In public use, a director's cut is the director's preferred version of a film (or video game , television episode , music video , commercial , etc. ). It is generally considered a marketing term to represent the version of a film the director prefers, and is usually used as contrast to a theatrical release where the director did not have final cut privilege and did not agree with what was released. ("Cut" explicitly refers to the editing process.)
114-401: Most of the time, film directors do not have the "final cut" (final say on the version released to the public). Those with money invested in the film, such as the production companies, distributors, or studios, may make changes intended to make the film more profitable at the box office. In extreme cases that can sometimes mean a different ending, less ambiguity, or excluding scenes that would earn
228-489: A VCR , and those who did tended to rent rather than buy videos. The late 1980s saw the emergence of a great many small companies which specialized in producing special-interest home videos, also known as "nontheatrical programming" and "alternative programming". These new video programs differed radically from earlier forms of video content in that they were never intended for theatrical exhibition nor television broadcasting. They were created specifically for niche audiences in
342-401: A "director's cut" refers to a stage in the editing process, and is not usually what a director wants to release to the public, due to the fact it is unfinished. The editing process of a film is broken into stages: First is the assembly/rough cut, where all selected takes are put together in the order in which they should appear in the film. Next, the editor's cut is reduced from the rough cut;
456-568: A Chinese Bookie , Blake Edwards 's Darling Lili and Francis Ford Coppola 's The Godfather Coda , changes made to a director's cut resulted in a very similar runtime or a shorter, more compact cut. This generally happens when a distributor insists that a film be completed to meet a release date, but sometimes it is the result of removing scenes that the distributor insisted on inserting, as opposed to restoring scenes they insisted on cutting. (See Changes in Star Wars re-releases and E.T.
570-564: A DVD can be played on a computer. Due to all these advantages, by the mid 2000s, DVDs had become the dominant form of prerecorded video movies in both the rental film and new movie markets. In the late 2000s, stores began selling Blu-ray discs, a format that supports high definition . Blu-ray is a digital optical disc data storage format, designed to supersede the DVD format, and is capable of storing several hours of video in high definition (HDTV 720p and 1080p). The main application of Blu-ray
684-947: A Director's cut in 2005 with two extra tracks . In 2011 British singer Kate Bush released the album titled Director's Cut . It is made up of songs from her earlier albums The Sensual World and The Red Shoes which have been remixed and restructured, three of which were re-recorded completely. Motion picture rating system A motion picture content rating system classifies films based on their suitability for audiences due to their treatment of issues such as sex, violence, or substance abuse, their use of profanity, or other matters typically deemed unsuitable for children or adolescents. Most countries have some form of rating system that issues determinations variously known as certifications , classifications , certificates , or ratings . Age recommendations, of either an advisory or restrictive capacity, are often applied in lieu of censorship ; in some jurisdictions movie theaters may have
798-502: A VCR was $ 811, and the percentage of television-owning households with a VCR was unknown but probably just above zero. By 1992, the respective numbers for each of these categories were 105,502,000, $ 239, and 75.6%. During the 1980s, video rental stores became a popular way to watch home video. Video rental stores are physical retail businesses that rent home videos such as movies and prerecorded TV shows (sometimes also selling other media, such as video game copies on disc). Typically,
912-510: A certain rating. Films passed for exhibition are awarded one of the following classifications: The Iraqi film rating system is declared by the Ministry of Information and Culture . It is against the law for an underage person to enter restricted films at the cinemas, even with their parents, where a proof of identity may be required. Home video Home video is recorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from
1026-466: A director's cut by Diane Martel . This version of the video was later included on Knowles' B'Day Anthology Video Album (2007). Linkin Park has a director's cut version for their music video " Faint " (directed by Mark Romanek ) in which one of the band members spray paints the words "En Proceso" on a wall, as well as Hoobastank also having one for 2004's "The Reason" which omits the woman getting hit by
1140-433: A director's preferred vision has become ignored, leading to so-called "director's cuts" of films where the director prefers the theatrically released version (or when the director had actual final cut privilege in the first place). Such versions are often marketing ploys, assembled by simply restoring deleted scenes, sometimes adding as much as a half-hour to the length of the film without regard to pacing and storytelling. As
1254-508: A film ratings system under which films are classified. All the ratings contain the phrase "gemäß §14 JuSchG" (in accordance with §14 of the Youth Protection Law ), signifying that they are legally binding for minors. Cinemas may legally exhibit films without a classification but minors are prohibited from such screenings. The FSK rating also limits the time of the day in which the movie may be aired on free-to-air TV stations to
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#17327985479861368-452: A hard disk or flash storage – became available to purchase and rent. Despite the mainstream dominance of DVD, VHS continued to be used, albeit less frequently, throughout the 2000s; decline in VHS use continued during the 2010s. The switch to DVD initially led to mass-selling of used VHS videocassettes, which were available at used-goods stores, typically for a much lower price than
1482-534: A home video format in Brazil must be submitted for classification to the advisory rating ( Classificação Indicativa , abbreviated ClassInd), which is run by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice ( Ministério da Justiça ). Under 10s must always be accompanied by an adult guardian, even for films rated L. Anyone below the film's minimum age can watch it if accompanied or allowed by the parent or guardian who
1596-493: A legal obligation to enforce restrictive ratings. In some countries such as Australia, Canada, and Singapore, an official government body decides on ratings; in other countries such as Denmark, Japan, and the United States, it is done by industry committees with little if any official government status. In most countries, however, films that are considered morally offensive have been censored, restricted, or banned. Even if
1710-407: A magnetic soundtrack, but in comparison to modern technologies, film projection was still quite expensive and difficult to use. As a result, home viewing of films remained limited to a small community of dedicated hobbyists willing and able to invest large amounts of money in projectors, screens, and film prints, and it therefore made little revenue for film companies. In 1956, Ampex pioneered
1824-436: A more audience-restricting rating , but more often means that the film is simply shortened to provide more screenings per day. With the rise of home video, the phrase became more generically used as a marketing term to communicate to consumers that this is the director's preferred edit of a film, and it implies the director was not happy with the version that was originally released. Sometimes there are big disagreements between
1938-452: A provincial responsibility, and each province has its own legislation, rules and regulations regarding rating, exhibition and admission. Ratings are required for theatrical exhibition, but not all provinces require classification for home video. In the past there was a wide range of rating categories and practices in the various provinces; however, the seven rating systems—with the exception of Quebec—now all use categories and logos derived from
2052-665: A rating and in such instances must be labelled a "15" (restricted to people aged 15 and above). Children aged 7 and above may attend any performance—including those restricted to older audiences—if they are accompanied by an adult. Film classification in Estonia is regulated by the Child Welfare Act. In Fiji, films are classified by the Fijian Censors Board: Films in Finland are classified by
2166-530: A recommendation by the classification of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC). In some cases, films may be classified as "pornographic films or those containing an incitement to violence" or completely prohibited from screening. A certificate will be granted from the following: The Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Film Industry, FSK) has
2280-441: A release print was still at least $ 1,000 —early projector owners rented films by mail directly from the projector manufacturers. The Edison company's business model was fundamentally flawed because it had started with phonographs and did not differentiate home viewing from home listening. Edison exited the home viewing business in 1914; Pathé remained active a few years longer, but exited at some point during World War I . After
2394-402: A rental shop conducts business with customers under conditions and terms agreed upon in a rental agreement or contract , which may be implied, explicit, or written. Many video rental stores also sell previously viewed movies and/or new unopened movies. In the 1980s, video rental stores rented films in both the VHS and Betamax formats, although most stores stopped using Betamax tapes when VHS won
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#17327985479862508-420: A result, the "director's cut" is often considered a misnomer. Some directors deliberately try to avoid labelling alternate versions as such (e.g. Peter Jackson and James Cameron ; each using the phrases "Special Edition" or "Extended Edition" for alternate versions of their films). Sometimes the term is used a marketing ploy. For example, Ridley Scott states on the director's commentary track of Alien that
2622-407: A rocket, Fox bought Magnetic Video in 1978 and turned the company into its home video division . The home video market grew rapidly along with the widespread acquisition of affordable videocassette recorders by the majority of households during the 1980s. For example, in 1978, total number of VCRs purchased to date at wholesale in the United States was only 402,000, the average wholesale price of
2736-555: A single disc, which is spun at high speed, while VHS videocassettes had several moving parts that were far more vulnerable to breaking down under heavy wear and tear. Each time a VHS cassette was played, the magnetic tape inside had to be pulled out and wrapped around the inclined drum head inside the player. While a VHS tape can be erased if it is exposed to a rapidly changing magnetic field of sufficient strength, DVDs and other optical discs are not affected by magnetic fields. The relative mechanical simplicity and durability of DVD compared to
2850-561: A time every few months and active shows to be released on DVD after the end of each season. Prior to the television DVDs, most television shows were only viewable in syndication , on limited "best of" VHS releases of selected episodes or released slowly in volumes with only two or three episodes per tape. These copyrighted movies and programs generally have legal restrictions on them preventing them from, among other things, being shown in public venues, shown to other people for money, or copied for other than fair use purposes (although such ability
2964-578: A time frame between 22:00 (FSK 16) or 23:00 (FSK 18) and 6:00. Stations are permitted to broadcast films not approved for audiences under 12 at their own discretion. In Ghana, films are classified by the Film Classification Committee: All publicly released films must be submitted to the Youth Committee for classification. There are four categories: Films intended for public exhibition have to be submitted to
3078-417: A version dubbed "The Final Cut" in 2007. This was the final re-cut and the first in which Scott maintained creative control over the final product, leading to The Final Cut being considered the definitive version of the film. Once distributors discovered that consumers would buy alternate versions of films, it became more common for films to have alternative versions released. And the original public meaning of
3192-407: A video release restored 20 minutes the studio had insisted on cutting; Cameron also voluntarily made cuts to the theatrical version of The Abyss for pacing but restored them for a video release, and most famously, Ridley Scott 's Blade Runner , where an alternate workprint version was released to fan acclaim, ultimately resulting in the 1992 recut. Scott later recut the film once more, releasing
3306-418: Is Ridley Scott's Alien , which had a "director's cut" released in 2003, even though the director said it was purely for "marketing purposes" and didn't represent his preferred vision for the film. Sometimes alternate edits are released, which are not necessarily director's preferred cuts, but which showcase different visions for the project for fans to enjoy. Examples include James Cameron's Avatar , which
3420-482: Is a legal age restriction on certain types of content i.e. discrimination, sexual abuse, glorification of violence etc. In addition to the ABMC's age recommendations, in the state of Vienna children under the age of 6 are only permitted to attend public film performances if they are accompanied. The AMBC issues age recommendation from the following categories: The Bahamas Plays and Films Control Board classifies films in
3534-580: Is as a medium for video material such as feature films and for the physical distribution of video games. The plastic disc is the same size as DVDs and compact discs . Blu-ray was officially released on June 20, 2006, beginning the high-definition optical disc format war , in which Blu-ray Disc competed against the HD DVD format. Toshiba , the main company supporting HD DVD, conceded in February 2008. Blu-ray has competition from video on demand (VOD) and
Director's cut - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-473: Is at least 18 years old, except for those rated 18, which can only be allowed for teenagers aged 16+. Unlike many countries, the ClassInd does not have any legal right to ban, demand cuts or refuse to rate any film. The ClassInd uses the following system: There are also operational descriptions of attenuating and aggravating elements that can interfere on the final rating. The Bulgarian film rating system
3762-747: Is defined in the Film Industry Act of 2003 and administered by the National Film Rating Committee. Since then, two more restrictive ratings (C+ and D+) have been added to the system: In Cambodia, the Department of Movies and Promotion of Culture at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MCFA) classifies films for exhibition in cinemas and on home media under the following age categories: Film ratings in Canada are
3876-727: Is limited by some jurisdictions and media formats – see below). After the passage of the Video Recordings (Labelling) Act of 1985 in the United Kingdom, videotapes and other video recordings without a certification symbol from the British Board of Film Classification on their covers – or on the tapes themselves – were no longer allowed to be sold or displayed by rental shops. These tapes are called "Pre-Certs" (i.e. Pre-certification tapes). Recently these tapes have generated
3990-463: Is not the case with Alien : The Director's Cut. It's a completely different beast." —Ridley Scott James Cameron has shared similar sentiments regarding the special editions of his films, "What I put into theaters is the Director's Cut. Nothing was cut that I didn't want cut. All the extra scenes we've added back in are just a bonus for the fans." Similar statements were made by Ridley Scott for
4104-758: Is responsible for certifying films meant for public exhibition. Motion pictures shown in Indonesia must undergo reviewing by the Film Censorship Agency of the Republic of Indonesia ( Indonesian : Lembaga Sensor Film , LSF). Other than issuing certificates, the LSF also reviews and issues permits for film-related advertising, such as movie trailers and posters. Since the late 2000s, LSF has no authority to cut scenes from films, but it may suggest cuts to distributors in order for it to issue certificates in
4218-601: Is usually required to elapse between theatrical release and availability on home video to encourage movie theater patronage and discourage copyright infringement . Home-video releases originally followed five to six months after theatrical release, but since the late 2000s, most films have begun being distributed on video after three to four months. As of 2019, most major theater chains mandate an exclusivity window of 90 days before home-video release, and 74–76 days before electronic sell-through . Christmas and other holiday-related movies are sometimes not released on home video until
4332-554: The Canadian Home Video Rating System (CHVRS). The categories are mostly identical to the CHVRS with a few minor variations. In the provinces that require classification of video formats, supply of 14A and 18A films is restricted to customers above those ages. In the case of theatre exhibition, children are admitted to 14A if accompanied by an adult. In British Columbia , Saskatchewan (administered by
4446-732: The Kvikmyndaskoðun system in Iceland. In October 2013, FRÍSK announced that it was adopting a new system similar to the Netherlands' Kijkwijzer at least through 2016. The Icelandic ratings system also provides an "18" rating in addition to the Kijkwijzer ratings. Under Icelandic law, minors aged 14-years-old and over may be admitted to a film carrying a higher age rating if accompanied by an adult. The ratings are as follows: In India, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)
4560-568: The National Audiovisual Institute . A minor up to 3 years younger than the age limit is permitted to see a film in a cinema when accompanied by an adult, except for 18-rated films. Films with an age rating may contain an additional marker for violence, sex, fear, or substance abuse. The ratings are as follows: Prior to showing in theatres, a distribution certificate must be obtained from the Ministry of Culture . The Minister will decide which certificate to issue based on
4674-629: The National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA) issues ratings for films based on the following categories: The Classification Board and Classification Review Board are government-funded organisations which classify all films that are released for public exhibition. Films intended to inform, educate or instruct or concerned with sport, religion or music are exempt from classification provided they do not contain material that would result in an "M" rating or higher if submitted for classification. Motion pictures are rated by
Director's cut - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-462: The PlayStation 4 games Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding both received expanded features on both games. "Director's cuts" in music are rarely released. A few exceptions include Guided by Voices ' 1994 album Bee Thousand , which was re-released as a three disc vinyl LP director's cut in 2004, and Fall Out Boy 's 2003 album Take This to Your Grave , which was re-released as
4902-475: The VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes , but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray . In a different usage, "home video" refers to amateur video recordings, also known as home movies . Released in 1978, LaserDisc (LD) is another home video format, which never managed to gain widespread use on North American and European retail markets due to high cost of
5016-511: The format war late in the decade. The shift to home viewing radically changed revenue streams for film companies, because home renting provided an additional window of time in which a film could make money. In some cases, films that performed only modestly in their theater releases went on to sell significantly well in the rental market (e.g., cult films ). During the 1980s, video distributors gradually realized that many consumers did want to build their own video libraries, and not just rent, if
5130-464: The 1970s, several of which were re-cut (Chaplin's re-release of The Gold Rush in the 1940s is almost certainly the earliest prominent example of a director's re-cut film being released to the public). A theatrical re-release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind used the phrase " Special Edition " to describe a cut which was closer to Spielberg's intent but had a compromised ending demanded by
5244-482: The 2003 'director's cut' of Alien . Such alternate versions sometimes include changes to the special effects in addition to different editing, such as George Lucas 's Star Wars films, and Steven Spielberg 's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . Extended or special editions can also apply to films that have been extended for television or cut out to fill time slots and long advertisement breaks, against
5358-539: The Austrian Board of Media Classification (ABMC) for the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur). The recommendations made by the ABMC are generally not legally binding and there are nine sets of state laws on the cinema sector with different age provisions. The only exception is in the case of "16" rated films, since under Austrian law there
5472-759: The Bahamas. Upon completion of the examination the Board will classify the film in accordance with the following ratings: In Barbados, films are classified by the Film Censorship Board (FCB): On 8 January 2020, Belgium adopted the Dutch Kijkwijzer classification system. Belgium had previously used a basic two-tier system, in place since 1 September 1920. Until January 2020, classifications for films publicly exhibited in Belgium were issued by
5586-599: The British Columbia Film Classification Office), Alberta and Ontario children are also admitted to 18A films if accompanied. However, children under the age of 14 are prohibited to view 18A films in the Manitoba and Maritime provinces even if accompanied by an adult. The Maritimes and British Columbia (along with Saskatchewan) also provide an "A" classification for adult content. Some provinces, such as Nova Scotia, reserve
5700-698: The Cook Islands Censorship Office in accordance with the Film and Censorship Act 1985. The following four classifications are used: The Censorship Office does not define the age for a "mature audience", but its television code—which uses the same ratings—defines a child as "under 15 years". In Costa Rica, films are classified by the Ministry of Justice and Peace: In Denmark, the Media Council for Children and Young People currently rates films. Films do not have to be submitted for
5814-692: The Council of Cinematographic Classification ( Consejo de Calificación Cinematográfica ) which is a central agency under the Ministry of Education. In 2002 legislation was enacted which reversed the ban on all 1,090 films that had previously been banned in Chile. The current age ratings (enacted in 2002) are: The age ratings may also be supplemented by the following content categories: Minors are allowed to watch cinematographic productions rated in an immediately higher category than their age if accompanied by any of their parents, guardians, or their teachers within
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#17327985479865928-558: The Director of Film, Newspaper and Article Administration, who is the Film Censorship Authority (FCA) under the Ordinance, for approval. Films approved for public exhibition are then either classified or exempted from classification. Of the four levels, Categories I, II A , and II B are unrestricted. Only Category III is a restricted category and regulated by the government. Hungarian ratings are decided by
6042-682: The Director’s Cut are like pieces missing from a beautiful but incomplete puzzle"), or Sam Peckinpah 's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid , where the restored 115-minute cut is closer to the director's intent than the theatrical 105-minute cut (the actual director's cut was 122 minutes; it was never completed to Peckinpah's satisfaction, but was used as a guide for the restoration that was done after his death). In some instances, such as Peter Weir 's Picnic at Hanging Rock , Robert Wise 's Star Trek: The Motion Picture , John Cassavetes 's The Killing of
6156-545: The Extra-Terrestrial: The 20th Anniversary ) Separate to director's cuts are alternate cuts released as "special editions" or "extended cuts". These versions are often put together for home video for fans, and should not be confused with 'director's cuts'. For example, despite releasing extended versions of his The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson told IGN in 2019 that “the theatrical versions are
6270-492: The Inter-Community Commission for Film Rating ( Dutch : Intergemeenschapscommissie voor de Filmkeuring ; French : Commission Intercommunautaire de Contrôle des Films ). Films were prohibited to minors under the age of 16 unless passed by the commission. There is no mandatory rating system for video formats but 90% of video distribution abides by the voluntary Belgium Video Federation. It was basically
6384-596: The National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH): All ratings are advisory except the "X" classification. The current one is the third motion picture rating system in Hungary. The first system existed between 1965 and 2004, and was administered by the Ministry for National Cultural Heritage and its predecessors. Its categories were "Without age restriction", "Not recommended below age of 14", "Above age of 16 only", and "Above age of 18 only". A second system
6498-678: The United States, and over 154 million subscriptions total, including free trials. It is available worldwide except in mainland China (due to local restrictions), Syria, North Korea, and Crimea (due to U.S. sanctions). The company also has offices in India , the Netherlands , Brazil , Japan , and South Korea . Netflix is a member of the Motion Picture Association . Netflix began producing media itself in 2012 and since then took more of an active role as producer and distributor for both films and television series. Following
6612-399: The audiences, with most media consumers in urban areas globally having domestic Internet access. As early as 1906, various film entrepreneurs began to consider the business potential of home viewing of films, and in 1912, both Edison and Pathé started selling film projectors for home use. Because making release prints was (and still is) very expensive—as of 2005, the cost of making
6726-442: The car. Britney Spears ' music video for 2007's " Gimme More " was first released as a director's cut on iTunes , with the official video released 3 days later. Many other director's cut music videos contain sexual content that can't be shown on TV thus creating alternative scenes, such as Thirty Seconds to Mars 's " Hurricane ", and in some cases, alternative videos, such as in the case of Spears' 2008 video for " Womanizer ". As
6840-764: The case of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater , the American versions were released first, followed by the Japanese versions and then the European versions, with each regional release offering new content not found in the previous one. All of the added content from the Japanese and European versions of those games were included in the expanded editions titled Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence . They also, similar to movies, will occasionally include extra, uncensored or alternate versions of cutscenes, as
6954-437: The continued sale of DVDs. As of January 2016, 44% of U.S. broadband households had a Blu-ray player. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, though, people continued to use VCRs to record over-the-air TV shows, because they could not make home recordings onto DVDs. This problem with DVD was resolved in the late 2000s, when inexpensive DVD recorders and other digital video recorders (DVRs) – which record shows onto
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#17327985479867068-458: The definitive versions, I regard the extended cuts as being a novelty for the fans that really want to see the extra material.” "The traditional definition of the term 'Director's Cut' suggests the restoration of a director's original vision, free of any creative limitations. It suggests that the filmmaker has finally overcome the interference of heavy-handed studio executives, and that the film has been restored to its original, untampered form. Such
7182-593: The desired rating is not obtained, especially to avoid a higher rating than intended. A film may also be re-edited to produce a different version for other countries. A comparison of current film rating systems, showing age on the horizontal axis. Note however that the specific criteria used in assigning a classification can vary widely from one country to another. Therefore, the color codes and age ranges are not directly comparable from one country to another. Key: Through its Advisory Commission of Cinematographic Exhibition ( Comisión Asesora de Exhibición Cinematográfica )
7296-425: The director was 1983's Twice Upon a Time , which was extended to have more profanity (supervised by co-writer and producer Bill Couturié ) as opposed to co-director John Korty 's original. The Coen Brothers ' Blood Simple is one of few examples that demonstrate director's cuts are not necessarily longer. The music video for the 2006 Academy Award -nominated song " Listen ", performed by Beyoncé , received
7410-529: The director would not like to be shown but uses as a placeholder until satisfactory replacements can be inserted. This is still how the term is used within the film industry, as well as commercials, television, and music videos. The trend of releasing alternate cuts of films for artistic reasons became prominent in the 1970s; in 1974, the "director's cut" of The Wild Bunch was shown theatrically in Los Angeles to sold-out audiences. The theatrical release of
7524-437: The director's vision and the producer's vision, and the director's preferred edit is sought after by fans (for example Terry Gilliam's Brazil ). Not all films have separate "director's cuts", (often the director is happy with the theatrical release, even if they didn't have final cut privilege), and sometimes separate versions of films are released as "director's cuts" even if the director doesn't prefer them. Once such example
7638-408: The directorial credit, to negative reception from general audience, fans and critics alike and a box office failure. Following a global fan campaign to which the director and members of the cast and crew showed support, Snyder was allowed to return and complete the project the way he intended it and a 4-hour version of the film dubbed Zack Snyder's Justice League with some additionally shot scenes at
7752-405: The editor may be guided by their own choices or following notes from the director or producers. Eventually is the final cut , which actually gets released or broadcast. In between the editor's cut and the final cut can come any number of fine cuts, including the director's cut. The director's cut may include unsatisfactory takes, a preliminary soundtrack, a lack of desired pick-up shots etc., which
7866-541: The end was released on March 18, 2021, on HBO Max to much favorable reviews and acclaim. Snyder originally teased a 214-minute cut of the film that was supposed to be the theatrical version released in 2017 if he did not step down from the project. Snyder has also confirmed that his Netflix distributed sci-fi film Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (2023) and its sequel Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (2024) would receive R-rated director's cuts with its new titles Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood , and
7980-516: The equivalent film on a used DVD. In July 2016, the last known manufacturer of VCRs, Funai , announced that it was ceasing VCR production. One of streaming's largest impacts was on DVD, which has become less popular with the mass popularization of online streaming of media . Media streaming's popularization caused many DVD rental companies, such as Blockbuster , to go out of business. In July 2015, The New York Times published an article about Netflix 's DVD-by-mail services. It stated that Netflix
8094-758: The explicit wishes of the director, such as the TV versions of Dune (1984), The Warriors (1979), Superman (1978) and the Harry Potter films. The Lord of the Rings film series directed by Peter Jackson saw an "Extended Edition" release for each of the three films The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003) featuring an additional 30 minutes, 47 minutes and 51 minutes respectively of new scenes, special effects and music alongside fan-club credits. These versions of
8208-507: The film glorifies violence or drug use, whether said violence or drug use is carried out by the protagonist, with whom the viewer should empathize, or by the antagonist. In Germany, for example, films depicting explicit war violence in a real war context (such as the Second World War) are handled more leniently than films with purely fictional settings. A film may be produced with a particular rating in mind. It may be re-edited if
8322-425: The film had cut 10 minutes to get an R rating, but this cut was hailed as superior and has now become the definitive one. Other early examples include George Lucas 's first two films being re-released following the success of Star Wars , in cuts which more closely resembled his vision, or Peter Bogdanovich re-cutting The Last Picture Show several times. Charlie Chaplin also re-released all of his films in
8436-417: The film rating system has no legal consequences, and a film has not explicitly been restricted or banned, there are usually laws forbidding certain films, or forbidding minors to view them. The influence of specific factors in deciding a rating varies from country to country. Other factors may or may not influence the classification process, such as being set within a non-fictional historical context, whether
8550-446: The films were not Jackson's preferred edit, however, they were simply extended versions for fans to enjoy at home. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice directed by Zack Snyder had an "Ultimate Edition," which added back 31 minutes of footage cut for the theatrical release and received an R rating, released digitally on 28 June 2016, and on Blu-ray on 19 July 2016. The extended director's cut received more positive critical reviews than
8664-495: The first commercially practical videotape recording system. The Ampex system, though, used reel-to-reel tape and physically bulky equipment not suitable for home use. In the mid-1970s, videotape became the first truly practical home-video format with the development of videocassettes , which were far easier to use than tape reels. The Betamax and VHS home videocassette formats were introduced, respectively, in 1975 and 1976, but several more years and significant reductions in
8778-727: The first film, and entire scenes that were shot by replacement director Richard Lester which Donner dislikes but were required for story purposes. On the other side, some critics (such as Roger Ebert ) have approved of the use of the label in unsuccessful films that had been tampered with by studio executives, such as Sergio Leone 's original cut of Once Upon a Time in America , and the moderately successful theatrical version of Daredevil , which were altered by studio interference for their theatrical release. Other well-received director's cuts include Ridley Scott 's Kingdom of Heaven (with Empire magazine stating: "The added 45 minutes in
8892-800: The following year, when the holiday occurs again. Major studios have made films available for rental during their theatrical window on high-end services that charge upwards of $ 500 per rental and use proprietary hardware. Exceptions to the rule include the Steven Soderbergh film Bubble , which was released in 2006 to theaters, cable television, and DVD only a few days apart. Netflix has released some of its films, such as Roma and The Irishman , in limited theatrical release followed by streaming availability after less than 30 days. Many television programs are now also available in complete seasons on DVD. It has become popular practice for discontinued TV shows to be released to DVD one season at
9006-526: The footage that exists. Examples of this include Terry Zwigoff 's Bad Santa , Brian Helgeland 's Payback , and most notably the Richard Donner re-cut of Superman II . Donner completed about 75 per cent of the shooting of the sequel during the shooting of the first one but was fired from the project. His director's cut of the film includes, among other things, screen test footage of stars Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder , footage used in
9120-420: The fragility of VHS made DVDs a far better format from a rental store's perspective. Though DVDs do not have the problems of videocassettes, such as breakage of the tape or the cassette mechanism, they can still be damaged by scratches. Another advantage from the perspective of video rental stores is that DVDs are physically much smaller, so they take less space to store. DVDs also offer a number of advantages for
9234-485: The framework of their educational activities. This rule does not apply to films with pornographic or excessively violent content. Furthermore, films with pornographic content may only be exhibited at venues licensed for that purpose. In 2005, the Ministry of Culture issued its new rating system. The classifications are: In the Cook Islands , publications such as films, TV shows and video games are classified by
9348-416: The gameplay or additional game modes and features outside the main portion of the game. As is the case with certain high-profile Japanese-produced games, the game designers may take the liberty to revise their product for the overseas market with additional features during the localization process. These features are later added back to the native market in a re-release of a game in what is often referred as
9462-401: The home video market, and through its home video division, Buena Vista Home Entertainment , the company did just that during the 1980s and 1990s. This spectacular success "catapulted the head of Disney's video division, Bill Mechanic , into executive stardom." In 1994, Mechanic left Disney to become head of Fox Filmed Entertainment . Another executive, Bob Chapek , would later ascend through
9576-478: The international version of the game. This was the case with the overseas versions of Final Fantasy VII , Metal Gear Solid and Rogue Galaxy , which contained additional features (such as new difficulty settings for Metal Gear Solid ), resulting in re-released versions of those respective games in Japan ( Final Fantasy VII International , Metal Gear Solid: Integral and Rogue Galaxy: Director's Cut ). In
9690-440: The largest amount of distinct versions of a single film. Among major studio films, the record is believed to be held by Blade Runner ; the magazine Video Watchdog counted no less than seven distinct versions in a 1993 issue, before director Ridley Scott later released a "Final Cut" in 2007 to acclaim from critics including Roger Ebert who included it on his great movies list, The release of Blade Runner: The Final Cut brings
9804-758: The launch of various streaming services during the early 2020s, in particular those operated by the major Hollywood studios, home video continued to decline. One of the most prominent examples of this effect was with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment which, following the launch of Disney+ in 2019 and its international expansion in the following years, began to discontinue physical distribution entirely in certain regions such as Latin America, Asia (excluding Japan), Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Hungary, or to outsource its activities to other regional distributors (like Divisa Home Video for Spain, Eagle Pictures for Italy, Leonine Studios for Germany, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for North America. A time period
9918-430: The number of topics, including "...dog handling videos, back pain videos and cooking videos", which were not previously thought of as marketable. Next, even "golf and skiing tapes* started selling. Contemporary sources noted, "new technology has changed the territory" of the home video market. In the early 2000s, VHS gradually began to be displaced by DVD . The DVD format has several advantages over VHS. A DVD consists of
10032-420: The original theatrical release was his "director's cut", and that the new version was released as a marketing ploy. Director Peter Bogdanovich , no stranger to director's cuts himself, cites Red River as an example where MGM have a version of Howard Hawks's Red River that they're calling the Director's Cut and it is absolutely not the director's cut. It's a cut the director didn't want, an earlier cut that
10146-584: The players and their inability to record TV programs (unlike the VHS ), although it retained some popularity among videophiles and film enthusiasts during its lifespan; the format had greater prevalence in some regions of Southeast Asia such as Japan , Hong Kong , Singapore and Malaysia where it was better supported. Film titles were released in LD format until 2001, production of LD players ceased in 2009. The home video business distributes films , television series , telefilms and other audiovisual media to
10260-453: The price was right . Rather than sell a few thousand units at a wholesale price of $ 70 into the rental channel, video distributors could sell hundreds of thousands of units at a wholesale price of $ 15-20 into the retail " sell-through " channel. The "ultimate accelerant" for the rise of the "sell-through" home video market was the development of children's home video. The pre-1980s conventional wisdom that consumers had no interest in watching
10374-495: The prices of both equipment and videocassettes were needed before both formats started to become widespread in households. The first company to duplicate and distribute feature films from major film studios on home video was Magnetic Video . Magnetic Video was established in 1968 as an audio and video duplication service for professional audio and television corporations in Farmington Hills, Michigan . After Betamax
10488-452: The public could purchase a film projector for one of those film formats and rent or buy home-use prints of some cartoons, short comedies, and brief "highlights" reels edited from feature films. The Super 8 film format, introduced in 1965, was marketed for making home movies, but it also boosted the popularity of show-at-home films. Eventually, longer, edited-down versions of feature films were issued, which increasingly came in color and with
10602-575: The public in the form of videos in various formats, either bought or rented and then watched privately in purchasers' homes. Most theatrically released films are now released on digital media (both optical and download-based), replacing the largely obsolete videotape medium. As of 2006 , the Video CD format remained popular in Asia. DVDs have been gradually losing popularity since the late 2010s and early 2020s, when streaming media became mainstream for
10716-456: The quick failures of these early attempts at home viewing, most feature films were essentially inaccessible to the public after their original theatrical runs. For most of the 20th century, the idea that ordinary consumers could own copies of films and watch them at their convenience in their own homes "was beyond the grasp of reasonable expectations." Some very popular films were given occasional theatrical re-releases in urban revival houses and
10830-453: The ranks of Disney's home video division to become chief executive officer of the entire company in 2020, and for that reason (before his sudden 2022 departure) was called "the home entertainment industry's single biggest success story." Until the mid-1980s, home video was dominated by feature film theatrical releases such as The Wizard of Oz , Citizen Kane , and Casablanca from major film studios . At that time, not many people owned
10944-571: The right to prohibit films altogether. In general, the categories are: In Quebec , the provincial Ministry of Culture and Communications (and until 2017 the Régie du cinéma ) rates all films and videos; its purview devolves from the Cinema Act (chapter C-18.1). In some cases the Ministry may refuse to provide a classification, effectively banning the film. Educational and sports films are exempt from classification. Films are classified by
11058-529: The same as the system for theatrical exhibition, but also provided a "12" rating. Under Kijkwijzer, the distributor fills out a questionnaire about the content of the film and an age category is automatically assigned. The new system is fully advisory, and carries no mandatory restrictions. In the French and German-speaking communities , the system is known as Cinecheck . The age categories are as follows: All films that are exhibited in public or released on
11172-467: The same films again and again at home turned out to be entirely wrong with respect to children. Many harried parents discovered that it was a good investment to pay $ 20 to purchase a videocassette that could reliably keep their children riveted to the television screen for over an hour—and not just one time, but many, many times. The Walt Disney Company recognized that its flagship animation studio's family-friendly films were superbly positioned to conquer
11286-507: The screening rooms of a few archives and museums. Beginning in the 1950s, most could be expected to be broadcast on television, eventually. During this era, television programs normally could only be viewed at the time of broadcast . Viewers were accustomed to the fact that there was no easy way to record television shows at home and watch them whenever desired. In 1924, Kodak invented 16 mm film , which became popular for home use, and then later developed 8 mm film . After that point,
11400-414: The sequel Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness (both 2024). The PG-13 initial versions of those films having been critically panned. The film Caligula exists in at least 10 different officially released versions, ranging from a sub-90-minute television edit version of TV-14 (later TV-MA) for cable television to an unrated full pornographic version exceeding 3.5 hours. This is believed to be
11514-435: The small community of film buffs who for decades had willingly paid hundreds of dollars to purchase release prints. Therefore, in 1977, Magnetic Video originally priced its videocassettes at $ 50 to $ 70 each—a princely sum at a time when the average price of an American movie ticket was $ 2.23—and sold them only to wholesalers capable of handling a minimum order of $ 8,000. When the American home video market suddenly took off like
11628-583: The so-called "sell-through" channel, to be purchased at retail or ordered directly by consumers and viewed exclusively as home videos. It was pointed out at the time that [L]imitations within the video marketplace may be gone tomorrow. More people are finding innovative ways to create visually stimulating entertainment and information for the video tape player... Like contemporary book publishing, you can produce and distribute yourself to very narrow markets or seek broad-based distributors for mass-oriented appeal. Special-interest video increased to larger audiences
11742-528: The studio. As the home video industry rose in the early 1980s, video releases of director's cuts were sometimes created for the small but dedicated cult fan market. Los Angeles cable station Z Channel is also cited as significant in the popularization of alternate cuts. Early examples of films released in this manner include Michael Cimino 's Heaven's Gate , where a longer cut was recalled from theatres but subsequently shown on cable and eventually released to home video; James Cameron 's Aliens , where
11856-469: The supposed grand total to eight differing versions of Blade Runner . Upon its release on DVD and Blu-ray in 2019, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald featured an extended cut with seven minutes of additional footage. This is the first time since Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that a Wizarding World film has had one. An animated example of an extended cut without the approval of
11970-439: The theatrically released film. The film Justice League which suffered a very troubled production, was begun by Snyder, who completed a pre-postproduction director's cut but had to step down before completing the project due to his daughter's death. Joss Whedon was hired by the films' distributor Warner Bros. Pictures to complete the film, which was however heavily re-shot, re-edited and released in 2017 with Snyder retaining
12084-451: The trend became more widely recognized, the term director's cut became increasingly used as a colloquialism to refer to an expanded version of other things, including video games, music, and comic books. This confusing usage only served to further reduce the artistic value of a director's cut, and it is currently rarely used in those ways. For video games, these expanded versions, also referred as "complete editions", will have additions to
12198-473: The viewer: DVDs can support both standard 4:3 and widescreen 16:9 screen-aspect ratios, and can provide twice the video resolution of VHS. Skipping ahead to the end is much easier and faster with a DVD than with a VHS tape (which has to be rewound). DVDs can have interactive menus, multiple language tracks, audio commentaries, closed captioning, and subtitling (with the option of turning the subtitles on or off, or selecting subtitles in several languages). Moreover,
12312-521: Was born, initially, as a rental business. Film studios and video distributors assumed that the overwhelming majority of consumers would not want to buy prerecorded videocassettes, but would merely rent them. They felt that virtually all sales of videocassettes would be to video rental stores and set prices accordingly. According to Douglas Gomery , studio executives thought that the handful of consumers actually interested in purchasing videocassettes in order to watch them again and again would be similar to
12426-484: Was continuing their DVD services with 5.3 million subscribers, which was a significant decrease from the previous year, but their streaming services had 65 million members. Netflix's primary business is its subscription-based streaming service , which offers online streaming of a library of films and television programs, including those produced in-house. As of April 2019, Netflix had over 148 million paid subscriptions worldwide, including 60 million in
12540-477: Was introduced in 2004 which was overhauled in 2011 in favour of the current system. Its categories—given by the National Film Office—were "Without age restriction", "Parental guidance suggested below age of 12", "Not recommended below age of 16", "Not recommended below age of 18", and "For adults only". Since 1 July 2006, FRÍSK (short for Félag rétthafa í sjónvarps- og kvikmyndaiðnaði ) has replaced
12654-431: Was junked. They assume because it was longer that it's a director's cut. Capra cut two reels off Lost Horizon because it didn't work and then someone tried to put it back. There are certainly mistakes and stupidities in reconstructing pictures. Another way that released director's cuts can be compromised is when directors were never allowed to even shoot their vision, and thus when the film is re-cut, they must make do with
12768-558: Was launched in the United States in 1976, Magnetic Video chief executive Andre Blay wrote letters to all the major film studios offering to license the rights to their films. Near the end of 1977, Magnetic Video entered into a first-of-its-kind deal with 20th Century Fox . Magnetic Video agreed to pay Fox a royalty of $ 7.50 per unit sold and a guaranteed annual minimum payment of $ 500,000 in exchange for nonexclusive rights to 50 films, which had to be at least two years old and had already been broadcast on network television . Home video
12882-408: Was released as both a "Special Edition" and "Extended" cuts, and Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings , which were released on home video as "Extended Editions". These versions do not represent the director's preferred visions. The term since expanded to include media such as video games, comic books and music albums (the latter two of which don't actually have directors). Within the industry itself,
12996-935: Was the case with Resident Evil: Code Veronica X . In markets with strict censorship, a later relaxing of those laws occasional will result in the game being rereleased with the "Special/Uncut Edition" tag added to differentiate between the originally released censored version and the current uncensored edition. Several of the Pokémon games have also received director's cuts and have used the term "extension", though "remake" and "third version" are also often used by many fans. These include Pocket Monsters: Blue (Japan only), Pokémon Yellow (for Pokémon Red and Green / Blue ), Pokémon Crystal (for Pokémon Gold and Silver ), Pokémon Emerald (for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire ), Pokémon Platinum (for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl ) and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon . For their PlayStation 5 "Director's Cut" releases of
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