Lawrence is different though. That was Lean's original vision, and what he shot and intended or at least as close as they could get with surviving footage. The studio excised that material.

As for star wars they were completely finished films. Anything taken out was done so at Lucas suggestion, or the editors take and Lucas was fine with it. The studio never took out scenes he intended to be in the film, and he never intended for greedo to shoot or use 90's CGI back in 1977.

Just like Lucas original vision for THX and Graffiti were the original home video cuts with the restored excised footage the studio forced to be taken out.

Star Wars was never taken away from Lucas and recut.

Alan Ladd JR, allowed Lucas final cut approval. Through the years there has been an on and off argument over whether final cut approval was in Lucas original contract, but the point still stands he delivered a finished film on May 25, 1977 not a rough cut as he has rewritten history to say.

The funny thing is Lucas also promised Kersh final cut and then took the film away from him and recut it until he came to his senses,lol. According to once upon a galaxy.

He did the very thing the studios did that so incensed him as a creative artist and auteur. I wonder if he has ever looked the definition of hypocrite up the dictionary.

I mean it is as hilarious as his statement on film preservation of other peoples films, and then he denies his fans the oot and makes sure it rots in a cold storage vault someplace.