MovieChat Forums > The Mechanic (1972) Discussion > What 10 minutes were cut from the TV edi...

What 10 minutes were cut from the TV edit?

posted 15 years ago by serendip83
5 replies | jump to latest

I just taped this the other night cutting out the commercials and it was about ten minutes shy of of 99 minute runtime. I can't seem to find any obvious disruption where the edits were made. I did feel the tennis game started abruptly. And maybe something was cut at the strip club but if anybody has any idea if you own the uncut version, please chime in. If Jan Michael ever visited the organization, that has been cut. If there was a second scene with the hooker, that has been cut also. OK. Thanks in advance.

[–] jetliner-theduke 15 years ago

Its been years since I've seen "The Mechanic" on commercial TV. And in anticipation of the remake with Jason Statham, I would imagine we'll be seeing it more often for a while. If my memory serves me correctly, the last time I saw this film on TV (and with commercials) was probably in the late 80's. Since then I've rented the video and now own the DVD.

It would be a hard film to edit as its director Michael Winner really did some tight editing and there isn't really a lot to trim down.

Jan Michael Vincent's character (Steve McKenna) never visited the "organization" , and although there was a second visit to the prostitute in the novel and in 2 work in progress versions of the script that I have, the full lenght feature has Bronson visiting the prostitute only one time. As far as the scene in the burlesque club, I can imagine the establishing footage leading up to Bronson's and Vincent's dialouge being cut out.

I'd be interested in seeing a presentation of "The Mechanic" on TV as to see how they would cut it down to fit a specific time frame. It is so well fit together ..the scenes, the dialouge and even the musical soundtrack, that I can't imagine that to much would be cut out.

[–] rexcrammer 15 years ago

As I recall the TV presentation used to cut out all or part of the visit Bronson makes to the prostitute. While this scene helps establish his lifestyle and personality it doesn't really drive the story of a hitman and his apprentice. I remember being surprised by this scene when I first saw an uncut version on VHS. Although I can't recall exactly, they may have cutout only the latter half of the scene when the money is exchanged.

[–] jetliner-theduke 15 years ago

Now you got me thinking a bit...I think that the scene where Bronson and Vincent case the plating business was cut out..I seem to remember not recognizing that scene the first time I rented the video. Cutting the scene with Jill Ireland as the prostiute that Bronson visits makes sense as well...and I too was suprised by this scene when I watched the DVD for the first time. Mind you there was a gap of many years from the video rental to the DVD viewing. I watched the video in 1991 and did not see the movie again until I got the DVD in 2005...that was nearly 14 years between viewings. So I may be a bit hazy on some of this.

I'll try to look out for it on TV....that would be amusing! Let me know if you see it on any TV schedules.

[–] wildpeace10 14 years ago

I first saw this movie on one of the major
networks(i think it was NBC)in the 70s.

I'm pretty sure that the scene that was cut
was when Bronson and Jan Michael were watching
a girl who had cutted herself because she wanted
to commit suicide.

Bronson and Jan Micheal are talking about the fact
that they're not going to get her help to stay alive
in anyway.

Here are other possibilities.

When Bronson meets the prostitute,
there's a painting on the wall.

I don't recall seeing that painting
in the edited version.

There's an out of focus dancer or dancers
in a bar in the background while people
are talking.I think that was cut.

Bronson put some bodies in acid to
make them disappear.
Not sure that scene was in the edited
version.

So as you can see,bits and pieces
could have easily been cutted to
fit the 89 minutes airtime.

[–] jetliner-theduke 14 years ago

I think we must have been watching TV on the same night back in the 70's. I saw "The Mechanic" for the first time in that era and watched it with my father.

I saw the film several times on TV over the years. And as I never saw it in a theater (although I have seen a print of "The Mechanic" show at a a revival theater..and what a treat to see it on the big screen) I had no way of knowing what was edited out to make it fit into a TV time frame.

When I finally saw the film as a VHS rental in 1992 it had conservatively been the better part of 10 years since I'd seen it on TV and I was a bit hazy about all the scenes and what looked different. On the list of scenes you mentioned , the one about the part where Bronson and Vincent disposed of the bodies in the vat of acid seemed like something I didn't remember seeing at all in any of the times I'd viewed "The Mechanic" on TV.

As for the rest of the the edits you list as possibilities, they seem like parts that could be pared down with out loosing the core story and characterizations of "The Mechanic".

I'd be interested to see if anyone has a VHS of BETA tape of the network TV showings of "The Mechanic" as that would show the precise edits that were made.