Masayuki Oshiai’s ‘Shutter’ is about to take the concept of  ‘director’s cut’ video releases of studio films to a whole new level.  Up to now, director’s cuts have been either the version the director would have released if only the weenies in the studio hadn’t cut the movie to shreds (Blade Runner); or the extended version desired by fanatics breathlessly seeking every moment of Christopher Lee’s Saruman performance (Lord of the Rings).

As described by Paul Brownfield in today’s LA Times , in an article on the film’s star Joshua Jackson, Ochiai’s ‘Shutter’ takes that concept one step further:

What makes it more than a popcorn movie for American audiences, says the film’s star, Joshua Jackson, is that its Japanese director, Masayuki Ochiai, simultaneously made a different cut of the film for Japanese audiences.
“The old paradigm is unraveling,” Jackson said. “That idea that you could make a movie that would have regionally specific cuts. I think that’s a really interesting idea.”

The cuts in this case include Japanese-language scenes left out of the American version, and changing the story-line to remove the evil connotations surrounding spirits that haunt the couple at the center of the film to better relate to Japanese culture’s respect for one’s ancestors.

Wikipedia lists seven different versions of Blade Runner, at least four of which seem to be available to the hungry fan willing to scrounge around eBay and Amazon.  If Ochiai’s starting a trend, how many more are we heading for?