Revisionism: the director can alter his work... and I can hate it!

[bferr1]

I don't think I mind a Special Edition or Director's Cut when the additions were scenes that either couldn't be finished or fully realized back in the day but somehow could now (the Jabba scene or X-Wing flyby in New Hope, French plantation in Apocalypse), or they were scenes trimmed against the director's wishes for completely arbitrary reasons (Lawrence of Arabia). I think I do object to revisionist tinkering, such as Greedo shooting first, walkie talkies in E.T. and the new color pallette in French Connection.

By the way, with the changes Friedkin's made to The Exorcist and now The French Connection, why isn't there as big a backlash against him as there continues to be with Lucas? Friedkin also is withholding the original versions in favor of the newer ones.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by bferr1

I don't think I mind a Special Edition or Director's Cut when the additions were scenes that either couldn't be finished or fully realized back in the day but somehow could now (the Jabba scene or X-Wing flyby in New Hope, French plantation in Apocalypse), or they were scenes trimmed against the director's wishes for completely arbitrary reasons (Lawrence of Arabia). I think I do object to revisionist tinkering, such as Greedo shooting first, walkie talkies in E.T. and the new color pallette in French Connection.

By the way, with the changes Friedkin's made to The Exorcist and now The French Connection, why isn't there as big a backlash against him as there continues to be with Lucas? Friedkin also is withholding the original versions in favor of the newer ones.

Maybe because they don't have the same cult or fan following? I am sure they are tons of fans of The French Connection but are probably not as into it as Star Wars fans??

[bferr1]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Maybe because they don't have the same cult or fan following? I am sure they are tons of fans of The French Connection but are probably not as into it as Star Wars fans??

You're probably right about the fanbase thing, but from a film purist perspective, changes are changes, so that places these movies roughly on the same level.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by bferr1

By the way, with the changes Friedkin's made to The Exorcist and now The French Connection, why isn't there as big a backlash against him as there continues to be with Lucas? Friedkin also is withholding the original versions in favor of the newer ones.

There should be. In The Exorcist, all the subtlety in the original was replaced by in-your-face shocks.

[Sussudio]

anyone ever see the theatrical release/version of Last of the Mohicans? Michael Mann was allowed to do a director's cut and that is the only version he has ever allowed released on DVD, which I think is kind of dumb. Don't get me wrong, the DC is great, but how many other movies released on DVD are ONLY the director's cuts? Wonder if both versions will be available on the blu

[dmb70]

Originally Posted by Grubert

There should be. In The Exorcist, all the subtlety in the original was replaced by in-your-face shocks.

+1000


I'm all for extended versions & directors cuts as long as the original cut is also available.

It's a bigger deal to me with a classic movie that I've loved & been watching for 30 years & now all of a sudden that version isn't available. With something new that I might have seen once in the theater I'm more open to a extended version.

[dmb70]

Originally Posted by bferr1

By the way, with the changes Friedkin's made to The Exorcist and now The French Connection, why isn't there as big a backlash against him as there continues to be with Lucas? Friedkin also is withholding the original versions in favor of the newer ones.

I won't buy the Exorcist unless I can get the original cut.

[rebfandan]

I usually always default to the director's cut if there are two versions available. I like being able to see the director's original vision. But I must agree that other viewers don't think as I do and deserve a choice.

[PGW]

rebfandan said: "I usually always default to the director's cut if there are two versions available. I like being able to see the director's original vision."

The problem with that is that the "director's cut" is not always "the director's original vision."

For instance, decades after the fact, Chaplin deleted scenes from his films to make them more "contemporary" [these were restored for the Image DVDs, but once again omitted for the more recent issues].

Also, several decades later, Peter Weir chopped about 7 minutes out of "Picnic At Hanging Rock." Anne-Louise Lambert put it well when interviewed in the extras for the DVD, complaining about the edits and pointing out that, at this point, the film no longer belongs to the director, but to all the people who have loved the original version of the film all these years.