping the pie. Both versions are available on seperate DVD and VHS releases, while the Unrated version is available on PSP.

American Pie 2-Theatrical Cut
American Pie 2-Unrated Cut

As with the first film, AP2's unrated version has material cut from the film to ensure an R rating. Seperate versions for both rated and unrated versions are available on DVD, while the unrated version is on PSP.

American Wedding (or American Pie: The Wedding for most Europeans)-Theatrical Cut
American Wedding (or American Pie: The Wedding for most Europeans)-Unrated Version

As with the first two movies, AW's unrated version contains material cut from the film in order to make an R rating. The biggest area of the film this can be noticed in is the bachelor party scene. There are seperate rated and unrated versions on DVD (the unrated DVD also has the rated version on it), while the unrated version is on PSP.

[JiminyCrick91]

American Pie-Theatrical Cut
American Pie-Unrated Cut

The Unrated version of American Pie contains some of the material cut from the film in order to avoid an NC-17 rating. The most noticable addition for the unrated version is an alternate version of Jim on the pie. Both versions are available on seperate DVD and VHS releases, while the Unrated version is available on PSP.



American Wedding )-Theatrical Cut
American Wedding Unrated Version

As with the first two movies, AW's unrated version contains material cut from the film in order to make an R rating. The biggest area of the film this can be noticed in is the bachelor party scene. There are seperate rated and unrated versions on DVD (the unrated DVD also has the rated version on it), while the unrated version is on PSP.

Well AP 1 had was one of the 1st of the Unrated ones and it was only done to sell more copies and had noting to do with the angle on the pie being too racy.

And for AW they also extended the Stifler scene with the ring and the well---. Also they put in that part in the hotel were Stifler was yelling at the deskclerk and a few other things.

[Escapay]

Did American Pie start the trend of having new releases have the rated and unrated edition? I can't seem to think of recent movies pre-AP that were initially released rated/unrated.

Thought of a few other movies as well:

Batman Forever - Theatrical Cut
Batman Forever - Director's Cut
One of the many rumors about the new Batman 2-disc movies was that Schumacher would be allowed to put back together his Director's cut for BF, and perhaps make it more watchable. Alas, that did not happen.

Kingdom of Heaven - Theatrical Cut
Kingdom of Heaven - Director's Cut
Ridley Scott himself said that he will be releasing a Director's cut, with 45 minutes re-instated into the film. Haven't seen the movie yet, so I may just wait for the Director's Cut (with the hope that all the bonus features remain, plus some new ones, along with the choice on the disc to watch the theatrical cut so I don't feel cheated out of anything if I choose not to buy the current DVD).

Malena - Original Cut
Malena - US Edited Cut
Miramax's release of Malena is edited, chopping out a considerable amount of footage (I think around 15 minutes or so). The only way to get the original cut is probably in Italy, or through the South Korean 2-disc DVD.

The Muppet Christmas Carol - Theatrical Cut
The Muppet Christmas Carol - Extended Cut
Simply adds "When Love is Gone".

Escapay

[memnv]

I found some of the unrated versions are a waste like The Girl Next Door.

Old School was another one that was released in both versions

[creid]

I know of Almost Famous, the Cameron Crowe movie from 2000 that has a DVD with the theatrical cut and the "bootleg" untitled cut.

It is much of the Lord of Rings situation with the theatrical cut for most people and the bladder buster 3 hour edition untitled cut for the fans. (Being a rock fan and, until recently, a fan of Crowes I am in the latter category. He called untitled after Led Zepplin's fourth album release.) None of the added scenes were necessary to the story but they did add "on the road" atmosphere to the movie. (Actually most of the added scenes were merely extensions of scenes already in the film.) I loved Almost Famous in general and recommend to anyone but I start with the theatrical cut first. If you love it, then try the extended verion.

I know there are numerous versions of Metropolis since the studio cut the theatrical release greatly and people have been able to piece the movie together with some of the missing material. If you a film fan, you should at least watch the movie once but it is not be everyone. It is a 1927 silent German disupotia story that has stunning visuals (even for a 1927 movie) but hopelessly dated politics. I recommend the KINO version on this one.

[Evil Genie Jafar]

How good/different is the new version of THE GRUDGE in contrast with the original version?

I mean, does it actually make the movie better or not?

[Escapay]

Thought I'd bump this up because I found some news on the Superman front:

Superman II: Restored International Cut
This was a 2-disc bootleg edition that was a pet project of some very dedicated fans, who took 4 versions of the film (American TV version, Australian TV version, and 2 European TV versions) and re-edited it into what they believe is true to the Donner cut.

Superman II: The Green EditAn incomplete fan edit, I read little about it, but it essentially made better SFX.

Supergirl: The Theatrical Cut
Supergirl: The International Cut
Supergirl: The Director's Cut
Since I haven't seen any of these versions of the movie, I can't comment on it, but Anchor Bay released an OOP 2-disc limited edition with both the international cut and the director's cut, and word is the director's cut is the best cut of Supergirl. I'm now searching for this 2-disc edition simply to see what the hubbub is about.

Superman IV: The Pre-Release Cut
Superman IV: The Theatrical Cut
Due to bad preview screenings, I believe 40 minutes or so was cut from the film, making it the worst one yet. These 40 minutes are thought to be lost forever, unfortunately.

And netty, about Donner and Superman II, I searched for news about it, and found that he is indeed working on the DVD. Though my sources were vague as to whether it would be his cut of the film or as you said, his cleaning up the scenes for supplements (much like what Cameron did for Titanic). Either way, it's inevitable that fans will take those scenes and edit it themselves on the computer and make their own Donner cut.

Escapay