Times where studio interference was correct for a movie? <The Director Isn't Always Right>

[GreedySmurf]

@iamthewalrus_3

A while ago I saw the “Director’s Cut” of Aliens, and it was significantly less good than the original release.

It has scenes of the colony sending someone out to the ship, and them getting face-huggered. The problem is that while it’s a cool image to see the ship again, and see the person show up with a face-hugger, it undercuts the mystery at the beginning, and is a little to obvious a tell about something that is legitimately surprising later in the movie.

It also has some other scenes that are pretty forgettable, and weren’t necessary.

I disagree. I personally much prefer the Directors Cut.

I don’t see how any mystery is ruined. What mystery? We all know that the problem isn’t going to be a downed transmitter, and that indeed a Xenomorph is involved!

[CalMeacham]

@Son_of_a_Rich

Erich von Stroheim’s Greed was originally about 8 hours long. That probably exceeded the attention span of even the most hardcore movie fan.

Oh,. I don’t know, the 1966-67 Russian Epic War and Peace is about the same length, and it did fine.

Yes, I know that it was released in four parts, and when it first played on US TV it did so in three parts. But I also know that the film has played at colleges and art cinemas for years in its full eight hour glory (albeit with an intermission). I’ve seen it numerous times myself, and even have it on DVD.

War and Peace (film series)

[iamthewalrus_3]

@GreedySmurf

I disagree. I personally much prefer the Directors Cut.

I don’t see how any mystery is ruined. What mystery? We all know that the problem isn’t going to be a downed transmitter, and that indeed a Xenomorph is involved!

The mystery isn’t that it’s aliens (Obviously it’s aliens. It’s right there in the title). The mystery that’s not well concealed in the Director’s Cut is that they were explicitly directed to go check out the ship, and then in almost the very next scene, Burke lies about it. It’s a little too much of a bright flashing “THIS GUY CAN’T BE TRUSTED” sign for me, which undercuts his later betrayal.

That said, it’s clearly a matter of taste which cut you prefer. I like some of the scenes in the Director’s Cut, I just think that as a whole the movie is worse for including them.

[Jophiel]

The whole “discovery” part of the Aliens DC just slows down for me. It’s not visually interesting, the hammy dialogue (“And they say ‘don’t ask’!” in unison) isn’t anything great and it feels as though it goes on for far too long. It really puts the brakes on Ripley’s story and I agree that it just feels better that the first time you see a xenomorph is when the Marines encounter them. And it’s not really anything you need to see or know to enjoy the film. It, and the scene with Ripley learning about her daughter, feel like scenes you might want to watch after seeing the theatrical cut just for some extra context but then never need to see again after that viewing. Unfortunately, they come part and parcel with the other DC scenes and I lines I think are more deserving of being in the film.

[Mavic_Chen]

The “don’t ask” guy in the Aliens Director’s cut is Commander Simpson played by actor Mac McDonald. He seems to have a thing about “don’t ask” as he did the same lines in Red Dwarf as well, playing Captain Frank Hollister.