Heavenly Creatures: More Bad News (1 Viewer)

[Michael Martin]

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=12882
It is frustrating Jackson's success with FotR isn't helping him release the film as he shot it - that Weinstein's "fixes" will plague even the DVD release.

 

[Jeffrey Gray]

Well, Peter Jackson did say he liked the U.S. cut better (or was that the U.S. cut sans the various content edits?)

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

While I do think that we should be getting both the US and NZ versions, I disagree with that writer's opinion that they should use the subtitle matte as an option. If they are going to do a widescreen release regardless of 2.35 or 1.66, either should be straight anamorphic transfers. Soft matting even an anamorphic 1.66:1 to 2.35 loses as much resolution as doing a nonanamorphic 1.66:1 transfer, only in the other direction.

Does anyone know whether the Australian release (if there is one) will be the long cut, and if it is/will be anamorphic?

 

[Matthew Kiernan]

NOT SO FAST!!!
Today's MPAA ratings buliten (at least the one posted in this morning's Variety list a HEAVENLY CREATURES: UNCUT EDITION as getting an "R" rating. Exactly how much extra footage this means, I don't know, but there will be something extra in the film!
A little side note: When the film opened, I attended a film seminar where the guest was the guy in charge of cutting movies for Miramax. He explained that the company's policy was always to work with the filmmaker on the cuts they felt were required and that Jackson was indeed involved in Miramax's trims (and claimed to be pleased with them, since the NZ cut was finished under a deadline and he wanted to have more time to work on the film). The guy also said that if the filmmaker doesn't agree with Miramax's cuts, tough luck.
I guess we'll know more in a couple of weeks.

 

[Bryant Frazer]

Today's MPAA ratings buliten (at least the one posted in this morning's Variety list a HEAVENLY CREATURES: UNCUT EDITION as getting an "R" rating.

Interesting, Matt. I'm not sure whether Variety specified this, but the MPAA's Web site indicates that Heavenly Creatures: The Uncut Version was indeed submitted by Buena Vista Home Entertainment -- so it's not a theatrical release or anything like that.

Boy howdy. We can hope, can't we? Or is this just an indicator that there will be a new DVD version (with extras) coming out about six months down the pike?

-bf-

 

[Jefferson Morris]

I've also read a number of interviews with Peter Jackson in which he has indicated that not only is the shorter American version still representative of his vision, but he actually prefers it as tighter.

I happen to have a copy of the longer version of the film on VHS, and while the additional sequences and snippets are marvelous, they don't really markedly change the film all that much.

I agree with the AICN poster that all versions of this brilliant film should be released, perhaps with seamless branching, although I think it's a misrepresentation to assume that the U.S. release version is somehow "censored" or adulterated. As with FOTR, I believe PJ stands by both the shorter and longer versions.

--Jefferson Morris

 

[BooneG]

Go to davisdvd and check out their news items for today. They have the cover of Heavenly Creatures. Under the title it says "UNCUT VERSION". If this is true this is great news because I have wanted to buy this movie forever and now I won't have to import it.

 

[Ben Motley]

Verrrry cool if so... still, that cover is crap.

 

[Marc Colella]

The cover is very similar to the Canadian release of a few years ago... but I hate the "Lord of the Rings" blurb.
I love this film, but I couldn't care less about LOTR... but there it is on the cover.

 

[Tyler Ruggeri]

Indeed, the cover is crap. The bottom line is, it looks like we're getting the uncut NZ version of Heavenly Creatures on DVD, the 108-minute cut. I've also read many tiems that Peter Jackson prefers the US 99-minute cut, and wish that both versions were available on this DVD. I guess we'll have to just wait and see. Disney/Miramax sure does a shitty job of getting the correct info out on their DVDs.

Tyler Ruggeri

 

[Ben Motley]

Yes Marc, the cover is very similar to the Canadian release of a few years ago... which also blew (both in cover and content).

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I'm not holding my breath. They claimed Fantasia was uncut too.

 

[Dave F]

The cover is also very similar to the laserdisc.

-Dave

 

[Ben Motley]

The cover is also very similar to the laserdisc.
-Dave

Oh, well then that makes it okay.
(The cover business was actually all pretty much a joke, as one may tell by the use of the smiley in my original "cover is crap" post. The cover to me is actually fairly unimportant, as the dvd itself seems to be shaping up nicely. Jokes just ain't funny when you gotta 'splain them. :frowning: )

 

[Dave F]

Actually I was responding more to the comparisons between the upcoming and previous releases than making any judgemental observations of the quality of the cover.

-Dave

 

[Matthew Kiernan]

The cover is actually very similar to the original theatrical campaign, as well before they totally went off the deep end with their obviously fake "Kate Winslett in lingerie" ad and the completly shameful "Anne Perry Should See This Movie" ads.* That was when I completely lost any respect I had for Miramax. When did you?

*For those who don't know or don't remember, when it was revealed that Juliet Hume, the young woman who Winslett portrays in the film, later turned out to be best selling mystery author Anne Perry. Perry understandably spoke out against the film and told reports she refused to see it. Miramax responded with these newapaper ads saying basically, "Anne Perry doesn't know what she's talking about, this is a great movie, she should go see it". It was accompanied by (you guessed it) the doctored photo of Kate Winslett in lingerie.

 

[Ben Motley]

Actually, I love the theatrical release poster, which does have similarities to the Candian dvd cover, the LD cover, and on and on, but for some reason, I just think the poster has more class. Maybe I just like blue with their faces more than red, I dunno. And although their faces are just as cramped together, it doesn't seem so, with all that white space (not to mention their isn't all the blurbs to further cramp it). Also, I like the image of everyone walking, rather than giving a bit of the movie away in the murder scene shot that's on the dvd cover.
I was really hoping this would be the cover, but oh well.

And that's cool Dave_F, I just wasn't quite sure what you were getting at there. We cool.

 

[Stacey]

I'm at a loss to figure out where the heck I can get this DVD in Canada from a Canadian Store. I've gone to or called all my local B& M stores and no one has it, then I surfed to all the Canadian sites I shop from like HMV.com and CDPlus.com and I can't find it anywhere. In fact when I called HMV they said it had been "delayed"...are they just trying to give me a heart attack or what?
When I say "can't find it" I mean I go to the web site and it IS showing a picture and I CAN order it but they have none in stock with no idea when they are getting any.
WTF?!?!

 

[Marc Colella]

Stacey,
Heavenly Creatures has been delayed in Canada.
No doubt due to Alliance making a bilingual version for Canada.
I'm hearing either October 1st or the 8th as the release date in Canada.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Grrrr. Yes, they are probably having a hard time cramming the French title on the spines.