KILL BILL: The multiple versions thread (6 from Miramax; Japanese, SEs, etc.) (1 Viewer)

[Elijah Sullivan]

Haggai,

Every source I've read has said the same thing:

Tarantino's original cut of Kill Bill was a single, 2.5-hour film. The Miramax chiefs talked QT into splitting his flick in half -- but that left two very short (75-min) films, so each of them was watered down with deleted scenes to reach a more desireable running length.

(Apparently, tho, the second film ate up most of the 150-minute running time of Bill: Uncut, so the first film was actually beefed up from a running time closer to a single hour.)

Problem is, these deleted scenes were cut for a reason, so clearly QT's director's cut (if there is any such thing) is actually the shorter 2.5-hour version that is being held for last. It was even played at Cannes this year as a single 2.5-hour flick under the lable Kill Bill: Uncut -- even though it was actually a shorter film than the two movies would make if simply re-spliced.

There are plenty of 2.5-hour movies out there right now, making plenty of money in their theatrical runs. So, not only are they releasing six versions of the DVD, but they are only devoting one release -- the very last -- to QT's director's cut. I don't see how any QT or Bill fans can be happy about this.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Really? The way I heard it, the Weinsteins came to Tarantino with the idea of splitting Kill Bill into two films before shooting was finished, concerned as they were with the sheer ludicrous amount of film he was shooting (and money he was spending) for what was planned as a 150-minute movie.

 

[Elijah Sullivan]

That's not what I've heard (repeatedly), but I hope you're right, Jason.

 

[Haggai]

Tarantino talked about it a few months ago when he went on the Charlie Rose show to promote Vol. 2. Jason Seaver's version matches quite well with what I remember QT saying: he had originally planned on getting through House of Blue Leaves in about 60/90 minutes (the part that eventually became Vol. 1), with about another hour afterwards to finish the story (Vol. 2). But the length rapidly went beyond what he had envisioned once the shooting started, and then Miramax came in with the two movie suggestion.

I did hear about a combined verson playing at Cannes, but I didn't hear anything about how long it was. Are there any sources out there for the running time?

In any event, I find it hard to believe that QT was ever really on track to have one 2.5 hour long version, let alone completed a full cut of that length, only to have the Weinsteins bust in and puff it up to make more money. Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown are both right around 2.5 hours in runtime, so that wasn't new territory for QT. Had he really been able to make the movie he wanted from this material at that length, I'm sure that's what we would have gotten.

 

[Grant H]

In the EW weekly article I read a while back I remember that the script was tremendously overwritten for a single film.

I wish we'd gotten a Japanese cut right off the bat. Everybody else is releasing R or PG-13 and Unrated cuts simulataneously. Seamless branching would have been the best choice probably, because what if I decided I liked the style of the B & W sequence better? Wouldn't have to buy 2 versions.

Anyway, I bought V1 used for cheap. Will probably do the same with V2. Don't know about the Japanese cut. Presumably the difference will be in the final DC edited together, but the way the movies are structured I feel almost certain the combined version will have a lot chopped out. Otherwise, there will be a lot of redundancies. So, if you want everything you saw in theaters, you'll need the original or SE releases. Hopefully, good extras will be on the combined DC, because I won't be double-dipping on the individual SE's. Even so, extras are extras. If the transfers are dramatically improved on the SE's though, I'll be pissed.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

Star Wars was also "intended to be one film".
If QT had chopped this thing down to one movie, 'everyone' would be clamouring to have all the deleted scenes reformatted into the film. As well as the original theatical version. So, this would have been a dual release, at the very least. U.S. censorship lead to the Japanese version.
If the studio isn't telling anyone about the six releases, how do we know about it?
And, aren't you glad there is a HTF!!!

 

[Dan Rudolph]

An exec mentioned it in an interview. For the movies where people haven't complained abotu double-dipping, we were told about all the editions up front. Here, we know nothing except more are coming, so can't make informed decisions about what to buy.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

Thanks Dan for answering my question.
Do we know for sure; There will be six & what the six versions will be?

 

[Jeff Newcomb]

Best Buy is selling an exclusive case to house both volumes.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....6&type=product

 

[Sergio A]

The combined version of the films was shown at Cannes and got an absolutely fantastic review at the Empire magazine website:

http://www.empireonline.co.uk/site/f...cial/killbill/

Essentially it was the two films combined, using the Asian version of Vol. 1 and the whole of Vol. 2 but with the opening recap removed and a few alterations made along the way - the running time is about four hours.

Personally I think it sounds great and I can;t wait to get a chance to see this version in a cinema.


Sergio

 

[JulianK]

Isn't this the same studio (perhaps even the same spokesman) who gleefully announced that they would be releasing umpteen DVD versions of Gangs of New York?

Last time I checked, we're were still waiting for Scorsese's preferred cut of Gangs, let alone any other double-dip versions.

I don't doubt that there'll be another round of Kill Bill releases, but announcements like the one in the first post are often made when a title is white hot, before public interest rapidly dwindles.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

Emilio_M, posted this info Apirl 20th.
Is it correct?
If so, where did this come from?

 

[Matt_M]

I know there was a quite a big difference between the Japanese and American versions of Kill Bill Vol.1
Are there any differences between the Vol 2 DVD releases?

 

[Matt Czyz]

None that I have heard of. I believe they were exactly the same.

 

[Craig Perrin]

I'm not sure where you read this, but I haven't heard or read anything to support this.
Agreeing with what others have posted, and from what I read during production, Kill Bill started out as a shorter movie (original script, before any filming took place), but grew and grew as QT kept filming more, and adding more to the script while on set, writing new scenes everyday. The resulting movie was around 4 hours long, which Mirimax absolutely refused to release; they wanted QT to cut it down to 2 hours plus a bit, he refused. The splitting into two movies was a concession by both parties.
Given QT's track record of not releasing any director's cuts of movies on DVDs because he "always makes the movie he wants to make", I can't conceive of him wanting to make a 2.5 hour movie, but letting Miramax make him pad it out another 1.5 hours with footage he didn't originally want in.
And the Cannes version ran about 4 hours.

Anyway, I loved the movie, and look forward to the final cut of both movies put back together on DVD.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

I don't see how any QT or Bill fans wouldn't be happy about this.
QT & Bill fans have a chance, and it's only a chance as nobody "has" too buy any of this stuff, to buy multi versions of QT's "Fourth". Hope this is fun & not frustrating, for everyone. If it is frustrating that you can not get all these 'versions', just relax with the fact you can't get every Farrari ever released either.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

Yeah.
It's the "Cannes" version for me.

Hope all of those that purchased Vol. 1, with their hard earned cash, are happy/proud too own the original theatrical version!

 

[Robert Anthony]

I'm seriously starting to think it's not going to happen--at least not this year.

Shouldn't there be announcements by now? According to the exec's original game plan--there should be some SE's of both Vol I and II coming out in the next month or so. Something that far along in production should have some advertising, news or word about it.

 

[John Alderson]

I'm sticking with the bare bones releases just to spite Miramax. I love the theatrical versions of each film, and think they play brilliantly as a two parter. I can do without special features, I'm rather desensitized to them at this point anyway.

 

[Robert Anthony]

This is twice in two threads you're posting the exact thing I'm thinking...



..



....get out of my head, John. IT'S MY HEAD!! MINE!

I'll see you in court.