MovieChat Forums > Chiefs (1983) Discussion > Does the German DVD include the uncut ve...

Does the German DVD include the uncut version in English?

posted 14 years ago by ChuckHestonFan
7 replies | jump to latest

I can't seem to get an answer to this question, so I thought its own thread here on IMDb might just do the trick. So here goes nothing:

The German DVD is said to have the complete miniseries in its uncut condition, which no other country has as far as I know. What I want to know is if the English version is also included in the DVD instead of only the dubbed version? If so, is the English version complete and uncut as well?

I'd like to know this before I purchase the box set on the Germany Ebay. I have the Swedish DVD, but that one is only three hours long. So if I buy the German set, I'd like to be sure that I'm making an upgrade.

Thanks

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[–] ChuckHestonFan 14 years ago

Some new info:

What I've gathered is that this 4-disc set has the 3-part miniseries on 3 separate discs, and the international cut on the 4th disc. I already own the international cut, which is 3 hours and 27 minutes long. So I'm wondering if the 3 part miniseries has English audio as well.

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[–] paroledeflic 14 years ago

Hi,
yes it does but in the uncut version there are some scenes which were cut in the US that only have german language and englisch subtitles.

[–] ChuckHestonFan 14 years ago

What?! Oh, that's awful! Why is that? I just learned that they inserted English audio from a tape of the first airing. Was the audio so poor at times that they had to use the German language at times instead?

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[–] tommymax 13 years ago

"I already own the international cut, which is 3 hours and 27 minutes long."

That would be 207 minutes of program, correct?

I believe Wikipedia is correct in stating "Chiefs aired on CBS as a six hour miniseries. The first two hours aired 8pm November 13, 1983. The second part aired November 15 at 9pm, and the final part aired November 16 at 9pm"

Generally speaking, each hour of network program contains approximately 18-20 minutes of commercials, making the actual program length somewhere around 40-44 minutes, not counting the ending credits and such. At 40 minutes, the entire series would run approx. 240 minutes. So the international cut would seem to be 33 minutes short.

At 44 minutes, the entire series would run 264 minutes. The main page here says runtimes are: "Brazil: 229 min (video version) | Germany: 283 min (3 parts) | USA: 200 min"

USA and Brazil seem a bit short and Germany seems a bit long. Six "hours" of network time totalling 283 minutes of actual program comes in at 47 minutes of program per hour of air time, and that seems a bit much for a network program.

But I suppose it's possible if CBS ran it with somewhat limited commercial time, which sometimes happens. That would translate to 26 minutes of commercials for each 2-hour installment, which could be possible.

So, does anybody out there know what the actual length of the program was (sans commercials) as originally broadcast on CBS in 1983?

I watched the entire thing back then but I cannot recall whether or not it was broadcast with limited commercial time.

[–] Datamater 13 years ago

Mine includes the entire version in English! It's somewhat garbled in areas, but still perfectly understandable. Strangely, the intros that lead off Parts 2 and 3 (recapping the previous chapters) are German-only (with amusingly inaccurate English subtitles). I've read elsewhere that the lack of a decent English soundtrack is the main thing that's keeping this great series from getting the boxed set treatment in this country. Finally, to answer the original question: as one who owns both the shortened VHS version and this German set, YES it's worth tracking down! I can finally retire the original VHS I taped off CBS during the original airing (with commercials)! Hope this helps...

[–] ChuckHestonFan 13 years ago

Thanks, now that I know the English audio track is fully intact, there's no stopping me from getting the German DVD.

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[–] utfan62 13 years ago

I would like to have that retired VHS. I could make a dvd with the commercials deleted.