10 Movies That Were Re-Edited After Release (And Why)

Stanley Kubrick strove for perfection with all of his films, and his dedication to the art of filmmaking resulted in some of the most influential movies ever made, from The Shining to Full Metal Jacket. This also meant that he would often tinker with his films after they released, as was the case with sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

After the film had its world premiere on 2 April 1968, it opened in limited release in a handful of theatres. Shortly after, Kubrick cut approximately 19 minutes of footage from the film, before this new version expanded to more cities in the U.S. and internationally.

The scenes Kubrick edited out were assorted, including Bowman recovering a spare part from a corridor, more space walk sequences, and a scene where HAL cuts radio contact between the Discovery and Poole, before killing him. Supposedly, the director axed these scenes because they created pacing problems, and considering that the film is quite dense as it is, this makes sense.