Cut?
Why would they need to cut 26 minutes out of this movie?
Oh my god! You killed Fritz! You yellow stinking fairies killed Fritz!
I can't say anything about the cut version since I only saw the full length one. (Only the cut was available stateside.) But having seen the full length one, it seemed like it could have used some serious editing...there were some parts that were inexplicably/needlessly long and there were a couple of things which rambled and made no sense and seemed to have been thrown in as unnecessary filler.
But maybe the real reason is that the distributors were afraid that a US audience-- used to most films being in the 90 minute range-- would be unhappy at being held captive by subtitles for over 2 hrs. A lot of American moviegoers are often gunshy about subtitles and want nothing to do with them, and many American moviegoers start to squirm at the 90 min mark. So, I'm sure the distributors wanted a shorter film which could have almost a 1/2 hr less of screen time which would open it up to more showings during a day/night at US theaters. That way they had a better chance to make a buck.
I just bought a 2DVD set of this movie in Hong Kong, which includes both the 122 minute version and a 150 minute version ... I don't necessarily buy the argument that American audiences will avoid a movie simply because of the subtitles, but if it's true I worry for America's cultural future.
sharePerhaps you should worry. When I saw HTCD in the theater a few years there was an uproar when the subtitles started to roll. I mean, what did they expect...it was from Taiwan and nominated for Best FOREIGN FILM? But apparently, it hadn't occurred to many people it wouldn't be in English. Some walked out. Others grumbled about the subtitles through the entire movie...and I don't live in a small town.
I handle a lot of foreign films in my work (no, not a video store). I often recommend them to other people and am told by some that they aren't interested in having to "READ" a movie because it's just too much effort; or that they prefer to wait for dubbed version. But I always think you lose a lot in a dubbed version since inflections/voices and lip movements don't always match-- especially with Asian films.
I've been watching foreign films since I was about 14, so I never think anything of it. Yes, interest in watching subtitled films has been growing but the sad truth is that it's not exactly as widespread as it should be. Maybe that's why Hollywood feels compelled to remake (Americanize) so many foreign films (The Ring, Dark Water, The Birdcage, The Vanishing, La Femme Nikita, What's Cooking? etc. etc. etc. etc.-- the list is a lot longer than most people think! And all suffered by being Hollywoodized. Not one was ever as good as the original foreign language version.) The funny thing is that when I tell people about the original, subtitled foreign versions, they just aren't interested.
It really is sad how much Americans hate subtitles. Really sad. I pity my country.
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