I recently bought Battlefield Earth at a garage sale for $2.00. Worth it just to see Neanderthals fly jets! The VHS box states it is a Special Edition on the cover. But, there are no special features etc to justify calling this a "Special Edition." Secondly, it states on the box that it has been "edited for video." Does anybody know why this claims to be a "Special Edition" and what has been edited from the video release of the film? .... chris
Check the title at IMDB.COM, there's a section for "Alternate versions" that should answer most of your question. The "extra" content can be as simple as a different cover or a booklet that could be missing if you bought it second hand.
I was going to suggest the "Edited for video" line could refer to the film being a fullscreen or pan & scan version. But IMDB say that several scenes were indeed cut or re-edited, and at least one added for the home video version.
Did they actually think such little changes could make such an awful film better?
I thought maybe special edition meant they straightened out the frames so you wouldn't get crick in your neck trying to watch it.