Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This DVD is a huge disappointment. With every other movie I have ever bought that was labeled a "Director's Cut" or an "Expanded Edition", the movie had things added to it and not taken out. This version of the movie cuts out much of the familiar and favorite dialogue from the movie released in the theater. Did you like the part where, hiding in the forest, Hawkeye & Cora have their conversation about her people being a breed apart and not making any sense? When Cora gets offended by this, Hawkeye gives her such a look and says "I would make an exception in your case, Miss" and she sarcastically says "Thank you so much!" All this is ripped out of this version. When Major Hayward and Hawkeye have their confrontation in Col. Munro's office about whether the Colonial militia should be released from service to defend their families, gone is the part where Hawkeye looks at the Major and says "I think one day you and I are going to have a serious disagreement". When the party is escaping from the massacre and are in the canoes on the lake, gone is the part where Hawkeye sees Major Hayward pointing a gun at him and says "Got nothing better to do on the lake today, Major?" When the party is hiding from the Hurons in the cave behind the waterfall there are some scenes and dialogue missing. Most notably when Hawkeye and Uncas and Chingachgook decide they have to flee and Cora says "I want you to go, that way if the worst happens and only one of us survives, then something of the other does too." This DVD can be credited with adding a few tiny bits of dialogue here and there but very little of it adds anthing to the story and does not make up for the lines that were cut. There are also some added shots of the backside of horses as they pull a coach, a few extra shots of the crowd leaving Ft. William Henry and a few extra shots of the French soldiers digging the trenches. They are not worth shelling out money for a DVD if you already have the VHS version. The only thing of real merit added in this version are shots of Major Hayward's diversion outside Ft. William Henry while Hawkeye and Uncas are covering the escape of the courier that is being sent to get reinforcements from General Webb at Ft. Edward. If they had just added that and left the rest alone, it would have been a tiny improvement. If you look at the original VHS tape of the theatrical release you will find the length recorded as 114 minutes. The length of this newly released, expanded edition is -- now get ready to be overwhelmed -- 117 minutes. This DVD is simply a major rip-off by a film company trying to get some money from extra movie sales. Unfortunately, they do not have the material to make it worth your while. Take my advice, Save Your Money!!