Synopsis:

For decades, there had been discussions and rumours of an extremely long first cut of the John Hughes film, while only 1 deleted scene has been seen in TV cuts of the film. The 2022 4k disc championed that it featured all-new unseen footage, taken from a VHS workprint. Planes, Trains and Automobiles: The Extended Journey reintegrates as much of this newly released material into the final film, crafting a glimpse into what an earlier cut of the film could of been. Almost 50 minutes longer, the film is almost unrecognisable, with several sequences massively restructured, with new subplots, characters, jokes, motivations, improv, and just more of the late, great John Candy.

Intentions:

After reading interviews with editor Paul Hirsch, watching videos and listening to podcasts on the topic, I was estatic when this Blu-Ray was announced with all this new material. In a rare move, I pre-ordered the disc and got to work as soon as it arrived. Seeing all this new material was like watching a new film, and I knew I had to get as much footage to work as possible. I wanted to try and create a cut that felt like something that could of been screened at some point during early editing.

Change List:

- extended scene of Neal meeting Del at the airport terminal, waiting for the plane - extended scene of Neal boarding the plane, and trying to get into first class - extended scene of the duo chatting on the plane, with Del doing most of the chatting and showing off his shower ring merchandise - added scene with the duo getting an airline meal and discussing it - extended scene in Dooby's Taxiola in Wichita, with Dooby now extremely unsettling yet hilarious - massively extended sequence in the Braidwood Inn, with the pair ordering pizza, butting heads in the bathroom, and exploding beer - extended motel argument, with Del being more irritating, and Neal throwing out even more insults, before they both relax for the night - extended burglery as it's now revealed who robbed the pair in the middle of the night - added scene of Del waiting at breakfast while Neal is on the phone to his wife, and realising the motel dry-cleaning shrunk his suit - extended scene of the duo at breakfast, talking about the previous nights events, and getting out of the bill for breakfast - added scene with Neal's wife talking to her mother about Neal, and her thinking he is having an affair - extended scene with Neal letting Del into the El Rancho Motel room - extended El Rancho motel room sequence, with the pair getting along more, and bonding over alcohol from the minibar - extended scene in The Oshkonoggin Cheese Truck.

Additional Notes:

The blu-ray states that it features "over 70 minutes of deleted and extended scenes", which is true as the total runtime is 75 minutes. There is a lot of crossover with footage from the final film, as the total amount of new footage adds up to about 50 minutes. Adding back that amount of SD 4:3 VHS footage to clean HD 16:9 Blu-Ray, there was no way that I was going to be able to make that look seamless or watchable. So I decided to make a VHS copy of the film the main source. A lot of the added Workprint footage is of very poor quality, even by VHS standard, so it's not the cleanest, but I've done my best to make it gel with the final film. Every new scene needed a rebuilt sound mix as they were presented raw with only dialogue being mixed, so ambiance, foley, music and more needed to be worked on.

Other Sources:

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) VHS - A VHS tape was used as the main source Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (2022) 4k Blu-Ray - All deleted scenes were taken from the "Lost Baggage" bonus disc. New Songs: The Stars of Heaven - Wheels, I'll Show You Something Special - Balaam And The Angel, Wanted Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi, Continenal Trailways Blues,Guitar Town,The Devil's Right Hand - Steve Earle SFX from Youtube, Freesound and Zapsplat - VHS Noise, Cold wind, Airport Tarmac, Shower Run-Off, Truckrunning, Passing Truck, Squeak, 1953 Studebaker Idle, Wash Hands, Water Splash, Diner Ambiance, Water Splash.

Special Thanks: