Hi. Would I be in thinking that this 108 minute version that is the "full length" version is just an extended cut that was shown on TV at one point? The only reason I ask is that I can't find any information which says that the version on DVD is cut in any way. The BBFC website states that whilst the theatrical version was slightly cut the video versions weren't.
I just saw it tonight after a gap of about 20 years since I last saw it and whilst my memory of it was a little fuzzy (to say the least!) I don't really remember anything major to be "missing" as such. Surely it's a bit like when they showed Superman on TV in the US back in the 80s and they put lots of deleted scenes back in because they were able to sell it on a "per minute of footage" basis to the network? As far as I can tell there isn't a "cut" version of the film: there's the theatrical version (which is what's on DVD) and there *was* an extended version shown on TV at some point.
It'd be nice to have the option of seeing an extended version of the film on DVD or at the very least have some deleted scenes but surely there's nothing "missing" as such on the DVD?
Feel free to let me (and others!) know if I'm wrong as I'm not saying I'm definitely right but, like I said, I can't really find any information to back up the "cut" story. Wikipedia mentions scenes that were shown in the extended TV version. I'll quote them here just in case the page gets modified:
"When the film had been broadcast on NBC in the summer of 1984, certain scenes that had been edited from the original print had been restored. The scenes restored were the following: Adam offering to take Alex to Earth, Alex was voicing her concern to Adam about taking Hector outside of the complex, Adam taking Hector outside in the moonbuggy, Benson asking how Alex's eye was after her accident, Adam leaving Hector near the shuttle probe, Hector re-entering the colony and sabotaging the outer airlock mechanism to prevent Adam from coming back inside, an extended scene of Benson walking down a corridor, Adam trying to re-enter Saturn 3 and blowing the outer airlock door off with an explosive adhesive, an extended scene of Adam in the decontamination chamber, Alex voicing her worry that Hector might have killed Adam, Alex being dragged away by Benson and yelling at him, Adam embracing Alex and watching Hector drag away Benson's dead body, Adam holding a towel to his head after Benson had hit him with a pipe and claiming that "Hector is no humpty-dumpty", both Adam and Alex wondering how Hector managed to reassemble itself, and finally both Adam and Alex sharing a laugh over a humorous incident while hiding in the communications room."
Surely the "certain scenes that had been edited from the original print" bit just means that they were what we'd call "deleted scenes" in this DVD/Blu-Ray age?
Anyway, like I said, if you've got more information that proves me wrong then please post it here. Cheers! :)
reply
share
Kurohambe
16 years ago
I think you are correct. Around the 70's and 80's, often extra minutes of deleted scenes were added for TV showings. There are literally hundreds of examples but MIDWAY and BLOODLINE are at least two that I could name of the top my head where the TV version was significantly longer than the theatrical version.
So, I would say that the 108 minute version was an extended cut prepared for TV.
reply
share