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NEWS: NYAF to Hold Casshern's American Theatrical Premiere




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Tascar



Joined: 14 Nov 2005
Posts: 18
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:43 pm Reply with quote
I wonder if this will be the disgustingly mutilated version released on DVD recently.
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Egan Loo



Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Posts: 1300
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:53 pm Reply with quote
NYAF has just told us that it will present the original Japanese version of the film — not the American version which is 20 minutes shorter.
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Unholy_Nny



Joined: 22 Jun 2005
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:11 pm Reply with quote
Why were 20 minutes removed...?
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Afax



Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:13 pm Reply with quote
I had no idea the US version was edited...Anyone know what exactly was removed?
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mrsatan



Joined: 06 Jul 2005
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:44 pm Reply with quote
Afax wrote:
I had no idea the US version was edited...Anyone know what exactly was removed?


I haven't seen the US version so I don't really know, but the Japanese version seemed too long and dragged in places.

Also, there seemed to be not-so subtle, ham-fisted anti-War On Terror themes that might have made US distributors nervous.

Just speculation.
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Vicserr



Joined: 26 Apr 2004
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:15 pm Reply with quote
Afax wrote:
I had no idea the US version was edited...Anyone know what exactly was removed?

F**k. I wouldn't have bought the dvd if I knew it was edited!!!! Rolling Eyes
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dewlwieldthedarpachief



Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 751
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:26 am Reply with quote
mrsatan wrote:
Afax wrote:
I had no idea the US version was edited...Anyone know what exactly was removed?


I haven't seen the US version so I don't really know, but the Japanese version seemed too long and dragged in places.

Also, there seemed to be not-so subtle, ham-fisted anti-War On Terror themes that might have made US distributors nervous.

Just speculation.


I'm not opposed to good editing. If the drag you speak of is really detrimental to the overall experience, then its probably a good thing it was cut (its been so long since I watched Casshern I couldn't relate). However oftentimes the intentions of the original director hold up better than third parties making their own decisions. The director's coordination of the production gives it its panache; if you impose upon that its more than likely a negative thing. Without the directors involvement in those cuts I can't see how they are completely justified, especially considering the original version was not included. Branching chapters on DVDs is a practical way of doing this, as in the recent special edition of Aliens, for example.

Your speculation about political sensitivities is at least somewhat valid I think, as controversy in this area could damage the marketability of this movie. I understand we all need to make a buck, but I find this incredibly irritating on principle. You import foreign goods for something foreign. This popular idea that everything has to be tailored for the western person is very demeaning. I'd like to think I can handle the outside world.

Personally, I'd rather a company like Dreamworks invested in something original rather than butchering old movies for new profits. Casshern was not absurdly expensive to make, nor was it an timeless classic. If someone was willing to build on what made it good and turn that into something better, as an American production compatibility would be ensured and as an improvement it would be worth the effort. But maybe I'm just kuh-raaazy.
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infoman99



Joined: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 39
Location: canada
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:29 am Reply with quote
lol i haven't seen it yet, is it any good? from what i saw in previews
it looked good but is the story itself good?
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dewlwieldthedarpachief



Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 751
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:18 am Reply with quote
Check out rottentomatoes, usually they have 20-something reviews. The short and quick of it is that its not moving any mountains with drama, but the production values achieved with CG are really staggering. Aside from the action scenes though, this is sci-fi channel caliber sophistication. Wait...
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teh*darkness



Joined: 16 Feb 2007
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:34 am Reply with quote
Wow... so we're still at that state where US distributors try to slide edited versions of foreign media under our noses without saying anything... I'll wait to see if they release an unedited version before I bother wasting my time on it. In my opinion, even if it "drags in places", that's an individual's opinion, and not necessarily fact. I'd prefer to see it the way it was made, thank you very much.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:41 am Reply with quote
There's a legal Thai region-free version of it you can get at HK Flix which is uncut.
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Joichiro Nishi



Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Posts: 163
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 9:44 am Reply with quote
It sucks when a studio cut a movie. The director is the author of the movie, his vision must be respected. Why Casshern`s DVD was cut? Because distribuitors think that American audience are stupid. Why Japanese audience can watch the entire film? Because Japanese producers trust in their audience. Casshern isn`t an action flick, it has some great action scenes (The fight between Casshern and the robot army is one of the best action secuences that I`ve ever seen) but the movie goes into philosophy and experimental cinema. I didn`t buy the American version but I heard that even dialogues were changed because they were too dark and complex. They try to change Casshern into a teen movie. When American producers will take seriously their audience? They cut animes, they cut cartoons such as Return of the Joker, they try to make everything P.C., etc.
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artfx



Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 32
Location: Hollywood
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:33 am Reply with quote
dewlwieldthedarpachief wrote:

Personally, I'd rather a company like Dreamworks invested in something original rather than butchering old movies for new profits. Casshern was not absurdly expensive to make, nor was it an timeless classic. If someone was willing to build on what made it good and turn that into something better, as an American production compatibility would be ensured and as an improvement it would be worth the effort. But maybe I'm just kuh-raaazy.


Casshern was not absurdly expensive to make in Japan, but doing an American remake or influenced movie would probably cost in the hundreds of millions like most recent summer FX laden blockbusters.

I'd love to see it though. Wink
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mrsatan



Joined: 06 Jul 2005
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Location: Olympia, WA, USA
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:27 pm Reply with quote
GATSU wrote:
There's a legal Thai region-free version of it you can get at HK Flix which is uncut.


The version I saw was the Region 2 Japanese DVD (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DA-452); it has subtitles as well.

I guess I was disappointed in the movie because it really didn't resemble the TV series it was based off of. If you haven't seen the anime, you'll probably like it better than I did.

Some of the comments at imdb.com talk about what exactly was cut.
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