Director's cut
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A Director's cut is a specially edited version of a movie that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit of the movie. It is often released some time after the original release of the film, where the original release was released in a version different from the director's approved edit. 'Cut' is synonymous with 'edit' in this context.
With most studio films the director does not have final cut. The studio can insist on changes to make the film more likely to succeed at the box office. This sometimes means happier endings or less ambiguity. Most common, however, is that studios ask that the film be shortened. The most common form of director's cut is thus to have extra scenes added making films often considerably longer.
The director's cut was first introduced in the early 1980s alongside the rise of the home video industry. Video releases of director's cuts were originally created for the small but dedicated cult fan market. Two of the first films to be re-released as a director's cut were Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate & Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Many feel that the director's cut version is the better film.
When it was discovered that the market for alternate versions of films was substantial, the studios themselves began to promote "director's cuts" for a wide array of films, even some where the director already had final cut of the theatrical release. These were usually assembled with the addition of deleted scenes, often adding as much as a half-hour to the length of the film without regard to pacing and storytelling. Such "commercial" director's cuts are seldom considered superior to the original film and in many cases, fans feel the films are diminished by the director's own ego or the studios' desire for revenue.
Because of this, director's cut is often considered a mixed bag. With an equal share of supporters and detractors. Roger Ebert approves the use of the label in unsuccessful films that had been tampered with by studio executives, such as Sergio Leone's original cut on Once Upon A Time In America, which was infamously ruined by studio interference for the American release. However, Ebert considers adding such material to a successful film a waste and stated that carpenters do not keep their shavings after the construction of the work. Even Ridley Scott, the director of Blade Runner, on the DVD commentary of Alien stated that the original theatrical release was his director's cut and this version was released as a marketing ploy by studios.
A related concept is that of an extended or special edition. An example is Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies. While Jackson considers the theatrical releases of those films to be his final "director's cut", the extended cut was made so that fans of the material could see nearly all of the scenes shot for the script, but that were cut for theatrical running time or other reasons. Opinion remains divided on which cut is superior while supporters hailing the Extended Edition as the superior cut while detractors agreeing that they were left for a reason. Another example is Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now Redux, which like the orginal film polarized audience with some, probably a majority considering the original the definitive cut while supporters defending the Redux cut.
Notable examples
- James Cameron's longer cuts of The Abyss, Aliens, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Luc Besson's "Version Intégrale" cut of Léon.
- Richard Donner's version of Superman II.
- Robert Wise's "Director's Edition" of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Video game director's cuts
Less frequently, video games will receive re-releases with added material under a "director's cut" label. One of the earliest games to use this concept was Resident Evil for the Sony PlayStation, which featured a new "arrange mode" with various changes made to the game, among other changes. Grand Theft Auto: The Director's Cut packaged Grand Theft Auto with the add-on expansion pack Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969.