- 11 years ago
Sometimes a little change goes a long way. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Director's Cuts and Special Editions of Movies.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:14Sometimes a little change goes a long way.
00:17Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 director's cuts and special editions
00:23of movies.
00:23Do anything except remain where you started and you can't be sure of your end. Were you sure of your
00:31end once? I was.
00:34For this list, we're looking at films with alternate cuts that added something new or even improved upon the original.
00:4010. Superman II The Richard Donner Cut
00:43Who else is seeing this?
00:45Ah, well with this satellite link up, just about everybody. I mean the whole planet.
00:50In the midst of a controversial production, director Richard Donner was replaced by Richard Lester after the majority of the
00:56Superman sequel had already been shot.
00:58You have made a dreadful mistake, Kal-El.
01:02In order to get full credit, Lester had to shoot up to 51% of the film, including scenes that
01:07had already been shot by Donner.
01:08Lawrence, for goodness sake, the door wasn't even locked. Just anybody can walk in here.
01:14There you go, putting yourself down again, Clark.
01:16Oh, very funny.
01:17No, really, I'm serious.
01:18The movie went on to receive positive reviews, but when Donner was given the opportunity to make his own edit,
01:23fans rejoiced at the chance to see a cut that follows the original script more closely.
01:32Released on home video, the result of the re-edited director's cut is something, well, super.
01:44Number 9, Das Boot, the original, uncut version. Wolfgang Petersen.
01:54Wolfgang Petersen's adaptation of Das Boot, based off the World War II novel of the same name, is one of
01:59the most expensive and critically acclaimed films ever produced in Germany.
02:02Unterseeboote versenken im Atlantik, elf Handelsschiffe und einen Zerstörer.
02:07This film has been shown as a television mini-series and has several different cuts with a wide range of
02:12running times.
02:13Who wants special cocktail?
02:15No.
02:17However, the original, uncut version and its whopping 293-minute runtime, which is the actual German mini-series version released
02:25as one movie on DVD in the US, is the preferred cut of choice for cinephiles, thanks to much improved
02:30sound and visuals.
02:41A tremendous achievement, Petersen's film gives us a rare insight into the lives of soldiers fighting for the other side.
02:51Number 8, The Big Red One, The Reconstruction, Samuel Fuller.
02:55The Red One, you think General Pershing will like it?
02:58Oh, sure.
02:59Though writer and director Samuel Fuller's original war epic was given the scalpel back when it was originally released in
03:041980, it was still greeted with positive reviews.
03:07We ran Rama right out of Africa.
03:09You mean The Big Red One, Zertunus?
03:12We sure as hell did.
03:14Unfortunately, Fuller passed away before he could release his true vision of the film to the world.
03:18Look right in here. Look right in here. Smile.
03:22Filmmakers Richard Skickel and Brian Jamieson were able to work with the original script and created a cut that restored
03:27many of the scenes that were sadly previously omitted.
03:30Let's say we shoot him.
03:40Debuting at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, the movie received even higher praise and is considered one of the greatest
03:45films of all time.
03:54Number 7, Touch of Evil, Restored Version, Orson Welles.
04:03Orson Welles never got a chance to make his definitive cut of Touch of Evil.
04:07When it was originally released in 1958, it included scenes reshot with a different director
04:12and Welles found out that Universal had ignored nearly all the notes he had given them to improve the film.
04:17What's wrong, Farnham? You short of dynamite?
04:23They even put credits and music over his masterful opening shot.
04:27Do you realize I haven't kissed you in over an hour?
04:35Fortunately, several dedicated filmmakers took his notes and all the available material 30 years later
04:41to create a movie that is as close to Welles' original version as humanly possible.
04:45Come on, read my future for me.
04:51You haven't got any.
04:54Number 6, The Lord of the Rings, The Motion Picture Trilogy, Extended Edition.
04:58Peter Jackson.
05:00Run!
05:02Run!
05:07If putting off that bathroom break was hard enough when you watched the original films,
05:11you will definitely have to train a little harder when you pop these bad boys in.
05:15Fire!
05:21No!
05:23While there have been several special, limited and extended editions released of the film
05:27since their original theatrical appearances with the 2011 Blu-rays,
05:31the combined runtime of all three movies totals just over 12 hours, credits included.
05:36Filthy little hobbitses!
05:39They stole it from us!
05:42That's three hours longer when compared to the original releases.
05:46I think there's more to this hobbit that beats the eye.
05:49However, for hardcore fans, this is exactly what they want.
05:58When Middle Earth looks this beautiful, it's hard to imagine why you wouldn't want to spend as much time there
06:02as possible.
06:05Number 5, Apocalypse Now Redux, Francis Ford Coppola.
06:17This Francis Ford Coppola classic was given a substantial new edit over two decades later,
06:22with the addition of 49 minutes that had been taken out of the original film.
06:25Hey, soldier.
06:31Do you know who's in command here?
06:36Yeah.
06:37Though viewers may find that some of the additional footage slows the war flick down a bit,
06:41particularly the French plantation sequence,
06:43there's no denying that it's a great cut and an important part of cinema history.
06:46The French army was sacrificed.
06:49Sacrificed by the politicians safe at home.
06:52They put the army in an impossible situation where they couldn't win.
06:55Additional music was also composed for the film,
06:58along with an updated color balance for both the new and original footage.
07:02This epic movie was truly given an epic update.
07:07Horror.
07:11Number 4, Aliens Special Edition, a.k.a. Director's Cut, James Cameron.
07:16Mira, who's Snow White?
07:19She's supposed to be some kind of consultant.
07:22Apparently, she saw an alien once.
07:24Whoopie fucking do.
07:26It's no surprise that one of the greatest sequels of all time
07:29has one of the best director's cuts of all time.
07:33No stranger to awesome director's cuts,
07:35CD special edition of Terminator 2,
07:38James Cameron has stated that this is his preferred version of Aliens.
07:41Is there any word about my daughter?
07:43The 17 additional minutes give more emotional weight to already great characters
07:47and ramp up the nail-biting tension.
07:50Man, it's the shooting gallery down there.
07:53And who can forget that awesome sentry gun sequence?
07:56Ten, five.
08:02That's it.
08:04Number 3, Once Upon a Time in America, restored version, Sergio Leone.
08:16Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America is another victim of studio tampering.
08:21You understand?
08:23Despite a 15-minute standing ovation at its 1984 Cannes premiere,
08:28its American release was cut in fear of it being too long
08:30and overly violent for film audiences.
08:38Originally intended to be 269 minutes long,
08:41a restored version of 251 minutes debuted at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
08:46You'll put up and you'll shut up.
08:48You hear nothing and you see nothing.
08:51Just like you did for Bugsy.
08:52Though the remaining minutes were cut out before its premiere due to rights issues,
08:56director Martin Scorsese has offered his aid in getting Leone's children the film right
09:00so they might eventually bring the original film back to its original length.
09:04This is the real Fat Moe's.
09:07Get rid of that rat, will ya?
09:10What do you think?
09:12This classic western drama is a cinematic masterpiece,
09:15and this cut should be the only way the film is presented to audiences.
09:18You'll carry that stink of the streets with you the rest of your life.
09:20I like the stink of the streets.
09:22It makes me feel good.
09:23I like the smell of it.
09:24It opens up my lungs.
09:26Number 2.
09:27Kingdom of Heaven Extended Director's Cut
09:29Ridley Scott
09:36When Ridley Scott's historical crusade drama Kingdom of Heaven was originally released,
09:40it was met with mostly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike.
09:48Disappointed with the reaction to the film,
09:50Scott made a cut of his own that added a substantial amount of footage
09:53as well as a roadshow presentation of the film,
09:55all of which he wanted to release the first time around.
09:57Is this wise to show your intentions?
10:01Better surely to let him wander.
10:04This expansion fleshed out the characters more and made it a far better film,
10:08and critics agreed.
10:09This made the extended edition one of the most significant director's cuts ever assembled.
10:21Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:33Amen.
10:37Amen.
11:09And if you are here for the first time,
11:12Ridley Scott. Ridley Scott once again finds himself on this list. His neo-noir science fiction flick Blade Runner didn't
11:22fare so well upon its original release, but has since come to be recognized as a cinematic masterpiece.
11:28I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
11:35Of the four different versions available, the final cut is seen by many as the best.
11:40What's this? Nexus 6. Roy Batty. Incept date 2016. Combat model. Optimum self-sufficiency.
11:49His previous director's cut from 1992 made many crucial changes that significantly improved the film, but this edition takes Blade
11:56Runner to the next level, including not only more violence, but also the unicorn dream in its entirety.
12:13Making it the truly definitive viewing experience for fans of the classic.
12:17It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?
12:27Do you agree with our list? What's your favorite director's cut or extended edition of a movie?
12:32For more alternative top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
12:40No!
12:42No!
12:42No!
12:43No!
12:44No!
12:46No!
12:46No!
12:48No!
12:50No!
12:50No!
12:50No!
12:50No!
12:51No!
12:52No!
12:53No!
12:55No!
12:56No!