Aliens: director's cut?

[Jem'hadar]

Last night I was re-watching the beginning of Aliens on cable. I noticed several scenes that were not in the theatre version.

1) Shortly after arriving at Gateway Station, there's a scene of Ripley sitting in on a bench in what appears to be a park, but is actually a large vid-screen image of a forest. Then Burke walks in & gives shows her a pic of her daughter, who died 2 years ago at the age of 66.

2) Then there's a scene of LV-426 b/f the Aliens attack the colonists. You see some colonists in the command center & a scene of Newt & her family investigating an anamoly that turns out to be the ship where the Alien eggs are. Newt's father is attacked by a facehugger.

I was not able to watch the rest of the film, so I don't know what other add'l scenes there might have been. Was this a director's cut? I wonder why those scenes were deleted from the original release?

I have noticed that they're releasing a director's cut version of Alien:

http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/45...html?fromint=1

[Dan Gurden]

Yep. Thats the Special Edition. One of the first 'Directors Cuts' to get a cinema release back in 1992... It also has some extra characterisation of the USCMC troopers, and some footage of the Automated sentry guns in action...

The new Alien Quadrology DVD Boxed set may have an alternate directors cut, but I had not heard anything about that. I Had heard that the DVD will contain James Camerons first ever Director Commentary... (expect being told how great he is, and how much we love his films)

What I am looking forward too is the full David Fincher directors cut for Alien 3. Its a whole hour longer and Mr Fincher promises that what the studio took away changed the shape of the film... (Having avoided the novelisation because of the poor film, I must admit to getting excited about this).

What I am not looking forward to...

Nope, its not Alien Resurection...

Its the new 25th anniversary Directors Edition of Alien. Apparently Ridly Scott re-inserted some of the deleted scenes, that5 those of us with the DVD have seen, and then re-evaluated the film, and ended up cutting some of the scenes alreadt established in th 1979 film release... While I like Ridleys work, I think that this may be a mistake... But then. I have not seen the finished product, and he has convinced the studios to give the 25th anniversary Alien a cinema release... So heres looking forward to that at least (finally a Horror thats not post-modern and self-referential at the flicks)...


http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page...2&title=125722

DanG
A Closet Alien Fan

[qerlin]

It's a much better cut than the original. The bit about her daughter explains the relationship with Newt better, as well as her outburst at the inquest. The tension created with the automatic sentry guns later heightens the movie, as well.

Something about James Cameron movies that the suits cut them where they don't need to be cut.

[Ineti]

Aliens Special Edition is very cool. I have yet to get it on DVD, but I'll be getting it soon.

Love the sentry guns.

[Don Mappin]

There was a TV special not too long ago that covered the entire "Alien" series of movies. About 2 hours long, it gave lots of great insight to the franchise and such.

Regarding "Aliens" and the Director's Cut, the studio demanded that Cameron make the cuts as the movie ran very long. One of the much-discussed cuts is the scene with Ripley and her (now dead) daughter, which sets up why Ripley becomes so attached to Newt. Without that scene a major focus of the movie makes no sense.

In any event, Fox (?) wanted more cuts from "Aliens" and Cameron held his ground at two hours. As a compromise Fox allowed Cameron's version to become the theatrical release and Cameron agreed in return to direct two more Fox films (The Abyss and True Lies).

So, there you go.

I imagine this entire documentary is probably on one of the "Alien" movie DVDs as a special feature -- I only own "Aliens" and love every bit of it.

[General Chang]

Ah....the first two movies ROCKED! Even in the current Director's Cut of ALIENS, there is still a scene missing....Where Ripley finds Burke having been cocooned. He begs her to kill him, and she hands him a grenade.

This scene is very similar to the scene being restored for the Theatrical RE-RELEASE of the original ALIEN. Where Ripley finds Captain Dallas cocooned in the belly of the Nostromo. Yes, apparently, Oct. 31st, ALIEN gets rereleased into the theater. I for one anticipate it with baited breath, as I did not get to see this awesome film on the big screen in '79. Finally, I will have my revenge. WOOT!

I am also curious to see the extra hour tacked onto Alien 3. That would make it about a 3 hour film then, considering that the current cut runs at 1hour and 50mins. It could reshape the movie the way that the extra footage, and extended ending of The Abyss reshaped it.

I love Director's Cuts and get my hands on them every chance I get.

Respectfully,
General Chang