Originally posted by: grissom
Just out of curiosity, what are the differences between the theatrical and "ultimate" cuts of H2? Is it a really significant edit?
It's actually a bit of an oddity. It takes the footage from the VHS release of H2, then, when there are alternate shots from a VHS recording of the TV version, it shows BOTH, one following the other. If you want a coherent, non-redundant film, you have to edit out your pick of the alternate shots by yourself. Inconvenient to the viewer, but excellent for the editor, who has all the material in a single video file. Or at least, it WOULD be great for the editor, if the quality were less than horrendous. This is a pure VHS splice (possibly pasted together the old-fashioned way, but you'd need to ask Rikter about that), and the quality is sub-par by 2008 standards. As far as plot significance, there isn't all that much (nothing like the new scenes for the original installment, which actually expand a bit more on Michael's situation and the like). You find out the "scalpel lift" nurse may have survived her stint as Michael's barbell, and there are tons of alternate takes and lines of dubbed dialog, but that's about it.
Originally posted by: klokwerk
I don't want to get off-topic slightly, but would it be possible to compile a list here of all the different cuts that are available for each film (besides the theatrical cuts I mean). I'm trying to track down all of these too and it would be a great help.
Just out of curiosity, what are the differences between the theatrical and "ultimate" cuts of H2? Is it a really significant edit?
It's actually a bit of an oddity. It takes the footage from the VHS release of H2, then, when there are alternate shots from a VHS recording of the TV version, it shows BOTH, one following the other. If you want a coherent, non-redundant film, you have to edit out your pick of the alternate shots by yourself. Inconvenient to the viewer, but excellent for the editor, who has all the material in a single video file. Or at least, it WOULD be great for the editor, if the quality were less than horrendous. This is a pure VHS splice (possibly pasted together the old-fashioned way, but you'd need to ask Rikter about that), and the quality is sub-par by 2008 standards. As far as plot significance, there isn't all that much (nothing like the new scenes for the original installment, which actually expand a bit more on Michael's situation and the like). You find out the "scalpel lift" nurse may have survived her stint as Michael's barbell, and there are tons of alternate takes and lines of dubbed dialog, but that's about it.
Originally posted by: klokwerk
I don't want to get off-topic slightly, but would it be possible to compile a list here of all the different cuts that are available for each film (besides the theatrical cuts I mean). I'm trying to track down all of these too and it would be a great help.
That would be helpful. Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough to compile a comprehensive list. Any fellow 'Weenies here who know what they're talking about?