I just saw Hard Eight for the first time

[ono]

Just order it online.  It's only $14.27 at DeepDiscountDVD.com.  A steal, considering I got it for almost $30 almost two years ago from Amazon.com.  It's well worth it, like a film school (at LEAST a couple lessons anyway) for under $30.  That article is old, so I doubt there will ever be another cut of Hard Eight.  He speaks about the troubles on the commentaries, which are excellent.

[Pubrick]

that's not what he asked.

[ono]

Is too.  He asked if it was a director's cut, I answered in saying that you won't see another version and Anderson addressed this in the commentary.

[MacGuffin]

is the DVD a director's cut?

Yes. On the commentary track, PTA says that Rysher recut their version and tested it with the results worse than his version, so they gave his cut back to him. But they still won on the title battle.

[tpfkabi]

ok. that was fast.
someone help me out with a timeline here:
PTA finishes Sydney
studio recuts and changes title to Hard Eight
what then?
is the studio cut released to theatres?
H8 performs poorly at theatres, so PTA's original cut is released to the home video/dvd market?

[MacGuffin]

is the studio cut released to theatres?
H8 performs poorly at theatres, so PTA's original cut is released to the home video/dvd market?

PTA's version is ONLY version released; theatrical and home video.

[ono]

There was also something on the commentary about PTA stealing a work print, working off that, and sending it off to Cannes, which contributed to his convincing Rysher his version was better.

[tpfkabi]

thanks guys.
i imagine it was incredibly frustrating to have to deal with all of that on your first film.
i need to get the DVD.
i'm just surprised that its not more widely available. after Boogie Nights, i figured that stores like Best Buy, etc would have stocked it and then kept it in stock after Magnolia received Academy Award nominations.
why is a film like Bottle Rocket easily available and not this one?
not that i necessarily think anyone has the answer, i just would have bought Hard Eight a long time ago if i could have.

[Just Withnail]

Bottle Rocket is a bit more accessible to the ignorant public than Hard Eight.

[Finn]

Of course. Hard Eight wouldn't be "entertaining" for most audiences. It's a slow-paced character study with hardly any action (which it was once advertised for). It's a great movie and a perfect first film for Anderson, but most people have never heard of it and probably never will.

[MacGuffin]

Look in the 'Action' section. That's where I saw it one time, next to "Hard Boiled" and "Hard Target." I immediately thought of the Elvis Mitchell IFC interview where PTA explains that that title sounds too much like those type of films.

[mogwai]

that reminds me, i was looking for the movie at a rental store that i got so desperate that i searched in the adult section.

[Just Withnail]

that reminds me, i was looking for the movie at a rental store that i got so desperate that i searched in the adult section.

"The Hard Eight"

[ElPandaRoyal]

[Ravi]

Hard Eight was the second or third DVD I bought, so I watched it over and over.  It's no Magnolia, of course, but it is an impressive debut film and a pretty good film period.