Batman: Anthology (UK) DVD Boxset - Help

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Batman: Anthology (UK) DVD Boxset - Help

Postby Ewan_McMahon » 19 Oct 2017 17:19

Does anyone have the "The Batman Legacy" (UK) DVD Boxset, or, "Batman: Anthology" (UK) DVD Boxset? a.k.a see the following Amazon.co.uk links:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Batman-Legacy- ... A383381011
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Batman-Motion- ... A383381011

I'm curious to know if either boxset contains the UNCUT versions of "Batman Returns" + "Batman Forever" - that have been previously cut when the titles were released individually. Or do these boxset basically just contain all the original (cut) individual releases?

The cuts are as follows (more or less quoted from the DVDCOMPARE listing pages):
(Batman Returns): 0m 9s - Two scenes cut: a clown waving nunchukas was removed, and also the scene in the store where Catwoman puts aerosol cans into the microwave to cause an explosion.

(Batman Forever): 1m 38s of voluntary cuts by the distributor to ensure a "PG" rather than a 12 rating:
-A shot of a cutting torch being picked up just after the main logo is missing.
-Two Face's reply after the guard says "You said you'd let me live?" is missing ("Nothing better than live bait to trap a bat!").
-After the "punctual funeral" line, Two Face´s shouting "Kill the Bat!". This has been removed from the soundtrack and replaced with music and guards grunting.
-When the elevator dings just before Batman exits, Two Face shout of "Blast him!" is not present in the UK version.
-The fight outside the elevator has lost a lot of sound effects, as well as a sequence where Batman drops his leg sharply onto a thug´s chest, complete with a loud thud.
-Batman delivering a backward headbutt and breaking a thug´s nose in extreme close-up has been removed.
-Close-up´s of kicks to midriffs and faces are also missing.
-Two Face lines in the helicopter about the acid have been removed.
-In the sequence where the helicopter pilot is killed, Two Face emptying an entire clip into the helicopter pilot has been trimmed, along with shots showing the bullets riddling the pilot´s body from the front. The cut UK version has only three shots fired, and the pilot is shown slumping from behind.
-The death of Nygma´s boss does not show him stopping on the window ledge, and hanging in terror, before Nygma runs over and says "Fred, babe! You are fired! Or should I say...terminated?". With this, he pulls the hat off him and he falls down, but this is all cut from the UK print.
-Two Face line in the circus big top is cut from the UK version: "Our new act for your personal amazement. We call it: Massacre Under The Big Top!".
-A shot of Nygma laughing at the above line is also missing.
-When the Mayor asks what Two Face wants at the circus, his reply is shortened from "Batman. Bruised, broken, bleeding. In a word, dead!" to simply "Batman".
-The UK version is missing the sequence, where Bruce Wayne kills one guard on the right side of the big drum by coming up behind him, breaking his neck, and smacking him in the face as he falls.
-When Two Face flips his coin before killing the Graysons, after his evil laugh, he goes on to say "Their kind of day", which is missing in the UK version.
-As the bomb is raised through the roof of the circus, a quick sequence of Bruce flipping a guard over and kicking him hard in the gut is missing.
-When Two Face accidentally kills two of his men in the car, their screams have been cut short in the UK version, and a shot of the driver´s terrified face has been removed.
-The fight at Nygma´s party loses some impact sounds.
-Shortly after this, Batman makes a guard do the splits and another crack accompanies this, but the sound has virtually been eliminated from the soundtrack.
-A small crack has been greatly reduced in volume as Batman twists a thug´s arm backwards.
-Robin throwing Two Face a vicious headbutts after the line, "This is for me!" has been replaced in the UK version, by removing the punch Robin throws after he says "This is for my brother!" and re-inserting in place of the headbutt.

(Not counting any Blu-Ray releases), I am aware that in "Batman Forever - 2 Disc Special Editon" DVD the cuts were waived, however that does not seem so of "Batman Returns - 2 Disc Special Editon" DVD. The "The Batman Legacy" DVD boxset I think was released before these waived cuts, but I don't know anymore about it. Also, the "Batman: Anthology" DVD boxset was released a couple of years after the individual-title 2-Disk-Special-Editions (and other earlier individual releases) it looks like, so I wonder what differences it has.

Neither Batman DVD boxset is currently listed on site BTW.
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Re: Batman: Anthology (UK) DVD Boxset - Help

Postby James-Masaki_Ryan » 20 Oct 2017 15:52

I assume the DVD boxsets are not any different. But those pages are in need of serious updating. I wish I had more time but if someone is going to update the "Batman" DVD boxes, I do have the US 8-disc set.
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Re: Batman: Anthology (UK) DVD Boxset - Help

Postby Ewan_McMahon » 20 Oct 2017 17:14

James-Masaki_Ryan wrote:I assume the DVD boxsets are not any different. But those pages are in need of serious updating. I wish I had more time but if someone is going to update the "Batman" DVD boxes, I do have the US 8-disc set.

I've also checked on melonfarmers.co.uk and they have some background details about the censor cuts to Batman-Forever, and when they were waived. Though from I read it's not entirely clear if this includes any versions in the boxsets or not (it seems to imply only the 2-disk-special-edition is uncut).
http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/hitsb.htm#batman_forever
http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/bbfc_cuts ... orever.htm

As for Batman-Returns, there does not appear to be any background info about when it had its cuts waived, and I can only judge from the cuts-list that it is uncut only on Blu-Ray.
http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/hitsb.htm#batman_returns

The thing I find ponder though: if both UK DVD boxsets "The Batman Legacy" + "Batman: Anthology" contain only the original cut versions (and no extra contents like dvd-extras or extra-disks per movie), then does that mean both these Boxsets are in fact exactly the same (apart from the external-artwork and release dates)? Though there is little data online on Amazon or anywhere else about the true contents of these two Batman boxsets, the contents of each do both sound very similar... (I didn't think companies were allowed to re-release a title with the exact same contents in this way, at least not without something extra included).

I wonder about various other DVD re-release boxset titles with the same thing about if any recent re-releases have old censor cuts waived. :lol:
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