2. Brazil: Love Conquers All
It's worth prefacing this entry by stating that strictly it is not a Director's Cut, given that Terry Gilliam absolutely loathes it, but it is nevertheless an authorised cut of the film, helmed by Universal boss Sid Sheinberg and done without Gilliam's knowledge or consent. This cut, nicknamed the "Love Conquers All" edition, runs a whole 48-minutes shorter than the 142-minute version, completely butchering the beautiful meaning of Gilliam's film, and also altering one of the best and most downbeat endings of all time, transforming it into, you guessed it, a happy one. It's poorly conceived, crass, even irresponsible and definitely disrespectful; one can only imagine Gilliam's reaction upon seeing the cut, which is nevertheless included on some DVD releases for those who want to see how badly a studio can destroy a classic film. Never has the prospect of a Final Cut privilege looked so appealing.