Tag: Theatrical

Arthur and the Invisibles still

Arthur and the Invisibles (2006)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • International Theatrical Cut (104 min.)
  • US Theatrical Cut (94 min.)
  • UK Theatrical Cut (91 min.)

Luc Besson’s animated film Arthur and the Invisibles (Arthur et les Minimoys) was edited by Weinstein Company when it was released in theaters in 2007. The French family film did well in its home country but fell flat in the US. It was even cut further when released by Momentum Pictures in the UK, according to the BBFC. Besson has some thought on why the film didn’t fare well in the US and why critics gave it such negative reviews:

Daniel Robert Epstein: Arthur and the Invisibles did very well all over the world except in America. Why do you think it didn’t connect here?

Luc Besson: I’ve worked in the movie business for 30 years now and for each film I work 40 different distributors around the world. The American distributor on Arthur [The Weinstein Company] was the worst I have worked with in my entire life, in any country. I think this is the essence of all the problems. Why the critics didn’t like Arthur was because they changed so much of the film and tried to pretend the film was American. The critics aren’t stupid. They watched the film, they vaguely smell American but they can feel the film is forced for an American audience. The film is European. Its made by a Frenchman. This was the only country where the film was changed. The rest of the world has the same film as France.

Source: Luc Besson and Rie Rasmussen, Suicide Girls

The director’s preferred edition: International Theatrical Cut

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King still

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (201 min.)
  • Extended Edition (265 min.)

For many years the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy have been among the most beloved longer cuts of movies, and for many the only true way to view the fantasy epic. Writer-director Peter Jackson went out of his way to make the extended editions on DVD and Blu-ray a must own for every film fan with excellent packaging, tremendous behind the scenes featurettes and meticulous documentaries.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is available on DVD and Blu-ray in separate editions that include the theatrical cut and the extended edition. Only a limited edition DVD included both cuts. IGN interviewed Jackson when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was being released in theaters in December 2003 where he was asked about the extended editions:

IGN: What happens on the extended version of this one [The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]? 
Peter Jackson: The extended versions are interesting because I do the extended versions for the fans, really. To me every time I put a scene in it, it’s mucking up the momentum. The theatrical versions are very carefully worked out. We spent a whole year trying to get the best possible cut. I do the extended cuts because we have 30-40 minutes of footage that people are interested in, fans of the books.

IGN: What’s the definitive version of these films?
JACKSON: The theatrical versions are the definitive versions. I regard the extended cuts as being a novelty for the fans that really want to see the extra material.

Source: Interview: Peter Jackson, IGN in December 2003

The director’s preferred edition: Theatrical Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers still

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (179 min.)
  • Extended Edition (235 min.)

For many years the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy have been among the most beloved longer cuts of movies, and for many the only true way to view the fantasy epic. Writer-director Peter Jackson went out of his way to make the extended editions on DVD and Blu-ray a must own for every film fan with excellent packaging, tremendous behind the scenes featurettes and meticulous documentaries.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is available on DVD and Blu-ray in separate editions that include the theatrical cut and the extended edition. Only a limited edition DVD included both cuts. IGN interviewed Jackson when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was being released in theaters in December 2003 where he was asked about the extended editions:

IGN: What happens on the extended version of this one [The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]? 
Peter Jackson: The extended versions are interesting because I do the extended versions for the fans, really. To me every time I put a scene in it, it’s mucking up the momentum. The theatrical versions are very carefully worked out. We spent a whole year trying to get the best possible cut. I do the extended cuts because we have 30-40 minutes of footage that people are interested in, fans of the books.

IGN: What’s the definitive version of these films?
JACKSON: The theatrical versions are the definitive versions. I regard the extended cuts as being a novelty for the fans that really want to see the extra material.

Source: Interview: Peter Jackson, IGN in December 2003

The director’s preferred edition: Theatrical Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings still

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (178 min.)
  • Extended Edition (228 min.)

For many years the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy have been among the most beloved longer editions of movies, and for many the only true way to view the fantasy epic. Writer-director Peter Jackson went out of his way to make the extended editions on DVD and Blu-ray a must own for every film fan with excellent packaging, tremendous behind the scenes featurettes and meticulous documentaries.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is available on DVD and Blu-ray in separate editions that include the theatrical cut and the extended edition. Only a limited edition DVD included both cuts. IGN interviewed Jackson when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was being released in theaters in December 2003 where he was asked about the extended editions:

IGN: What happens on the extended version of this one [The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]? 
Peter Jackson: The extended versions are interesting because I do the extended versions for the fans, really. To me every time I put a scene in it, it’s mucking up the momentum. The theatrical versions are very carefully worked out. We spent a whole year trying to get the best possible cut. I do the extended cuts because we have 30-40 minutes of footage that people are interested in, fans of the books.

IGN: What’s the definitive version of these films?
JACKSON: The theatrical versions are the definitive versions. I regard the extended cuts as being a novelty for the fans that really want to see the extra material.

Source: Interview: Peter Jackson, IGN in December 2003

The director’s preferred edition: Theatrical Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Alexander still

Alexander (2004)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (175 min.)
  • Director’s Cut (166 min.)
  • The Final Cut (214 min.)
  • The Ultimate Cut (207 min.)

The life and times of a Macedonian emperor Alexander the Great has never been successfully covered in a movie. Director Oliver Stone tried to pull it off in 2004 with Alexander but failed on his own accord but Stone has since then released three different cuts of the film. And it looks like he’s done. At least for now.

Alexander was panned by critics and tanked at the box office but that didn’t stop Warner Bros and Stone pursuing the dream of finding a good movie in the mess. First there was the director’s cut where most of the homosexual content was edited out. Then the Final Cut was released which is to this date the longest cut and Stone called it his definitive cut. Then to celebrate the 10th anniversary the Ultimate Cut was released on Blu-ray and DVD. In the press release for the Ultimate Cut Stone says the following:

“Originally, I did my best to deliver a thrilling movie on a very brief post production schedule, but was frustrated in the end because I wanted the material to tell Alexander’s story with greater nuance and complexity. I’ve tried throughout this process to achieve what I believe is the appropriate balance between the inner and outer journeys undertaken by this extraordinary man. Free from earlier constraints, I’ve continued to pursue this great story, and I think I have at last achieved a film that tells a story as it has never been told.”

Source: 10th Anniversary Edition of Oliver Stone’s Sweeping Epic “Alexander: The Ultimate Cut” on Blu-ray June 3 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Further more:

The director’s preferred edition: The Ultimate Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Red River still

Red River (1948)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (127 min.)
  • Pre-release Version / Book  Version (133 min.)

Howard Hawks’ western Red River starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift is widely considered one of the greatest westerns of all time, including AFI where the institute ranked it as the fifth-best western ever. The editing process of Red River took over a year and resulted in two editions: pre-release version (or sometimes called “the book version”) and the theatrical cut.

For almost a half a century the theatrical cut was lost until MGM and Janus Films/Criterion re-released the film on Blu-ray and DVD in 2014 where it included both cuts. In the UK the Masters of Cinema collectors series has the pre-release version on Blu-ray and DVD. Hawks/Wayne expert Peter Bogdanovich talks about the two cuts on the Criterion release of Red River where he talks about Hawks preferred edition:

“Years later somebody decided that the long version must be the director’s cut because the director would
want to prefer the longer version but that’s not correct. Way back in 1972 or 1973, somewhere in there, I
interviewed Hawks and I asked him specifically about those two versions and he said, “I don’t know where they
got that book version we discarded that in favor of the narrated version”. He didn’t approve of the book
version.”

Source: Peter Bogdanovich on “Filmmaker Bogdanovich interview on Red River” featurette on Red River Blu-ray release

The director’s preferred edition: Theatrical Cut

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Superbad still

Superbad (2007)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (113 min.)
  • Unrated Extended Edition (119 min.)

The Judd Apatow produced comedy Superbad holds up pretty great a decade after its premiere in 2007. When it debuted in 2007 it received critical acclaim and launched the career of two time Academy Awards nominee Jonah Hill. When Superbad arrived on home video format it was released in three separate editions: a theatrical cut DVD, an unrated extended edition DVD and an unrated extended edition Blu-ray. The theatrical cut is unavailable on Blu-ray.

Director Greg Mottola confirmed with This or That Edition which edition he prefers:

The director’s preferred edition: Theatrical Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Casualties of War

Casualties of War (1989)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (113 min.)
  • Extended Cut (119 min.)

Casualties of War is without a doubt Brian De Palma’s most overlooked movie. It was quite the box office bomb at the time despite having two prominent young actors starring in the film: Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox in a rare dramatic departure from comedy. Since the premiere it has been considered by numerous critics and filmmakers as one of the best Vietnam War movies. In 2006 an extended cut of the film was released on DVD where it included two scenes cut from the theatrical cut. The theatrical and extended cuts are widely available on DVD but the extended cut has yet to arrive on Blu-ray.

Indiewire interviewed De Palma in 2013 and where he was asked whether he’d be interested in doing a new cut of Snake Eyes and talks about Casualties of War:

Indiewire: Have you ever thought about putting it back in or leaving it in as a special feature?
Brian De Palma: Well it was like when they made the special version of “Casualties of War,” I put in two scenes that were cut out from the initial release and I was very happy to put them back in. If they came to me and said, “We’re thinking about doing a new version,” I’d be happy to do it.

Source: Interview: Brian De Palma Talks ‘Passion,’ Digital Vs. Film, Psychosexual Thrillers & The Abandoned Ending Of ‘Snake Eyes’, Indiewire

The director’s preferred edition: Extended Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Wolf Creek still

Wolf Creek (2005)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (99 min.)
  • Unrated (104 min.)

The 2005 Aussie horror flick Wolf Creek was released on DVD as an unrated cut in the US. Since its release the Ozploitation has been considered a cult classic. The theatrical cut is widely available on DVD and Blu-ray while the unrated cut is only available on DVD in the US and in Germany on Blu-ray. Director Greg McLean confirmed with This or That Edition which edition he prefers:

The director’s preferred edition: Unrated

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Nickelodeon still

Nickelodeon (1976)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (121 min.)
  • Director’s Cut (125 min.)

Peter Bogdanovich’s show business comedy Nickelodeon tells a tale of a rocky motion picture production in Hollywood in the early 1910s. The actual production of Nickelodeon was quite bumpy as writer-director Bogdanovich set out to make a black and white homage to Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin with actors Jeff Bridges, John Ritter, Cybill Shepherd and Orson Welles. But instead the theatrical cut was in color starring Burt Reynolds, Ryan O’Neal, Stella Stevens and Brian Keith.

While in production Bogdanovich classed with actors, co-writer W.D. Richter and the studio and was never happy with the theatrical cut. In 2009 Nickelodeon was released on DVD that included the theatrical cut and a newly cut director’s cut. Bogdanovich provides a commentary track for the director’s cut where he states early on:

“…so there were compromises before we started but, we also wanted to make it in black and white, but that was a problem. But now, many years later we have it at least in black and white and four minutes longer than the released version. So, I’m happier with this version than I was with the released version.”

Source: Peter Bogdanovich’s commentary on the Nickelodeon Director’s Cut DVD

The director’s preferred edition: Director’s Cut