| [Edit]
According to the prevalent framework of film criticism, with Auteur Theory at its core, a film director is viewed as the individual most responsible for the creative aspects of a finished film, and it follows from this that directors should have final editorial control over their films (also known as "final cut"). In opposition to this ideal, however, is the reality of modern commercial filmmaking, where vast sums of money are invested by many individuals and corporations into the production of a film, and though the director acts as central agent in the process of editing, he edits with the advice and consent of the business interests producing the film. As a practical matter, most directors of commercial motion pictures are not guaranteed final cut of their films, and they specifically surrender droit moral when they contract to direct a film.
Often creative differences arise between the director and the producers or distributors of a film, and these are not resolved through compromise, causing the producers of the film to edit the film without the director's participation. Reasons for recutting may include simplification of plot, elimination of some profanity, sex and/or violence, reduction of running time, or in select cases, to add back footage deleted from original release. A so-called director's cut may be reassembled after the theatrical run and released on video or DVD. In some cases, however (as noted below), a film may be re-edited by a director or star and not by a studio.
Films that have been re-cut without their directors participation are of continuing interest to film scholars and fans, because they offer two competing versions of a film's story, with each highlighting elements the other downplays, giving insight into the different values informing the two different cuts. "Director's Cuts," when they are available, are invariably seen as "better" or preferable to cuts redacted by a studio or distributor.
top
Silent era
Greed (1924) - Recut for length, from 10 hours to 140 minutes. 239 minute version released in 1999. Director's cut impossible - footage destroyed; stills of the missing scenes filled in for the 239-minute version. Considerd the "Holy Grail" of "lost" movies.
Metropolis (1927) - Recut from 159 or 153(?) minutes in its original 1927-version release to 139 minutes, 123 minutes, 117 minutes, 115 minutes and 94 minutes in several versions over the decades. A version featuring a soundtack by Giorgio Moroder and color-tinted frames was released in 1984 runs 87 minutes. A restored version was released in 2001 and runs 147 minutes (the closest possible to the original director's cut, which ran approximately 150 minutes).
top
1930s
All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) - Originally 131 minutes; heavily re-edited for theatrical reissue to 105 minutes, with music to film's ending added against the wishes of director Lewis Milestone; restored in 1998 in a version closer to the original release and removing the music from the final scene.
King Kong (1933) - Several minutes of objectionable footage deleted for subsequent reissue; one other sequence (the "Spider Sequence") shot but deleted, that footage has been lost permanently (however, it has been recreated for its DVD Release). Approximate director's cut now available on DVD and television.
Lost Horizon (1937) - Recut for subsequent reissue to remove subtext reference of the times; negatives to missing scenes deteriorated in the 1960s. Current restored version contains complete soundtrack and some of the cut footage; for the still-missing scenes, its original soundtrack plays against stills representing the lost footage.
top
1940s
Fantasia (1940) - Originally edited for general release to 83 minutes, eliminating Deems Taylor interstitials and the opening Toccata and Fugue in D Minor segment; re-edited and altered (both visually and aurally) over the decades; complete original version reconstruction no longer possible due to some Taylor dialogue lost; current DVD release (altering shots in the Pastoral Symphony segment and redubbing all of Taylor's dialogue, but otherwise visually restoring all footage seen in the original 1940 release) is most complete version that exists.
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) - Recut for simplification, from 132 minutes to 88 minutes. Director's cut impossible - footage destroyed.
The Big Sleep (1946) - Altered and partially reshot after preview screening to showcase Lauren Bacall; both versions still exist and are available on DVD.
Macbeth (1948) - Shortened from 107 minutes to 89 minutes, removing key scenes and redubbing dialog to remove Scottish accents. Original 107 minute version restored and re-released in the 1980s, now available on video.
top
1950s
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Approximately 3 minutes of "suggestive" scenes that director Kazan had filmed were removed because of demands by the groups like the Catholic Legion of Decency. This was done without Kazan's knowledge, and was done despite the fact the a major re-write was ordered to fix the problem with the so-called "adult" material even before filming began. In 1993, a director's cut restored version of the film was released on home video.
七人の侍 (or The Seven Samurai) (1954) - Recut for length, from the complete 207 minutes to 160 minutes, 150 minutes, and 141 minutes in three different abridged versions. A longer version (190 minutes) was released in 1981. The complete director's cut was finally released in 2002.
ゴジラ (or Gojira) (1954) - Recut and redubbed into English by Joseph E. Levine for U.S. release entitled Godzilla: King of the Monsters, replacing much footage with new material starring Raymond Burr; both the original and reworked versions now available on DVD.
A Star Is Born (1954) - Recut from 181 minutes to 150 minutes after premiere engagements. 176 minute reconstruction released in 1983 (the closest possible to the original version). Director's cut impossible - some footage lost (but exists only in audio form); stills of some missing scenes had to be used.
Touch of Evil (1958) - Recut to 95 minutes, then expanded to 108 minutes. Approximate director's cut (111 minutes) released in 1998.
South Pacific (1958) - Cut from 171 minutes to 157 minutes three weeks after the premiere. Director's cut discovered in a faded 70mm print in England in 2005 and is being restored.
top
1960s
Spartacus (1960) - Premiered at 184 minutes, then re-released in 1967 at 161 minutes then finally restored in 1991 at 198 minutes. The scene most notorious that's been reinserted is a bathing scene involving Sir Lawrence Olivier and Tony Curtis. The dialogue was very metaphorically suggestive of homosexuality. The rediscovered footage was absent of a soundtrack, so Tony Curtis redubbed his own lines and Anthony Hopkins was used for Olivier's part.
The Alamo (1960) - Cut from original 202-minute roadshow version to 167 minutes for general release; original negative to the roadshow release either missing or lost permanently. 70mm print of the longer version was discovered in the 1990s and used for digital video transfer (the roadshow version continues to air on cable TV) before being mishandled by studio. Both versions continue to circulate on video although the general release version is the one available on DVD.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - Originally 222 minutes, recut considerably twice for later theatrical and television releases due to time; current restored version (overseen by director David Lean and re-edited by Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz) runs 216 minutes (including intermission).
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) - Cut from original release length of 192 minutes to 154 minutes for general release; approximate director's cut of 182 minutes (using some 70mm footage discovered in a warehouse slated for demolition) released to video in the 1990s. Some footage still exists in some form, while others are presumed lost; attempt being made by Robert A. Harris to reconstruct the roadshow version.
Major Dundee (1965) - Recut to 123 minutes. Approximate director's cut (136 minutes) released in 2005. Director's cut impossible - some footage either lost or never shot.
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) (1966) - 15 minutes deleted by United Artists for 161-minute U.S. release; full original Italian version painstakingly restored in 2003 and is available on DVD.
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) - Originally entitled Dance of the Vampires and recut from 107 minutes to approximately 90 minutes for the US market and released under the new title, The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth are in My Neck. Director's cut released in 1995.
The Happiest Millionaire (1967) - Cut from preview length of 172 minutes to premiere length of 160 minutes, then to 144 minutes, then again to 118 minutes. Complete version released on DVD in 1999.
Playtime (1967) - Released as a 70 mm film of 155 minutes. Despite widespread critical acclaim and the popularity of Jacques Tati, the film was a colossal failure in France, causing Tati's bankruptcy. It was first shortened to 126 minutes, and then to 108 minutes for the 1973 US release, where it performed no better than it had in France (it was also converted to 35 mm film). A 2002 restoration attempt which cost € 800,000 managed to locate the 126 minute version and restore it (available on 2006 Criterion DVD), but the original cut of the film has not been found.
Star! (1968) - Cut from premiere length of 181 minutes to 150 minutes, then again to 120 minutes under a new title, without the approval of director Robert Wise. Director's cut released on video in 1993.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - 19 minutes of its original 160-minute premiere engagement were deleted after initial release, in this case the editing was done not by the studio but by director Stanley Kubrick himself. Fate of the deleted footage unknown, but the Overture, Intermission, Entr'acte and Exit Music (all from the premiere version) remains on most prints of the film.
Yellow Submarine (1968) - Revised for U.S. release with alternate animation to replace the "Hey, Bulldog!" sequence seen in European version; restored in 1999 with remixed soundtrack and the "Hey, Bulldog!" scene reinstated.
The Wild Bunch (1969) - Recut for length, from 145 minutes to 135 minutes for the American version. Director's cut released in 1995.
top
1970s
Città violenta (aka The Family & Violent City) (1970) - Eight minutes of explicit footage edited by U.S. distributor United Artists; footage recently restored for DVD release.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) - Cut before release from approximately 140 minutes to 117 minutes, and cut from that to 97 minutes when reissued in 1979. "Special Edition" running 139 minutes released in 1996, believed to be as close as possible to director's cut.
A New Leaf (1971) - Cut from three hours to 102 minutes by producer Robert Evans. Director's cut never released, it is unknown whether the missing footage still exists.
1776 (1972) - Recut by producer Jack L. Warner from 181 minutes to 142 minutes. 181 minute version released on laserdisc in 1992, but director Peter H. Hunt considers the 169 minute DVD version to be the director's cut.
Lost Horizon (1973) - Slightly re-edited after premiere engagement; complete version has been issued on LaserDisc.
The Wicker Man (1973) - Around 20 minutes of footage was cut from the film by the director and editor before its original release at 99 minutes. British Lion had the film re-cut, with the order of some scenes changed, to 87 minutes for its American release. A semi-restored 95 minute version was released in the U.S. in 1979, and a further restored version at 99 minutes was prepared for the DVD release.
The Exorcist (1973) - Recut for length to 121 minutes; director William Friedkin considers the theatrical release his director's cut, but recut the film (known as the "Version You've Never Seen") as a writer's cut/favor to William Peter Blatty. The new cut was released in 2000, and runs 134 minutes.
American Graffiti (1973) - Originally released at 110 minutes; three minutes of footage featuring then-up-and-coming stars restored for 1979 reissue.
Two Minute Warning (1976) - Re-edited and substantially altered for network television by Universal Pictures to replace violent footage with new subplot to supplement existing one; 45 minutes of footage specifically shot for television added with new cast; TV version disowned by original director Larry Peerce, "Gene Palmer" credited as director of TV version, which has never been released to video.
New York, New York (1976) - Originally released at 153 minutes, then cut for reissue at 136 minutes. Extended 163-minute version (with some deleted footage and "Happy Endings" number restored) availble on video and DVD.
Pete's Dragon (1977) - Cut after release from 134 minutes to 121 minutes, then to 105 minutes for the 1984 reissue. The current version is 128 minutes.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - Recut numerous times since original 135-minute release in 1977; 132-minute "Special Edition" (replacing certain footage with previously cut scenes and newly-shot "Mothership Finale") released in 1980; syndicated/LaserDisc version (essentially the original release but replacing 30 seconds of footage with five seconds of a UFO shot from the "Special Edition") also runs 135 minutes; 1982 network version (combining all known footage available at the time) runs 143 minutes; 1998 137-minute "Collector's Edition" (also essentially the original version but with differently edited material and without "Special Edition"'s "Mothership Finale") is what's widely seen today.
Saturday Night Fever (1977) - Re-edited for 1979 reissue as a 108-minute PG-rated version to broaden its young audience; similar network television version adds back outtakes deleted from original release. Original R-rated version available on video and DVD.
Caligula (1979) - Drastically re-cut by Penthouse when Bob Guccione found himself unhappy with the film's tone, political context and the unsensuality of the sex scenes. Many scenes were deleted, others re-arranged and altered into completely different context through re-cutting, trimming and the use of discarded raw footage. Approximately six minutes of scenes were re-shot personally by Bob Guccione to make the film's sensuality more "appealing." The original intended director's cut may be impossible since it is unknown what happened to all the raw footage.
top
1980s
The Shining (1980) - Originally released at 146 minutes in the U.S., but cut by the director Stanley Kubrick to 119 minutes for European release.
Heaven's Gate (1980) - Recut for length, from 325 minutes to 219 minutes, then to 139 minutes. 219 minute version released in the mid 1980s.
Cruising (1980) - Cut for explicit sex and violence, from 140 minutes to 96-106 minutes. Director's cut never released.
Blade Runner (1982) - Recut with new ending, simplification and sound mixing (voice-overs); original international cut runs 117 minutes, with U.S. release two minutes shorter. Director's cut released in 1992 was done by the studio with notes from Ridley Scott. An authoritative "final cut" will be released as a Special or Anniversary Edition in 2007.
Firefox (1982) - Originally 136 minutes, recut not by the studio but by star/director Clint Eastwood to 124 minutes following initial release; full version available on video and DVD.
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983) - Shot as "Smokey is The Bandit," with Jackie Gleason in a dual role as Sheriff Buford T. Justice and the bandit. It was heavily reshot and rewritten with Jerry Reed as Cletus (from the first 2 films) when test audiences couldn't follow the original story.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) - Recut for length and simplification, from 229 minutes to 139 minutes for the American version. A 4 hour and 25 minute version is known to have been used for Italian TV, but English Language footage unique to this version doesn't exist. Director's cut released in the late 1990s.
Amadeus (1984) - 20 minutes of film deleted by director Milos Forman because of time constraints for original film, to make it 160 minutes instead of 180 (he did not think a three-hour film about Mozart would sell well with audiences). This was later used in 2001 Director's cut, and both are readily available on DVD. Cut footage mainly enhances original version.
Supergirl (1984) - Recut for length from 124 minutes (European version) to 105 minutes (U.S. version); out-of-print Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD contained two versions--the 124-minute edition and a never-seen 138-minute "director's cut" prepared prior to original UK release.
Dune (1984) - Re-edited in 1988 from an original 137 minutes theatrical cut to a 190 minutes cut for television with additional and altered footage, extended by Universal without the authority of director David Lynch. Re-edited again for television in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1992 to 180 minutes (combining footage from the two previous versions), and re-edited yet again in 2006 for a special DVD release (all of these 3 versions credited to "Alan Smithee").
Swing Shift (1984) - Recut and partially re-shot at the request of star Goldie Hawn, in order to enhance her role. Jonathan Demme's director's cut exists on bootleg VHS only. Both cuts run 100 minutes.
Legend (1985) - Severely recut from 156 minutes to 94 minutes for international release; later recut by Universal and Sid Sheinberg for US release to 89 minutes with Jerry Goldsmith's score replaced with those of Tangerine Dream's to attract a younger audience; director's cut was released in 2002 with Goldsmith's score back in the film.
Brazil (1985) - Re-edited from original European 142-minute length at the behest of Universal studio head Sid Sheinberg to a 96-minute "Love Conquers All" version that wasn't released theatrically but seen on syndicated television; later expanded by director Terry Gilliam (also at the behest of Sheinberg) for U.S. release to 131 minutes. Full European version subsequently released for limited theatrical reissue; all three versions have been released to video.
Aliens (1986) - Recut from 154 minutes to 137 minutes for threatrical release because of time restraints by director James Cameron. A Special Edition was released in 1992 with the excised footage restored. Most notably a scene that reveals that Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) had a daughter giving more depth to her character.
The Abyss (1989) - Recut for length and simplification, from 171 minutes to 146 minutes. Most notable scene missing in the theatrical release was a sequence involving giant tidal waves. Director James Cameron thought that the technology in special effects at the time was not up to par to give a convincing look to the waves that were required stop dead in its track. When CGI effects advanced more in the coming years, he decided to redo the sequence and include it in a Special Edition released in 1992.
top
1990s
Dances with Wolves (1990) - Edited from 236-minute European length to 181 minutes for U.S. release. Longer version also shown on network television; both versions available on video and DVD.
Army of Darkness (1993) Recut from 96 minutes to 81 minutes by the studio, as well as the creation of newer more heroic ending. The 96 minute version is included alongside the theatrical version on Anchor Bay's DVD set.
The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) - this animated film was a "reason for living" for director Richard Williams since 1964. In 1991, after showing executives the 91-minute workprint, Williams was fired and another director was brought in to finish the film as quickly and cheaply as possible. The film was heavily re-edited (~30 minutes of footage were taken out). It was released in Australia and South Africa in 1993 (77 minutes) and in the US in 1995 (72 minutes) under the name Arabian Knight; it was marketed as a ripoff of Disney's Aladdin. The film has not been officially restored (a November 2006 DVD release will be of the cut US version), though fan-made restorations have been made, cobbled together from different sources including the original workprint.
Wild Side (1995) - Recut from 111 to 96 minutes and rearranged in chronological order. Director Donald Cammell committed suicide on the day of the film's video premiere in 1996. Director's cut was reassembled by editor Frank Mazzola in 2000 and released on DVD in the United Kingdom only.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) - Recut by studio prior to release truncating, altering, or replacing many scenes (especially the ending) that helped to explain the subplot; bootleg video/DVDs of this original "Producer's Cut" has circulated among fans.
Hamlet (1996) - The first complete film production of Shakespeare's play ran 242 minutes and was shot in 65 mm film. It was cut to 150 minutes. No DVD or VHS of the film is available, though there will supposedly be a DVD release in 2007.
top
2000s
Ultraviolet (2006) - recut by Screen Gems * from 120 to 88 minutes against the wishes of the director, Kurt Wimmer. An extended cut with a running time of 94 minutes is available on DVD.
|
|
