What version of The Natural do you prefer (1 Viewer)

[jim1174]

What cut of the movie do you
Think is The best theatrical or directors cut ?

 

[JPCinema]

Theatrical and it's in 4K

 

[Osato]

I’ve never seen the alternate cut.....

 

[smithbrad]

I've seen the theatrical many times. When I had the chance to see the directors cut, I really liked it. Some of that enthusiasm may have also been because it was a new look. However, one thing it did for me is smooth out the transition between the past and current time. Having the train sequence with flash backs I feel better leads into the sequence when he first shows up to the ball park. Unfortunately, I recall it messes with the soundtrack. I wish both had been given the same treatment, so I wouldn't have to keep the Director's cut DVD around for the times I prefer to watch it instead.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think the new UHD disc offers both versions in 4K, while the BD only has the theatrical, and the director’s cut is on DVD separately.

I haven’t seen either version in years but I recall that the director’s cut was worth seeing at least once because it had some interesting variations structurally - it’s more substantially changed than the kind of director’s cuts that just give you an extra minute or two of minor stuff.

 

[dpippel]

I think the new UHD disc offers both versions in 4K, while the BD only has the theatrical, and the director’s cut is on DVD separately.

You're correct Josh. Both versions are available on the 4K UHD disc release.

 

[Ejanss]

I’ve never seen the alternate cut.....

I've never HEARD of the alternate cut.
I can't imagine it's anything like the alternate Amadeus cut, but I'm taking no chances first.

Unfortunately, I recall it messes with the soundtrack.

Uh-oh. Now I want details.
Randy Newman was the "star" of The Natural, and nobody messes with the star.

 

[Dave H]

This thread is incredibly timed for me as I watched the Director's Cut last night on UHD BD.

Which version do I prefer? I don't know! I listened to the Director's comments beforehand and the alterations he discussed made sense to me. But, the theatrical is soooo ingrained in my head in a good way.

Glad to have both.

 

[smithbrad]

You're correct Josh. Both versions are available on the 4K UHD disc release.

I don't have support for 4K UHD at this time, so did not follow that release. However, if that ever changes in the future, I'll know that if I upgrade the disk I'll be good for both.

 

[smithbrad]

Which version do I prefer? I don't know! I listened to the Director's comments beforehand and the alterations he discussed made sense to me. But, the theatrical is soooo ingrained in my head in a good way.

Glad to have both.

I'm in the same boat. I don't think one can go wrong either way. I can see myself alternating over time.

 

[Osato]

I don't have support for 4K UHD at this time, so did not follow that release. However, if that ever changes in the future, I'll know that if I upgrade the disk I'll be good for both.

the alternate cut was available on dvd at one point too.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

This thread is incredibly timed for me as I watched the Director's Cut last night on UHD BD.

Which version do I prefer? I don't know! I listened to the Director's comments beforehand and the alterations he discussed made sense to me. But, the theatrical is soooo ingrained in my head in a good way.

Glad to have both.

We watched the Director's Cut from the UHD release a few nights ago, too. I agree that the director's comments beforehand about the changes to the beginning made a lot of sense. In my case, it's been quite a few years since I had seen the theatrical cut, so it's difficult for me to make a comparison. However, I thought the Director's Cut worked well.