Re: "The 25 Most Outlandish Sci-Fi Films of All Time"

On 5 Sep 2024 20:46:30 -0000, kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote:

Paul S Person  <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

>
Actually, I think that one's still in there. The one where her face is
wrapped in plastic to show Our Hero what his mother will look like
after her operation and his reaction was cut.=20

The link below metions this:

After watching Mrs. Lowry's first plastic surgery treatment, Sam
exclaims "My god, it works!"

although its the /planned/ treatment with the plastic pulled back to
show what she will look like, not the treatment itself.

It was in the version released in America to theaters and VHS. But
that had the same ending as the Director's cut. The network TV
version, however, substituted a "happy" ending for the Real Deal.

>
The version I saw at an American college film society (16mm print from Swank)
had the happy ending on it.  Curious to know how far that went.

<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/alternateversions/?ref_=tt_ql_dyk_4>
has information on the versions.

If I read it correctly, the "happy ending" version didn't go anywhere.
Yet the Criterion set (LD, I believe, and DVD) has it, and it
apparently made its way onto the 16mm circuit.

Well, unless watching Sam singing to himself and revealing his escape
etc as a dream is what you mean by a "happy ending". I consider it
rather bleak: the girl dead, the protaganist incurably insane, the
Ministry with nobody to bill.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"