Ten Essential Director's Cuts
They're often overindulgent and overlong so here's 10 occasions where the reprise actually outdid the original.
Truth be told, The Godfather Part III was a pretty decent movie from the outset. Admittedly it had a hard time living up to episodes I and II but then so do the vast majority of films. But now that Francis Ford Coppola has retooled the picture in keeping his original vision, the re-titled The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone ought to satisfy many of those series die-hards who didn’t much care for part three, even as it enrages those people who simply can’t abide spoilers.
Once a true rarity, director’s cuts now seem as common a DVD extra as trailers and blooper reels. Quite how many of these new versions are deserving of your time is open to question. Such movies can often give the impression of a precious director being indulged a little too much, and of seeking petty vindication – sometimes decades after the event – against those perceived to have butchered their creative vision. It means some director’s cuts come across as a little insulting not just to those faceless, talentless ignoramuses, but also to the audiences who quite enjoyed the earlier version.
But there are occasions when they can surpass the original, or at least offer a worthy alternative take, adding value rather than just running time. That is certainly the case with this list.
But be warned – director’s cuts are often anything but the picture the filmmaker always wanted the audience to see. Let us being with a case in point…
Blade Runner (1981, Director’s Cuts 1992, 2007)
For a lot of people, the first time they’d have heard mention of the phrase ‘director’s’ cut’ would’ve been when Ridley Scott’s science-fiction masterpiece returned to cinemas in the early 1990s minus Harrison Ford’s narration and the tagged-on ‘happy’ ending but with certain elements restored, including the fabled unicorn dream sequence. However, this ‘director’s cut’ is nothing of the sort. Indeed, it wouldn’t be until the release of 2007’s Final Cut that moviegoers were exposed to a version over which Scott wielded complete artistic control. Whether this is the best Blade Runner is a matter of personal taste. With its rough special effects edges now smoothed over, the film has certainly never looked better. Then again, Scott had a pretty remarkable movie on his hands even before he was invited back into the editing suite.
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