Fans watching Shout! Factory’s new 4K UHD release of Pleasantville have discovered that the remastered version is missing a line of dialogue that was present in previous releases. The omitted line occurs roughly 108 minutes into the 1998 film, when Betty Parker says to David:
“I did the slut thing, David. Got kind of old.”
Here’s a video comparison showing the difference between the new 4K release and a previous, unedited release:
The omission is brief, but it’s noticeable because the dialogue is still present in older releases of Pleasantville. The new Shout! Factory 4K cuts around the line. At this time, Shout! Studios has not publicly explained why the line is missing.
Why is the line missing from the Pleasantville 4K?
There are a couple of possibilities. The omission could be an accidental production or mastering error involving the archival elements used for the new restoration. It is also possible that the change was intentional, although there has been no public indication that director Gary Ross requested that the line be removed.
Shout! Studios has reportedly responded to customer inquiries with a statement that the new 4K transfer was “supervised and approved by the director,” referring to Ross. That statement doesn’t explain the missing dialogue, though. Ross approving the new 4K transfer does not by itself establish whether the omission was intentional, accidental, or the result of an issue with the source elements. For now, there is no confirmed explanation for the change.
What is included with the Pleasantville 4K?
The Shout! Factory Collector’s Edition of Pleasantville features a new 4K restoration sourced from the original camera negative and approved by director Gary Ross. The release also includes Dolby Vision HDR, which gives the film’s transition from black-and-white to color a visual upgrade. The new transfer offers improved contrast, smoother grayscale gradations, and more vibrant highlights in the color sequences.
The original 5.1 surround soundtrack is also included. Among the new bonus features is a roughly 35- to 40-minute retrospective interview with Ross, alongside legacy special features.
If you need a refresher on what the movie is all about:
Geeky teenager David and his popular twin sister, Jennifer, get sucked into the black-and-white world of a 1950s TV sitcom called “Pleasantville,” and find a world where everything is peachy keen all the time. But when Jennifer’s modern attitude disrupts Pleasantville’s peaceful but boring routine, she literally brings color into its life.
Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh, and Don Knotts star.
Hold on to those Blu-rays and DVDs
The missing line is only a few seconds long, and it doesn’t fundamentally change the movie, but Pleasantville fans who want an unaltered version should be aware that the new 4K master has this dialogue edit. Older releases offer the complete version of the scene. So hold on to your old Pleasantville Blu-ray – or, if your collection is like mine, hold on to your Pleasantville DVD from 1999.
We’ll update this article if Shout! Factory clarifies why the line was removed.
Have you noticed the missing dialogue in the Pleasantville 4K release? Let us know in the comments.
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