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Barcode: 876964002769
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BarcodeComment: Version-full-international-half-cuts-sequences-2137469979
I've seen John Woo's Red Cliff a couple of times now in both the full "international" version, which is really the way the film was made and the shorter International version which was shown in theaters and on pay per view here in the US. This version essentially removes over two hours of material from the story. (If I figured it correctly this version cuts the first half of the full version to an hour and the second half to about 80 minutes)To me the full version is the way to go and not this theatrical release. The problem with this short version is that it removes a great deal of character development, numerous subplots (which makes several shots at the end of the film not mean anything-why is that soldier mourning a dead enemy? Its something thats been removed), the real ends of some characters and plots, and amazingly a great deal of the action sequences (the most obvious cuts are in the opening and closing battle sequences which are very cut down). In this case less...
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| Author: Anthony J. Thorne (Melbo.. | This 'international version' of John Woo's RED CLIFF is the preferred edition over the previously released (and shorter) US theatrical version. Woo worked hard to shoot this epic adaption of a famous Chinese historical novel, and the final version of the movie was so long (closer to 5 hours than 4) that in Asian markets the film was released in two parts, each playing in cinemas at opposite ends of a near 12 month period. In the US, the UK and Australia, Woo tentatively gave approval for a cut-down version to play in cinemas, with both parts condensed by 50% down to a single movie. Australian critic David Stratton (a frequent reviewer for VARIETY) gave the condensed version a good, not great review, but then noted that he felt the full, uncut edition of RED CLIFF was one of the great cinema epics. And so it is. Woo's career seemed to take a gradual downturn in the US after the peak of FACE/OFF, and it would be hard for fans of the director's earlier HARD-BOILED or... | 25 | |
| Author: Stephen M. Kopian (GLEN .. | I've seen John Woo's Red Cliff a couple of times now in both the full "international" version, which is really the way the film was made and the shorter International version which was shown in theaters and on pay per view here in the US. This version essentially removes over two hours of material from the story. (If I figured it correctly this version cuts the first half of the full version to an hour and the second half to about 80 minutes)To me the full version is the way to go and not this theatrical release. The problem with this short version is that it removes a great deal of character development, numerous subplots (which makes several shots at the end of the film not mean anything-why is that soldier mourning a dead enemy? Its something thats been removed), the real ends of some characters and plots, and amazingly a great deal of the action sequences (the most obvious cuts are in the opening and closing battle sequences which are very cut down). In this case less... | 26 | |
| Author: Josef Bush (Phoenix, AZ).. | After watching the entirety of it, one thinks, 'It is as if Sun Tzu had written it: This is a kind of illustration of what he meant when he wrote in his ART OF WAR 500' -- "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable, when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe that we are away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and cush him."When you deal in superlatives it's difficult to make good comparisons. How many of us have seen BIRTH OF A NATION in a good print? That was the film that set the standard for sweeping battlefield drama interwoven with the stories of its participants, moving in scale from intimacy to immensity, back and forth as the story developped, fulfilled itself, then ended. Ridley Scott's KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, with its portraits of historical figures interwoven within the threads of political... | 26 | |
