Dick Tracy (1990)

[G:Box]

me happy

[Kenny_Powers]

yea ive been waiting for this

[Drewza89]

YES!!! This is one of my most anticipated catalog titles! I hope Disney releases The Rocketeer soon, too!

It would be a dream come true if they included the rumored R-rated director's cut along with the theatrical cut.

[TLeeTx2012]

Good movie...but the best part of the whole thing were the toys!

[G:Box]

Originally Posted by Drewza89

The Rocketeer

PLEEEEEEASE!!!

[PowellPressburger]

I bet Disney could really sell Dick Tracy well and release The Rocketeer and Who Framed Roger Rabbit the same day and I bet they would get huge sales as a result.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by BluAtreyu

In a recent interview, they screened a new HD transfer of it and he talked for a while afterwards. He doesn't seem to want to step on any Disney toes by going into detail about the release, but they are working on it.

It's looking like my instincts were right: First the Mill Creek Touchstone movies, then the Rocketeer screening, and now this--
Think the glasnost may have finally been lifted for 90's Disney films.

[Ford]

God I hated this movie. Beatty saw "Batman" and thought he could cash in with something similar. Yet while he had every other actor wear pounds of makeup and prosthetics, his ego wouldn't let him wear anything to actually make him look like DICK FRIGGIN' TRACY!

[miller_time22]

Originally Posted by Ford

God I hated this movie. Beatty saw "Batman" and thought he could cash in with something similar. Yet while he had every other actor wear pounds of makeup and prosthetics, his ego wouldn't let him wear anything to actually make him look like DICK FRIGGIN' TRACY!

Disney may have been thinking about cashing in on Batman and therefore, giving Dick Tracy the box office advertising push a la Batman due to its' success. But, Warren Beatty was working on Dick Tracy long before Burton was Batman.

[Arkadin]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

I didn't even realize Warren Beatty was still alive.

definitely alive.
he's married to Annette benning, and he was on some awards shows recently when she was nominated for the kids are all right.

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by miller_time22

I don't know that anyone's ever detailed what it included, but the rumor always was that Beatty had a 135 minute longer version and Katzenberg had him cut it back. Not sure if that's true or not, but I think that's the longer version that mckee74 was referencing.

Alright, I was there last night so I can confirm that Beatty talked about this. Beatty said there is no longer unrated cut and he doesn't understand where these internet (which he doesn't seem to trust) rumors came from. He screened the movie with Katzenberg (who he said was a great champion of this film at the time) at 4:30am one day and Katzenberg only had one potential change. After debating the change with Beatty briefly, Katzenberg said, "You're probably right. Leave it the way it is." However, Beatty did say he recently decided that Katzenberg was actually right all along (to his own and much audience laughter). He did also state very clearly that he's always had final cut and so the movie that was released was his final cut. So rumors of an extended or unrated cut are just that... rumors.

I will also say that I was surprised to see the film digitally projected and I would have to imagine that what we were shown was what will eventually make it to Blu-ray. Initially I was disappointed that we weren't seeing the film in 35mm, but I have to say that this was amazing looking and because it was the digital projection we actually got the full 6-channel audio mix as well (which sounded incredible). This was probably a better overall presentation of the film than what most people saw back in 1990.

As a sidenote... there's a Rocketeer 20th anniversary screening on the 21st (which I'm also going to be attending) and it's going to be the first showing of the film digitally remastered and projected. So that bodes well for an upcoming Blu-ray release as well (hopefully before Christmas so they can actually take advantage of the anniversary this year).

[miller_time22]

Originally Posted by Cliff

Alright, I was there last night so I can confirm that Beatty talked about this. Beatty said there is no longer unrated cut and he doesn't understand where these internet (which he doesn't seem to trust) rumors came from. He screened the movie with Katzenberg (who he said was a great champion of this film at the time) at 4:30am one day and Katzenberg only had one potential change. After debating the change with Beatty briefly, Katzenberg said, "You're probably right. Leave it the way it is." However, Beatty did say he recently decided that Katzenberg was actually right all along (to his own and much audience laughter). He did also state very clearly that he's always had final cut and so the movie that was released was his final cut. So rumors of an extended or unrated cut are just that... rumors.

I will also say that I was surprised to see the film digitally projected and I would have to imagine that what we were shown was what will eventually make it to Blu-ray. Initially I was disappointed that we weren't seeing the film in 35mm, but I have to say that this was amazing looking and because it was the digital projection we actually got the full 6-channel audio mix as well (which sounded incredible). This was probably a better overall presentation of the film than what most people saw back in 1990.

As a sidenote... there's a Rocketeer 20th anniversary screening on the 21st (which I'm also going to be attending) and it's going to be the first showing of the film digitally remastered and projected. So that bodes well for an upcoming Blu-ray release as well (hopefully before Christmas so they can actually take advantage of the anniversary this year).

Awesome post. It's cool that you were there. Thanks for shedding some light on the longer cut rumor that has been floating around out there. I had tried to qualify my statement as rumor, so as not to perpetuate things too terribly, but it's nice to hear some info on this from the man himself.

[SpaceDog]

I think Dick Tracy would look and sound gorgeous on blu-ray. I hope we aren't waiting for a 25th anniversary release.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Cliff

Alright, I was there last night so I can confirm that Beatty talked about this. Beatty said there is no longer unrated cut and he doesn't understand where these internet (which he doesn't seem to trust) rumors came from. He screened the movie with Katzenberg (who he said was a great champion of this film at the time) at 4:30am one day and Katzenberg only had one potential change. After debating the change with Beatty briefly, Katzenberg said, "You're probably right. Leave it the way it is." However, Beatty did say he recently decided that Katzenberg was actually right all along (to his own and much audience laughter). He did also state very clearly that he's always had final cut and so the movie that was released was his final cut. So rumors of an extended or unrated cut are just that... rumors.

I will also say that I was surprised to see the film digitally projected and I would have to imagine that what we were shown was what will eventually make it to Blu-ray. Initially I was disappointed that we weren't seeing the film in 35mm, but I have to say that this was amazing looking and because it was the digital projection we actually got the full 6-channel audio mix as well (which sounded incredible). This was probably a better overall presentation of the film than what most people saw back in 1990.

As a sidenote... there's a Rocketeer 20th anniversary screening on the 21st (which I'm also going to be attending) and it's going to be the first showing of the film digitally remastered and projected. So that bodes well for an upcoming Blu-ray release as well (hopefully before Christmas so they can actually take advantage of the anniversary this year).

Good to see that unrated cut rumor finally put to rest.

The Rocketeer on Blu-Ray also sounds good to me.

[Harry Caul]

Warren Beatty is still alive?

Would be more of a deal if he confirms that the The Parallax View is comming to Blu-ray.

[Drewza89]

Originally Posted by Cliff

Beatty said there is no longer unrated cut and he doesn't understand where these internet (which he doesn't seem to trust) rumors came from.

This comes from the trivia section on imdb:

A 135 minute version of the film exists as confirmed by Warren Beatty in an interview in 2002. He was forced to cut the film to the current 105 minute version at the insistence of then chairman of The Walt Disney Studios' Jeffrey Katzenberg, prior to the release.

Either that piece of trivia is an outright lie, or Beatty has become senile in his old age.

Anyways, I hope that some of the deleted footage still exists and they include it on the blu-ray.

[ghostwhowalks]

Where is Ishtar damnit.

[AeroK]

Yes! Can't wait, glad I held off buying the DVD.

[Drewza89]

Originally Posted by ghostwhowalks

Where is Ishtar damnit.

It was supposed to be released last January. I've heard that it was pulled so that they could include the new director's cut. A few copies were leaked in Canada. They've been selling for absurd prices on eBay.

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by Drewza89

This comes from the trivia section on imdb:


Either that piece of trivia is an outright lie, or Beatty has become senile in his old age.

Anyways, I hope that some of the deleted footage still exists and they include it on the blu-ray.

I can only report what I heard sitting 20 feet away from the man himself. I do know that IMDB is all user input (and unpoliced for facts) and there is no link to said "135 minute version as confirmed by Warren Beatty." I do also know that the initial "report" dates back to October 4th, 2001 as reported by Ain't It Cool News here. Also note that the report comes from someone called Duck Twacy and doesn't say there is a cut, but that "apparently" the film was cut down.

Also of note in that report is this part:
"Warren Beatty will provide a commentary track as will Danny Elfman."

Now I asked Beatty point blank myself last night if he'd be interested in doing some new behind-the-scenes features for a Tracy Blu-ray given his disinterest in them (he said he doesn't really believe in them on the Reds Blu-ray) and he basically told me (and several hundred other people) that he doesn't think he'd ever do that for Dick Tracy because he feels the film stands on its own. Now given that statement, I find the idea of him doing a commentary ridiculous (and he didn't do one on Reds). It sounds more like a fan's dream special edition (although not a very good one if that's the best they can do) along with some malarkey about a longer, darker cut to drum up enthusiasm. Not to mention the fact that none of those other features mentioned (trailers, original TV specials, etc) ever made it to DVD in the 10 years since that report.

It's interesting because the internet has become a weird, unregulated game of telephone where a guy named Duck Twacy says something unconfirmed and 10 years later it becomes somewhat commonly known "trivia."

So you can believe Duck Twacy or you can believe me (and the hundreds of others) who heard it straight from Warren Beatty's mouth.