DVDizzy Forum

Posted: **Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:58 pm**

Warner Home Video will stock shelves with Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut on Blu-ray for the first time ever on October 9th.

The Blu-ray debut includes two high-definition versions of the 1986 cult-classic: the theatrical cut and a director’s cut that features a newly restored, 20-minute alternate ending.

Extras include commentary by director Frank Oz (on the theatrical version), an introduction for the director's cut by Oz with Richard Conway, outtakes & deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes documentary. The Little Shop of Horrors Blu-ray comes packaged in a 40-page book featuring movie trivia, actor and director bios and more.

This new release will also be issued on DVD as well (pictured below).

Posted: **Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:11 pm**

Now THAT sounds like a great release. I just wonder how the alternate ending will play out (maybe like the original film from 1960?). I look forward to upgrading my DVD (that I probably never got to use).

BTW That cover art is HORRIBLE, one of the worst ones by far. They're making it look like some cheesy 60s film.

Posted: **Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:13 pm**

Great news! Thanks!

Posted: **Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:25 pm**

EXCELLENT.

Posted: **Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:37 pm**

PixarFan2006 wrote:Now THAT sounds like a great release. I just wonder how the alternate ending will play out (maybe like the original film from 1960?).

I've seen the ending in Black and White online before and like the stage show but shows you what happens rather than just telling you. It is much bigger than the 1960's film.

Musical/Director's Cut Spoilers follow:

In it: Audrey is badly hurt when Audrey 2 chomps on her and tells Seymour feed her to it, cue Somewhere That's Green Reprise. He does but then tries to kill himself before the "it's going to be bigger than hula hoops" guy (not played by Jim Belushi there) says that with or without Seymour's OK he's going to start selling little Audrey 2's all across America thanks to clipings he has made. Seymour confronts Audrey 2, gets eaten and before long the plants are indeed 'bigger than Hula hoops', across America and the world. Small Two-ies the size of the the one from the start of the film at first before at the very end become massively sized versions. With the newfound size like any giant monster movie they destroy NYC one skyscraper at a time, killing everyone in the way.

End Spoilers.

I'm SO excited for this. I never thought it would come out with the original ending again. David Geffen has said he has the only existing colour copy (and the rights to this ending at all) so I expect it will be in colour now, right? As for the cover more confused that it has John Candy on it rather than another one of the stars. If each of the Cameos were on the cover that would be very different.

-Skyler

Posted: **Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:31 pm**

PixarFan2006 wrote:BTW That cover art is HORRIBLE, one of the worst ones by far. They're making it look like some cheesy 60s film.

Funny you say that. Isn't this based off a Broadway musical that was itself inspired by a cheesy 60's film?

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:26 am**

The Forbidden Douchebag wrote:
PixarFan2006 wrote:BTW That cover art is HORRIBLE, one of the worst ones by far. They're making it look like some cheesy 60s film.
Funny you say that. Isn't this based off a Broadway musical that was itself inspired by a cheesy 60's film?

Touche.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:40 am**

A colored version of the original ending doesn't exist, so does this mean they colorized the black & white print?

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:40 pm**

JiminyCrick91 wrote:David Geffen has said he has the only existing colour copy (and the rights to this ending at all) so I expect it will be in colour now, right?

-Skyler

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:07 pm**

JiminyCrick91 wrote:David Geffen has said he has the only existing colour copy (and the rights to this ending at all) so I expect it will be in colour now, right?

Frank Oz said David Geffen doesn't have a color copy. Here's the truth regarding the whole debacle:

Frank Oz: [...] So, Howard rewrote it and I shot it with a satisfying ending. The original one was in color, but when we ripped apart the ending, we had to take out the tape and then we had to reshoot the new ending and then retape that for another preview. So therefore, after the Los Angeles preview, there was no color ending. It didn’t exist because we had to take it apart. So the black-and-white [version] was a dupe, a copy of the original color ending that was made. I’m not sure why we made it, but we made it and that’s the only thing that was left, because there’s actually no color ending left.

Q: In 1998, a special edition DVD of Little Shop was released and immediately recalled because it contained this black-and-white work print with your commentary track. It remains a highly sought-after DVD, though there’s been a lot of discussion over the years about why that ending was released in the first place…

Frank Oz: When Warner put the first DVD out, they called me and said, “Do I have the original ending?” And I said, yeah, I had it in black and white. It didn’t exist in color. So I gave it to them to use, and then the DVD came out for a short time with that black-and-white ending as a bonus feature. And then I got a call from David Geffen, and David said, “What are you doing?” I said, “What do you mean?” “Why did you give them the black-and-white version?” I said, “That’s all I had, I thought you were fine with that. I figured you and Warner were working together.” He said, “No, no, no — I have a color version.” “You have a color version?!” He said, “I have a color version. I don’t want the black-and-white version out, I want the color version out.” And so, you know, he’s the producer, so “Okay fine, it’s okay by me if you have the color.”

Q: Did he end up having the original ending in color?

Frank Oz: He did not. I think he thought he had the color [version], but he probably didn’t understand the work print aspect of it. He probably assumed that there was a color ending somewhere. I was surprised. I thought maybe he duped it in color. David halted all the DVD sales because he wanted the better version of the ending, but that never came out. I’m assuming it’s because, David, in all sincerity, wanted to do a great job and thought he had the color and then probably someone told him, “We don’t have color,” and I think it kind of went away then.

Q: And to be clear, the color version of the original ending doesn’t exist anymore?

Frank Oz: The color ending doesn’t exist. No, it’s still the black-and-white ending. It’s their film, so they’ll do what they want with it and I’m just glad that the audience has another way of seeing it.

Source: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/05/15/f ... f-horrors/

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:42 pm**

I'm sooooooooooooooo excited to hear about this! Little Shop is one of my favorite Broadway Musicals and to finally get to see the ending like it does in the musical will be fantastic!!!

For those of you who know about it more than I do, Does the new ending feature the song "Don't Feed the Plants"? It's by far one of my favorite songs in the entire show!

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:50 pm**

Warner has also provided additional details on Digital Bits today:

The footage of the original ending was previously available only in black & white in the extra content of a limited number of copies of a DVD edition released in 1998. Now, with the help of production notes from Frank Oz and others on the film’s creative team, WHV has meticulously restored and digitally remastered the ending, in full color, with the elaborate special effects in tact. Sound has also been rebuilt and mixed in Dolby 5.1. The theatrical version has also been re-mastered.

And the site added:

And if that isn't clear enough for you, we've confirmed with the studio this morning that this isn't some sort of digital colorization of the B&W footage, but was mastered from the original color negative.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:28 pm**

I have the original DVD release with the b&w ending. Its pretty freaky, its cool to see but I prefer the theatrical ending. It will be great to see it in color and restored.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 3:45 pm**

Sotiris wrote:
JiminyCrick91 wrote:David Geffen has said he has the only existing colour copy (and the rights to this ending at all) so I expect it will be in colour now, right?
That's not true. David Geffen does not have a color copy. Here's the truth regarding the whole debacle:

News to me. Last I had Geffen still claimed to have it. *shrug* Sorry, then.

singerguy04 wrote: For those of you who know about it more than I do, Does the new ending feature the song "Don't Feed the Plants"? It's by far one of my favorite songs in the entire show!

Yes!

The Forbidden Douchebag wrote:Warner has also provided additional details on Digital Bits today:

The footage of the original ending was previously available only in black & white in the extra content of a limited number of copies of a DVD edition released in 1998. Now, with the help of production notes from Frank Oz and others on the film’s creative team, WHV has meticulously restored and digitally remastered the ending, in full color, with the elaborate special effects in tact. Sound has also been rebuilt and mixed in Dolby 5.1. The theatrical version has also been re-mastered.
And the site added:

And if that isn't clear enough for you, we've confirmed with the studio this morning that this isn't some sort of digital colorization of the B&W footage, but was mastered from the original color negative.

If it's not a colourization as it sounds in that first quote where did they get it in colour?

-Skyler

Posted: **Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:52 am**

This is awesome news! I love this movie and will probably upgrade my DVD with this release just as long as the release has a DVD with it, since I don't always have access to a BR player. When my high school produced this musical, I played the Dentist, so I've always been partial to it.

Posted: **Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:45 pm**

singerguy04 wrote:For those of you who know about it more than I do, Does the new ending feature the song "Don't Feed the Plants"? It's by far one of my favorite songs in the entire show!

Absolutely. In fact, it should still be on YouTube somewhere (it's EXTREMELY catchy... as you undoubtedly know, but this version is the movie version so...):

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A47SweUlXAc" frameborder="0"></iframe>

And, if I may, the movie version is better than the musical... (I'm listening to a download of the stage version now.)

EDIT (2 minutes later): Okay, the extra cast vocals on the stage version are great. I was a bit wrong there.

Posted: **Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:17 pm**

^I think any time we have Ellen Greene portraying Audrey, we can expect perfection. Ellen is Audrey, and I don't think anyone ever really came close to how she portrayed the character. Thats why I've always loved both the original stage version and the movie. I probably slightly prefer the stade version just because i'm a theater rat, but still. I'm really glad Ellen did the movie, but I've always hated the ending. It was stupid, compared to the musical. I never realized they actually made the original ending until today. I watched it on youtube and ughh amazing. Can't wait for the blu ray.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uiPh0tKk9jc" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Wow. 5:35, especially.

Posted: **Fri Aug 03, 2012 12:39 pm**

Since the black & white version on the OOP DVD was clearly a rough cut/workprint I'm assuming that the new color version will be edited tighter and will possibly use alternate takes, etc.

This means that while I will absolutely enjoy having the new one, I'll still be happy to have the original version, especially since I'm sure that Frank Oz's commentary on it will not be the same on the new one if there's a commentary on it at all.

It's a shame that they almost certainly will not include it on the Blu-Ray even as a standard definition bonus to compare the b&w rough cut to the color restored version. It would make a perfect easter egg. :/

Regardless, the important thing about this release will be having the film cleaned up and in HD. That DVD was not aging well at all, and I absolutely adore this film.

Posted: **Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:28 pm**

I'm probably going to be stoned for this but... will the original theatrical cut be in any way preserved? I don't even trust, given how many fans of the movie prefer the non-used ending, that it will be included as a mere bonus.

By the way, I also assumed this was a Blu-Ray... I'm wrong, aren't I?

Posted: **Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:36 pm**

Lazario wrote:I'm probably going to be stoned for this but... will the original theatrical cut be in any way preserved? I don't even trust, given how many fans of the movie prefer the non-used ending, that it will be included as a mere bonus.

By the way, I also assumed this was a Blu-Ray... I'm wrong, aren't I?

The new DVD will only include the director's cut but the Blu-ray will include both versions.

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Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut

Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut