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Originally Posted by vincenzo  I think the cut in NYR is extremely well done. Often the edit is so well made that the scene actually comes out better. The strangling in Maniac goes on forever and the cut version is actually an improvement. |
I have a couple of releases of both, "Maniac" and "NYR", sitting on my shelf and while I don't mind watching the BBFC censored versions (because the editing on these is actually quite good and probably can't be spotted by anybody unfamiliar with the uncut versions), I'd hardly see them as an improvement.
The strangulation in "Maniac" is certainly tougher to watch in its uncut form due to its length and very raw nature, but that's mostly due to Spinell's immensely frightening and crazed out performance in the scene. The scalping, which follows shortly after, is a neat effect and a gorehound's eye opener, but it's the strangulation part, which makes me feel uneasy even after countless viewings ....so, sometimes- depending on my mood- I'd go for the "softer" UK DVD.
On the animal cruelty issue: I love the cannibal flicks and loathe the animal cruelty. It's an unsolvable contradiction I learned to live with....I guess most fans probably feel the same about this.
But in the case of "Mountain of the Cannibal God", I clearly prefer the original version over the extended cut, regardless if Martino considers the added beastiality to be an improvement. It's an odd curiosity, at best, in that form for me....