Worth catching both versions

The common wisdom is that "Possession" was "severely cut for U.S. release," presumably against the director's wishes. But I wonder what crassly money-minded producer would turn a coherent if bent 127-minute movie into a 81-minute delirious abstract that willfully fudges chronology and logic in the already ambiguous original. It seems much more a deliberate crazed "remix" than a plain, crude commercial trim-down heightening exploitable elements.

Anyway, having first seen and gotten used to that original, which I loved, I saw the complete version years later--and it's not so much a better movie as an equally brilliant, almost entirely different one. Certainly it clears up a lot of plot points murky in the short version. But its more detailed version of a particularly agonizing marital breakup, slowly shading into horror, is no more or less fascinating than the more hysterically surreal edit. I can't think of another movie quite so wholly transformed, let alone equally good, in two vastly different release forms. (Wait, I thought of one: "Touch of Evil.") In short: Fans of gonzo art cinema should see both "Possessions." They're both genius. And neither are likely to have much appeal for fans of more conventional horror flicks, since both frustrate normal genre expectations.

One thing that keeps me coming back to these movies is just taking in the inspired extremity of the performers. Seldom do you see actors go so far over the top in histrionic terms yet remain disciplined and emotionally focused. I'd be curious whether Adjani or Sam Neill ever got interviewed about their experiences making it....?