Do the UK Alternate Cuts Exist?

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

I dont even know how to look for them, since I have never gotten back the results I'm looking for...

But I'm curious, the TMNT movies had to be "censored" due to use of banned/illegal weapons, causing alternate footage to be used.

Does anyone have links? I have always been curious since I heard about the alternate footage (and considering none of the DVDs even have alternate/deleted stuff for the Domestic release anyway)

[sgtfbomb]

Some of the alternate scenes were on You Tube. The fight at April's apartment was a different beast altogether. Like a workprint would, it held onto footage of a bit longer, and the things they kept degraded the scene. What I remember most about it was they kept cutting to one of the foot soldiers, who was over-acting, making boneheaded sounds and over-exaggerating his body movements. It was almost like a performance out of a Hot Shots movies.

There's a bit where April pulls a rug from under someone's feet.

[Jester]

Some of them are in the German release as "deleted scenes."

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

But none online then? Or atleast not anymore?
What about alternate Mikey footage? since the nunchuks were altogether banned

[chrisdude]

I'm surprised they went this far. I can understand editing a kids cartoon. But for a movie, I would think they'd just up the rating.

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

I think it wasn't about the rating as much as that it featured weapons that were illegal in the country. Because of that, they would have needed to ban the movie altogether for featuring these weapons.

[Aaronardo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JktCccQlvmU&feature=relmfu

Above is the link to a YouTube video featuring the UK version of the Apartment Fight scene. Realize it was recording from VHS, so the quality isn't all that special.

I'll keep scouting to see if I can find more scenes!

[Danetello]

Being a UK kid at the time I didn't know any different, and now I'm an older US/UK guy, I have all the US releases. All my "memories" have been refreshed through the US versions of the movie and cartoon DVD releases.
So, my question is, how do things stand now with the UK DVD releases? Are they still censored all these years later in this ever-violent era?
What about the new Nick episodes? Are they censored in the UK too?

[Discogod]

Being a UK kid at the time I didn't know any different, and now I'm an older US/UK guy, I have all the US releases. All my "memories" have been refreshed through the US versions of the movie and cartoon DVD releases.
So, my question is, how do things stand now with the UK DVD releases? Are they still censored all these years later in this ever-violent era?
What about the new Nick episodes? Are they censored in the UK too?

Nope, no censorship now. The original movies on DVD are uncut, and the original cartoon is available here in its original form. It's ironic, since the original cartoon was easily the least violent incarnation of TMNT, and it's the only one to recieve that treatment.

Most of the cuts in the first film really amounted to alternate shots - for example, when Mike's on the phone ordering pizza, the original version has him twirling his 'chuks, whilst the international versions just have him standing there. A lot of shots where it's been zoomed in, too - like if there's a shot of Mike's back and his weapons are visible, the international version zooms in and crops the picture.

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JktCccQlvmU&feature=relmfu

Above is the link to a YouTube video featuring the UK version of the Apartment Fight scene. Realize it was recording from VHS, so the quality isn't all that special.

I'll keep scouting to see if I can find more scenes!

While this was in a sense cool, 'cus there were a few clips I hadn't seen before, it's amazing everything that was cut or edited!
Lots more April, more solo Leo fight, and a lot more reaction shots and a few new fight scenes.
Audio clippings too... "Ninja Vanish"...

I still want to see more clips or pics that were cut from the farm where Don is wearing that cowboy hat hah

I hadn't found this clip, but it's been up since 2011 so maybe I had stopped looking before that? Hmm...

Thanks for the share!

[Davetello]

There's loads of alterations for the UK cut, and I was unaware of them until I imported my region 1 DVD of the film.

For anyone who is unaware, some include:

the Mikey 'nunchuck square off' with the Foot ninja is omitted;
April's "you're a natural sis!" scene is shortened;
Splinter's final scene with Shredder as the latter hangs from the building is cut;
I'm pretty sure that some of the blindfold training at the farmhouse is cut;
I think a few seconds are cut when Casey smashes Tastu with the golf club i.e. the first blow to the stomach;
"boy this guy's good" from the aerial view and Mikey's one-on-one with Shredder is cut in the final battle. In fact lots of that scene was cut (Mikey and Donnie playing the game to decide who faced Shredder next).

I've probably missed something but it's 4am and I've hardly slept in two days. The American cut really is much more satisfying, though. The UK original edited version was/is utter garbage. Yeah, basically anything with Mikey's 'chucks was cut because of our draconian laws at the time.

[Discogod]

I'll add that the ending is completely nonsensical in the UK version - because you don't see Splinter picking up Mike's chuk from the ladder, nor him using it to snare Shredder's staff, it basically goes from Shredder charging to him randomly flipping over the building.

I did enjoy the UK version as a kid, but after reading the comic adaptation I knew that a lot was missing. The original uncut version really is a different film.