joshEH
Senior HTF Member
True, he says in the intro that the theatrical release was his original -- and final -- intended cut of the film, but during his new audio commentary (as I mentioned above), he suddenly talks in several spots about how eager he was to recut a number of sequences back into the film, due to their enhancement of the overall story and the characterizations.
It's a situation probably not unlike Peter Jackson and The Frighteners -- him having final cut over the original theatrical edit, yet also feeling that the expanded version (his "Director's Fun Cut") also having something quite substantial and nutritious to offer the viewer. This version of Gladiator seems to be Ridley's "Fun Cut," or rather, his "Reconsidered-Almost-a-Director's-Cut."
It's a situation probably not unlike Peter Jackson and The Frighteners -- him having final cut over the original theatrical edit, yet also feeling that the expanded version (his "Director's Fun Cut") also having something quite substantial and nutritious to offer the viewer. This version of Gladiator seems to be Ridley's "Fun Cut," or rather, his "Reconsidered-Almost-a-Director's-Cut."