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Director's cut

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For The Fantômas album, see The Director's Cut.

A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit. 'Cut' explicitly refers to the process of film editing: the director's cut is preceded by the rough editor's cut and followed by the final cut meant for the public film release.

Director's cuts generally remain unreleased to the public because, as far as film is concerned, with most film studios the director does not have final cut approval. The studio (whose investment is at risk) can insist on changes to make the film more likely to succeed at the box office. This sometimes means a happier ending or less ambiguity, but more often means that the film is simply shortened to provide more screenings per day. The most common form of director's cut is therefore to have extra scenes added, often making the "new" film considerably longer than the "original".

Origin of the phrase

Traditionally, the "director's cut" is not, by definition, the director's ideal or preferred cut. The editing process of a film is broken into three basic stages: First is the editor's cut ("rough cut"), which matches the script without any reductions. Second, the director's cut, which is reduced from the rough cut, according to the director's tastes. Third is the final cut, which actually gets released or broadcast. It is often the case that a director approves of the final cut, and even prefers it to the so-called earlier "director's cut." The director's cut may include unsatisfactory takes, a preliminary soundtrack, a lack of desired pick-up shots etc, which the director wouldn't like to be shown.

For example, the director's cut of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid was 122 minutes long. It was then trimmed to the final/released cut of 105 minutes. Although not complete or refined to his satisfaction, director Sam Peckinpah still preferred the director's cut, as it was more inclusive and thorough than the 105-minute cut. The restored cut, at 115 minutes, is thus not the traditional "director's cut," but is closest to the director's preferred version, as it was reconstructed based on Pekinpah's notes, and according to his style in general. In this case, the director's cut and the director's ideal preferred cut are distinctly separate versions.

Considering this definition, "Alien: The Director's Cut," for example, is simply a misuse of the phrase. As Ridley Scott explains in the DVD insert, the 2003 cut of Alien was created at the request of 20th Century Fox, who wanted to re-release Alien in a form that was somehow altered or enhanced. Scott agreed, and settled on making an alternate cut of the film. He describes it simply as a second version that he is also satisfied with, even though the original released cut is still his preferred version. So, to be more accurate, "Alien: The Director's Cut" is actually "Alien: Recut" or "Alien: The New Cut," et cetera.

Inception

The trend of releasing director's cuts 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 (first aired on the Los Angeles cable station Z Channel) and Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

Criticism

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, sometimes 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, the director's cut is often considered a mixed bag, with an equal share of supporters and detractors. Roger Ebert approves of the use of the label in unsuccessful films that had been tampered with by studio executives, such as Sergio Leone's original cut of Once Upon a Time in America, and the moderately successful theatrical version of Daredevil, which were altered by studio interference for their theatrical release. However, Ebert considers adding such material to a successful film a waste. Even Ridley Scott stated on the DVD commentary of Alien that the original theatrical release was his director's cut, and that the new version was released as a marketing ploy.

Extended cuts and special editions

A related concept is that of an extended or special edition. An example is Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. While Jackson considers the theatrical releases of those three films to be a final "director's cut" within the constraints of theatrical exhibition, the extended cuts were produced so that fans of the material could see nearly all of the scenes shot for the script to develop more of J.R.R. Tolkien's world, but which were originally cut for running time, or other reasons. Opinion remains divided on which cut is superior, as supporters hail the Extended Edition as the superior cut, while detractors believe such scenes were left out for a reason. Another example is Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now Redux, which, like the original film, polarized the audience, with some fans considering the original version to be the definitive cut.

In rare instances, such as Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, scenes have been deleted instead of added, creating a shorter, more compact cut.

Special editions such as George Lucas's Star Wars films, and Steven Spielberg's E.T., in which special effects are redone in addition to a new edit, have also caused controversy. (See List of changes in Star Wars re-releases and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: The 20th Anniversary).

Extended or special editions can also apply to films that have been extended for television and video against the wishes of the director, such as the TV version of Dune (1984).

Notable examples of legitimate Director's Cuts

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," 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. SEGA's game Sonic Adventure was also rereleased as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, which featured minor edits like a new Mission Mode, unlockable Game Gear games, improved graphics and cameos by Cream the Rabbit. Tei The final version of Telejano was also nicknamed "Director's Cuts". There is also a game called ClayFighter 63 1/3: Sculptor's Cut that was created for the Nintendo 64. Silent Hill 2 was also re-released as a director cut, and there are rumours that Hideo Kojima will be releasing a directors cut or his earlier games Snatcher and Policenauts, and adding the scenes removed from Metal Gear Solid 2 because of 9/11.

Music director's cuts

Guided by Voices 1994 album Bee Thousand was rereleased as a triple LP Director's Cut in 2004.

Music video director's cut

The music video for the 2006 Academy Award-nominated song "Listen", performed by Beyoncé Knowles, received a director's cut by Diane Martel. This version of the video was later included on Knowles' B'Day Anthology Video Album (2007). Janet and Michael Jackson's "Scream" and Weezer's el Scorcho, both directed by Mark Romanek, and U2's "One", directed by Anton Corbijn, also have director's cut versions.

See also

References

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