8 replies to this topic

[R. Dittmar]

Here are a couple of questions for you Dalton movie history mavens out there that I've always puzzled over. Did the studio release R-rated versions of Licence to Kill to certain venues and PG versions to others? Was the original theatrical release R-rated and later cut to earn a PG rating on DVD?

I'm actually quite the horror movie buff so I'm not squeamish about gory movies, but I do remember feeling pretty disgusted watching Krest's head explode when I first saw LTK in the theaters. So much so in fact that I actually left the theater just before it occurred the second time I saw it. After I saw it again on DVD it seemed to me that the scene had been trimmed. Was that so that all the Bond movies would earn a PG-13 rating? I even seem to have a foggy memory of an R-rating stamped on the movie poster outside the theater I originally watched LTK at but the IMDB claims that it was rated PG when it was released to theaters. Am I senile for remembering that? Does anyone have any interesting stories about this?

[Geodrin]

Well, it was a long time ago, so don't think your going senile, r.

Since it was a 007 flick, they problbly said it was contreversal, and had it censered, then uncensered many times. But, then again, I'm not sure at all.

Edited by Geodrin, 31 January 2008 - 05:15 AM.

[Simon]

Following this last masterpiece of contribution, I think it is fairly well documented that there was an American, European and Japanese cut of the movie, all showcasing, in this order, very slight incremental increases in violence. A scream here, a whipping there.

As all these final cuts are now all floating around the studios, it is possible to see, I think at least, the US and European versions. I am not sure about the Japanese version though.

[oatesy]

The current UK DVD (Ultimate Edition) is now completely un-cut and is essentially the original Japanese version. For many years the only version available in the UK was heavily censored (worse even than the US PG-13 cut). The British board of film classification waived all the previous cuts in a decision in the early 2000's if I recall correctly. However the version that was published on DVD after this decision was the PG-13 cut identical to the similiar US Special Edition DVD, with the totally uncut version emerging with the Ultimate Edition.

From what I recall there was an 'R' rated version in the US theatres which was somewhere between the uncut Japanese version and the PG-13 cut

[RivenWinner]

Also, remember if that you if catch this on TV or have seen recently on TV or have seen often on TV, it will be its own censored version as well.



As far as I know, there were no official R cuts of this film in US theaters, although there are reports that some stuff (ie a few seconds here and there) were trimmed to avoid the R rating, but the film was never actually given an official R rating.

[MissDalton99]

I know there are multiple versions of the US DVD floating around. I have the 2006 Ultimate Edition, and my DVD has Krest's head exploding, Felix's amputated leg floating around in the water, etc. My brother has a different version (I think it's the 1999 Special Edition, but I'm not sure), and his doesn't have any of that.

[Double-0-7]

Based on MissDalton99's description, I might have to watch Licence to Kill this weekend. I sure don't remember amputated legs floating around.

[RivenWinner]

If I remember correctly, there are only 3 LtK R1 DVDs. The original MGM release, the Special Edition MGM release, and the MGM Ultimate Edition release.

The Ultimate Edition release is the only one in the US that has the uncut verision.


MGM was supposed to release the uncut version on the Special Edition release, but something went wrong, last minute printing mistake or something, and it didn't get release.

[MissDalton99]

Based on MissDalton99's description, I might have to watch Licence to Kill this weekend. I sure don't remember amputated legs floating around.

It's a really quick shot. Less than a second!