Dark City: Director's Cut (Proyas, 1998)

[kaujot]

did Ebert just call his own commentary brilliant?

I think it was meant tongue-in-cheek.

[avner]

I'm looking foward for this release. I like the theatrical version a lot, and even knowing it was product of some concession, I actually think that the fast editing style, with its quick cuts, works in the advantage of the movie. It reflects in an intelligent way the existential doubts, the enduring uncertainty and disorientation lived by those characters in that world.

If the new version's editing is slower and gives the story more time to breath, then it will probably be a considerably different experience. I'm curious to see if it surpasses the impact of the original version. That had its many flaws, and lacks some dramatic resonance in the definition of the characters and their relationships, but works very well as a well-told mistery puzzle, a conceptual piece that acquires some great power by materializing it's big thematical ideas in images of lasting impact, in its design and evocative worlds. Maybe the new version will add to the characters an extra layer of complexity.

The ending's bombastic final duel is completely over the top, far from perfect (and that scene's CGI has aged quite a bit) but it works relatively well. It's certainly more interesting and relevant to the plot than any of The Matrix's inumerous and interminable slow motion martial art and shoot 'em up scenes.

[Buttery Jeb]

From DVDActive:

New Line Home Entertainment has announced the director's cut of Dark City which stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt. The Alex Proyas directed film will be available to own from the 29th July, and should retail at around $19.97. The disc will carry both the theatrical and director's cuts of the film - each of which will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras will include 3 commentary tracks (with director Alex Proyas, Writers Lem Dobbs, and David S Goyer, Director of Photography Dariusz Wolski, Production Designer Patrick Tatopoulous, and film critic Roger Ebert), an introduction by Alex Proyas, a Memories of Shell Beach making of featurette, an Architecture of Dreams featurette, a production gallery, trailers and more. A Blu-ray disc will also be available for $34.99.

-BJ

[dx23]

Good to see that they are including both cuts and keeping the Ebert track.

[Fan-of-Kurosawa]

I just got the DVD version of the new DARK CITY DC. Of course I haven't seen the film yet but I have a few remarks about the disc in comparison to the Blue Ray version that is reviewed at dvdbeaver. According to dvdbeaver, the only difference between the Blue Ray and the DVD, apart from the transfer and the sound is the inclusion on the Blue Ray of a "Director's Cut Fact Track". That is not accurate. There are also two other differences.

First of all, and this is a major difference, the SD DVD version does NOT include both cuts of the film. It only inlcudes the DC.

Secondly, the new SD does not include the various text screens (the Neil Gainman review, the Metropolis comparison) that were included in the old edition and the new Blue Ray. Of course personally I don't care a lot about these since I have the old disc.

Apart from these differences the discs are similar. Three commentaries are included, an intro, 2 new docs, the trailer and a production gallery.

[Antoine Doinel]

Watch one of the restored scenes here.

[Snatcher42]

According to dvdbeaver, the only difference between the Blue Ray and the DVD, apart from the transfer and the sound is the inclusion on the Blue Ray of a "Director's Cut Fact Track".

How disappointing. I don't own an HDTV or Blue Ray player yet. I don't really care about the other differences because I have the old Dark City disc, but I bought the Director's Cut and wanted to read about every change made to it. Could someone maybe rip this subtitle track and share it as a text document?

[Murdoch]

Just got this and I've made it over half way through, so far these are the diferences I noticed from the theatrical cut:

Spoiler

-When Murdoch is with the hooker he met at the Automat in her apartment he sees a little girl in another room staring at him, then leaves. Later on, when Emma and Bumstead are at the apartment with the cops they find the little girl hiding under a bed and find a drawing she did of the Strangers attacking the prostitute, who I think we're supposed to assume is her mom. The little girl is then put in a police car and taken to the police station. This part involving the little girl was pretty unnecessary and I can see why it was cut from the theatrical since it did nothing to advance the plot and she was only in the movie a few minutes, maybe she'll come back later on?
-Another difference is when Mr. Hand meets Emma by the lake or river or whatever where she and Murdoch first met, he gives this short monologue describing how great it is that humans are able to have their own individual memories, instead of having to have one giant, collective memory shared with the entire species that does not allow for any individual thought, implying how his species have no individual memories or thought. This was my favorite part so far of the DC.
-In terms of the new special effects there isn't that big of a difference and I actually preferred the way the original looked as opposed to this one. The old special effects had a sort of 90s look, although I may be alone in this preference. It really isn't that big a deal and maybe my opinion will change once I watch the DC final showdown.
-The doctor's monologue at the beginning is gone, as others said it would be, and instead starts with a short of outer space, then goes to the shot of the doctor looking over the city and walking away.

I'm looking forward to finishing this, but I prefer the theatrical if only because that's the version I saw first, much like I prefer Blade Runner: Final Cut since that's the first version of that I saw. Still glad I picked this up and maybe my opinion will change once I watch the whole thing.

[flyonthewall2983]

Saw this on Blu-Ray recently and was blown away all over again. It had been quite some time since I'd seen the original, and never seen the director's cut before. I like that they took out the opening narration, as it really felt tacked on even the first time I saw it. But it comes and goes so quickly, you forget it as soon as you're immersed in the film.

Moreover I'm just amazed that this has 2 versions of the film, 5 commentary tracks in between them, and over an hour of documentary footage. And above all that it's all on one disc. I would think it would be fair to say back in '98 when the first DVD came out, you would have needed 3 discs for all this stuff. Amazing.