RCA Laserdisc of The Warriors has extra scenes!

[mikemike]

So, I did a search on this topic and it's been brought up a few times on here, but there is no mention of the extra scenes so I'm posting this new topic about the RCA Laserdisc verison.

Honestly, for awhile I thought I might have been imagining it, but I have some evidence to back up my recolections of 30 years ago. So when this movie was first released it came out on VHS, probably BetaMax and also on RCA laserdisc. I'd say that the year was 81 or 82.

At the time RCA Laserdiscs were actually quite popular, and almost no one had their own machine in their homes so when you rented a movie you rented the machine also. When you'd go to the video store sometimes you'd rent a laser disk machine sometimes it would be a VHS machine so you'd see movies in different forms. The Laserdisc was interesting because as far as I know it was the very first ever format that showed some of the non 35 mm prints in widescreen, and it also introduced "directors cuts" to home movies. Very ground breaking really.

Anyhoo, as per The Warriors. When the film was released in 79/80 I was too young to see it in the theater so the Laserdisc was my first go around. In 81 or 82 I rented the RCA Laserdisk version of the Warriors and was blown away. The next week I got it again so my friends could watch it and this time we rented the VHS machine and version becuase the RCA Laserdisk was probably out. Guess what: the VHS version (basically the version which is out now on DVD) is missing a few scenes!! I have watched several versions of the movie over the decades and I've never viewed those scenes other than from the one time I saw the film on Laserdisc in 81 or 82.

I decided to have a look and see if I could find a copy of the Laserdisc on ebay and in the product overview the ebay listing stated that the film was 94 minutes, rather than the 92 minute version that we are all used to. So I suspect I am right about the missing scenes.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WARRIORS-FULL-S ... 0678759841

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080120/ (see technical specs section)

[Ninth Delegate]

I have absolutly zero knoledge when it comes to lazer disks. These were the rich families toys when I was a young adult. They didn't take off that well in the uk, due to the price tag of £300 for a single movie. But it was one way of getting around the bbfc ban list of video nasties.
There was always the two countries different formats (ntsc vs pal) that made the running times different because of the speed they ran at, even though they were identical films. I don't know if this applies to lazer disk.

Have you checked the deleted scenes on this site and youtube to see if they are familiar?

Good first post btw.

[mikemike]

Have you checked the deleted scenes on this site and youtube to see if they are familiar?

Actually, no I haven't had a look at those resources yet. I'll get back to you when I look them over. Mind you, it's been 30 years or more so my memory on the particulars is a bit sketchy, but do I remember two things specifically:

1) The scene where Fox (or his stunt double) gets thrown onto the rails: just after that scene concludes there is a very graphic shot of Fox's mangled body on the tracks. I can even recall that it showed his severed head laying there. Quite remarkable, in hindsight, and in knowing a bit of the back story, I guess this was a final FU to Tom Waites on the part of the production execs or something.

2) The second thing I remember is that in the scene near the end of the movie where the Gramercy Riffs close in on the Rogues, that scene is extended. There is an add-on of about 8 seconds of footage with the Riffs standing in a circle around the Rogues with the hockey sticks and bats going up-and-down, up-and-down, over and over. The scene is shot from about 30 feet outside of the circle so you see the Riff's backs and the hockey sticks flailing. I think that add-on is cut out of every other version I have watched.

Yeah, I couldn't even work-out what he was spamming.

"Hey... Teddy Wong..." Spamming, perish the thought! "I just don't want the Riffs comin down on MY head!"

[Cochese]

WOW! Now I'm intrigued! If your memory serves you right, this is going to be quite a revelation for some of us! Thanks for this!

[mikemike]

WOW! Now I'm intrigued! If your memory serves you right, this is going to be quite a revelation for some of us! Thanks for this!

Well man, 30 years hence even I have my doubts, and either way I wouldn't bet my morgage on it. But here's the way I remember it:

The following week after I first watched the Laserdisc. I was watching the VHS version with my friends, and I was waiting with baited breath that they were going to be grossed out when it showed Fox's mangled body, and I recall being very shocked & disappointed when the scene suddenly wasn't there. So I remember that.

And the reason why I remember the Riffs/Rogues scene add-on was because I'm Canadian and at the time I thought it was cool that the Riffs were using hockey sticks as their weapons. It must have been about the same time period that the NY Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks were playing in the 1982 Stanley Cup, because just before I watched The Warriors for the first time on laserdisc I had just watched a Canadian news clip interviewing New Yorkers on the street about the Staney Cup and most of them didn't know jack about hockey. So when I saw the scene with the hockey sticks going up and down it made an impression because I remember thinking "well, I guess some people in NY sure know about hockey!"

But there must be more stuff on the laserdisk as well, because both those scenes would only account for about 12 seconds out of the 2 extra minutes of footage which is listed on the RCA Laserdisc's 94min runtime.

[Cochese]

I'm very curious to hear what 4NIK8 and Warchief have to say about this...

[Ninth Delegate]

A few years back in another thread, there was talk of another scene existing that showed cop cars driving into coney.
I know there was footage shot of Fox and Ajax arguing while using playground equipment in coney, but I don't think that made it to any version.

[The Swan]

A few years back in another thread, there was talk of another scene existing that showed cop cars driving into coney.
I know there was footage shot of Fox and Ajax arguing while using playground equipment in coney, but I don't think that made it to any version.

That would be a great scene to watch guys.

[ILLER...]

this has really peaked my interest. i really want a laser disc player now to know for sure.

[Cochese]

"We got something else to think about" Does this only apply to the US version of the Laserdisc or the European version too? mikemike, what have you done to us? I think the sales of Laserdisc players is suddently going to peak again in 2012. Who would-a-thought-it?

[ILLER...]

I'll punch a hole through the wall if its the regular old cut. it does read 'Extended Play' in the bottom left hand corner tho.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-WARRIORS-FU ... 20c11b85a1
I'd have to clear the entire coffee table for this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SONY-MDP-1700AR ... 58922dc06e

[mikemike]

mikemike, what have you done to us? I think the sales of Laserdisc players is suddently going to peak again in 2012.

I just hope to heaven that I'm correct in my recolections.

When I did a search of the topic "laserdisc" on this site it seemed there are a few of the longtime patrons (other guys such as yourselves) who actually claimed to have the laserdisc already, so there might not be a need for anyone to shell out hard earned money to find out. I think there was a post from someone with the handle "Cyrus" in 2007 where he says he has it, but I have no idea who he is. Maybe you guys could ask him, if any of you know him.

[Ninth Delegate]

A few years back in another thread, there was talk of another scene existing that showed cop cars driving into coney.
I know there was footage shot of Fox and Ajax arguing while using playground equipment in coney, but I don't think that made it to any version.

Regarding that scene with the cop car, it turns out it was for the Australian tv version only, and that scene was later reused and inserted into the 1980 film "Alligator".

[ILLER...]

i hoping for a ultimate version bluray to commemorate the anniversary.

[StevenFallonNYC]

WOW! Now I'm intrigued! If your memory serves you right, this is going to be quite a revelation for some of us! Thanks for this!

Well man, 30 years hence even I have my doubts, and either way I wouldn't bet my morgage on it. But here's the way I remember it:

The following week after I first watched the Laserdisc. I was watching the VHS version with my friends, and I was waiting with baited breath that they were going to be grossed out when it showed Fox's mangled body, and I recall being very shocked & disappointed when the scene suddenly wasn't there. So I remember that.

And the reason why I remember the Riffs/Rogues scene add-on was because I'm Canadian and at the time I thought it was cool that the Riffs were using hockey sticks as their weapons. It must have been about the same time period that the NY Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks were playing in the 1982 Stanley Cup, because just before I watched The Warriors for the first time on laserdisc I had just watched a Canadian news clip interviewing New Yorkers on the street about the Staney Cup and most of them didn't know jack about hockey. So when I saw the scene with the hockey sticks going up and down it made an impression because I remember thinking "well, I guess some people in NY sure know about hockey!"

But there must be more stuff on the laserdisk as well, because both those scenes would only account for about 12 seconds out of the 2 extra minutes of footage which is listed on the RCA Laserdisc's 94min runtime.

I'm from NYC and was there when the Rangers beat the Canucks in seven games, June 14th, 1994, NOT 1982. 1982??

Your "Canadian news clip" obviously just showed random people on the street - ask random people about any topic and many of them will know "jack," just like how you got that year wrong by 12 years. NYC hockey fans are extremely 'in the know' about the game. (And we know what year we beat The Canucks.)