I'm working on an article about deleted scenes that were subsequently restored in director's cut or special editions of films - but that weren't in the original theatrical edition. I'm not talking about DVD extras, I mean scenes that were actually reincorporated into the movie.
Perhaps two of the best examples I can think of to demonstrate what I'm talking about are the "French plantation" scene from Apocalypse Now and the "Gobi Desert" scene from Close Encounters. Both scenes were missing in the original theatrical release, but are now (at least in some circles) considered to be classic scenes.
I'm looking for more examples along those lines. (Other films which keep cropping up in my research are LOTR, Aliens, Blade Runner.)
Any recommendations?
there is a great scene in the dvd br of nixon that was not in the theatrical version. it's a long sequence between hopkins and sam waterson as the CIA director.
there's also a bunch of stuff in the lord of the rings: two towers extended which really enhances the original, particularly the storyline of sean bean's brother and how they dealt with their father.
and I always mention Kingdom of Heaven. I don't remember particular scenes, but the whole film in general was like a completely different experience from the theatrical to the extended cut. that should be a case to study because the film in it's original form was a bore, and the extended is kind of a masterpiece.
Great stuff, thanks! Yeah, Two Towers has a lot of good stuff along the lines I'm looking for.
Brazil, Donnie Darko, Dark City, Payback.
Donnie Darko and Payback are interesting examples, in that the directors' cuts are significantly worse than the original theatrical cuts.
Das Boot. There are versions ranging from 150 minutes (theatrical) to 290 minutes (TV mini-series): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Boot#Versions
The extended cut of "Stripes" is awful.
obviously fanny & alexander and scenes from a marriage.
tremendous differences. f&a is an absolute masterpiece in both the short and the long version, that's another one to study.
Not sure if this will fit what you're looking for, still they are interesting in their own terms.
Dawn of the Dead. There are two edits, that don't differ with deleted scenes as much, but are just cut differently. Romero Cut has much more humor and it is closer to horror. Argento Cut is more action oriented with faster cutting. Both have a different soundtracks.
Enter the Void. Shorter version was created by removing whole 7th reel (out of total nine), which is unusual way of adjusting run-time.
The Exorcist. The spider-walk scene was left out of theatrical release. Hard to top that as far as iconic scene goes.
Terminator 2
Star Wars Special Editions (Jabba The Hutt inserted into Episode IV)
Almost Famous
Alien
Leon: The Professional
Zodiac
The New World
Watchmen
Alexander
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Once Upon A Time in America
The American and significantly shorter European versions of the shining might be an interesting comparison. HUGE difference including omitting the visit from the doctor which is quite revelatory in the long version. But I'm working on that as major piece so maybe just mention it in passing.
So, uh, when do we get paid for this article?
Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. A bunch of these I haven't seen, so will have to research if there were any particularly notable scenes which were absent from the initial release.
Quote from: Mel on February 12, 2014, 04:42:11 AM
The Exorcist. The spider-walk scene was left out of theatrical release. Hard to top that as far as iconic scene goes.
Yes - this is exactly the sort of stuff I'm looking for. Thank you.
Quote from: Pubrick on February 12, 2014, 08:49:27 AM
So, uh, when do we get paid for this article?
Gotta get my pitch accepted first, otherwise it's just gonna end up on my blog doing diddlysquat. Hey look, an eagle. **runs away**
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Touch of Evil
The Warriors
E.T.
The Abyss
The Big Red One
If you're looking for ultimate cringe scenes, every time I catch Pulp Fiction on cable they play the version where that "are you an Elvis/Beatles man" scene between Mia and Vincent is added in. Gotta be top three worst dialogue QT has done.