MovieChat Forums > The Big Sky (1952) Discussion > Is the long version shown by TCM the ori...

Is the long version shown by TCM the original version?


and when was the old footage reedited in - anyone know?

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Yes, the long version now shown on TCM is the original. It seems to have been edited back in in the late 90s. It's easy to tell the "restored" footage as its quality is so degraded, sound and picture. (A few degraded scenes actually are in the shorter version that was the general release print both in 1952 and for years after on TV, but when they put back the missing scenes they had to use some of the degraded stock in place of pristine footage to allow for dissolves, fade-ins, and so forth between scenes.) The VHS version released by Turner in the 80s was of the 122-minute film, although the 141-minute version did show up in an earlier VHS from Nostalgia Merchant, though in poor condition. We're having a discussion on another thread about the feasibility of properly restoring the complete film for DVD.

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I thought this was a wonderful film that justified its long screen time...I got lost in it like a great adventure

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TCM is airing the 138 minute version again on May 22, 2008 at 5:30 pm (EST). Get your DVRs ready!

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