Hello Friends!
I just got the Blue Underground release from netflix for BULLET FOR THE GENERAL. It’s running time says 118 min, but imdb.com says there is a 135 min cut out there. Is the BU release edited?
Blonde66
Koch’s version is 113 min and the cover says it was uncut…
According to Hughes the original length was 115min with 108min and 77min versions in some markets. The NTSC vs PAL running times should account for the differences between Koch’s 113min and BU’s 118min, although I wonder to which Hughes is referring with his 115min original version.
The advantage with the Koch release over BU is that you also have the choice of two different English audio tracks.
As far as I’m aware, none of the BU releases are cut… anyone know any different?
The 118 min version is indeed uncut.
There were always rumours about a 135 min version, maybe a pre release version, but nothing has surfaced yet.
There are several sources on the internet that claim the 135min was screened at the 61st Venice International Film Festival in 2004.
Can anyone confirm this?
Just found the official link at http://www.mostradelcinemadivenezia.tv/2004/it/articolo.php?a=28
It’s referred to as the version “integrale”:
22.30 SALA VOLPI
ITALIAN KINGS OF THE B’S
QUIEN SABE? (1967) di Damiano Damiani (135’, v.o. integrale s/t inglese)
hmmm… intersting. I wonder what the chances are of the listing being in error, and if not, what these extra 17 minutes consist of
There’s an interesting posting by a guy at http://www.avmaniacs.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-4605.html stating the following:
“The 135 min-cut really exists, they played it 2004 at the Venice Film Festival as ‘versione integrale’. Unfortunately they didn’t seem to have made any additional copies, so it is rather impossible to get a hand on this one. The Vienna Film Museum, which is currently celebrating a Western-Retrospective, was trying to get this ‘versione integrale’, but was told that - since no extra copy exists - they won’t lend it to any institution.”
Finally have a copy of Giusti so I thought I’d look this one up. He lists 135 and 102 mins as the runtimes with a 119 min runtime for the international release.
I wonder what kind of story elements might be included by those extra minutes? Beswick’s character deserved some more attention but otherwise… call me very curious
Well if my statement above about the 2004 Venice film festival is accurate, someone out there should know. Someone needs to track to down!