Long vs Short version
What people here call the "short" TV version was made a few years after the theatrical release. The theatrical version was too long, a bit like a too rich meal, mainly because production had been a complete nightmare, and because the director couldn't accept to remove hard earned shots. A few years later, the editor - frustrated by the experience - used the theatrical cut as an exercise at the Belgian film school INSAS. The students and himself came up with nice solutions to trim the pompous long version and make it clearer in parts. Miller saw it and was impressed. When Canal+ decided to screen the film, they asked for a slightly shorter version. Miller and Jurgenson sat at the edit table and decided to change the film, making it vastly superior, removing a couple of nice scenes which were completely unnecessary to the story, and removing some ambiguities about the characters.
Hence, the shorter version became "the director's cut", eventhough usually it's the other way round...