The 2005 Special Edition makes a strong case in places. The scene with Garrett's wife is nothing short of essential, although we are told in the commentary that this was in the original preview cut and should have been in the 1988 release all along (it was skipped over due to the scene being removed from the original negative for network television use). The return of Dylan's lyrics to Pickens death scene is also a blessing - Peckinpah may have preferred Fielding, but once you go with Dylan you should go all the way; the surviving preview cut did not include sound and the decision to drop the Dylan lyrics was made in 1988. Some of the tougher editing and re-ordering of scenes also makes sense. I'm even quite partial to the new ending, although I'm not sure I prefer it to the old (preview) one which would seem from the evidence to be Peckinpah's favored conclusion.

And herein lies the problem. Rushed and rough around the edges as it may be, the 1988 cut represents a full Peckinpah cut of the film. The 2005 Special Edition is a speculative attempt to make improvements, some successful others very much open to debate. Since the theatrical opening credit sequence was a response to the removal of the Garrett death sequence, why bother including it now? It also seems strange to ditch the Poe interrogation scene due to the 'bad performances' when the Ruthie Lee scene that replaces it is far more clunky and unwelcome...
and why the hell they ditched the longer, meatier, funnier version of the scene between Garrett and the brothel owner for what is clearly a sanitized studio hack job is absolutely beyond me. Regardless of the temptations, I believe a respectful restoration would have restored the original preview version to its full glory (including Garrett's wife scene and possibly the Dylan lyrics) and left it at that.

None of which would matter so much if the 1988 cut of the film had not been treated with such a lack of care. The transfer is inferior, less clear and colorful, with far more dirt and visible reel change marks. Unforgivably, the soundtrack goes all wobbly at the end making the final 2 or 3 minutes practically unwatchable. Not good...

Excerpt from Thomas Clay's post in the Mobious Forms HERE

William D'Annucci says: The main problem is that no "real" finished version of PAT GARRETT exists. Peckinpah was working with a shaky script and an abbreviated deadline that gave him far too little time to make a fine cut. Peckinpah's friends and critics interviewed here dance around the sad fact that Peckinpah's alcoholism had gotten totally out of control during PG&BTK, leaving him with a scant amount of functional hours in the day. The version we'd all want, with Peckinpah at his full energy focus and skill displayed in the WILD BUNCH, was never fully allowed to happen.

*******


 

Well, the shorter 2005 Special Edition has a strong brownish/sepia tinge that I can only assume is intentional. It makes skin tones much redder and removes some detail. More than that there are some large cropping issues noticeable with the 2005 Special Edition being the culprit. It is hard to make definitive statements as these really are two different films. I can only state that I, personally, much prefer the Turner transfer (which is also tighter to the frame) and that version of the film but it was important for Warner to include both, although Peckinpah fans may still be left wanting. 

Gary W. Tooze