Director's Cut
A Director's Cut is a specially edited version of a movie that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit of the movie. It often comes some time after the original release of the film, where the original release differs from the director's approved edit. 'Cut' being synonymous with 'edit' in this context.
With most studio films the director does not have final cut, and the studio can insist on changes to make the film more likely to succeed at the box office. This sometimes means happier endings or less ambiguity. Most common, however, is that studios ask that the film be shortened. Thus a Director's Cut is often considerably longer. Sometimes for the better ('Bladerunner'), sometimes not, ('Donnie Darko'), but then it's all a matter of opinion. Scroll below to discover Alice's treasure trove of Director's Cuts and decide for yourself.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
8.6/10
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Voice O...
The story of a boy, a girl and a universe. Now a classic, this blend of pulp magazine sci-fi, comic book action, old fashioned cliff-hanger story and... Read more
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
8.3/10
Director: Richard Marquand
Starring: Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Sebastian Shaw, I...
The last chapter in the popular series delivers more thrills and adventure as the forces of good and not so good battle on the forest moon of Endor, i... Read more
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
8.8/10
Director: Irvin Kershner
Starring: Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Alec Guinness, Vo...
The sequel to the original 'Star Wars' (Episode IV) finds our heroes under attack by the Evil Empire. Luke is taking advanced Jedi training from Yoda... Read more
The Wild Bunch (1969)
8/10
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: William Holden, Warren Oates, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Ben Johnson
Peckinpah at his violent best. In the Southwest of 1913, Pike Bishop (William Holden) is leader of 'The Wild Bunch', a gang of outlaws coerced by a Me... Read more
Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut (2001)
8.1/10
Director: Richard Kelly
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Katharine Ross, Mary McDonnell, No...
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, dem... Read more
The Act of Killing (2012)
8.2/10
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
This chilling and inventive documentary tells the stories of members of the Indonesian death squads who tortured and killed over 500,000 people throug... Read more
The Last Picture Show (1971)
8.1/10
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ben Johnson, Ellen Burstyn, Cloris Leachman, Cybi...
Peter Bogdanovich's masterfully rendered, critically acclaimed drama follows the loves, dreams and fates of the denizens of a small Texas town in the... Read more
Alien (1979)
8.5/10
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hu...
On its way back to Earth, a spacecraft is re-routed to a remote planet to investigate a distress call. When a member of the landing party returns to t... Read more
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)
8.2/10
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M Emmet Walsh, Dary...
Ridley Scott's definitive version of the sci-fi noir favourite stars Harrison Ford as a retired detective called back to duty to track down artificial... Read more
The Butterfly Effect (2003)
7.7/10
Director: Eric Bress, J Mackye Gruber
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Eric Stoltz, William Lee Scott, Elden Henson, Logan L...
In this intriguing sci-fi thriller, a young man (Ashton Kutcher) struggling to get over disturbing memories from his childhood discovers that he is ab... Read more