Re: South Pacific
The following info comes from various posts on the Home Theater Forum
South Pacific" was cut shortly after it opened in New York at the Criterion Theater. The song "I'm gonna wash that man outta my hair" was all but removed as was the Boar's tooth dance. The scenes with Emille and Nellie ("Some Enchanted Evening" were shortened)
The British cut of the film opened with "Some Enchanted Evening" later going into "Nothing Like a Dame" as it did on the Broadway stage.
from authority Joe Capps
In the foreigh prints, Buzz also says"Thats We're you're friend Emile De Beque lives" and we cut right to the first conversation of Nellie And Emile.
Remember all these running times include the Overture, Intermission Music and Exit Music - the current short version we have is 161 min- So we are only missing about ten minutes of film.
Also cut is the following
After the song Bali Hai - ther is a shot comic reprise of the song sung by Luther Billis(Ray Walston)
Toward the end of Act One,, in the short version, Emile says Nellie"Wait here. I have a surprise for you" He then brings out his two illegitimate children - Some surprise.
Make Emile look like an idiot.
In the long version, the suprise is emile putting Nellies cloak over his head and he imitate her singing "Gonna Wash That Man right ought my Hair. "
A strange cut is earlier in the film. Cable can't convince Emile to go on the mission. Cable asks his commander what he should do and the commander tells him to take some time off and get a boat. Cable says "a boat" and the music starts and we see cable heading for Bali Hai while the chorus sings a reprise of the song.
In the original version, Cable SINGS the reprise and the chorus answers him from the shore. You canhear this for yourself on a DVD. Image has a docujentary called Rodgers and Hammerstein - the Sound of Movies. This was reissued last year with some extras it did not originally have. ONe of the extras is the original trailer for south Pacific. In that trailer you can hear ( but not see) Bill Lee (who dub for John Kerr) singing the Bali Hai Reprise.
Also changed is the scene on the island where Cable meets Liat. The scene was originally longer of his being led through the jungle by Bloody Mary. It was originally twice as long.
Never put in the film was the uncut Wash That Man - I wouldlove to see it. Also shot but not used was the song Loneliness of evening sung by Emile.
and more
The regular general release 35mm Panavision prints (released by Twentieth Century Fox) were in color by DeLuxe Labs. The 70mm Todd-AO prints (released by Magna Corp.) were Technicolor. If you compare the opening titles of both versions you will see this very clearly. It's possible that the original 65mm negative was photographed in Eastman Color, but the 35mm prints were processed by DeLuxe and the 70mm ones by Technicolor
