I am going to try to be as objective about the play time differences between the two and three VHS sets and the DVD version as I can. I found at least seven VHS releases of A Little Princess and two DVD releases. I will attempt to condense the run times of each version of those that I have seen so you can see how they differ. A couple of things to note from my figures - The run times do not include the Wonderworks program music additions or trailers. With the three cassette set, there are three opening credits and three ending credits to the series. For the two cassette set, there are two opening credits (1 opening credit skipped) and three ending credits to the series. For the DVD, there are six opening and closing credits to the series. The opening credits run just under 1 minute. The closing credits run just under 2 minutes. The total run times are based on when I saw the beginning of the opening credits and the end of the closing credits.
Three VHS tape set (UPC 037429025635) Public Media Video. Has trailers for Wonderworks "Sweet 15" (1990) and "Jacob Have I Loved" (1989). Total run time of 156 minutes 33 seconds (a portion of the ending of Part 1 (6 minutes) is duplicated at the start of Part 2 which I did not include in my run time) Note that each cassette of this three cassette set has its own different UPC value from the outer box case (UPC 037429025734, 037429025833, and 037429025932). Each cassette has its own separate slipcase contained within an outer cardboard box. The three tape set appears to be the earlier release version, so it appears that Public Media Video released the two cassette set later removing the duplicated scenes and replacing it with new material.
Two VHS tape set (UPC 037429059135) Public Media Video. Has trailers for Wonderworks "Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (1988) and a preview of "A Little Princess" (1986). Total run time of 162 minutes 43 seconds
Two VHS tape set (UPC 745751004135) Bonneville Worldwide Entertainment. Has trailers for Wonderworks "Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (1988) and "Caddie Woodlawn" (1989). Total run time of 162 minutes 43 seconds
Two VHS tape set (UPC 095163975234) Bridgestone Multimedia. No trailers and the package refers to the Bonneville Worldwide Entertainment license. Total run time of 162 minutes 43 seconds
DVD (UPC 741952665892) E1 Entertainment. Has trailer for "Ballet Shoes" (2007) with Emma Watson. Total run time of 156 minutes 15 seconds
DVD (UPC 4260261436604) ITV Studios KSM GmbH German distributor. It has selectable trailers, a photo gallery (8 pictures), and screen histories of Maureen Lipman, Amelia Shankley, David Yelland, and Nigel Havers (in German). Note that this is a Region 2 DVD (Europe DVD region) and has German/English audio and only German subtitles. The outer cover box is in German. Total run time of 156 minutes 15 seconds
As I stated above, the opening and closing credits run approximately under 3 minutes total and since the DVD version has the credits playing each time per episode, the additional credit playing time results in a smaller play time for the series (which would be more closer to less than 150 minutes). So for actual "acting" series run time, the 2 VHS tape set runs the longest, followed by the 3 VHS tape set, and the DVD has the shortest "acting" run time. The DVD version has a "better" ending for the story, in my opinion, since it includes the Ermengarde St. John letter reading scene, a longer Miss Minchin confrontation scene at Carrisford's home, and a slightly different ending scene at the bakery shop. However, it does have quite a number of scene editing cuts that makes the two VHS tape version a better choice. The two VHS tape set has almost 15 minutes more "acting" scene time than the DVD. That is the reason why some have complained about the DVD version. The editing done to the DVD and VHS were based on time constraints for showing the program on UK and USA TV stations. Some of the listings seen on vendor sites like Amazon listed run times of over 170 up to 180 minutes. None of my versions approached these run times. Perhaps, these numbers were based on the inclusion of the trailers and Wonderworks/PBS additions?
I also have a Part 2 VHS copy of the Feature Films for Families version which begins near the start of the 3rd spisode of the DVD version (or Part 2 of the VHS tape version) up to the series end (UPC 796323188333). The tape appears to have combined the three part series differently from the Public Media Video VHS version. The Public Media Video 2 tape set placed the first two parts on one cassette and left Part 3 by itself, while the Feature Films for Families version placed the first part on one cassette and placed Parts 2 and 3 together. This version appears the same for the most part to the Public Media Video version, except for the fact that certain spoken lines involving "Lord" and "slut" were censored out.
Be aware that some sellers have broken up the VHS case set and try to sell each cassette individually. Something that I would double check about before buying. Amazon has nine separate VHS listings for this program and 2 DVD listings. There is at least one other VHS tape release (Peter Pan Industries) that is not included in my review. If I should come across a copy of it and it is significantly different than the previous ones that I have seen, then I will update my review.
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