Heists, camera, action! Unseen film saved in ‘Watergate-esque’ raid to be released after 50 years
Film director Sam Peckinpah’s personal cut of his 1973 Western classic Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, which has never been screened in public, is set to be released this summer.
The movie, which marked the renowned filmmaker’s return to the genre, is being restored by the Criterion Collection for a July release.
The original theatrical release was a turbulent one due to disagreements between MGM Studios and the director. Studio executives were unhappy with the original cut, which was edited by Peckinpah in three weeks and ran for 124 minutes.
Peckinpah’s version was reportedly screened once to critics and colleagues, with Martin Scorsese among those in attendance. Scorsese said at the time that it was Peckinpah’s greatest piece of work since his seminal The Wild Bunch in 1969.
However, much to the chagrin of the cast and crew, MGM decided to re-edit it before releasing a shortened version that ran for 106 minutes. It became a critical and commercial flop and was disowned by Peckinpah and much of the cast.
Peckinpah died in 1984 at the age of 59. An early preview version of his original cut, known to fans as the Turner Preview Version, was released on home video in 1988 and led to a widespread re-evaluation of the film, with many declaring it a Peckinpah masterpiece.
The director’s original version, now set to come out in three months, is said to have been retrieved from MGM in 1973. When Peckinpah feared that the studio was intent on erasing his final cut from history, friends reportedly orchestrated several rescue “heists”. A post shared by editor and Peckinpah historian Paul Seydor on the director’s Facebook fan page reveals that “Watergate-esque breakins” took place to retrieve the original version.
Seydor’s post adds: “A ‘heist’ was engineered to get Peckinpah’s final preview print out of the projection room where it was screened for MGM execs. Unfortunately, the clean-up crew didn’t realise that it was an interlock print. Sound and picture were separate, so they grabbed the picture and left the sound behind [and its] retrieval required a second heist.”
The post states that both retrieval operations were successful and that Peckinpah stored his own final copy in his personal archives, changing the name on the film canister to “The Racquet Club” in case MGM found out and came after him. The
Unfortunately, the cleanup crew didn’t realise that it was an interlock print … it required a second heist
PAUL SEYDOR
Film editor and historian
social media post concludes by saying that the release by the Criterion Collection will include valuable archival material, as well as a documentary on the making of the film.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid stars James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson and Richard Jaeckel. Bob Dylan provides music and also features in an acting role.
Film critic Pauline Kael described the studio’s version of the film in 1973 as “peculiarly unrealised”, adding that “probably nobody involved was very happy about the results”. In another review, famed critic Roger Ebert mentioned that Peckinpah “attempted to have his name removed”, adding: “I sympathised with him.”
The Criterion Collection is one of the most respected and beloved boutique physical media companies. Its library includes films from around the world since the dawn of the medium, from silent comedies to Soviet epics.
Many Peckinpah fans have wondered for years whether the director’s vision would ever be released. News of the coming release means another critical reappraisal can be expected, plus the chance to enjoy the film the way its director always wanted.