Comparison between the export version on the Italian VHS and the long version on the German UFA VHS.


- 15 cuts in the export version (- 1)
- 4 times additional footage in the export version (+ 1)

Difference: 390.7 sec. (= 6:31 min.) (- 8.3 sec.)

The Movie

Relatively sluggish movie from Germany, which was produced in 1975 and which is nowadays primarily interesting for it has Rutger Hauer in one of his first bigger feature film roles and it also shows some famous German actors of that time, like Horst Frank. The playful but also gloomy synthesizer score is also quite good and with Michael Ballhaus, it features a talented cameraman long before his great successes.

Release Overview

It seems that there exist two different versions of the movie, which were both released in Germany.
The German VHS releases by UFA and Marifon Video contain the longest version with a running time of 83 minutes. The tapes at hand from Italy and Spain run 77 minutes and are, except for some little master errors, identical to the German tapes by CMV and VMP, which again are identical to the German theatrical version. So because this shorter version was not only restricted to Germany, but could also be found in other European countries it will henceforth be called "export version", while the UFA/Marifon version will be called "long version".

A version rated FSK 16 was produced by Arcade on the basis of the long version; moreover, in the UK and the Netherlands, there's a further cut version available, based on the export version and called "English version" from here on.

The here compared Versions

The export version mostly lacks some story filler material, which is not that important. The fact that Corinna visits the school at the beginning (else it wouldn't make sense that she's packing stuff for her job as a teacher) and getting to know in the conversation that she's going to a vacation home rounds it off a little bit, but it doesn't bring the plot essentially forward. But it's remarkable that several bloody shots during an operation scene were removed; there's presumably also a censorship cut at the finale. Moreover, it can be noticed in the second half of the movie that they tried to use as few goofy scenes with the two gangsters as possible.
In return, the export version contains a few additional snippets, mostly of Rutger Hauer flying a small plane.



Thanks go out to the label Shamrock Media, which provided the whole material, including the German theatrical master (= export version), which has the best quality. It can be hoped for the first DVD release of the movie in the future.



Running time indications are in the order
Italian VHS (export version) / German UFA VHS (long version)


Note:

The screen shots for the export version were taken from the German theatrical master due to the better picture quality.

Credits

The zoom on the house right at the beginning starts from further away in the export version. In the long version on the UFA VHS, the picture in the middle of that shot was frozen for a new, cheaply looking credit display - this is kind of strange, for the German title is also displayed on the Italian VHS and the following credits are identical in the two versions, written in German and in yellow font color.

Italian VHS 1.7 seconds longer

Export Version (German theatrical master)	German UFA VHS

02:09 / 02:07-02:12

Jump cut in the middle of a shot of Corinna. Due to this the next credit display builds up correctly, while it is suddenly there in the export version.
From the off: "Frau Richter, you have to hurry up now or you'll be too late for school!"

Only on the audio track of the Italian VHS are missing all of the comments of the maid as well as the radio news about horrible things during this scene. They are contained on the Spanish VHS.

4.4 sec.

02:30 / 02:33-04:27

After Corinna has left the house, there's missing a complete scene of her in the school: another girl reads something out and while most of the students are sitting there bored, the guy next to her touches her leg with his leg, which she answers with an annoyed look.

The pupils say goodbye at the end of the lesson and wish her nice holidays, then follows a conversation with the P.E. teacher. He invites her for lunch, but she refuses because she's tired. Moreover, she says that she will go away tomorrow and that her ex-husband has offered her a job at his newspaper. The P.E. teacher is disappointed because so they won't be able to play canasta and he asks what she is doing today. Corinna answers that she's going to her vacation home.

114 sec.

06:09-06:10 / 08:06

Error in the UFA VHS: Corinna is actually shown slightly earlier.

+ 1.1 sec.




16:35 / 18:31-18:36

After Himmel fell out of the car, the shot (without dialogue) is a bit longer, but there's not much visible anyway due to the heavily darkened picture.


Note:

This is the only point which differs in all versions. The shot is always the same, but the length is different.

- Italian VHS: the shortest.
- German UFA VHS long version: 5.4 seconds longer.
- German VMP/CMV theatrical version: 7.4 seconds longer.
- British/NL VHS: 8.3 seconds longer.
- Spanish VHS: 9.4 seconds longer.

The Italian version was the basis for this report. Altogether, the Spanish is the longest, which is indicated above in brackets behind the amount and length of cuts.

5.4 sec.

Picture for orientation from the German theatrical master, which has the best quality:

18:17 / 20:18-20:27

The doctor takes care of the wound in several close-ups, while the telephone conversation goes on off-screen.

9.2 sec.

18:22 / 20:32-20:36

The wound is treated again; plus a cut to the doctor.

3.6 sec.

18:26 / 20:40-20:44

And again.

3.8 sec.

18:28 / 20:46-21:06

In the cut version, the scene in which the bullet is finally removed follows. Actually, some cuts to the doctor and Corinna and some shots of the doctor poking around in the wound are shown.

20.3 sec.

33:31-33:44 / 36:09

Longer cut in the German UFA VHS: at first, the man on the floor is shown a bit longer, then Cris starts the plane and flies away.


Note:

Basically also contained on the Spanish VHS and in the German theatrical version on the VMP/CMV VHS, but 1 second shorter at the end due to a master error.

+ 13 sec.

44:18 / 46:43-47:09

The window slams shut behind Cris and Corrina, which startles them. After that, they keep walking through the house and Cris breaks open a door.

26 sec.

46:33 / 49:24-49:36

A total view of them at the table, Cris says: "I can't eat more. But it was good!"

12.6 sec.

47:38 / 50:41-50:57

The two gangsters are shown earlier in the car. One of them (Arthur) does a crossword puzzle and asks for a famous kind of sausage, whereupon the other (Stazi) answers, a little annoyed, "Wiener".

15.4 sec.

48:06-48:08 / 51:25-53:36

The gangsters are then shown longer. Stazi takes out a bar of chocolate and eats it with relish; Arthur looks at him greedily. For he doesn't get a piece of it he gets out of the car, whereupon Stazi holds him back briefly and presents him the chocolate - but then he just says that he shouldn't make so much noise.
Then, Arthur watches the house from outside. Corinna is briefly shown in the house asking Cris whether talk English or French in his part of Canada; he confirms the former.
Outside, the gangsters are shown again: Stazi goes back to the car with a bottle; Arthur sits on a tree with binoculars.

In the cut version, only the exterior of the house is shown; this shot is a bit longer than on the UFA VHS.

UFA VHS 129.4 seconds longer

50:18-50:19 / 55:46

The shot of Cris is a bit shorter on the UFA VHS.

+ 1,3 sec.




51:11 / 56:38-56:44

Short goofy scene: Arthur watches the two naked ones with his binoculars and hums happily to himself, but then the light in the room of Cris and Corinna goes out, which he comments with "Crap!".

6 sec.

52:20 / 57:53-58:04

After the two have finished, Arthur is briefly shown again falling from the tree and groaning "Uh, my bum...".

11.4 sec.

53:56 / 59:40-60:28

The downwards tracking shot is remarkably longer.
After that, Arthur is shown; he obviously has just done his business and says: "Stazi, Stazino! Would you hand me a real piece of paper? Maybe a newspaper or something. Would you do that? I think I didn't take the climate change too well..."
In the meantime, Stazi shaves and then throws a thick magazine to him.
Arthur: "Thanks! Was about time, you donkey. Man...that's my puzzle magazine, you pig!"(not exact wording).
Stazi grins.

47.8 sec.

61:44-61:46 / 68:16

The shot of Corinna is a bit shorter on the UFA VHS.

+ 1,5 sec.




74:42 / 81:12-81:18

Himmel (Horst Frank) staggers longer towards Cris and spits out some blood.

5.5 sec.

"Fine" is displayed at the end of the Italian VHS, which is the reason for the additional difference in running time.
There's nothing at the end of the UFA VHS (likewise on the Spanish VHS).

+ 7 sec.