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Investigation 10/18: Theatrical Cuts, Directors Cuts, and Other Cuts of Film

When choosing a film to watch, you might encounter the same film twice with one being labeled as a "Director's Cut" version and wonder what the difference is. You might also be re-watching a film that you've seen before and notice something that you didn't remember being there originally. The cause of both of these confusing questions is due different edits of a film being released in different ways. While there are dozens of different ways that films have been released with different edits, I will be outlining a few notable examples that I have encountered regarding re-edited films.

Modified For TV

If you have ever watched a film as it aired on a TV channel, you have probably noticed that it is a little different than you remember. Due to restrictions that determines what can be said and shown on TV, as well as the complications that arise from having a set schedule for TV channels, films played on TV are usually modified from their original versions. One of the most notable and referenced examples of a film being censored for TV viewing is the film Snakes On A Plane. The scene that is modified involves Samuel L. Jackson's character, Neville Flynn, delivering the line "I have had it with these motherf***ing snakes on this motherf***ing plane!". Obviously, the f-word cannot be said on TV (Unless its the Superbowl. Nobody really stops in then). In the case of Snakes On A Plane, the line is re-dubbed as "I have had it with these monkey-fighting snakes on this Monday-to-Friday plane!". Another similar example is in the TV version of Die Hard 2, in which the iconic "Yippee Ki Yay motherf***er" is changed to "Yippee Ki Yay, Mr. Falcon". Other than censoring films for TV, they can also be shortened in order to fit in the typical television airing slot with commercials. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York was recently under-fire for cutting its cameo of Donald Trump when it aired last Christmas. This caused controversy with it being called as a form of political censorship when in reality, this scene was only cut in order to modify the film to fit into it's TV timeslot. (Link To Image)

Home Video Release VS Theatrical Cut VS Director's Cut

Out of all the DVD's, VHS's, Blu-Ray's, and digital releases of films you may own, a large portion of them likely do not contain the exact cut of the film that you would have seen within theatres. The example that most people think of when they hear this is Star Wars. If you were to compare the original theatrical cut of Star Wars, the DVD copy you happen to own, and the latest version available for streaming on Disney+, they would all be different cuts. With each new release of Star Wars, more and more changes have been made to the film. Cut scenes, CGI, Han shooting second, and more additions are all added and make the film seem entirely different from the original theatrical cut. This has caused controversy as from the point of view of movie-watchers, they aren't able to watch the movie as they remember it being. However, from George Lucas' point of view, the changes are making the film more closely resemble what he had originally wanted. (Link To Image)

My investigation of different kinds film edits was caused by my recent viewing of Psycho in theatres for it's 60th anniversary. The version played within theatres for the anniversary was the original uncut theatrical release. As an avid fan of Psycho and its television successor Bates Motel, I was intrigued by the uncut version and I had also wanted to experience seeing the movie in a theatre. Throughout my time watching the movie, I felt as if the movie was very different than I remembered it. Scenes felt like they were cut different and the movie felt longer than I had remembered. After coming home and searching online to discover what was really different, I learned that only three scenes were edited and the film was only around 90 seconds longer. Learning this made me reconsider everything that I had thought I remembered and made me start thinking about other different cuts and edits of film. (Link To Image)

Work Log

  • 10/13 - Some script writing
  • 10/14 - Football Practice Recording (No Project Work)
  • 10/15 - Completed football homecoming video
  • 10/16 - Created prop list, costume list, and began search for actors and crew 
  • 10/17 - Worked on storyboard 
  • 10/18 - Worked to prepare one of my decided shooting locations

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