# Alternate Endings of Movies that aren't Big **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 14, 2022, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843 "2022-04-14T02:36:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/1 "2022-04-14T02:36:57Z")
Okay, I was talking to my sister (not the one I just referenced in IMHO!), and she asked me if there was either an alternate ending to or director’s cut of the movie Shallow Grave. Because, she said, recently someone had been insisting that the “original”, UK version had an ending that was a real downer, and the version released in the sensitive American market had some kind of last-minute save. Sis finally silenced him, if not convinced him, on the grounds that Shallow Grave was made on a _very_ low budget. They could not afford to release two different versions, and foreign markets were probably not a priority. Also, “Whaddya mean, the UK got the downer ending? The ending I saw **was** a downer! What’s the UK ending — Edinburgh gets nuked?” I mean, some movies have director’s cuts: Blade Runner, Aliens. And alternate endings have shown up on DVD: Clerks, Fatal Attraction. But what Sis kept pounding away on, and the guy didn’t want to accept, was that “final cut” means just that. Only exception either of us could think of was Brazil; other than that, the same edit goes to every theater in every area in every country. And once it’s released, there’s no re-editing it and hoping this version succeeds. (Okay, another exception: Heaven’s Gate. But a lot of things were odd about that production.) So yeah, Shallow Grave had one ending. And probably the guy was conflating two different films. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/2 "2022-04-14T02:48:17Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Only exception either of us could think of was Brazil; other than that, the same edit goes to every theater in every area in every country. That’s not really true, particularly in the days of digital film distribution. Lots of studios will re-edit films to remove references to gay characters before they release them in China, for example. In addition, state censors will often make changes to films before allowing them to be released in their countries. The Chinese version of _Fight Club_ removed the final scene of the office buildings exploding with a title card explaining that the authorities showed up and arrested everyone, and order was properly restored. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/3 "2022-04-14T02:59:24Z")
Ah, I see. Thank you. Also, bwah! ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/4 "2022-04-14T03:07:10Z")
The final scene was later restored for the Chinese version: > **['Fight Club' ending restored in China after cries of censorship | CNN Business](https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/07/media/fight-club-ending-restored-china-censorship-intl-hnk/index.html)** > > "Fight Club" is almost back to its original state in China. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/5 "2022-04-14T03:47:41Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The Chinese version of _Fight Club_ removed the final scene of the office buildings exploding with a title card explaining that the authorities showed up and arrested everyone, and order was properly restored. Poochie successfully rescued his home planet! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/6 "2022-04-14T12:00:50Z")
Iron Man 3 had an [extra 4 minutes in the China release](https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-version-of-iron-man-3-2013-5), mostly product placement with the 2 Chinese actors. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/7 "2022-04-14T12:57:59Z")
> [@Anyone else remember the alternate ending to "Big"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/1044): > > > [@Rilchiam](#): > > > > Only exception either of us could think of was Brazil; other than that, the same edit goes to every theater in every area in every country. > > That’s not really true, particularly in the days of digital film distribution. Lots of studios will re-edit films to remove references to gay characters before they release them in China, for example. In addition, state censors will often make changes to films before allowing them to be released in their countries. The Chinese version of _Fight Club_ removed the final scene of the office buildings exploding with a title card explaining that the authorities showed up and arrested everyone, and order was properly restored. > **[‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Gay Dialogue Removed in China, Warner Bros. Says ‘Spirit...](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/fantastic-beasts-3-gay-dialogue-removed-warner-bros-explains-1235230373/amp/)** > > The studio has edited out six seconds of "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" that allude to Dumbledore and Grindelwald's gay past. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/8 "2022-04-14T13:02:42Z")
> [@Anyone else remember the alternate ending to "Big"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/1034): > > The year is 3217. What parts of the Earth are not flooded with shallow seas are plains of radioactive dust, both devoid of all life. Suddenly, somewhere in some improbably still-powered bunker deep underground, a new post appears in this thread… The only way to stop that future from happening is for an intrepid band of adventurers to travel back in time and stop the evil OP from starting the thread. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/9 "2022-04-14T13:04:09Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Lots of studios will re-edit films to remove references to gay characters before they release them in China, for example. Does this re-editing ever involve anything other than cutting material? Or does censoring gay references sometimes involve adding shots/scenes not present in the original cut, or changing the order of existing shots? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/10 "2022-04-14T13:10:13Z")
Some versions of films that have been edited for content do include extra footage not in the original cut, yes. I don’t imagine it’s common, but it does happen. Typically you’d see this when a very dirty movie got played on a network, like ABC Sunday Night Movie showing Animal House or whatever back in the '80s. I’m not sure if this is really a thing anymore. All I can say is it was. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/11 "2022-04-14T13:15:44Z")
There were a couple of extra scenes for the TV cut in _Blazing Saddles_. In particular I remember the Mongo bit had more parts beyond the candy gram. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/12 "2022-04-14T13:18:15Z")
Didn’t they put Mongo in an old time dive suit & helmet and send him to the bottom of the town well or something? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/13 "2022-04-14T13:20:44Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Didn’t they put Mongo in an old time dive suit & helmet and send him to the bottom of the town well or something? Yes that was one of them. I just looked and IMDB lists 5 additions to the TV version. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/14 "2022-04-14T13:31:12Z")
_Blazing Saddles_ is a relatively short movie at 93 minutes. I’m assuming that with some edits for the clean version the extra bits were needed for time. Editing out the line “The little bastard shot me in the ass” is a crime against nature. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/15 "2022-04-14T13:31:13Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Some versions of films that have been edited for content do include extra footage not in the original cut, yes. I know that it sometimes happens in the general case—I was interested specifically in the censored Chinese versions that @Miller is talking about. In some cases simply excising all references to a character’s homosexuality might introduce plot holes that would need additional material, or a clever reworking of existing material, to patch up. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/16 "2022-04-14T14:34:17Z")
When ABC aired Superman (1978) for the first time— they used a version that was 181 minutes long that could be aired over two nights. (The original theatrical cut was 143 minutes.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/17 "2022-04-14T15:13:01Z")
Way before digital prints were a thing, “Exorcist 2” was pulled from the theaters and the ending was cut/reworked to make it less asinine. I saw it at the Hollywood premiere with the original “Regan is The Second Coming!” ending, and…wow. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/18 "2022-04-14T15:20:13Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I know that it sometimes happens in the general case—I was interested specifically in the censored Chinese versions that @Miller is talking about. In some cases simply excising all references to a character’s homosexuality might introduce plot holes that would need additional material, or a clever reworking of existing material, to patch up. None that I know of off the top of my head. Usually the gay content is pretty inconsequential - _Rise of Skywalker_ had a half-second shot of two female Resistance pilots kissing after the big battle. Super easy to snip out without changing continuity or shot composition or anything like that, and they can still tout it as evidence of their “inclusiveness” for the domestic market. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/19 "2022-04-14T18:20:43Z")
Gee, I bet this topic would make a helluva good thread all its own. Boy howdy. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843/20 "2022-04-14T18:20:53Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > None that I know of off the top of my head. Usually the gay content is pretty inconsequential Yes, but not always. _Deathtrap_ springs to mind as a film where a character’s homosexuality is overtly referenced only in one brief scene, but is absolutely vital to understanding the movie’s plot. I wonder how the Chinese censors handled that one, or if they gave up and simply didn’t release the film at all there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-endings-of-movies-that-arent-big/962843.md?page=2)