<P> The trend of releasing alternate cuts of films for artistic reasons became prominent in the 1970s; in 1974, the "director's cut" of The Wild Bunch was shown theatrically in Los Angeles to sold - out audiences . The theatrical release of the film had cut ten minutes to get an R - rating, but this cut was hailed as superior and has now become the definitive one . Other early examples include George Lucas's first two films being re-released following the success of Star Wars, in cuts which more closely resembled his vision, or Peter Bogdanovich re-cutting The Last Picture Show several times . Charlie Chaplin also re-released all of his films in the 1970s, several of which were re-cut (Chaplin's re-release of The Gold Rush in the 1940s is almost certainly the earliest prominent example of a director's re-cut film being released to the public). A theatrical re-release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind used the phrase "Special Edition" to describe a cut which was closer to Spielberg's intent but had a compromised ending demanded by the studio . As the home video industry rose in the early 1980s, video releases of director's cuts were sometimes created for the small but dedicated cult fan market . Los Angeles cable station Z Channel is also cited as significant in the popularization of alternate cuts . Early examples of films released in this manner include Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, where a longer cut was recalled from theaters but subsequently shown on cable and eventually released to home video; James Cameron's Aliens, where a video release restored 20 minutes the studio had insisted on cutting; James Cameron's The Abyss, where Cameron voluntarily made cuts to the theatrical version for pacing but restored them for a video release; Shim Hyung - rae's Yonggary, where Shim made cuts to the theatrical version for how close to the American Godzilla it was and added in aliens and another monster, Cyker . That version was released stateside as Reptilian and, most famously, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, where an alternate workprint version was released to fan acclaim, ultimately resulting in the 1992 recut, the first film to use the term "Director's Cut" as a marketing description (and the first time it was used to describe a cut that the director was not involved in preparing). </P> <P> Once distributors discovered that consumers would buy alternate versions of films, it became common for films to receive multiple releases . There is no standardization for labelling, leading to so - called "director's cuts" of films despite where the director prefers the theatrically released version, or when the director had actual final cut privilege . These were often assembled by simply restoring deleted scenes, sometimes adding as much as a half - hour to the length of the film without regard to pacing and storytelling . </P> <P> As a result, the "director's cut" is often considered a mixed bag, with an equal share of supporters and detractors . Roger Ebert approved of the use of the label in unsuccessful films that had been tampered with by studio executives, such as Sergio Leone's original cut of Once Upon a Time in America, and the moderately successful theatrical version of Daredevil, which were altered by studio interference for their theatrical release . Other well - received director's cuts include Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (with Empire magazine stating: "The added 45 minutes in the Director's Cut are like pieces missing from a beautiful but incomplete puzzle"), or Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, where the restored 115 minute cut is closer to the director's intent than the theatrical 105 minute cut (the actual director's cut was 122 minutes; it was never completed to Peckinpah's satisfaction, but was used as a guide for the restoration that was done after his death). </P> <P> However, Ebert considers adding such material to a successful film a waste . Even Ridley Scott stated on the director's commentary track of Alien that the original theatrical release was his director's cut, and that the new version was released as a marketing ploy . Director Peter Bogdanovich, no stranger to director's cuts himself, cites Red River as an example where "MGM have a version of Howard Hawks's Red River that they're calling the Director's Cut and it is absolutely not the director's cut . It's a cut the director didn't want, an earlier cut that was junked . They assume because it was longer that it's a director's cut . Capra cut two reels off Lost Horizon because it didn't work and then someone tried to put it back . There are certainly mistakes and stupidities in reconstructing pictures ." </P>

What is a theatrical cut of a movie