Director John Waters (Pink Flamingos) - within the movie scene known for overstepping the bounds of good taste - had a huge mainstream success with the movie "Hairspray" in 1988 - later on, the movie was made into a successful broadway-musical.

In the year 1990 (as a sort-of follow-up) he released "Cry-Baby". Again, it's a musical movie with then 27-year-old Johnny Depp playing the rebellious protagonist Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker - the performance reminds one of James Dean. It's not easy to tell, whether the movie is a hommage or a parody of movies such as Grease.

Financially, the movie bombed at the box office and didn't even gross enough money to break even the production costs of 12 million dollars. However, later on the movie evolved into a cult film for a whole generation.


Besides the original theatrical version there also exists a Director's Cut which was released on DVD. Even though the Director's Cut doesn't really add anything to the plot (it neither develops the Rock'n'Rollers (Drapes) nor the "Squares" any further), one should still rather choose the extended version. Fans of the movie will enjoy every single additional second.


Runtime:
Theatrical Version: 76:33 Min. PAL (not including credits)
Director's Cut: 82:49 Min. PAL (not including credits)

Difference in time: 12 scenes resulting in 6 minutes and 16 seconds.

00:04:11
Mona "Hatchet-Face" Malnorowski's parents sell cigarettes in front of the school.

26 sec.

Mr. Malnorowski: "Get your cigarettes. Penny a piece. Six for a nickel."
Mrs. Malnorowski: "You owe me from yesterday, young man."
Square: "Please, look, I'll pay you tomorrow."
Mrs. Malnorowski: "Wouldn't you like to have one?"
Square: "Come on, just a drag. Just a drag!"
Mrs. Malnorowski: "No cash, no tobacco. Go on, scram. Hey Mona! Get over here and help your poor mother."

00:05:49
Allison's and Cry-Baby's first real eye-contact.

3 sec.

00:06:06
Cry-Baby spits his match out.

2 sec.

00:12:59
The scene where photographer Toe-Joe Jackson takes pictures of a beautiful brunette on the hood of his Manhattan Sedan starts a little earlier.

13 sec.

Toe-Joe: "Take it easy, honey. I'm not getting any younger here, you know. That is what I call a real great shape. Knockers up, sweetheart. Here it is! Beautiful. All right, here you go, honey pot."

00:22:39
Allison sings the third verse of "A Teenage Prayer".
Her performance is interrupted by sirens of an air raid drill. Mrs. Vernon-Williams asks the attendants to stay calm and to take cover.
Baldwin - who fell in love with Allison - tries to make a pass at her.

1 min. and 20 sec.

Mrs. Vernon-Williams: "All right girls. What this is... this is unfortunately a red alert. So please take your duck-and-cover positions immediately. It is only an air-raid drill. There are no atom bombs actually being dropped."
Baldwin: "You were incredible, honey. Where did you learn to sing like that?"
Allison: "Just practicing."

The sirens fall silent.
Mrs. Vernon-Williams: "All right, boys and girls. That's the all-clear signal. You can come out now. Everyone is safe and sound."

00:26:10
The Jukebox Jamboree in Turkey Point starts a little earlier. Several dance interludes - along with the one performed by Belvedere Rickettes - were cut out.
Additionally you see Allison and Cry-Baby arriving.

1 min. and 40 sec.

00:43:28
After the brawl with the Squares in Turkey Point, Cry-Baby Walker and his drapes are brought to trial.
There's a missing shot of Wanda Woodward's parents playing cards inside the courtroom while waiting for the trial. When they spot their daughter, they wave their hands but Wanda is not really glad to see her parents.
They bring in the defendants. Allison's grandmother tells her granddaughter to do her hair.

27 sec.

00:44:33
A minor auditory censorship:
When Wanda asks her parents to get her out of there, the f-word was beeped twice.

Kein Laufzeitunterschied.

Wanda: "Would you just get me the fuck out of here?"
Mrs. Woodward: "What does "fuck" mean, Hector?"

00:46:25
Ramona and Belvedere Rickettes try to pit in a good word for the juveniles.

11 sec.

Ramona: "They can sing, Your Honour. You should hear them. It's new, it's exciting."
Belvedere: "We don't know what to call it. It sort of rocks, man, it spins. Let me get the right words. It twirls."

00:47:53
After Cry-Baby took the blame to protect Allison, his grandmother tries to calm the judge down.

36 sec.

Mrs. Vernon-Williams: "Your Honour, I am Allison's grandmother. And if Mr. Walker does have musical talent, I am willing to give him a second chance. Won't you? The boy is at least polite."
Judge: "Mrs. Vernon-Williams are you aware that Negroes were present at tonight's disturbance?"
Mrs. Vernon-Williams: "My granddaughter is fond of all kinds of music."

00:55:06
When Ramona, Belvedere and Pepper come out of the office of their probationer, a group of Squares throws tomatoes at them.

23 sec.

00:56:06
Baldwin - the Squares' leader - tries to win Allison back with the song "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane".

49 sec.

01:09:50
After they freed the two kids (Susie-Q and Snare-Drum) from the orphanage, a part of their escape was cut out.

9 sec.