Things To Come - Duration History and Surviving Versions

Duration History and Surviving Versions

The rough-cut of the film was 130 minutes in length, while the version submitted for classification by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) was 117m 13s. By the time of the 21 February 1936 UK premiere and initial release, this had been reduced to 108m 30s, while the American print premiered on 18 April 1936 was further cut to 96m 24s. By late 1936, a 98m 06s print was in circulation in the UK, and a 72m 13s print was resubmitted for classification by the BBFC and was passed after further cuts for reissue in 1943. The 96m 24s American print was cut down to 93m 18s by the removal of three sections of footage for a reissue by British Lion Films in 1948, and then to 92m 42s subsequently by the removal of one more segment. A continuity script exists for a 104m 41s version of the film, which contains all the material in the 96m 24s and 92m 42s versions, plus a number of other sequences. It is not known if a version of this duration was actually in circulation at any time.

For many years, the principal surviving version of the film was the 92m 42s print. From at least the late-1970s until 2007, this was the only version "officially" available from the rights holders in the UK, and has been widely available via home video and television screenings, both in the UK and elsewhere (in countries using PAL or SECAM video systems, it runs to 89m exactly).

In the United States, although the 92m 42s version is most prevalent, a version is also in circulation that includes the four pieces of footage that were in the 96m 24s print, but not the 92m 42s version, although due to cuts elsewhere, it actually runs shorter than the latter. A cut version of the 92m 42s print was digitally restored and colorized by Legend Films, under the supervision of Ray Harryhausen, and released on DVD in the United States in early 2007.

In May 2007, Network DVD in the UK released a digitally restored copy of the 96m 24s version, which to date is the longest version available on DVD anywhere in the world. The two-disc set also contains a "Virtual Extended Version" with most of the missing and unfilmed parts represented by production photographs and script extracts.