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Originally Posted by Michael Brooke  No point lobbying the BFI: this particular ball is (and has always been) firmly in Warner Bros’ court. The BFI did an amazing job of prising what they did out of them, but anything else isn’t within their gift.
Two further complications: the 2004 semi-restoration has only ever existed on standard-definition Digibeta, so a Blu-ray edition would require those sections of the film to be rescanned and reconstructed - and of course we can’t ever restore what was initially shown to the BBFC’s John Trevelyan in early 1971, because although the footage that Trevelyan privately recommended cutting still survives (the “rape of Christ” scene being the highlight), all the footage that was subsequently excised by the BBFC and Warner Bros during its official submission is believed to have been destroyed.
It may well be that the only person alive who’s seen the full version is editor Michael Bradsell, who’s in his mid-eighties. |
i can't press the 'like' button for this comment because its so depressing, but thanks for the clarification.