Alternate Versions of Movies for TV that You Remember
- Thread starter OzReturner
- Start date
Correct. The vote is unanimous up to that point, and then it's Jor-El who casts the deciding vote. If it's "guilty", then Zod will blame him, since he was the one who provided the final vote which would tip the balance one way or the other. Unanimous guilty vote, or one dissenting vote.
I need to revisit the three-hour cut, but don't recall any "not guilty" vote. THAT would cause the scene to not make sense.
asalaw
Master Member
Close Encounters had extra scenes on TV. IIRC they were folded into a 3-hour cut along with the Special Edition ending. That was awful.
I usually prefer the theatrical versions of films over extended cuts, because trimming a film down for theatrical release so that theaters can have an extra showing per day imposes story discipline in the editing room. Blade Runner is the rare exception where the theatrical cut (with Ford's awful narration ordered by Alan Ladd Jr.) is much worse than subsequent director's cuts.
I usually prefer the theatrical versions of films over extended cuts, because trimming a film down for theatrical release so that theaters can have an extra showing per day imposes story discipline in the editing room. Blade Runner is the rare exception where the theatrical cut (with Ford's awful narration ordered by Alan Ladd Jr.) is much worse than subsequent director's cuts.
Those extended TV cuts (SUPERMAN, STAR TREK- THE MOTION PICTURE, etc.) were really just about adding in a bunch of padding--usually without the director's approval or involvement--to extend the films' runtime and thus get more ad revenue.
In the case of SUPERMAN, this padding allowed it to be split in half, and aired on TWO consecutive nights, which meant even MORE money.
I've been looking for that Superman line, and can't find it. The scene supposedly from the 3-hour cut is on youtube and it isn't there, and it isn't mentioned in this rather exhaustive comparison of the versions:
Superman (Comparison: Theatrical Version - Extended Edition) - Movie-Censorship.com
Comparison: Theatrical Version - Extended Edition
www.movie-censorship.com
As for CE3K, the "last one, for real this time" Spielberg cut that's been available on video for years is the definitive one, IMO. It restores much of what had been removed for the SE and includes much of the latter's new stuff as well. But, importantly, no inside-the-ship scene.
Re: Superman
I grew up on the TV-version, recorded to VHS when it came out on broadcast TV; I must have seen it over three dozen times. I don't recall ever hearing a "not guilty" from the Elders.
What went down is really simple and makes perfect sense: Zod tried to weasel out of a unanimous guilty verdict by threatening Jor-El, quite simply because he was the only guy left in the room. Like a "Don't you dare make this unanimous Jor-El, or I'll make sure you regret it." If Zod had been caught in any other Elder's jurisdiction instead, that would have been Jor-El among the blue faces on the wall and Zod would have made the same threat to that other person.
Jor-El has no special privileges; he's just another Elder like the rest. The leader of the council is the "First Elder" played by Trevor Howard. We see him wield this authority when he warns Jor-El not to spread rumors or they would accuse him of insurrection.
I grew up on the TV-version, recorded to VHS when it came out on broadcast TV; I must have seen it over three dozen times. I don't recall ever hearing a "not guilty" from the Elders.
What went down is really simple and makes perfect sense: Zod tried to weasel out of a unanimous guilty verdict by threatening Jor-El, quite simply because he was the only guy left in the room. Like a "Don't you dare make this unanimous Jor-El, or I'll make sure you regret it." If Zod had been caught in any other Elder's jurisdiction instead, that would have been Jor-El among the blue faces on the wall and Zod would have made the same threat to that other person.
Jor-El has no special privileges; he's just another Elder like the rest. The leader of the council is the "First Elder" played by Trevor Howard. We see him wield this authority when he warns Jor-El not to spread rumors or they would accuse him of insurrection.
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drusselmeyer
Master Member
In regards to BR: I really don't see the problem with the narration as narration. It certainly was not as striking as in Spielberg's A.I. where the narration starts somewhere near the end of the film.
Alan Ladd Jr grew up on noir and had an understanding of the genre. The "awful narration" parroted by so many is a tiresome phrase that needs to be retired. The narration filled backstory that was foundational. Many people hadn't read the novel, so had no frame of reference for it, even if the novel was different. We have the luxury of having had the opportunity to watch it hundreds of times, but if you are watching for the first time, the narration contains background that most audiences wouldn't have. As for the performance of the narration; it could have been corrected at any time, but no one ever bothered.
The greatest weakness of the film is the opening crawl. It is idiotic and confuses the entire story.
A few facts:
•Blade Runner units were created AFTER a bloody offworld Nexus 6 mutiny, but Deckard, a FORMER Blade Runner had no background on the "New" Nexus 6 models.
•Nexus 6s were declared illegal on Earth AFTER the mutiny.
•The new N6s were genetic rather than mechanical, breaking with the previously established robot manufacturing by Tyrell.
•Deckard had been out of a job as a Blade Runner for around 4 years already by the time Bryant recalled him.
•The mutiny took place no earlier than around 2015 nor any later than 2016, around the time of Roy Battys incept date.
The crawl makes no sense in the greater conflict of the story.
A few things people routinely miss:
Despite having been manufactured on Earth, no one on Earth seemed to know what the finished product looked like except Tyrell, who recognized Batty by sight: -One individual model from hundreds of individuals in production. Tyrell very much knew exactly what was going on.
Unlike, the N5s, the V/K test did not work so well on the N6s, which almost got Holden killed.
There is never any mention of who (or what) is being fought. All the fighting near the colonies is not explained.
Alan Ladd Jr grew up on noir and had an understanding of the genre. The "awful narration" parroted by so many is a tiresome phrase that needs to be retired. The narration filled backstory that was foundational. Many people hadn't read the novel, so had no frame of reference for it, even if the novel was different. We have the luxury of having had the opportunity to watch it hundreds of times, but if you are watching for the first time, the narration contains background that most audiences wouldn't have. As for the performance of the narration; it could have been corrected at any time, but no one ever bothered.
The greatest weakness of the film is the opening crawl. It is idiotic and confuses the entire story.
A few facts:
•Blade Runner units were created AFTER a bloody offworld Nexus 6 mutiny, but Deckard, a FORMER Blade Runner had no background on the "New" Nexus 6 models.
•Nexus 6s were declared illegal on Earth AFTER the mutiny.
•The new N6s were genetic rather than mechanical, breaking with the previously established robot manufacturing by Tyrell.
•Deckard had been out of a job as a Blade Runner for around 4 years already by the time Bryant recalled him.
•The mutiny took place no earlier than around 2015 nor any later than 2016, around the time of Roy Battys incept date.
The crawl makes no sense in the greater conflict of the story.
A few things people routinely miss:
Despite having been manufactured on Earth, no one on Earth seemed to know what the finished product looked like except Tyrell, who recognized Batty by sight: -One individual model from hundreds of individuals in production. Tyrell very much knew exactly what was going on.
Unlike, the N5s, the V/K test did not work so well on the N6s, which almost got Holden killed.
There is never any mention of who (or what) is being fought. All the fighting near the colonies is not explained.
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