The Thing (1982) FAO Brent UPDATED

[Brent_Reid]

Initial copies of the Shout! BD had an audio sync error on the 4.1 track (for disc replacement email info@shoutfactory.com). It's indicated by tiny lettering around the playing side's hub:

• Faulty version innermost ring: 1285170B1 1 / next ring: 1285170A1 2
  Corrected version innermost ring: 1285170B1 2 / next ring: 1285170A1 3

There's outdated pre-order info in the Shout! listing's notes that could do with being amended or deleted.

The John Carpenter/Kurt Russell commentary is edited on every release from the last 10 years or so:

• Firstly, when Carpenter jokes that “T.K. (Carter) was constantly worried that all of us were gonna be racists... He was very, very worried about it!” Then again, regarding Carpenter's comments about Keith David's broken, plastered hand needing to be shot so as not to be conspicuous onscreen (it's also discussed near the end of the Arrow's Texas Frightmare Panel featurette). Around the commentary's 53:00 mark, Russell responds to Carpenter by saying something like "As I remember... The only car he had driven prior to that one was a stolen car in New York City!" A couple more lines are gone: One simply reveals that they are recording a LaserDisc commentary and the other is an offhand gag about set smoke and the “politically correct” way to describe it. It appears that just using the term “politically correct” was enough to get it deleted.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Is there a source for the commentary track deletions? So some DVDs have the unedited version?

[Brent_Reid]

There are two very long threads on Blu-ray.com where the deletions are discussed extensively:
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=63773
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=278213
I've read most of both of them and summarised the info therein, but didn't make a note of the many individual posts discussing it. A search will easily turn them up though.

Worldwide, The Thing was originally issued twice on DVD, in the late 90s and early 00s. All reissues after that, from the late 00s onwards and including all BDs, have the deletions.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

I have the US Universal collector's edition DVD, Shout BD and Arrow BD so I can definitely confirm those. The question is when exactly were these cuts made and which releases can be confirmed? Brent, which releases do you have?

[Brent_Reid]

I have the same discs as you, James, plus the UK TT/TT prequel BD double pack. But we are perfectly normal, right? According to those threads, the deletions kicked in with the third wave of reissues, commencing in 2008. Of course, Universal repackaged those same discs many times following that, especially around the time of the prequel's release in 2010.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Updated the listing to mention about the commentary.

[Brent_Reid]

Ta James, though in the DVD listing it'd be less equivocal to say "Please note that DVDs issued from 2008 onwards have some deletions to content in the audio commentary track."

You haven't added my OP notes about the faulty initial pressings.