# Film whose edited versions you actually preferred **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842 "2019-05-12T02:27:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [May 13, 2019, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/21 "2019-05-13T08:42:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If you want to impose your own personal definition of “real movie,” go ahead. But saying that “everything else is edited” makes no sense. Generally “edited” means to have material removed or changed from the original version. And the theatrical release will normally have had material removed and be shorter than the director’s cut. I think you’re confusing the editing you do to prepare your movie for release, and the editing you do when creating alternate versions like Director’s Cuts. Obviously every single movie has an editor, because you have to convert the raw footage into a coherent narrative. It seems odd that I need to explain this, but here we are. As for “my own personal definition,” not really. It’s what I’ve heard numerous filmmakers say while listening to commentary tracks for various movies. (I love commentary tracks.) The most obvious thing I can point to to try and help you understand is that if you’re referencing a Director’s Cut of a movie, you have to actually say the words “Director’s Cut” or people will think you’re talking about the theatrical release. Any time you have to add a qualifier when referencing something by itself, you’re not talking about the original thing. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/22 "2019-05-13T12:08:06Z")
I don’t think so – after finally seeing the full, uncut versions of many silent films (_Metropolis_ and _The Lost World_, chiefly, but some others as well), I was furious about the cuts that had been made, and much prefer the full versions, which make a heckuva lot more sense. In general, I’d mucxh rather see the full version of the film. I think a lot of folks above feel the same way, but are interpreting “edited version” to mean “Director’s cut”. since the “Director’s cut” is usually _longer_, I generally prefer them myself. I think the OP is asking if you’d prefer the edited-down versions shown in other countries or for TV to the feature release or even Director’s Cut, which is a very different question. While I don’t think I prefer the TV-edited versions, there are a few cases where IU like it a lot, maybe as much as the release version: **Creator** – the film based on Jeremy Leven’s novel that starred Peter O’Toole as a Nobel Laureate trying to clone his dead wife is one of the better overlooked science fiction films out there. No special effects, but very witty dialogue, and with cloning handled properly. The TV version actually includes an important scene missing from the released film – it’s a flashback that O’Toole’s character has of his deceased wife, including a scene at an amusement park. It showed why he was trying to recapture his life with her, and gave us a glimpse of their life together. In the released version the only sight of her we get, aside from a still photo, is a sort of “ghost of her” image at the end. **Dune** – The version released to TV, even though credited to “Alan Smithee”, that pseudonym used by filmmakers when they don’t like the hack job done by the Hollywood Powers-That-Be, actually was done by someone who knew and loved the novel. It included a voiceover explanation and illustrations at the beginning to make the story more clear, and included scenes cut from the movie (including the making of “Water Of Life”) **The Thing** – Although the first TV release of this movie on CBS was abysmal (they actually cut almost every shot of the titular thing, which makes the film pretty damned pointless. They also re-arranged other shots), later releases to independent stations actually included a few shots not in the release version. They also added voiceovers explaining who the characters were and what their idiosyncrasies were, something that we could have done without – the movie already did this. **Metropolis** (Giorgio Moroder version) – Although he did make use of the best prints available at the time, and edited back in a LOT of material that had been cut, Moroder’s version was not the most complete that could be made at the time – he actually cut material OUT that was in his hands. I think he did this to keep the film under an hour and a half, because his cut clocked in at the same time as the then “standard” version of the film. Although at first glance some of the material he cut looks repetitious, I think it was still important to making his point. But I love his film for the look of it and for two things that a lot of critics hated – the tinting of the film and the rock score he employed. Some venues loved the restoration but hated the score so much that they turned it off and supplied live oran or orchestral accompaniment. But I liked the score. and, just a note, I really do prefer the Director’s cut of _Bladerunner_ without that damned voiceover. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/23 "2019-05-13T16:51:58Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I think a lot of folks above feel the same way, but are interpreting “edited version” to mean “Director’s cut”. since the “Director’s cut” is usually _longer_, I generally prefer them myself. I’m the one saying that Director’s Cuts are the edited version. Others are arguing that the _original theatrical release_ is the “edited version,” because “films are edited before release.” This thread is about when you prefer the edited version. Posts 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 all say they prefer the theatrical release. So they’re saying that the theatrical release is the edited version. People must be confusing “edited” with “shorter.” Editing does not imply removing (or adding) content; both are perfectly normal aspects of editing. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/24 "2019-05-13T17:18:40Z")
I think the OP makes abundantly clear from context what’s being asked since he gives several examples of preferring the version with less material than the alternative. But, if we’re all messing it up, I’m happy to wait for the OP to say so himself. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/25 "2019-05-13T17:30:45Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I think the OP makes abundantly clear from context what’s being asked since he gives several examples of preferring the version with less material than the alternative. But, if we’re all messing it up, I’m happy to wait for the OP to say so himself. The OP cites two examples, both where they prefer the edited version over the theatrical release. (For sure with Man Bites Dog, but I’ll concede that “the uncut French version” is a bit ambiguous. By my read, the uncut French version was the original theatrical release, but I’ve never heard of that movie so I can’t say for sure.) ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/26 "2019-05-13T18:38:56Z")
I watch a lot of foreign movies, specifically east Asian. Many, MANY times there is a domestic version and an international version. They both are shown in theaters, so which is the “edited” version? For Korean films, when the DVD is released, often you will get both versions. The “international” version is usually labeled as such, and the Korean domestic version is labeled the “director’s cut.” To confuse matters more, sometimes the director indulges himself with an “expanded” version which adds scenes specific to the DVD. So, that’s a re-edited version, whereas the original two I described are both “theatrical” versions–just depends on which theater you were at. I’ve seen movies where I preferred the Korean domestic version, but in other cases, the international version is better ( **My Sassy Girl** , and **A Moment to Remember** , for instance). It’s worse for Hong Kong movies. Some of those have 3, 4, 5 versions released at once due to local mores. So folks in Singapore get a certain version, and then there is a Taiwanese version and a mainland China version. In addition to the HK version. There’s an old joke in HK that you can go to 5 different theaters in the city and see 5 different versions of the film. Which of these is the “edited” version? In many cases, the differences are minor, but in some cases the entire ending is completely changed ( **Infernal Affairs** , for instance). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/27 "2019-05-13T19:05:19Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I’m the one saying that Director’s Cuts are the edited version. Others are arguing that the _original theatrical release_ is the “edited version,” because “films are edited before release.” > > This thread is about when you prefer the edited version. Posts 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 all say they prefer the theatrical release. So they’re saying that the theatrical release is the edited version. > > People must be confusing “edited” with “shorter.” Editing does not imply removing (or adding) content; both are perfectly normal aspects of editing. The OP doesn’t include “Director’s cut” among _any_ of his examples, and I don’t think he’s considering them at all. He cites cases where a version where material has been removed, making the piece shorter. He writes of releases for different countries, but I expand that to include versions for television. But none of these are “Director’s cuts”, which I put in a different class altogether, and which I think demands a separate thread. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/28 "2019-05-13T20:50:02Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > The Director’s Cut of Aliens has a few good bits but the longest section is the dull “Newt’s parents find the eggs” sequence that is poorly paced and just sort of plods along. If I was showing it to someone for the first time, I’d definitely go with the theatrical version and if they ever care enough to see the other parts later, it’ll be there for them. Also the scene in the dropship before they launch. God bless Bill Paxton and everything he has ever done but that speechifying he does about how badass he is with all the weapons the Marines have is both overdone and poorly paced > [@Staggerlee](#): > > Not quite what you’re looking for perhaps, but I nostalgically prefer the TV edit of Die Hard from my childhood. Yippee-ky-ay, Kimo Sabe (sp) is real to my mind, even if ‘Motherfucker’ might be the proper line. I saw [Quick Change](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100449/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1) several times on VHS while overseas and knew it fairly well. On my flight back to the states I saw it again and I had a good laugh when the mobster says “Open the Viking door” as opposed to the “fucking door.” ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/29 "2019-05-13T21:12:56Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > Not quite what you’re looking for perhaps, but I nostalgically prefer the TV edit of Die Hard from my childhood. Yippee-ky-ay, Kimo Sabe (sp) is real to my mind, even if ‘Motherfucker’ might be the proper line. In my market the edited version was “Yippee Ky Ay, Mr. Falcon!” ---
**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:** [May 13, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/30 "2019-05-13T23:36:15Z")
When I was a kid I say _Saturday Night Fever_ on TV. I remember it not being my cup of tea, but fun, harmless fluff nonetheless. Disco. The Bee Gees. Vinnie Barbarino dancing. Working class New Yorkers. It wasn’t a film I ever thought about again over the years. I watched the R-rated theatrical release a few years ago and boy was I shocked. And not in a good way. What a dark, depressing and ugly mess of a movie. The woman I watched it with also had only seen the 80s TV version. We just kept looking at each other and saying WTF? ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/31 "2019-05-14T01:09:22Z")
IMO, the theatrical version (for the director’s intended audience, i.e. country of origin) of a movie is the official release. All other versions (international, director’s edition) are not official even if the director states that this is what they intended. Also, all video releases are color graded, resolution edited and highly compressed for home viewing. Even HDR UHD releases are color graded (until we get home displays that can do BT.2020) and resolution reduced from true 4K, 4096 x 2160 to 3840 x 2160, and compressed from 2TB+ masters to 100GB or less. Bottom line is unless you’re watching your movies in a properly calibrated movie theatre, you’re watching an “edited” version! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/32 "2019-05-14T02:17:41Z")
I’m late coming back here because I thought this thread wasn’t going to get any responses. I guess I should have been clearer - basically a preference of an expurgated version of a film over its original release. tbh the director’s cut angle never crossed my kind. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/33 "2019-05-14T03:56:19Z")
FWIW, I had the same puzzlement as Ellis Dee did in response to many of the first few posts ITT. I don’t know that it’s worth making a fuss over, but I definitely understand ED’s reaction. > [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > I prefer the voice over version of Blade Runner over the director’s cut. Same here! For which other cinephiles, including my son, give me endless shit. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/34 "2019-05-14T05:26:28Z")
As I understand it, **The Professional** was the edited, sanitized version of **Leon: The Professional** , and it’s a damned good thing they changed it for American audiences. I would not have been cheering for Jean Reno’s character if, as in the French release, they had been physically intimate. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/35 "2019-05-14T10:18:03Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > In my market the edited version was “Yippee Ky Ay, Mr. Falcon!” For years I thought maybe I had imagined it. It was even a much different voice. Aliens, either the VHS or cable TV version had a scene with remote guns that I didn’t see in theater ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/36 "2019-05-14T10:40:19Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I’d submit that Apocalypse Now falls into the same category. I agree. \*Apocalypse Now \*was made by 1979 Francis Ford Coppola, the greatest director of his time, while _Apocalypse Now Redux_ was made by 2001 Francis Ford Coppola, a hack. Of course the former is better. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/37 "2019-05-14T10:43:25Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > IMO, the theatrical version (for the director’s intended audience, i.e. country of origin) of a movie is the official release. All other versions (international, director’s edition) are not official even if the director states that this is what they intended. > > Also, all video releases are color graded, resolution edited and highly compressed for home viewing. Even HDR UHD releases are color graded (until we get home displays that can do BT.2020) and resolution reduced from true 4K, 4096 x 2160 to 3840 x 2160, and compressed from 2TB+ masters to 100GB or less. > > Bottom line is unless you’re watching your movies in a properly calibrated movie theatre, you’re watching an “edited” version! :eek: I agree about what constitutes an “official release.” Anything other than that is a re-edit.\* Can you explain what you mean by: _“all video releases are color graded”_? AFAIK, \*all \* film and video released for public consumption–whether in a theater, an airplane, or at home–is color graded. Are you referring to something which is only done to home video releases? I guess I don’t understand. ETA: also, can you explain what you mean by “resolution edited”? Maybe you mean converted? Or do you mean that entertainment converted to a different resolution is re-edited??? _I guess you could call that an “edited version” as the OP does but it’s not a super-good term because_ all \*versions of a film are edited. Re-edited works better, I think. Maybe “cut-down”? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/38 "2019-05-14T12:39:03Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > As I understand it, **The Professional** was the edited, sanitized version of **Leon: The Professional** , and it’s a damned good thing they changed it for American audiences. I would not have been cheering for Jean Reno’s character if, as in the French release, they had been physically intimate. Cite? I thought I saw the French version, but I don’t remember that. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/39 "2019-05-14T12:51:29Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Cite? I thought I saw the French version, but I don’t remember that. From [IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110413/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv): > [@](#): > > The original cut of the film had more scenes with “awkward sexual tension” between Mathilda and Léon. These scenes were later cut out for the American release dubbed “The Professional”, but were included in the 1996 European release, as well as in the deleted scenes of the special edition DVD. They were reintegrated back into the film for the ‘International Cut’, which is now available on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842/40 "2019-05-14T12:57:47Z")
OIC. I understand “intimate” to mean actual sex. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-whose-edited-versions-you-actually-preferred/833842.md?page=3)