Psycho (1960) (60th Anniversary Edition) (Uncut)

[Akijama]

[Nailwraps]

Going to buy this once the price drops.

The only problem; no original Mono mix included (less that was an oversight).

[bsend]

Well this is something I will be getting.

[MrHT]

Wait, there is an uncut version?? Never knew that. What was cut out from the movie?

[Namuhana]

I'd assume that this new disc is what will be accompanying the 4K release, yeah?

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by Nailwraps

Going to buy this once the price drops.

The only problem; no original Mono mix included (less that was an oversight).

The mono has been listed in some sets of specs but not others. Depends where you look at this stage.

[carminepesce]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Wait, there is an uncut version?? Never knew that. What was cut out from the movie?

I didn’t know there was anything cut either!! Hopefully the uncut version will be on the 4K release coming soon....

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by carminepesce

I didn’t know there was anything cut either!! Hopefully the uncut version will be on the 4K release coming soon....

The UK listing for the upcoming 4K release that includes 4 prime Hitch films states that it includes both cuts of PSYCHO in 4K.

Personally, having seen the uncut version, I doubt I’d ever watch any other from now on, even though I’ve probably watched the “regular” cut version over 50 times. I really loved the restored footage!

[starsteam]

Is the 4K Psycho being released individually or only in Steelbook form? That's the only one in the set I feel the need to upgrade (mainly for the uncut version).

[tehthomas]

uncut version? this is a surprise! never knew this existed.

[Michael24]

Well, I've yet to get the original on Blu-ray, so I suppose I can just pick this one up. Doesn't the restored footage amount to barely twenty seconds' worth of material? I think the film is perfection the way it already exists, so the uncut version could be an interesting curiosity at the very least.

[whiteberry]

Comparisons between the two versions:

YouTube

https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=1921

[Nailwraps]

Originally Posted by koberulz

The mono has been listed in some sets of specs but not others. Depends where you look at this stage.

The back cover omits it.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Wait, there is an uncut version?? Never knew that. What was cut out from the movie?

Originally Posted by carminepesce

I didn’t know there was anything cut either!! Hopefully the uncut version will be on the 4K release coming soon....

Originally Posted by tehthomas

uncut version? this is a surprise! never knew this existed.

When "Psycho" was shot, Hitchcock had to submit it to both the MPAA (at that point, they were still using the "Hays Code") and the Legion of Decency; the former was a contractual requirement for the signatory companies, and the latter was an American organization which could organize a large Catholic boycott of movies which didn't conform to their standards and got labelled "condemned".

After the cuts were made for the MPAA, the film was shipped to the overseas distributors, or maybe just to the ones that required "foreign language insert shots" to be produced and edited in, so that work could get started. Then three additional minor cuts were made at the insistence of the Legion of Decency (see link posted above for the specific footage in question). This is the version which was released in the US; there is some debate about which version showed in which countries, but it seems pretty likely from the evidence that at least Germany got the "uncut" version. When the film was re-released later in the 1960's, the US cut essentially became the de facto worldwide standard. But prints of the "uncut" version still existed, and would occasionally be used for TV or VHS masters, resulting in sporadic releases and showings over the years.

Recently, a concerted effort was made by a German company to track down suitable elements to do a proper HD restoration, and they were discovered somewhere in the archives, so this particular version has been available for probably 2 years now, but that release was prohibitively expensive and quickly sold out.

Note that there is some debate among Hitchcock fans and scholars; since at least some of the footage which was cut out was stuff which Hitchcock was warned he couldn't get away with prior to shooting it, some people speculate that he deliberately included it in the submissions to the censor boards, in order to give them things to cut besides the shower scene. I'm not saying I believe this -- for one thing, the MPAA made at least one cut to the shower scene -- but Hitchcock never made any fuss about the cuts, or made any effort to restore them during his lifetime, so I personally do believe that the final US cut represents his vision to his satisfaction.

[James Luckard]

I knew the vague outlines of this story, but never with that much detail.

The packaging up top says "after its original release in 1960, the film was censored for decades" and that the extended cut is "as seen in theaters in 1960," but if I understand correctly, you're saying the extended cut is not what played in US theaters in 1960?

Is the packaging incorrect?

[Winslow Leach]

Day one purchase for me.

[BluCollector13]

We find out this is where Hitchcock actually had Norman... well, if you saw Van Sant's version, you know where this joke's going.

[Jay H.]

Yes!!! We finally get to see inside the spaceship!

[emmet otter]

No original audio = no sale for me

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

The packaging up top says "after its original release in 1960, the film was censored for decades" and that the extended cut is "as seen in theaters in 1960," but if I understand correctly, you're saying the extended cut is not what played in US theaters in 1960?

Is the packaging incorrect?

There have been longstanding rumors that the cuts were only made for a US re-release in the mid or late 60's. It didn't help that the German company announced the release and said something like "We can't find the evidence of whether this was released in the US or not." However, the actual post-production notes are stored at the AFI, and have been summarized on-line, and have the specific date in 1960 when the cuts were physically made.

The way they have marketed releases of this version have tended to use vague language to suggest things like that, while not being technically inaccurate. Yes, this cut (probably) did get theatrical release, somewhere in the world, but I agree with you that the wording on the back is misleading. (I also find the phrase "uncut" to be a bit generous, but it does appear to be the least censored version to ever get any official release, so, again, not entirely inaccurate, just a bit misleading. The "uncut" version of Psycho would have the oilman's line about "bed is the only playground more fun than Vegas" or whatever he said, which was cut prior to the Legion of Decency submission.)

EDIT: Looking at the packaging, I would say "exactly as intended by Alfred Hitchcock" is flat-out inaccurate. You can either make the argument that Hitchcock himself supervised and approved the final cut (which is true), and therefore it represents his intentions, or you can say that the cut that Hitchcock supervised and approved for submission to the censor boards (which is also true), and therefore it represents his intentions, but I don't see how you can claim in either direction that he intended the MPAA cuts but not the Legion of Decency cuts.

Note that, when the restoration was announced, Universal clearly had NO IDEA about it, they didn't even know they had the print until somebody else told them where to look, and they are probably basing their description off of things that German company said, which were accurate regarding the German release; again, I don't wish to accuse anybody of deliberately lying without any real proof, the origins of this cut have long been shrouded in rumors and mystery, all of which are a lot more interesting than what actually happened.