Showgirls (1995)- "VIP" or "Fully Exposed" (1 Viewer)

[Henry Gale]

If one were filling out their Paul Verhoeven collection and wanted to get the most comprehensive version of Showgirls, which edition should it be?
I've never seen the film but I know it is highly respected by a group called Razzi, whoever they are.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

The "Fully Exposed" version doesn't come out until July, so it's impossible to compare the two right now.

And the film won a lot of Razzie Awards, "prizes" given out to the worst flicks of each year. Maybe you knew that and were making a joke, but in case you were serious, Showgirls definitely isn't "highly respected"!

 

[Will_B]

Well the VIP edition doesn't fare too well in this review comparing the original non-anamorphic release with the VIP edition --

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare3/showgirls.htm

-- so hopefully the third edition (upcoming) will be different.

 

[Charlie O.]

I read some where the Fully Exposed edition might just be the disc from the VIP edition without the extra crap such as the poster and shot glasses.

 

[Will*B]

The 'Pop-Up Video' style trivia track on the VIP edition is one of the funniest extras I've ever seen. Absolutely superb - it makes the film even more enjoyable!

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Oh, come on. You know you want to play "Pin the Pasties on the Stripper."

 

[Jace_A]

The VIP edition looked fine to me. The commentary is great, as well. I can't imagine the Fully Exposed edition will be any improvement.

 

[Scott Temple]

With the exception of the Pop-Up Video trivia track, I found the extras on the VIP DVD to be a disappointment. I would have prefered something along the lines of a Paul Verhoeven/Elizabeth Berkley/Gena Gershon commentary, a lengthy making-of documentary with recent cast and crew interviews, deleted scenes, etc. Instead we got a bunch of novelties. However, the saving grace was the 16x9 enhanced transfer.

Hopefully, this "Fully Exposed" DVD will be better in the extras dept.

 

[Jace_A]

Showgirls only has value as camp. I can't imagine Verhoeven or Berkley trashing themselves on an audio commentary, because anything else would be entirely worthless. The film is terrible on every level, which is why we love it and the reason the extras were what they were on the VIP edition. Trying to take this film seriously is impossible.

 

[Richard Michael Clark]

But it's not terrible on every level, for starters it looks superb! It has a sheen to it and colours that pop. Vegas is really "alive" in this flick. Say what you want about the acting or whatever but the cinematography is faultless.
Secondly it wouldn't be "loved" at all, even in a camp way if it wasn't for the highly quotable script! It has some of the best lines to throw out in numerous situations! Of course they are total crap but that's what makes them so quotable!
I also think the music is alright too and suits the film brilliantly!
If Elizabeth Berkley wasn't so wonderfully awful and if Gina Gershon wasn't so wonderfully knowing and arch this film wouldn't be half as much fun as it is.
More than a decade later this film has "something" which has many watching it again and again and it certainly ain't the titties!

I really hope the "fully exposed" edition has something more to it but I'm willing to bet it's just the VIP disc alone.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Or, in other words, the reviewer does not appear to have compared the two on a widescreen display. Blow up the non-anamorphic image, and much of the "vibrancy" noted in the older edition will be offset by the loss of resolution.

I haven't done a side-by-side comparison, but I recently watched the VIP edition on a widescreen display, and I thought it looked great. But I don't think I could have made it through the whole film without the trivia track, which, as noted above, is hilarious.

M.

 

[Haden]

So have specs for the new "Fully Exposed" edition been posted yet? I'm curious to see if it differs from the VIP version.

 

[David (C)]

My preference lies in the cooler tones of the initial release. MGM isn’t above retooling the more recent transfer (ala Silence Of The Lambs).

 

[Haden]

Noticed this comment from someone on Amazon's page regarding the new release. I'm sure he's correct about this DVD, even though I still haven't seen any official specs for this release...

 

[Jace_A]

I can just see Criterion lining up for this one. You'll never hear a commentary from anyone associated with this film. It's an experience they would all prefer to forget. The film is immensely enjoyable, but for all the wrong reasons as far as the cast and crew are concerned (Gina Gershon excepted; she knew exactly what she was doing in this film and ran with it).

 

[Peter McM]

It wouldn't surprise me that much. I was surprised they touched such a mediocre popcorn flick as Armageddon

 

[Jace_A]

But Showgirls isn't mediocre. It's simply appalling film-making. Armageddon was released by Criterion in the early days of DVD (it's not even anamorphic) when it was trying to get a foothold in the format. Criterion hasn't released junk like Armageddon since it released The Rock a good 5 years ago.

 

[Joe Bernardi]

Hmmm, I thought "we" loved it for all the nudity.