Originally posted by: suntech
Let me jump in. Maybe this will help. I lifted this from Matthew Hunt's website
<snip>
The Bhagavad Gita recital is not present in any video edition of the film, though it is included on the film's soundtrack CD. All Warners VHS and DVDs are 1.33:1 unmatted (Kubrick's preferred video format for the film), though they have numerous alterations: they are clearly cropped when compared with the ShoWest teaser, a reflected crew-member in the bathroom overdose scene was digitally erased, the jarring reel-changes were smoother, and the intentional graininess of the image was reduced. All NTSC editions have the orgy sex digitally censored whereas all PAL and SeCAM editions do not. Italian inserts were filmed to replace the English-language text in the warning letter handed to Bill and the newspaper article he reads, and are available on the Italian PAL VHS version."
Let me jump in. Maybe this will help. I lifted this from Matthew Hunt's website
<snip>
The Bhagavad Gita recital is not present in any video edition of the film, though it is included on the film's soundtrack CD. All Warners VHS and DVDs are 1.33:1 unmatted (Kubrick's preferred video format for the film), though they have numerous alterations: they are clearly cropped when compared with the ShoWest teaser, a reflected crew-member in the bathroom overdose scene was digitally erased, the jarring reel-changes were smoother, and the intentional graininess of the image was reduced. All NTSC editions have the orgy sex digitally censored whereas all PAL and SeCAM editions do not. Italian inserts were filmed to replace the English-language text in the warning letter handed to Bill and the newspaper article he reads, and are available on the Italian PAL VHS version."
Thanks suntech, but unless there's a good reason to take that guy's word as law the same problem continues, as you can still find conflicting claims on the net as to whether or not the Bhagavad Gita is intact in certain releases.
The first attempt I came accross of region comparisons of the film (with screen shots) was from a site called "dvddebate"...I finally found the link but the site is apparently defunct. Here are two more sites on the subject:
dvdcompare
dvdtalk
Like every other discussion on the subject (or most stuff on the net for that matter) people will make claims ad nauseum but without anything to back it up.
I have yet to hear of anyone sitting down and comparing a R3 (or R4?) version to R2/R1 to see if the chanting is different, much less anyone who could recognize the Bhagavad Gita if they heard it, assuming they know where in the film to listen for it.
Nan Tucket: Thanks for your offer, but I don't know where exactly to listen for it.