Watched the MGM DVD again. Love this film! I hate the scene with the peaches and the annoying music though. I wish they’d have thought of something different since it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the film at all. The film has its flaws but it still gets a 4/5 rating from me. Hopefully the more explicit version is released someday.
I love the peach scene. 
At least somebody likes it. I can’t stand it every time I watch it. The scene in the open car of the train lets it down a bit, too. It would have been better to film an interior shot since it ended up looking too false. Other than that, the rest of the film is solid. Unlike some, I didn’t find it boring. The pace is very good and the acting is superb. Probably the best of Candice Bergen’s westerns. I’ll have to give Bite the Bullet another watch soon.
So do I
Can anybody remember what is in the UK VHS that isn’t in the DVD?
Watched this one for the first time last week and really liked it. Liked the different story and while the two leads certainly weren’t the most likeable characters, the casting of them and Candice Bergen made up for that. It was awesome to see Oli Reed in a eurowestern.
2 Likes
A few comments on this.
-
The UK theatrical version was cut by about 7m (1m43s is the video cuts). Running time reduced to 102m
-
The subsequent UK video was cut by 1m43s. I saw that video version and there was nothing in there was isn’t in the DVD.
-
The UK DVD now uncut apart from a couple of horse falls.
The scene in which Gene Hackman tortures the Chinese woman was cut heavily for both the UK cinema and video release. The R rated print is much longer than both of those versions. (Btw this ends really oddly because in the scene after he tortures her Hackman is woken up and she is lying peacefully asleep next to him).
Whether a longer print was submitted originally to the BBFC is impossible to tell. The cinema prints aren’t around anymore but the BBFC cuts lists do not indicate any specific shots that are not in the R version.
THE HUNTING PARTY (1971)
Classified ‘X’ for theatrical release in 1971 after the following cuts (c.6m):
DR1 - The shots of men cutting the throat of a bullock were removed.
The scene of Brandt forcibly making love to his wife Melissa was considerably shortened.
The attempted rape of Melissa on a wagon, and the accompanying dialogue, was considerably shortened.
The whole incident between Brandt and Chinese prostitute after she has said “I show you good time” was removed, resuming when they are seen in bed in the morning with another woman in Reel 2.
DR2 - The rape of Melissa by Frank was considerably shortened; shots of his moving up and down on her were removed.
DR3 - Shots of Frank’s companion writhing after he has been shot were removed.
The sequence in which Brandt’s men look at the man who has been shot through the eye and then go off leaving him to die was considerably shortened.
The shootings of members of the gang beside a pool was considerably reduced, in particular shots of men being killed in slow-motion and of blood spurting from their wounds were removed.
DR4 - The incident in which a member of the gang tries to rape Melissa and is stabbed by her was considerably shortened.
DR5 - Shot of Brandt stabbing a wounded man in the throat was removed.
All shots of the gangster after he has been shot in the face by Frank, including shots of him shuddering as he dies, were removed.
DR6 - The time that Frank takes to die was considerably shortened.
Classified ‘18’ for video in 1986 (uncut version submitted) after the following cuts (1m43s):
At 35s - As cowboy cuts throat of bullock, sight of knife in throat and blood gushing out were removed.
At 9m - Duration of sexual assault on woman in back of the cart after man tears open her blouse was considerably reduced.
At 18m - In scene on train when man terrorises Chinese prostitute, all sight of him threatening to burn her with candelabra and grappling with her naked body on bed was removed.
At 67m - Sight of horse tripped into heavy forward fall and later distant shot of horse somersaulting were removed.
At 74m - When man attacks woman in bedroom, sight of him punching her hard in the stomach and also the pan up her exposed legs as she struggles was removed.
All violence cuts waived for 2015 DVD but horsefallcuts, at 67m above, maintained (2s).
3 Likes
Most of it is probably just cine-lore. Some of the old discussions on IMBD led to a lot of confusion about non-existent longer versions.
1 Like