Synopsis:

Spectre was an attempt by Eon Productions and director Sam Mendes to embrace the grandiose nature of the Bond films of yesteryear, both in terms of the locales used, the scope of the picture and in bringing back the arch villain Blofeld and the Spectre organisation. Whilst it was wildly successful at the box-office, the reception on the film was very mixed. Some reveled in the large scale nature of the film, whilst others cited a poor script, lacklustre direction and a poorly executed idea of linking all the Daniel Craig Bond films together - not to mention the little controversial storyline regarding Blofeld being related to Bond as an adoptive brother.

Intentions:

The LS Cut is an attempt to address what I believe to be the most damaging aspects of the film, such as ensuring that Bond is no longer related to Blofeld in any way other than being a nuisance to his Spectre organisation and their somewhat shady goals. There's also a concerted effort to tighten the pacing in some areas (for example - trimming the showy one long shot during the pre-credits scene). Whilst I don't think it's possible to fully save the lacklustre final 3rd act, I hope that Bond fans can at least enjoy Spectre a little more as a proper Bond romp without having to endure the idea that Blofeld was 007's adoptive brother all along. Oh, plus I've added a slight colour correction to try to add a few red midtones, as the picture always seemed to have a very yellow/sandy palette.

Change List:

- Removed “The Dead are alive” opening title card - Trimmed long tracking shot during opening pre-credits sequence - Added new title song “007nside” by Lara George over title sequence - Cut scene where Bond sees the order of temporary guardianship notice and the burnt photograph from the artifacts recovered from Skyfall - Trimmed scene where Bond looks over the old Aston Martin DB5 when visiting Q - Cut brief scene where Bond gazes down at the special gadget buttons on the new DB10 after he has arrived in Rome - Trimmed scene at funeral - Trimmed the meeting of operatives for Spectre, as Blofeld is introduced for the first time, to remove any personal links between Bond and Blofeld, such as the “Cuckoo” remark - Trimmed car chase scene – removing comedy moments such as the Frank Sinatra song and when the airbag is deployed on the car Bond has been ramming - Trimmed Madeline and Bond at L’American, removing her line “I see 3 James’” - Cut scene of Madeline and Bond having sex after the fight with Mr Hinx ends - Shortened scene of Bond and Madeline waiting to be picked up after they get off the train… also removed her line “I’m scared James” as they are on their way to Blofeld’s secret HQ (I feel Bond just gentle holding her hand is enough) - Scenes at Blofeld’s HQ trimmed to remove any indication that Blofeld actually knew Bond from when they were kids (including the torture scene). Now it appears that Bond has just been a nuisance to him instead. Also removed the “You can touch it if you want” line when Bond and Madeline are looking at the meteorite - Finale at the old MI5 building trimmed – Bond no longer comes across pictures of Le Chifre, Vesper, Silva, Mr White and M, which always seemed way too much in my opinion - End scene of Bond and Madeline driving off in the DB5 now cut. Film ends with Bond walking to Madeline as Blofeld is arrested by M.

Additional Notes:

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Other Sources:

Freesound.org for some added sound effects.

Special Thanks:

Sophie Welch