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Why haven't they released Cruising yet?

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Why haven't they released Cruising yet?

Old 02-19-05, 07:59 AM
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Why haven't they released Cruising yet?

Probably because of Politically Correct Police.

Last edited by feral125; 02-19-05 at 08:05 AM.
Old 02-19-05, 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by feral125
Probably because of Politically Correct Police.

There you go.
Old 02-19-05, 10:48 AM
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I've always wondered this. Why do you people want Cruising so bad? Is it because you think it's a good film or because it has one of the most incomprehensible plots ever put on screen?
Old 02-19-05, 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by copiedline
I've always wondered this. Why do you people want Cruising so bad? Is it because you think it's a good film or because it has one of the most incomprehensible plots ever put on screen?
Neither. They want it because it is human nature to want what you can't have.
Old 02-19-05, 01:13 PM
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I've seen it on VHS and I'd buy a copy were it to be released to DVD.
Old 02-19-05, 04:05 PM
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Dog Day Afternoon has been released, so Cruising should be as well.
Old 02-19-05, 07:00 PM
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I suspect it will be released whenever Warner releases The Devils


But really,it could be coming eventually since Friedkin is wanting to work on a SE dvd,and get his directors cut out there. Of course the content of the uncut footage may be stopping Warners,since it may contain hardcore footage.

Oh and I happen to find it an interesting film,and would love too see it restored,to see if it makes it alittle more comprehensible.
Old 02-19-05, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Julie Walker
Oh and I happen to find it an interesting film,and would love too see it restored,to see if it makes it alittle more comprehensible.
I find the film very interesting as well. Perhaps my comment came off as though I disliked the product. I'm just surprised that so many people seem to want it released as the film doesn't make any sense at all.

In film school I took a gay cinema class and we went scene by scene, and in some cases frame by frame with Cruising and the whole thing is a mess. The general conclusions were either someone cut massive amounts of the film (which still wouldn't account for all the plot holes) or the people making it really had no idea where their own story was going. When I have some time maybe I'll post the "skeleton key" my professor came up with. To me, that's why it's an interesting film, not for the story itself, which I find pretty lame actually.
Old 02-20-05, 12:15 AM
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I'll take one....been waiting years. I'd love to at least see an uncut feature....but I also liked the one I've been seeing all these years. I'll take what they give me at this point....minus improper OAR or even worse cuts.
Old 02-20-05, 10:34 PM
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This movie would be great at a Frat party.
Old 02-12-07, 11:38 AM
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http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl...803%26page%3D6

What are your projects?
I will make a new version of Cruising, a new assembly which will leave on DVD in a newly remastered copy and accompanied by many no-claims bonuses.
Old 02-12-07, 04:29 PM
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"Hips or lips?"
Old 02-27-07, 01:42 PM
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Talk about contradictions : http://www.armyarcherd.com/2007/02/comeback_contro.html

»

Comeback Controversy

"It split the gay community," director Billy Friedkin recalls his 1980 Al Pacino starrer, "Cruising. " It's coming out as a DVD from Warner Home Video this Fall with a premiere in Cannes. Friedkin has remastered it digitally as well as upgraded the sound. But there are no changes in the film itself, he says.
Daily Variety's review by James Harwood noted, "If this is an R, then the only X left is actual hardcore." Friedkin explains, "I was making a statement between the leather-vise world and those in the then-discreet gay community, which had not come out of the closet."

In "Cruising, " Al Pacino plays the young cop sent underground by police chief Paul Sorvino to search for a sadistic killer. Jerry Weintraub produced the film, and it is currently being DVD-augmented with behind-the-scenes background info by Laurent Bouzereau who has edited 150 DVDs, including Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" and "Jaws. "

Friedkin says he was "amazed" to learn that "Cruising" was the most-requested DVD reissue. When I read him critical comments on the rating-achievement of his film, he reminded, "It also took me 50 days of editing to get an R rating for 'The Exorcist'. " Yes, the "Cruising" DVD rating will be R.

Meanwhile, Friedkin's "Bug," which won an award in Cannes last year, will get its release in 120 screens in France, Feb. 21, and in the U.S. in May. He made "Bug" for $4 million in Louisiana. Evidence of Friedkin's artistic versatility is news that his direction of the opera "Salome" has won placement in the permanent repertoire of the Bavarian State Opera following its successful Munich bow by Friedkin.

Thursday, February 15, 2007 in Film | Permalink
Old 02-27-07, 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted by inri222
http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl...803%26page%3D6

What are your projects?
I will make a new version of Cruising, a new assembly which will leave on DVD in a newly remastered copy and accompanied by many no-claims bonuses.
A few points:

At least for now the new and restored version the director mentions has to do with a rummored future Cannes screening not an eventual DVD release. Furthermore, if such materializes it will likely be instigated by a European distrib first and then possibly followed by (but not likley as of now) R1 release.

This may not be the correct thing to say but I concur that the political climate in the US at this point does not welcome such a release.

Which is very, very sad!!

Pro-B
Old 02-27-07, 02:21 PM
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From what I have read about the 'cutting' of the film, two stabbing sequences were trimmed to avoid an X-rating as well. So to say only the hardcore scenes were the only thing removed is a false statement.
Old 02-27-07, 11:32 PM
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In case some of you may have missed this, here's a critical analysis for the Friedkin/Cruising diehards. Be forewarned, this is a long and exhaustive...

http://www.rouge.com.au/3/friedkin.html
Old 03-01-07, 12:59 PM
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I've never seen this, but await its release. Bouzereau doing supplemental materials for...Cruising? I never would have thought.

I expect it to very much "of its time" (that haircut...oh boy), but that doesn't stop me from loving To Live and Die in L.A. Thankfully a release is being put together while Friedkin can still participate (he's, what, 70?)
Old 03-01-07, 01:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Egon's Ghost
I've never seen this, but await its release. Bouzereau doing supplemental materials for...Cruising? I never would have thought.
well he did write the book:

'The Cutting Room Floor : Movie Scenes Which Never Made it to the Movies'

with a whole chapter on 'Cruising'
Old 03-01-07, 05:30 PM
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Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist
This may not be the correct thing to say but I concur that the political climate in the US at this point does not welcome such a release.

Which is very, very sad!!

Pro-B
I doubt the 'political climate' has anything to do with the uncut version not being released. It's just a rumor fans love to gossip about since they don't know anything. Since in my opinion,if the so called 'pol-climate' was the reason for it not being restored or whatever. The film itself in its theatrical edit would not be released either.

Heck considering the 'pol-climate', I am still amazed Paramount restored and released 1900 uncensored considering the content of the film. So I doubt Warner is fearing some big backlash from conservatives or whatever.

Now I will state the contradicting statements in the recent Cruising articles make me confused and thus I won't assume the worst until actual information is released.

Because in the translated interview,Friedkin discusses restoring the film and making a new cut, which will premiere at Cannes and end up on dvd.

Then in the other article which probably has misinformation from the sounds of it. It says The Exorcist took 50 days of re-editing before it earned an R rating. And that the Cruising dvd would be R rated like that film.

Now the thing with The Exorcist makes no sense at all. Since in a Mark Kermode interview from a few years ago,that discusses all his films. Friedkin mentions not having [B]any[/] MPAA ratings trouble with The Exorcist. It got an R rating on the first try.

Then he mentions on Cruising,it took 40-50+ days of reediting,butchuring the film until it finally was given an R rating,and over 40 minutes was cut in the process.

So I think the second article got The Exorcist and Cruising mixed up regarding the ratings issue. Which leads me to believe, a restored version will hopefully be released on dvd this year.

Since it makes no sense that the theatrical edit would get shown at Cannes this year. Since the theatrical edit being remastered is not a 'big' thing and is quite old news(it was restored in the mid-90s). Meanwhile a first time ever uncensored version being released 27 years later...is huge news and thus good marketing to use by releasing at Cannes,and then coming to dvd.

So until the actual specs are announced on the dvd. Don't use the 'political climate' exuse which will just spread misinformation about why the uncut version isn't being released and so forth. Since no one knows for sure what is going on.
Old 03-01-07, 06:10 PM
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For those that missed the Warner chat at htf.

"We will be releasing THE HAND this year,
and are at work on a special edition of CRUISING directly with William Friedkin."
Old 03-01-07, 06:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Julie Walker

Heck considering the 'pol-climate', I am still amazed Paramount restored and released 1900 uncensored considering the content of the film. So I doubt Warner is fearing some big backlash from conservatives or whatever.
Well, "1900" has already been discontinued by Paramount after only two months in release. Looks like they may have run into some backlash because of the controversial material. I can't see any other reason why they would have deleted the title so quickly.
Old 03-01-07, 08:18 PM
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Originally Posted by man*machine
Well, "1900" has already been discontinued by Paramount after only two months in release. Looks like they may have run into some backlash because of the controversial material. I can't see any other reason why they would have deleted the title so quickly.
Can you please tell me where to find this information? I've searched the web and came up empty. I've searched Paramounts website(nothing mentioned there,just movie info and link to purchase dvd or vhs), and a person had it listed in their dvdaficionado list and that website lists 'discontinued' if the title is truly discontinued. And 1900 was not listed as discontinued. It is still in stock on every dvd website I've searched and was not listed as out of print or out of stock/discontinued.

And nothing came up in my search engine inquiries using the films title,director,studio and star.


Are you sure it is really discontinued and not just Paramount not pressing anymore copies until the first printing runs out?

Afterall most studios only print a certain amount of copies and then that's it. Until the supply runs out and more need to be printed. Otherwise they will print more copies than their is demand for. And if let's say hypothetically they printed 100,000 copies of 1900 and have only sold 2,000. It would be a waste of money to continue printing more copies, with so many left on the market unsold hogging up warehouse and shelf space.

And I'm sure if 1900 were being pulled because of complaints and so forth. It would have made the news on all the dvd sites. But from my searches, I've found not a clue at that happening.
Old 03-01-07, 09:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Tracer
For those that missed the Warner chat at htf.

"We will be releasing THE HAND this year,
and are at work on a special edition of CRUISING directly with William Friedkin."
Thanks Tracer! Two pieces of good news. 'The Hand' is the only Oliver Stone film I don't own (and have never seen) and 'Cruising' is my most sought after DVD release.
Old 03-01-07, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Julie Walker
Can you please tell me where to find this information? I've searched the web and came up empty. I've searched Paramounts website(nothing mentioned there,just movie info and link to purchase dvd or vhs), and a person had it listed in their dvdaficionado list and that website lists 'discontinued' if the title is truly discontinued. And 1900 was not listed as discontinued. It is still in stock on every dvd website I've searched and was not listed as out of print or out of stock/discontinued.
1900 is listed here as discontinued.

Here is an interesting article on Cruising.
Cruising: Re-examining the Reviled

Last edited by inri222; 03-01-07 at 09:08 PM.
Old 03-01-07, 09:28 PM
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Thanks for the info. That is the only place I've seen it listed as discontinued so far. But I may order it now just to be on the safe side. Since I've always wanted to see the film, but have'nt gotten around to it yet.

Here is the interview between Mark Kermode and William Friedkin I mentioned regarding the censorship of Cruising.

http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview....html#cruising


"I knew Aaron Stern because he had formulated the code for the ratings board and he gave The Exorcist an R rating with no cuts. (R of course meant that children under 16 years of age were restricted from going unless accompanied by a parent.) And he gave the film an R rating without a single frame cut. So I was delighted. So I called Aron and I told him that Heffner said he could help, maybe. And he said, "Yeah, I'd be happy to help you guys. My fee is £1,000 dollars a day." About 50 days later we had a film that had been cut and messed around. The reason people say that they don't know what happens at the end of this film is because it's all been cut out."

"I started to play games with these guys. While they were making me take out first shots and then whole scenes I decided to insert various material. Two or three frames of things that I knew they wouldn't see that are in the film to this day. For example, I had shots of male homosexuality, openly, in the film. You know, men being intimate with men. And I cut two or three frames of this into portions of the film and they're still there to this day and the ratings board would never see it."


As you can see he mentions The Exorcist passed with no cuts. Meanwhile 50 days of drastically chopping up Cruising finally resulted in an R rating. This is why I think the second article mentioning the dvd release got the information mixed up.

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