The origin and evolution of the "Director's Cut"
From a creative right to cable and video revision
The term “director’s cut” is generally thought to designate the definitive version of a theatrical feature film as intended by its director. Consequently, its release is believed to be motivated by wholly artistic interests. In reality, the term can refer to different versions of the same picture in different contexts.
And more often that not, a director’s cut technically constitutes a retroactive authorial revision made possible by an intersection between the creative interests of Hollywood filmmakers and the commercial interests of film distributors.
This article will illustrate these points by examining the history of the “director’s cut” as a concept, outlining its origin in the 1960s and its redefinition by the new home viewing technologies of the 1980s. In the process, it hopes to clear up some common misconceptions about this type of alternate cut and its role in the film industry.
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