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"Wonder Boys" DVD - modified for content?

post #1 of 6
3/29/02 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
I was surprised to see a notice to this effect at the beginning of the movie; I've never seen a notice like this before. For those of you who have seen both the theatrical release and the DVD, has the DVD version indeed been modified?
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post #2 of 6
3/29/02 at 2:38pm
From the Internet Movie Database:

Quote:
In the theatrical version Tobey Maguire mistakenly refers to Alan Ladd's death as a suicide. After complaints from Ladd's family, Paramount removed the offending line in all future releases of the film, including home video. VHS and DVD releases carry a disclaimer, shown before the feature, warning that the film has been edited for content.
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post #3 of 6
3/29/02 at 4:13pm
You could always use the search function too.
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post #4 of 6
3/29/02 at 4:41pm
I bet you were worried that Katie Holmes did some gratitious nudity and they sniped it, :b

Max
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post #5 of 6
3/29/02 at 6:05pm
So did Ladd really commit suicide or what? Is there any merit to the family's claim or did Paramount just bow to the pressure rather than create problems? I haven't seen this film yet.

Ladd's biography on IMDB says
Quote:
By the end of the fifties, liquor and a string of so-so movies had taken their toll. In November 1962 he was found unconscious lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound near his heart. In January 1964 he was found dead, apparently due to an accidental combination of alcohol and sedatives.
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post #6 of 6
3/29/02 at 6:27pm
I can't really speak to the Ladd issue itself, but as far as this change goes in the movie, it is invisible if you're not aware of it and possibly even if you are. (I think they dubbed in a different name and cause of death in that spot. We're talking about maybe two seconds tops.)

Considering the holy hell people raise when the most minute things get changed in films for whatever reasons, I think Paramount should be commended for making mention of this edit. (It probably causes confusion more than anything, though.) I would not consider this something to get worked up about to the point of not purchasing the DVD. I'll have to pay attention if the Ladd reference will be in the print screened at Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival.
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