[Help] Straw Dogs (1971) UK theatrical cut

[Onti]

I'm trying to find the UK theatrical cut. As this British film was shown in theaters.

Was that cut ever released on Laserdisc, VHS, DVD or Blu-ray? If not, I wanted to start a project to create the UK theatrical cut.

[jonno]

That's a good question. Most of the DVDs and all of the Blu-rays take pride in reverting to the uncut version, including UK releases.

According to www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=1739 there are also cut releases from Belgium, Japan and Scandinavia, but those are unlikely to conform exactly to the BBFC-mandated edits in 1971.

VHS would be the next port of call. The initial Guild release from 1980 is said to be uncut - the video rental scene in the UK was famously unregulated at the time, and it appears that the label simply licenced an uncut master (it'll cost you £30 for a mouldy tape if you want to check that theory: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234311624001 ).

This might be what you want: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255217226366 . It's from a different label a couple of years later, and according to https://video-collection-international.f...Straw_Dogs it used the UK X-rated cut. For that price, I'd say it's worth a look.

Lots more reading on the film's adventures with the BBFC here:
https://melonfarmers.co.uk/bbfc_cuts_straw_dogs.htm
https://www.bbfc.co.uk/education/case-st...straw-dogs

[Onti]

That's a good question. Most of the DVDs and all of the Blu-rays take pride in reverting to the uncut version, including UK releases.

According to www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=1739 there are also cut releases from Belgium, Japan and Scandinavia, but those are unlikely to conform exactly to the BBFC-mandated edits in 1971.

VHS would be the next port of call. The initial Guild release from 1980 is said to be uncut - the video rental scene in the UK was famously unregulated at the time, and it appears that the label simply licenced an uncut master (it'll cost you £30 for a mouldy tape if you want to check that theory: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234311624001 ).

This might be what you want: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255217226366 . It's from a different label a couple of years later, and according to https://video-collection-international.f...Straw_Dogs it used the UK X-rated cut. For that price, I'd say it's worth a look.

Lots more reading on the film's adventures with the BBFC here:
https://melonfarmers.co.uk/bbfc_cuts_straw_dogs.htm
https://www.bbfc.co.uk/education/case-st...straw-dogs

Thank you very much for all this information. Take a look at this:

https://melonfarmers.co.uk/bbfc_cuts_straw_dogs.htm

The filmmakers implemented these cuts during the post-production process, with producer Dan Melnick writing to Stephen Murphy later in August 1971 to inform him that the necessary alterations had been made. This cut of Straw Dogs is the version widely known as the 'uncut version', and is how we will be referring to it in the following discussions (since the material removed during post-production no longer exists and has never been reinstated).

The filmmakers implemented these cuts but... this version is widely known as "uncut version”. I don’t get it. Uncut with cuts?

More things:

Two years later, Straw Dogs was submitted to the BBFC for the seventh time by FreemantleMedia, and once again the version submitted was the uncut 1971 version as seen in British theatres.

FreemantleMedia Blu-ray:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Straw-Dog...ray/27513/

And this:

http://dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=18901

In the US, Straw Dogs was released in an 'R' rated version which made cuts to much of the second rape scene. All extant Blu-ray versions contain the unrated version.

The Criterion Collection DVD that was released in 2003 also featured the uncut version, and recent releases from MGM on DVD and Blu-ray are also uncut.

• Blu-ray A America- Criterion Collection - No cuts - Unrated version (117:50).
• Blu-ray ALL America- MGM Home Entertainment - No Cuts - Unrated Version (117:54).
• Blu-ray ALL 40th Anniversary Edition United Kingdom- Fremantle Media - No Cuts - Unrated Version (117:19)

So, those blu-rays would be all the original UK theatrical version?

Can anyone watch this video? I don't know how to download age restricted videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRMUeVigdcc

And sounds interesting:

The first, uncut clip is the original X-rated BBFC version (i.e. the version of the scene that was the result of Murphy's cuts made during the editing process).

[jonno]

Fascinating. It seems then that the BBFC's requirements directed the original cut of the film - not an abbreviated cut for the UK market (as is more commonly the case). I guess they had a great deal more clout in those days.

In that case, the notion of a 'cut' version is more likely relevant to the US market, which used the UK 'X' version as a starting point and cut it down from there. As to whether the current 'uncut' version is identical to the original UK 'X', perhaps the Cutting Edge video sheds more light on that - I'll see if I can grab it for you to watch too.