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

[Ritoru Maameido]

That Mr. Cameron will probably re-release Titanic once more, but as a director's cut instead? I don't buy the ''definitive DVD release'' comment for a minute, ESPECIALLY when that's how they're now advertising it in the East, despite a couple of Japanese buyers NOW know that there is a another edition with an extra disc. Oh well, I suppose it gives him time to scheme another way to cash cow the Titanic disaster and make a new super, ultra-mega DVD box set for the 100 anniversary of the sinking! He might even put his entire face on the cover too! After all, the man is God! Really, not unrealistic, especially if you think about his ego in Hollywood.

[Escapay]

That Mr. Cameron will probably re-release Titanic once more, but as a director's cut instead?

Cameron has stated several times that the theatrical version IS the director's cut, that it's how he wants the movie to be seen. Merely as a nice gesture to the fans, all the bits deleted (47 minutes worth) was cleaned up and CGI'd where necessary for the DVD, available on the 3rd disc.

Escapay

[Ritoru Maameido]

It's simply a harmless joke and I only made that comment just for myself to laugh at.

[anger is pointless]

i was wondering when they say the unrated cut does that mean they take out all the gore and language ect and if thats not why its unrated then what do they do to the movie to make it unrated

i saw a commersial for alien vs predator unrated thats why im asking

Lady and the Tramp - The Cinemascope Edition
Lady and the Tramp - The Academy Edition[/b]
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.

oh no really were not gonna get the cinamascope version again i wanna see the real version of the film not a p and s version sigh

[Escapay]

Lady and the Tramp - The Cinemascope Edition
Lady and the Tramp - The Academy Edition[/b]
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.

oh no really were not gonna get the cinamascope version again i wanna see the real version of the film not a p and s version sigh

Oh no, we're definitely getting the original CinemaScope version. It's just that they're also offering a fullscreen version, and most likely it'll be a Pan & Scan of the CinemaScope version instead of the alternately-drawn Academy ratio version. Sleeping Beauty offered both versions (CinemaScope and Pan & Scan), but their Pan & Scan is somewhat understandable as they didn't draw an Academy version.

Escapay

[anger is pointless]

whoo thank goodness i was soo worried thanks for clearing that up escapay

[Escapay]

i was wondering when they say the unrated cut does that mean they take out all the gore and language ect and if thats not why its unrated then what do they do to the movie to make it unrated

i saw a commersial for alien vs predator unrated thats why im asking

Unrated is really just a marketing term. Ratings are given when a movie is screened by the MPAA and they classify it as G, PG, PG-13, R, or NC-17. Since many movies these days are given extended/uncensored/etc cuts, they call them "unrated" because they're not screened by the MPAA for theatrical release.

Alien vs. Predator is really just an extended cut, probably with more gore and language than the theatrical cut. I don't own it and haven't seen it (or the theatricut), so I'm not sure how much is added or changed.

Escapay

[deathie mouse]

Oh no, we're definitely getting the original CinemaScope version. It's just that they're also offering a fullscreen version, and most likely it'll be a Pan & Scan of the CinemaScope version instead of the alternately-drawn Academy ratio version.

Well i'm not too sure we'll even get things like they should be all proper and shiny on da widescren version: Original Cinemascope 2.55 ratio; nor the alternate rephotographed-for-Academy 1.375 version. Instead we'll get a mini pan scan of the Scope version into 2.35; and a 1.33 (slighly pillarboxed) 48% pan scanned version of the 2.55 Scope too.

Battlestations!

[Escapay]

Woohoo! Superman II is going to be the Director's Cut after all!

From The Digital Bits:

Yes... looks like it's true. We've known for a while now that Warner Home Video was working on new DVD special editions of the Superman films to tie in with the release of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns later this year (in theaters 6/30), but now we have the first actual confirmation... from Ilya Salkind, who co-produced the first three Superman films! Salkind has acknowledged that he's working with Warner on the new DVDs, and that all of the films in the series are being restored and given deluxe new special edition treatment, a-la last year's Batman Anthology collection. By far the best news in all this, is that it seems that Warner is FINALLY allowing Richard Donner to create his original director's cut of Superman II! How damn cool is that?! As many of you know, Donner directed Superman: The Movie and most of Superman II back to back, but was eventually fired from the sequel. Director Richard Lester was hired to replace him, and it's Lester's cut of the film that we've seen all these years. What's cool is that Lester's theatrical cut of the film is being given special edition treatment as well, so you'll be able to fully explore BOTH versions of Superman II on DVD this summer. Lester MAY even do an interview for the DVD - something he's been reluctant to do over the years given the controversy. This information comes from Salkind via The Superman Homepage fan site, which expects to publish a full interview with Salkind in the coming weeks. Very cool news indeed (though keep in mind that until Warner announces this set, it's all still unofficial). Thanks to Bits reader Matt K. for the heads-up on this.

From The Superman Homepage: (not the entire article)

The Superman Homepage has learned exclusive details regarding Time Warner's work on new DVDs of the five Superman films released between 1978 and 1987. Ilya Salkind, who co-produced the first three "Superman" films, "Supergirl", and the "Superboy" television series, confirmed that he is indeed working with Michael Thau, the Producer and Restoration Supervisor on the 2001 Special Edition of "Superman: The Movie", and others who've been retained by Time Warner to produce new versions of the original Superman films (and Supergirl) for DVD release in conjunction with marketing plans for 2006's "Superman Returns".

[snip]

According to Salkind, Time Warner now owns all of the footage shot for 1978's "Superman", 1980's "Superman II", 1983's "Superman III", 1984's "Supergirl", and 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" including distribution rights.

[snip]

Salkind plans to "do commentaries of [Superman] I, II, and III [and] Pierre [Spengler] did his already." In addition, Salkind would like to do a commentary track for "Supergirl", which was released on DVD previously by Anchor Bay Entertainment. "I'm going to do a commentary [on "Supergirl"] and this time hopefully Helen [Slater] will do it..." Time Warner has acquired all distribution rights to "Supergirl" from Anchor Bay, according to Salkind, and plans to release that film along with the four Superman movies.

While "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" was not a Salkind production (Salkind and his father have a credit for initiating the Superman film series in "Superman IV"), Salkind believes Time Warner owns that film's footage as well and is in touch with director Sydney Furie.

The biggest revelation of the interview concerns plans for "Superman II". Scenes shot by fired director Richard Donner (who directed "Superman: The Movie"), including all of Brando's work for the second film, may finally see the light of day. "There will be a Donner cut [of "Superman II"] from what I hear," Salkind said. "There will apparently be an original cut with the original music and more stuff." Whether the extra footage will be presented as an alternative version of the film or included as a supplement has not yet been determined.

Actor Jack O'Halloran, who played mute super-villain Non in "Superman" and "Superman II" confirmed that Time Warner interviewed him about his work on both films. Like Salkind, O'Halloran believes there will be a Donner version of "Superman II". "I understand they [Time Warner] are letting Donner do his cut of Superman II," O'Halloran said. "We spoke a lot about Donner, whom I like a lot."

The theatrical version of "Superman II" that Richard Lester directed will also receive special attention on the new DVD. Though Lester - who also directed "Superman III" - has steadfastly refused to give interviews about his work on the Superman movies over the years, Salkind believes that "Lester might make an interview," he said. "[A]pparently Pierre convinced him to [consider it]," Salkind explained.

[snip]

A special edition DVD of "Superman: The Movie" was released in 2001 with eight minutes of footage added back to the film. It is unclear which version of the first film will end up on the new DVD. Salkind did not participate in the preparation of the 2001 DVD.

[snip]

The original idea was to end the first film with a cliffhanger - the first of the two nuclear rockets that Superman threw into outer space explodes and frees the three Phantom Zone villains. After the Salkinds decided to hold off finishing "Superman II" till after the first film's release, it was decided that it made more creative sense to present the sequel's story independently of the first film. This necessitated plotting changes such as the addition of the scene where terrorists attempt to hold Paris hostage, which results in the freeing of the Phantom Zone baddies, and the deletion of scenes that referred to events from the first film as being recent.

[snip]

The best part about the news from The Superman Homepage, is that WB is going to release Supergirl, so I don't have to look for the OOP editions from Anchor Bay! I wonder, though, if the WB release of Supergirl will be the theatrical version, the international version, or the director's cut. I'm hoping they'll find a way to use all three in a 2-disc set. Maybe the director's cut on one disc, and the theatrical/international cut on the second disc (via branching), along with the bonus features.

Also, in my internet readings, found more alternate versions of movies:

The Breakfast Club: Director's Cut
The Breakfast Club: Theatrical Cut
The original cut of TBC ran at 2 and a half hours, and it's been said that John Hughes has the only copy of that cut.

The Wild Bunch: Theatrical Cut
The Wild Bunch: Director's Cut
Whilst reading a review for this movie, found that the director re-inserted scenes in 1994, and that's the edition that's on DVD

The Poseidon Adventure (2005 TV Movie): NBC Cut
The Poseidon Adventure (2005 TV Movie): DVD Cut
I read at a DVD site that when this movie comes on DVD (Feb 14), it'll have 40 additional minutes integrated into the movie. So my guess is like Hercules (2005), this was to have been a two-night miniseries, but they decided to cut stuff out and squeeze it into a 3-hour timeslot. If only Hercules (2005) got a DVD release with its 40 additional minutes. Instead, we gotta resort to the occasional 4-hour airing on Sci-Fi.

Escapay

[Escapay]

Been meaning to bump this for awhile. Check the first post, as that's what's really updated.

(Or, if you skipped right ahead to this post to see what's new, and never saw this thread before or forgot about it, then lemme say again: check the first post.)

(And if you still haven't checked that first post, then here's a quick explanation: I've compiled a list of various versions and cuts of movies. It's very incomplete, missing not only a lot of movies, but dates, directors, runtimes, and explanations for most of the movies already on the list. It's very much a work in progress, and any new information or entries would be appreciated. So check out the first post.)

Escapay

[Just Myself]

<snip>

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

<snip>

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Theatrical Cut - 143 minutes
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Director's Cut - 155 minutes
Director: Kevin Reynolds

<snip>

Escapay

Added info on those two.

Cheers,
JM

[Escapay]

Added a bunch of new titles, updated a few. Got most of the information from wikipedia or imdb.

Escapay

[Lazario]

Hey, Escapay... I don't know how you got all that information, but I have a movie for you to investigate...

Videodrome (1982) - I first saw the TV version and I think because they took out so much gore, violence, and transformation scenes, they put in a bunch of additional scenes of extra dialogue and some different hallucination scenes. But there is a ton of stuff in the TV version that's not on the DVD version.

[Flanger-Hanger]

Just FYI Scaps, the Director's Cut of 1776 actually runs 165 minutes (according to the time shown on my DVD player).

[Escapay]

Hey, Escapay... I don't know how you got all that information, but I have a movie for you to investigate...

Usually the "alternate versions" section of IMDB, reviews of the laserrdiscs and DVDs, material from the DVDs that address the different versions, etc.

The IMDB "Alternate Versions" section for Videodrome does mention the TV version having an extended ending, but nothing about the scenes removed.

Just FYI Scaps, the Director's Cut of 1776 actually runs 165 minutes (according to the time shown on my DVD player).

Thanks, Wire. I'll update it if/when I ever get around to doing a mega-update of the entire list.

albert

[Lazario]

Hey, Escapay... I don't know how you got all that information, but I have a movie for you to investigate...

Usually the "alternate versions" section of IMDB, reviews of the laserrdiscs and DVDs, material from the DVDs that address the different versions, etc.

The IMDB "Alternate Versions" section for Videodrome does mention the TV version having an extended ending, but nothing about the scenes removed.

Well, that's a bunch of poop! I looked on YouTube for a batch of scenes and I only found ONE. Prior to the ending you mention. I of course would know all the stuff that was added.

Just did a quick Google and they say the TV version runs 104 minutes. That's at least 16 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. I tried to add info to IMDb years ago and they never took it. Jerks. So I don't even bother to try anymore.

[Chernabog_Rocks]

I have the Alexander Revisted: Final Cut on Blu-Ray...yet I have no clue what was added I think the only obvious thing to me was the fact that there's an Interlude at the end of Disc One. Hm. A lot of it looks exactly like what I saw the first time around when it first came out on dvd. *shrugs*

[Disneykid]

Wow, I remember this thread. For whenever you get around to doing your update, here's some things to add/modify:

Daredevil: Theatrical Cut (2003) - 103 minutes
Daredevil: Director's Cut (2004) - 133 minutes
Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Fox, after seeing the success of Spider-Man, wanted a lighter, tighter film for the masses. A subplot involving Coolio as a man framed for murder (which linked Matt to the Kingpin and gave Foggy more to do) was excised, and the violence trimmed down from R to PG-13. Fox forced Johnson to add more scenes with Elektra and more scenes between Matt and his priest. In doing so, Matt comes across a lot less isolated in the theatrical cut, and the story shifts focus to beome a romance between him and Elektra. The Director's Cut removes the added sequences and restores the murder mystery subplot and R-rated violence, resulting in a darker picture in which Elektra is merely a supporting character, not a female lead.

The Golden Compass: Theatrical Cut (2007) - 113 minutes
The Golden Compass: Director's Cut (????) - 173 minutes
Director: Chris Weitz

The original cut was taken away from director Chris Weitz around September of 2007 and re-edited without his involvement in order to squeeze in more showings per day and not offend Christian extremists with some of the more controversial religious elements. Last-minute reshoots were done to patch up some of the holes. The most noteworthy of the deletions is the original "downer" ending, which New Line felt was too dark and alienating for audiences. Virtually every scene as found in the final cut had shots and/or dialogue snipped, and fully deleted sequences include Mrs. Coulter's dinner party (in which Lyra finds out her secret) and more scenes with Serafina Pekkala and the witches, including her romance with Farder Coram. Much of this, especially the original ending, can be found in promotional materials, most notably in the video game. The ending was intended to be saved for the beginning of the sequel, The Subtle Knife, but then that project was shelved due to the poor reception domestically. Weitz has said a director's cut would be unlikely as the visual effects were never completed, and it would cost approximately $17 million to do so.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Theatrical Cut (2001) - 152 minutes
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Extended Cut (2009) - 159 minutes
Director: Chris Columbus

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Theatrical Cut (2002) - 161 minutes
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Extended Cut (2009) - 174 minutes
Director: Chris Columbus

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Theatrical Cut (2004) - 142 minutes
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Extended Cut (2010) - 165 minutes (unconfirmed)
Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Theatrical Cut (2005) - 157 minutes
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Extended Cut (2010) - 194 minutes (unconfirmed)
Director: Mike Newell

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Theatrical Cut (2007) - 138 minutes
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Extended Cut (2011) - 192 minutes (unconfirmed)
Director: David Yates

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Theatrical Cut (2009) - 153 minutes
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Extended Cut (2011) - 161 minutes (unconfirmed)
Director: David Yates

For those wondering where I'm getting the Harry Potter runtimes from, someone on Blu-ray.com stumbled upon them on a foreign message board. I'd take them all with a grain of salt. Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince seem spot-on based on interviews and leaked screenplays, but Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire seem a little overboard (I always predicted about 10-12 minutes for Azkaban and 20-25 minutes for Goblet). Even if those runtimes accurately reflect the original cuts, there's no saying everything cut will be re-instated (just look at Sorcerer's Stone). Press releases for movies 3 and 4 should be out by summer's end, and then we'll know for sure what's going on with this series.

[ajmrowland]

So what wasn't reinstated into the Stone aside from Peeves?

[Disneykid]

They were mostly extended scenes rather than fully cut sequences. Off the top of my head...

* Miscellaneous bits that weren't used for the letter montage (Harry being locked out of the living room as Vernon destroys some letters, B-roll footage)

* The Gringotts roller coaster cart (test screenings)

* A longer version of Hagrid's tale about Harry's origins ("Who do you think got you out of the rubble that night?", B-roll footage)

* More of the pre-sorting scene (McGonagall giving further exposition about the houses, B-roll footage; Hermione's "He's rather disagreeable, isn't he?" line about Malfoy, TV spot)

* The Sorting Hat's song (official website back in 2001)

* More of the Gryffindors' first night in the common room (Neville asking Hermione to kiss Trevor good night, interviews)

* Transfiguration lesson (publicity photo; B-roll footage)

* A longer version of the troll sequence (interviews; trailer shot)

* A longer version of the Mirror of Erised scene with Dumbledore ("What do you see when you look in the mirror?" B-roll footage)

* A longer version of the Nicholas Flamel scene in the library (B-roll footage)

* The Gryffindors seeing the sand in their house hourglass diminish after the trio gets points taken away (publicity photo)

* Longer chess challenge (trailer shots)

* Longer final chamber sequence with Quirrell (test screenings)

Plus there's the rumor of the Dursleys moving into the hotel before they move to the shack, but I haven't seen any evidence of this.

It was reported directly from ABC that the first television airing of the film was going to have 20 minutes added by Columbus himself. When the airing came, it was just the 7 minutes found on the DVD. I wonder if he assembled a cut and ABC rejected it, or he told them he'd assemble it and later wasn't happy with the non-DVD material. Hmmm...