The great liberation began in 1999/2000. In the UK, the ban was finally lifted, allowing the uncut film to be seen legally for the first time since its Cannes screening. Simultaneously, in the US, —a label dedicated to genre preservation—released the first ever "uncut and uncensored" version of the film on DVD. For the first time in America, viewers saw the complete Possession . Unsurprisingly, the limited edition print run sold out rapidly, and the set instantly went out of print, sending the film back into the realm of the collector’s grail.
: The most technically advanced release.
Due to the rights issues surrounding the score (Korzyński’s estate has been notoriously litigious), this exclusive uncut edition is a one-time pressing. It is and will not be reprinted. Major retailers like DiabolikDVD, OrbitDVD, and the label’s own webstore have already seen their pre-orders sell out in waves. A small second wave of standard editions (without the physical ephemera) is rumored, but the true Possession 1981 Uncut Edition Exclusive —with the slipcase, the map, and the Polaroids—is vanishing. possession 1981 uncut edition exclusive
: Known for producing the definitive North American releases.
The story of Possession 's restoration is complex, as different editions used different sources. While the Mondo Vision release used a director-approved 2K master, the modern 4K UHD releases utilize a newer, more extensive 4K restoration created by the French label . This superior restoration was then licensed to Umbrella for their disc and used by Second Sight as the source for their 4K UHD release. The great liberation began in 1999/2000
The restores this footage, ensuring that the film’s erratic, feverish energy remains intact.
Your (to ensure proper disc compatibility)? For the first time in America, viewers saw
However, the horror of the US cut is not simply about missing minutes; it is about the destruction of a film's soul. It is a "bastardization," a completely different movie. Distributors did not just shorten scenes; they actively re-scored the film, rearranged the sequence of shots, and even added erroneous footage of the creature to market it as a cheap Exorcist knock-off.
There was a sound behind me then, and I turned and nearly collided with a man who might have been a curator once, though his suit suggested otherwise—more like someone who had been keeping time by the ticking of other people's affairs. His eyes were sharp, his hands stained faintly with varnish.