Last night we watched "Christmas with the Kranks" (what can I say - My wife picked it out. My selection was "Shaun of the Dead"). Anyway, it was amusing in parts, tedious in others. My wife had read the book "Skipping Christmas" and said that while the basic story was there, there was alot of filler thrown in, and it felt it. It just seemed to drag on and on, and I couldn't help thinking that maybe another director could have pulled off a tighter, more enjoyable film.

Which brings me to my question - has there ever been a Director's Cut version of a film that was shorter than the theatrical release? One where the director had second thoughts and said "Boy, there's alot of unnecessary crap in here, let's trim and re-edit this sucker!"

Last night we watched "Christmas with the Kranks" (what can I say - My wife picked it out. My selection was "Shaun of the Dead"). Anyway, it was amusing in parts, tedious in others. My wife had read the book "Skipping Christmas" and said that while the basic story was there, there was alot of filler thrown in, and it felt it. It just seemed to drag on and on, and I couldn't help thinking that maybe another director could have pulled off a tighter, more enjoyable film.

Which brings me to my question - has there ever been a Director's Cut version of a film that was shorter than the theatrical release? One where the director had second thoughts and said "Boy, there's alot of unnecessary crap in here, let's trim and re-edit this sucker!"
Three I can think of off the top of my head:

BLADE RUNNER
TOM JONES
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

DARK STAR

and before anybody sez TMP, no, it is at least 4 minutes longer

and before anybody sez TMP, no, it is at least 4 minutes longer

Than which version? Theatrical, VHS, or the "everything and the kitchen sink" TV cut?

longer than the theatrical cut. the numbers for the theatrical cut are (offically) 132 minutes and (according to Wise in several interviews) 130 minutes, but the dvd is supposed to be 136.

I think the expanded tv abc cut was 12 minutes longer than the theatrical. Both the theatrical and the TV cut were released on VHS, but only the theatrical got a widescreen LD release (the abc version was fullscreened on LD), supposedly cuz Wise had some kind of veto/approval on the ws ld.

I don't really approve of any version, because they all leave in that terrible shot of the little guy tripping through space as he escapes epsilon 9, which has got to be in the 'worst 10 fx shots of all time for major flicks. I seriously despise the new sound mix for the dvd, as well as some pathetic new shots of San Francisco.

Three I can think of off the top of my head:

BLADE RUNNER
TOM JONES
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

Interesting. I've never seen Blade Runner on DVD - is the general consensus that the re-edit is an improvement over the theatrical version?

both the theatrical and the directors cuts of blade runner have their merits. there is a scene in the directors version that has some pretty major implications, and, to me, that gives the directors version the edge. (whew, dodged the spoiler bulllet there.)

The BR director's cut does away with that assinine film noir narration, and eliminates the hollywood happy ending. Those changes alone make it a better film.

Originally Posted by trevanian
Dark Star
and before anybody sez TMP, no, it is at least 4 minutes longer


Than which version? Theatrical, VHS, or the "everything and the kitchen sink" TV cut?

Weren't those toliet parts they used in the TV version?

I'm a big fan of the movie CRY BABY and I particularly liked the "Naughty Lady from Shady Lane" number.

I was thrilled when they released the widescreen Directors Cut on DVD (the only version on DVD). I chapter skipped right to that spot in the film so that I could see the whole song in dnace in glorious expanded definition with surround sound.

I was horrifed when the song only lasted about 15 seconds!

So I immediately clicked on the Jon Waters commentary track. He said that the song was just an addition to be used as background for another scene and he HATED the full version. Apparently, the complete number was added to TV version to expand the time to compensate for some other cuts. Waters was very upset that the full version appeared in the TV cut so he chopped it back to almost nothing for the DVD.

I hope you still got to see Shawn of the Dead. That's a good date flick.

I hope you still got to see Shawn of the Dead. That's a good date flick.

SHAWN is a good ANYTIME flick. In fact, I think it was my co-favorite movie from two years back, right up there with ETERNAL SUNSHINE. Probably watched it 5 times since.

The BR director's cut does away with that assinine film noir narration, and eliminates the hollywood happy ending. Those changes alone make it a better film.

What was unhappy about the ending? He got a cool robot girlfriend, and a cute little present from Adama Jr. That'd make my day!