Jean,
That's another good point, and the "chopping" is actually more
insidious than most people realize. Generally, unless a film director
has tremendous clout, he or she can kiss creative control of the
final product goodbye once the so-called rough cut is submitted.
Sometimes studios will choose to release alternate versions to
mazimize audience (a good example is the R and PG rated "Conan the
Barbarian"--I was told by a member of the MPAA board that by the time
the PG Conan was approved, the committee was calling it "Conan the
Wimp"). Probably the most insidious example of "cutting," however, is
when someone like Blockbuster Video demands cuts before they'll place
an order (this does, in fact, happen--and such is their buying power
that the "objectionable" scenes are often excised in order to make
the sale).
Randy Pitman
Editor
Video Librarian
3672 NE Liverpool Dr.
Bremerton WA 98311
(800) 692-2270
vidlib@videolibrarian.com