By now, we’ve all probably heard horror stories about movies that have been lost to time — film history is full of old black and white dramas whose reels were never found, horror movies so gross they never got a proper release, or movies that were simply so bad no one wanted to spend the time and effort to preserve them. There are tons of movies out there that will never be seen by modern audiences, and even more that will never be seen in their intended format. Usually, it’s more obscure pictures that slip through the cracks, but even some famous movies have missing parts that have never been found.
You’d be surprised at how many well-known films out there are considered incomplete, with missing scenes and new footage made from reconstructed parts. Because they’re so well-known, copious strings have been pulled to make sure today’s audiences have the most fully fleshed-out experience, but often these films have problems that just can’t be fixed by traditional means.
Some of these cuts were studio-mandated, some were director-driven, and still some were done by more unofficial means. A few of these movies had so many different versions that there simply isn’t one absolutely definitive one. Others existed for decades in their truncated versions before some lost bits were reincorporated for anniversary re-releases. Whatever the case, these otherwise beloved films will always be a little unfinished, no matter how many different renditions there are. At least that means we can all argue over which version is the best.
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