The Last of the Mohicans (1992) - Blu-ray in 2012

[Dubstar]

I was always under the assumption that Warner's never had the rights to the director's cut, but only to the international release of the film which essentially means the original theatrical cut - oh I hope this can be sorted out ... soon, cause I will purchase this in a heartbeat - my US Fox disc and specifically my player has decided to stop playing the disc, having only just played it once.

EDIT: there's nothing at the moment in the BBFC's database suggesting that Warner's applied for a rating for the director's cut.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

I was always under the assumption that Warner's never had the rights to the director's cut, but only to the international release of the film which essentially means the original theatrical cut - oh I hope this can be sorted out ... soon, cause I will purchase this in a heartbeat - my US Fox disc and specifically my player has decided to stop playing the disc, having only just played it once.

EDIT: there's nothing at the moment in the BBFC's database suggesting that Warner's applied for a rating for the director's cut.

I believe you're right. I think this is a case where distribution by multiple companies helps us. Fox released the first US director's cut DVD to tie in with the release of The Insider in theaters in 1999. They released the second, different director's cut (which is much, much closer to the theatrical, but still different) last year.

Hopefully Warner has nothing to do with this whole mess and will just release the original version, regionfree.

I'll be so glad to throw my US BD in the cupboard. (I'll keep it only for the Michael Mann audio commentary).

[Dubstar]

maybe they'll do what the UK edition of 'Legend' has, the Euro cut and the director's cut as a feature length bonus.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

maybe they'll do what the UK edition of 'Legend' has, the Euro cut and the director's cut as a feature length bonus.

I'm fairly sure that all releases everywhere of Legend include both cuts. I don't think that's exclusively a UK thing.

I think the altered versions of Mohicans have each been Michael Mann's consecutive preferred versions. I think we'll only get the theatrical cut if someone, like Warner, decides not to bother with all that and just releases the original version (which I hope more than anything they do.) If it's just the film, with no extras even, like the UK Dances With Wolves, I'll be happy.

[Gieferg]

I'm fairly sure that all releases everywhere of Legend include both cuts.

All releases include two cuts, but they're not always the same since the US edition contains both US Theatrical and Director's Cut and there is European theatrical cut and Director's Cut on European releases.

I'd like to get all three cuts of Mohicans on one disc, but I think there will be only theatrical cut on Warner's release.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Gieferg

I'd like to get all three cuts of Mohicans on one disc, but I think there will be only theatrical cut on Warner's release.

I hope you're right. We'll certainly never see the 1999 "Director's Expanded Edition" again, since it has been supplanted by the 2011 "Director's Definitive Cut". However I doubt we'll ever see that version together with the theatrical cut.

Mann has said the new cuts have been his preferred versions. He was very unhappy with the theatrical cut because the studio forced him to cut the film down from 3 hours to 2 in a short period of time. He views the theatrical cut as a work-in-progress and has no love for it. Any release that includes one of his director's cuts would almost certainly have his involvement, which would preclude adding the original cut.

Unfortunately for Mann, I don't think he has improved the film at all by tinkering with it. I think his 1999 cut is an absolute disaster. While the 2011 cut is about 80-90% identical to the theatrical, there are still enough changes to bug me terribly. Luckily, at least the final section (the highlight of the film) from the moment they leave the Indian village, is completely identical to the theatrical, unlike the 1999 cut, which ruined that segment with changes and additions.

Luckily, I'm fairly sure, as you say, that the alternate versions have been done exclusively for Fox. Since Warner has rights to the film in the UK, I'm hoping with all my might that they release the same theatrical cut on BD that they did on DVD years ago. I'd love to be able to own the theatrical cut in HD, with no PAL speed-up.

[CinemaScope]

Just to repeat, the US Blu-ray is too damn dark!

[kafziel]

Do the changes in either of the director's cuts fix the goofs with seeing crew members and tour buses in the background of scenes? I guess that would be some consolation for losing a couple of the cool lines from the theatrical version.

[KingSimba]

Release date moved yet again to the 12th/November.

[Villiam Hayes]

Originally Posted by KingSimba

Release date moved yet again to the 12th/November.

If I have it in my hand's for Xmas it will be a miracle.

[beadelf]

Originally Posted by Villiam Hayes

If I have it in my hand's for Xmas it will be a miracle.

fingers crossed then

[Geoff D]

Be interesting to see what Warners come up with. If it is the theatrical cut, then it stands to reason that they'd be using an extant transfer rather than Fox's version, so its appearance may be quite different from the US platter.

I'm in two minds about the uber-black Director's Edition transfer though. My previous display didn't do black all that well so I wasn't too impressed by the Fox BD, but the blacks on my current set are deliciously deep so I really need to watch it again one of these days.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by CinemaScope

Just to repeat, the US Blu-ray is too damn dark!

not if you watch it in a completely dark room.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

Mann has said the new cuts have been his preferred versions. He was very unhappy with the theatrical cut because the studio forced him to cut the film down from 3 hours to 2 in a short period of time. He views the theatrical cut as a work-in-progress and has no love for it. Any release that includes one of his director's cuts would almost certainly have his involvement, which would preclude adding the original cut.

If that's true, then he would've re-inserted the extra hour when putting together this "director's cut". Still, even with 2 chances at making new edits, he never re-inserted the love story between Uncas and Alice, so it's pretty clear the cuts he made for the theatrical were as he intended.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by retablo

If that's true, then he would've re-inserted the extra hour when putting together this "director's cut". Still, even with 2 chances at making new edits, he never re-inserted the love story between Uncas and Alice, so it's pretty clear the cuts he made for the theatrical were as he intended.

What I wrote was kind of unclear. While he was certainly unhappy at having to cut an hour out of his film, what he was most unhappy with was how little time he had to make the cuts. The released film was, in his mind, not edited to a finished level.

When he was given the opportunity to recut the film, he did not reinstate an entire hour of footage, but recut almost every scene in the 2 hour version and polished it as he would he liked to seven years earlier. The only problem was that a lot of people, myself included, thought all the changes were mistakes.

Mann himself seems largely to have agreed, as the 2011 Blu-Ray cut is 90% back to the theatrical cut.

Again, we're not talking about deleted scenes as much as moments - alternate angles, line readings, using different takes, etc.

[Monkeyspoons Revenge]

I've received an email from HMV to say the UK release has been cancelled.

[Indiana Jonezzz...]

Originally Posted by Monkeyspoons Revenge

I've received an email from HMV to say the UK release has been cancelled.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[Jeff B]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Be interesting to see what Warners come up with. If it is the theatrical cut, then it stands to reason that they'd be using an extant transfer rather than Fox's version, so its appearance may be quite different from the US platter.

That was my instinct too when this UK release was announced. If this is the theatrical cut, I'd guess that the Warner BD will simply use the same transfer as the DVD releases.

EDIT: I took a while to type this post and didn't see that this has been cancelled. That's a shame!

[KingSimba]

Originally Posted by Monkeyspoons Revenge

I've received an email from HMV to say the UK release has been cancelled.

Look's like it. I can't find it whilst searching on HMV now.

So that's 2 releases Warner changed their mind on then within a few weeks of having them up for pre-order (the other being Watership Down).

Pheraps they thought releasing all of these catalogue titles in the space of 2-3 months was abit too much for the UK market

[The Apocalypse]

Originally Posted by KingSimba

Look's like it. I can't find it whilst searching on HMV now.

So that's 2 releases Warner changed their mind on then within a few weeks of having them up for pre-order (the other being Watership Down).

Pheraps they thought releasing all of these catalogue titles in the space of 2-3 months was abit too much for the UK market

We obviously couldn't handle the pressure.