The Burgomaster
Aggravating People Worldwide Since 1964
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
Karma: 773
Posts: 9036
|
 |
« on: January 15, 2006, 08:26:08 PM » |
|
I just bought this recently released DVD (another interesting Peckinpah western) and it is a welcome addition to my collection. It stars James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson and has one of the best supporting casts of character actors that you will ever see. Just to name a few: Bob Dylan, Jack Elam, Slim Pickens, Harry Dean Stanton, R.G. Armstrong, L.Q. Jones, Charles Martin Smith, Jason Robards, Katy Jurado, Luke Askew, Richard Bright . . . the list goes on and on. It's a 2 disc set containing 2 different edits of the film:
* The new 2005 Special Edition (which I watched today). Running time: 115 minutes
* The 1988 Turner Preview version (which I used to own on VHS). Running time: 122 minutes
Thankfully, it does NOT include a 106 minute edited version that used to be available on VHS in the mid 1980s. That was the first version I ever saw when I worked in a video store and it was sort of confusing (I think some key scenes were cut out that need to be there in order for the plot to make sense).
Both the 2005 Special Edition and the 1988 Turner Preview version have their good and bad points. Overall, I think I slightly prefer the 1988 edit, except that some of the music is different. For instance, Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door" is on the soundtrack during a key scene in the 2005 version, but different music is used for the same scene in the 1988 version (I suspect it has something to do with acquiring the rights to use the song back in 1988). So, for that particular scene, I think the 2005 version is better because Dylan's song adds some extra emotion to it.
It's interesting to see the way certain scenes were edited differently between the two versions. You actually get different impressions of what is happening by the way the scenes are cut - - the different shots, sequencing, and bits of dialogue that are either included or missing often make a difference.
Also, the opening and end credits are edited differently - - I think I like the 1988 credits better.
Both versions include my favorite scene where Billy shoots a guy with a shotgun loaded with dimes and Peckinpah shows the dimes ripping through the guy's bloody body in slow motion. The 1988 version includes another shot of the guy's bloody body (full of holes) lying on the ground a few minutes later, but this shot is not included in the 2005 version.
If you're a fan of westerns and you haven't seen this one, it's worth a look.
|
