I read today that there's a 119-minute PG version of the film that used to air on TV. I have to think that must be a mess. I can't imagine losing 21 minutes and still understanding what's going on. I already feel like the story in the theatrical version is cut down to the bare essentials in terms of the needed scenes to tell the story.
Did anyone see the TV cut? If so, what is it like?
Is there a much longer director's cut somewhere?
shareThe theatrical cut is 140 minutes. The PG version is apparently 119 minutes.
I did hear on Oliver Harper's retrospective of the film that Boorman's original cut clocked in at three hours, but it seems that this cut of the film never saw the light of day beyond the editing room.
Interesting.
shareit dragged a little in the 2nd half, so 20 min cut out might actually help
shareI never feel like the film drags. In fact, I think its one issue is that it moves much too quickly, just zipping through events and long spans of time without giving the story time to breathe. I'd love to see Boorman's original three-hour cut.
In any case, keep in mind that the PG version wouldn't have material cut for pacing but to make the film appropriate for all audiences.