Immortal Story 62-minute version

[Wellesnet]

Here's the version of "The Immortal Story" shown on TCM. It runs 62 minutes, a full four minutes longer than the Criterion version.
https://vimeo.com/459803520

[edmoney]

Can anyone summarize what was cut in those 4 minutes and the reason for the cuts?

[Wich2]

(And would anyone happen to have a copy of that longer cut on DVD? Lots of Welles to trade.)

- Craig

P.S. - Ed, I would think those cuts might have been for the French TV broadcast? Does anyone know if they are sticklers for the one-hour block, as American TV is?

[Le Chiffre]

Craig, my guess is that you're correct: the film was cut down in order to fit the 1-hour time slot.

edmoney, the cuts consist mainly of dialogue. I don't think there were any whole scenes eliminated. One of my favorite lines in the film was cut, when the narrator says towards the beginning that "Mr. Clay had come to believe in his own omnipotence."

According to a comment for this Youtube video, the 2012 Region 4 DVD from Australia contains the 62-minute version. That was probably the source for the TCM broadcast:



**********

Another interesting issue for me is aspect ratio. We've had plenty of arguments here about TOUCH OF EVIL and whether it should be seen widescreen or full frame. I would think that when THE IMMORTAL STORY was shown on French television back in 1968, it would have been shown full frame, which is the way Welles shot it. I'd like to see it that way sometime.