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ME WITHOUT YOU
Director:
Sandra Goldbacher
Starring:
Michelle Williams, Anna Friel, Oliver Milburn, Trudie Styler
My thanks to Brian
Gaddis for allowing Zeta Minor to reproduce these notes about the
differences between the UK DVD version (from Momentum Pictures), and TVA
International's US DVD release of Sandra Goldacher's BAFTA-nominated 2001
film Me Without You.
I have
both Region 1 and Region 2 DVDs of Me Without You and glimpsed a
rather noticeable difference in running times printed on the backs of
their respective boxes. The R2 disc's running time is listed as 107
minutes. Region 1's at 101 minutes. I did an A-B comparison of the two and
found that there are indeed numerous additional scenes in the R2 cut. I
counted over 20 scenes that were added to or extended in the Region 2
version.
Curiously, the R2 DVD is not advertised on the box as extended, nor does
director Sandra Goldbacher acknowledge it as such during her commentary
track. I looked to see what the UK theatrical running time for the film
was and found that both UK and US theatrical running times were 107
minutes.
So the film was cut by 6 minutes for the Region 1 DVD???
Region 1 consumers got screwed in another way, too. Me Without You was
shot at the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, a fact that Ms. Goldbacher brings up on
more than one occasion during her commentary. The Region 1 disc starts out
at 2.35:1 for the opening credits sequence, then crops the image down to
1.85:1 when the actual movie begins!
Here is a list of the scenes from the R2 DVD that are not present in the
R1 disc and the approximate times that they appear during the movie. I
guess this difference in running times explains why the R2 commentary
track was not included on the R1 disc.
7:17 - Marina's mother at pool, conversation with Marina and Holly,
who are in the pool.
12:30 - Nat massages mother's shoulders at her request, bits of
dialogue.
18:35 - Holly tokes once more on joint.
19:52-20:21 - Marina and junkie in mirror. Lots of dialogue.
20:30 - One extra shot of Marina watching Nat/Holly copulation. One
more shot of copulation.
32:12 - After bar with professor, Holly and Marina walking along
talking about someone's clothes. Marina in bed with dude. Asks him to
score coke.
33:34 - Holly goes to drop off paper. She walks there first.
34:43 - Holly confesses to professor that she used to pretend to be
Catholic.
36:37 - Several more seconds of Marina and professor walking
through crowd before Marina sees Paul.
37:06 - Camera holds for a few more seconds after Marina and
professor disappear through doorway. Marina and professor snort coke near
the bathroom, then they take to the dance floor.
40:33 - Holly before mirror, holds dress up to herself.
41:05 - Holly gathers Marina's clothes and leaves dorm room to try
them on in front of a mirror. Thinks she looks silly. *She could never be
as attractive as Marina like that*
45:17 - Marina and professor in bed, morning. Marina remarks that
professor thinks she's shallow in a mirror image of the prior scene where
Holly tries on Marina's clothes. First line of Holly/professor
conversation in the next scene was cut from North American version.
1:05:55 - Holly and her father playing chess. Holly is preoccupied
with Nat fantasy. Holly in bed. Father comes in to bring her to the party.
1:06:36 - Marina in floor, watching TV. Her mother turns it off.
Marina is pissed because her father is there and asks her mother why she
invited him.
1:24:08 - One more line as Nat leaves Holly's place after her boxer
boyfriend shows up. Isabelle in bathtub, depressed over how her career is
going. Nat tries to console her.
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