Stupid newbie question- Why are movies cut?

[Guest JonT 1980]

I've been reading a lot on this boards for the last few days and I see a lot of topics about which movies are cut, which ones aren't cut and so on. So I was just wondering, why is some footage cut from movies in the first place?

Is the footage destroyed? missing? to graphic? or is it just arbitrarily cut?

[Guest morgoth]

Not a stupid question at all. I will go over the reasons I know of. I am sure someone else will chime in. I have learned pretty much everythign I know about kung fu movies from this site.

It may have been cut because it was shown on TV and whoever runs the TV station cut it down to give it a certain running time. Also, if it was on TV then the nudity will be cut out, and a lot of times the really violent parts will be cut out.

Sometimes it is a cut version because lets say for instance a Hong Kong director sent their film reel to Japan, but before they showed it in Hong Kong they decided to trim it down and make the story tighter. So the Japan version may be longer and uncut, but that doesn't always make it better.

WARNING-SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen Killer Constable (aka Lightning Kung Fu). I heard about (and saw a pic of) a version of Killer Constable where the hero lives. In the version that all of us have seen the hero dies. So sometimes an uncut version is extremely rare and basicaly becomes a collectors item.

Then you have the Celestial print of Chinatown Kid. You would think that everyone would want to see the beautifully remastered Celestial version, right? Wrong! The crappy picture quality full screen version is the way to go because it has more action.

So there are many reasons. Hopefully someone comes on here and fully explains it because I am pretty bad at explaining things.

[Guest killer meteor]

In the UK, we had rampant censorship for decades. Nunchucks were taken out of every film, along with contact blows and the like

In the US, Hollywood studios have a nasty habit of buying films and recutting them to "appeal" to a percived dumb middle America

[Guest BKarza]

Sometimes movies are cut. Sometimes there are different versions. Chinatown Kid had 2 different versions. Mine is a lovely english dubbed 2 + hour lbx print. The dvd is said to be the Taiwanese version. Young Master had 3-4 different versions, for different areas of the world. You had your hk version and maybe an international version. Or it may have gone even futher with Taiwan, Myalasia, Hk, Japan and international prints. Everyone had their own sense of morals and such and that determined cuts for the movies themselves.

As far as movies being "cut", it was mentioned above(nudity, violence and esp. running time) Usually a tv issue.

[Guest Monkey King 2000]

Recently I keep seeing posts about Young Master having different versions, is anyone able to let me know these different version please, is the difference in the ending? I saw this on TV a few years a go and the version I saw ended with Jackie carrying Whong In Sik and someone else on a pole and then you see Jackie in a full body plaster caste. I also recently purchased the Hong Kong Legends DVD, but have not got round to watching it yet. If anyone could let me know it would be really appreciated.

[Guest killer meteor]

HKL, Fox and all HK DVDs use the HK theatrical print

The original English language version, avaiable on some dubious US DVD and the UK MIA VHS. had a new score and though cut in places, has two scenes not in the HK version: Jackie and Wei Pei discussing Wei Pei's traitory the day after the lion dance, and the villians preparing to rob the bank.

A longer Taiwanese (?) version has extra scenes after Jackie's fight with Lee Hoi-san and FUng Hark-on. These include Shih Kien interrogating the camp clothes seller and an identikit display of top HK stars.

AFAIK, the ending is the same in all version aside from Jackie singing the English song "Kung Fu Fighting Man" in the English version. The English dub on the HKL and Fox DVDs is a more recent one using the same score as the HK versions

[Guest Monkey King 2000]

Thanks for clearing this up for me

[Guest thedirtytiger]

I really really really want to see the Taiwanese cut of Young

Master, does anyone here possess a copy of it ?

[Guest Markgway]

I think Germany had (has?) the worst censorship.

The UK was pretty awful too in the 80's/90's, thanks to James 'Scissorhands' Ferman.

Now most things get passed uncut, even shit that would get edited in OTHER countires.

As long as you don't show graphic rape (The Iron-Fisted Monk) or animal cruelty (Dreadnaught) you're pretty much guaranteed an uncut certificate.