Buzz
Since the early days of VHS, the home video industry has sometimes offered filmmakers a chance to make up for studio interference, releasing director’s cuts of certain films. These versions, which often run longer and include restored scenes and more developed characters, tend to better reflect the director's original vision. Here are seven of the most intriguing director-approved edits or expanded editions currently available to stream.
1. Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)
When Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner first hit theaters in 1982, it was a groundbreaking sci-fi film. However, Scott was never fully satisfied with the final product, and disagreements with Fox led to Harrison Ford providing a voiceover that didn't quite fit. Years later, Scott was able to refine the film to his preferences. After several revisions, the 2007 final cut was released, and the movie—about Rick Deckard (Ford) hunting down rogue androids called Replicants in a grim future—is arguably an even greater achievement than its original version.
2. The Hateful Eight: Extended Version (2015)
Quentin Tarantino’s atmospheric drama about a group of discontented characters stuck in a remote stagecoach stop during a blizzard was already lengthy at 167 minutes. However, this Netflix-exclusive edition, edited and overseen by Tarantino himself, features additional and restructured footage, expanding the runtime to 210 minutes. (Excluding credits, that’s approximately 25 minutes of new content.) With the film divided into four 'episodes,' it marks the first quasi-bingeable experience in the director’s career.
3. Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut (1990)
Directed by horror legend Clive Barker, this cult favorite, filled with groundbreaking effects, follows a man (Craig Sheffer) who is drawn to a world full of monsters called Midian. Originally cut down for its theatrical release, the director's cut adds 20 extra minutes and includes 40 minutes of new or altered footage. (However, don’t confuse this version with the even longer Cabal Cut, which was released on limited home video in 2017.)
4. Alien: Director’s Cut (1979)
In the editing room, no one can hear you scream. In Ridley Scott's Alien, Sigourney Weaver stars as Ellen Ripley aboard the spaceship Nostromo, which is stalked by a dangerous stowaway—a xenomorph with a destructive hunger. Fox requested that Scott recut the film for a 2003 DVD box set of the franchise. Unlike most director’s cuts, Scott’s version is actually slightly shorter and moves at a faster pace compared to the original.
5. Zodiac: The Director's Cut (2007)
David Fincher’s iconic film about the search for the Zodiac killer in 1970s San Francisco features a director's cut that adds an extra five minutes to the runtime. This version includes an extended scene in which the killer calls a local news station and explains that he has been feeling unwell.
6. Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece, which follows Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) as he chases the rogue Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) during the Vietnam War, was a brutal film to shoot and an even more challenging one to perfect. According to Coppola, the Final Cut represents the closest vision to what he had originally imagined. At about 14 minutes shorter than his previous Apocalypse Now Redux edit, this version offers a more concise and focused experience.
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Director’s Cut (1977)
Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking film about a regular husband and father (Richard Dreyfuss) who encounters an alien race became one of the highest-grossing films of the 1970s. The director’s cut showcases Spielberg’s original vision by merging aspects of the theatrical release with a later Special Edition. Notably, the problematic coda added to the Special Edition, which detracted from the original film’s powerful conclusion, has been removed in this version.
