A few months ago The Weinstein Company announced that the U.S. theatrical release of Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer would be significantly shorter than the overseas finished product with 20 minutes cut from the film’s 126 minute runtime. In August, Bong seemed unperturbed about the news saying:
“I came here after editing for the American version. I’ve never produced a new version for overseas premieres, and this is the first time I’m making a new version. Weinstein is actually being pretty soft toward editing, probably because it’s noticed how critics have praised the film and know how angry movie fans get over new edits. They even asked me which parts I want to include in the film.”
This isn’t the first time this year that a foreign film has been trimmed significantly at The Weinstein Company — Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster saw its own cuts for a stateside release — but the director’s response has soured according to sources at Variety.
While speaking at the Busan Film Festival, the South Korean auteur pointed out that this would be the last time the director’s cut would be seen for English-speaking audiences.
“[W]e are still in discussions about the cut, but it is clear that this is the only director’s cut you will be able to see.” The Variety article also reports Bong Joon-ho as saying that the US cut will be “a little bit different,” and went on to mention that “sources close to the director say that privately he is furious.”
The unedited version that has hit screens in South Korea and film festivals has drawn good word at its screenings, but American, British, and Australian viewers will not be able to see the director’s final vision as he intended as TWC still has final cut on the U.S. release.
Snowpiercer‘s U.S. release is currently TBA.
Source: Variety
