ME WITHOUT YOU

Director:  Sandra Goldbacher

Starring:  Michelle Williams, Anna Friel, Oliver Milburn, Trudie Styler

My thanks to Brian Gaddis for allowing Zeta Minor to reproduce these notes about the differences between the UK DVD version (from Momentum Pictures), and TVA International's US DVD release of Sandra Goldacher's BAFTA-nominated 2001 film Me Without You.

I have both Region 1 and Region 2 DVDs of Me Without You and glimpsed a rather noticeable difference in running times printed on the backs of their respective boxes. The R2 disc's running time is listed as 107 minutes. Region 1's at 101 minutes. I did an A-B comparison of the two and found that there are indeed numerous additional scenes in the R2 cut. I counted over 20 scenes that were added to or extended in the Region 2 version.

Curiously, the R2 DVD is not advertised on the box as extended, nor does director Sandra Goldbacher acknowledge it as such during her commentary track. I looked to see what the UK theatrical running time for the film was and found that both UK and US theatrical running times were 107 minutes.

So the film was cut by 6 minutes for the Region 1 DVD???

Region 1 consumers got screwed in another way, too. Me Without You was shot at the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, a fact that Ms. Goldbacher brings up on more than one occasion during her commentary. The Region 1 disc starts out at 2.35:1 for the opening credits sequence, then crops the image down to 1.85:1 when the actual movie begins!

Here is a list of the scenes from the R2 DVD that are not present in the R1 disc and the approximate times that they appear during the movie. I guess this difference in running times explains why the R2 commentary track was not included on the R1 disc.

7:17 - Marina's mother at pool, conversation with Marina and Holly, who are in the pool.
12:30 - Nat massages mother's shoulders at her request, bits of dialogue.
18:35 - Holly tokes once more on joint.
19:52-20:21 - Marina and junkie in mirror. Lots of dialogue.
20:30 - One extra shot of Marina watching Nat/Holly copulation. One more shot of copulation.
32:12 - After bar with professor, Holly and Marina walking along talking about someone's clothes. Marina in bed with dude. Asks him to score coke.
33:34 - Holly goes to drop off paper. She walks there first.
34:43 - Holly confesses to professor that she used to pretend to be Catholic.
36:37 - Several more seconds of Marina and professor walking through crowd before Marina sees Paul.
37:06 - Camera holds for a few more seconds after Marina and professor disappear through doorway. Marina and professor snort coke near the bathroom, then they take to the dance floor.
40:33 - Holly before mirror, holds dress up to herself.
41:05 - Holly gathers Marina's clothes and leaves dorm room to try them on in front of a mirror. Thinks she looks silly. *She could never be as attractive as Marina like that*
45:17 - Marina and professor in bed, morning. Marina remarks that professor thinks she's shallow in a mirror image of the prior scene where Holly tries on Marina's clothes. First line of Holly/professor conversation in the next scene was cut from North American version.
1:05:55 - Holly and her father playing chess. Holly is preoccupied with Nat fantasy. Holly in bed. Father comes in to bring her to the party.
1:06:36 - Marina in floor, watching TV. Her mother turns it off. Marina is pissed because her father is there and asks her mother why she invited him.
1:24:08 - One more line as Nat leaves Holly's place after her boxer boyfriend shows up. Isabelle in bathtub, depressed over how her career is going. Nat tries to console her.