When should a director stop messing with a movie? Film recuts can destroy a classic or salvage a lost gem

By Matt Zoller Seitz, Salon.com
August 16, 2010

Sitting in my in box is a press release about a Blu-Ray edition of "The Last of the Mohicans" that's being hyped as "an all-new director's definitive cut by acclaimed director Michael Mann."

The phrase "definitive cut" made me laugh. I like Mann's films a lot, but definitive he ain't. He's a serial recutter, and this is his third go-round with "Mohicans." The first was the 1992 theatrical cut, which remained unchanged until 1999, when Mann released a second version on DVD that removed four minutes but added eight (mostly small moments of character development). I have no idea what this new version will contain, and frankly I'm in no hurry to find out, or buy the disc, for that matter. Why? Because I don't want to encourage Mann to continue tinkering with his movies -- and because the entire phenomenon of director's cuts and definitive director's cuts and restored cuts and expanded cuts and alternate cuts has gotten out of hand and needs to stop.

Except, of course, when I like the result. I'm flighty that way.

Recuts are irksome. They're hit-and-miss, and they're fueled by such idiosyncratic agendas that it's hard to state that they're always a bad or a good idea.

While trying to frame this issue, I realized it doesn't make sense to group all recuts under a single umbrella. There are many kinds of recuts, created for different reasons, under different circumstances. Whether you consider a second or third or fourth cut valid (or superior) to the first depends on what you liked or disliked about the first cut, and the circumstances that produced that first cut, and what you think was gained or lost in revision.

When should a director stop messing with a movie? Read more!

Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut Blu-Ray

The first time i saw Kingdom of Heaven,was in 2005,when it was released in cinemas.In my opinion,it was a good movie.Yesterday,i saw the Director's Cut Blu-Ray.This version has over 40 minutes of additional footage from the original.It's a more complete,a different,as some argue,movie .It'a better movie.Add to that,the fact it's in HD,and you have a very good movie experience.Even if you'have seen the theatrical cut of Kingdom of Heaven,the director's cut is definetely worth watching.
Note:According to Ridley Scott, the studio perceived Kingdom of Heaven as an action-adventure film when it really went much deeper than that. The film was marketed as such, resulting in negative reviews and poor box-office performance. After presenting the film to 20th Century Fox, Scott had to cut the film down for release in theaters. The result was a thinner plot and significantly less characterization and character development. Scott and his crew have all stated that they consider the Director's Cut to be the true version of the film and the theatrical cut more of an action movie trailer for the real film. Reviewers have described it as the most substantial Director's Cut of all time and a title to equal any of Scott's other works. Read more!