Tanya's Island is a cult film starring the late great Denise Vanity Matthews under the pseudonym D. D. Winters ( the name she went under during the late 70's-early 80's. ). It was directed by the talented Alfred Sole ( Alice Sweet Alice ). It is an artsy, dream like film, that has developed a large following over the years. But, what many may not know is that there are two different cuts of the movie. I have taken screen caps from both cuts: the cut available on the U. S. DVD, which seems to be the version that has been seen by most, and the DEG video German language cut, which is seems to only be officially available on German language only vhs. The differences in each cut is not only the alternate footage, but also the editng order of sequences, which includes footage that appears in both versions of the film.
The differences are for the most part early on in each cut of the film. Approximately the first 10 minutes, or so.
U.S. DVD cut: opening of film.
Tanya is jogging around a neighborhood. During her run, she accidentally bumps into a man on the street, and then keeps running.
German DEG video cut: opening of film.
This cut opens with the shot of the ocean, the sunset / horizon panning over past the island in the distance, as the opening credits roll. The superimposed footage of a nude Tanya is missing in this version.
U.S. DVD cut: second scene.
This version cuts to the man in the video monitor room with the Mighty Joe Young footage playing, and then it pans to a video monitor with an image of actor playing a tribesman, and then it cuts out side to actor walking with spear in hand. This sequence then transitions to the female director in the train car set directing the camera men. She explains, "this is position number 1. This is position number 2. This is position number 3."
German DEG video cut: second scene.
After the credit sequence this version cuts to Tanya jogging in the neighborhood. It uses the same footage in the U. S. DVD cut, but it is shorter, and missing where Tanya accidentally bumps into the man, and the shots of her continuing to run after that.
U. S. DVD cut: third scene.
The director then exits the train car set, and walks to a trailer, and enters. She walks up to Tanya, and has a discussion with her about punctuality, getting enough rest, and her career. She says to Tanya, "Your career is more important, than your personal life."
German DEG video cut: third scene.
The next sequence is the same footage also in the U. S. cut with the man in the video monitor room with Mighty Joe Young playing, the transition to the actors dressed as tribes man, and the scene of the woman directing the camera crew in the train car set: "This is position number 1.", etc. This section of the film plays the same in both cuts.
U. S. DVD cut: the fourth scene.
This section we see Tanya on the train car set, acting in a scene, where she is walking through smoke / fog towards the camera. The scene concludes with the image of the back of Tanya's head, as it appears she is in the video monitor with the Mighty Joe Young playing on it, giving the appearance that she has walked into the reality on the video screen.
German DEG video cut: the fourth scene.
This scene where the director exits the train car set, and walks to the trailer with the video monitors are at to talk to Tanya about getting enough rest, punctuality, and her career being more important plays the same as the U. S. cut.
U. S. DVD cut: the fifth scene. ( footage only in U. S. DVD cut )
This next scene is missing from the German DEG video cut. Tanya appears at the door of Lobo's home, expressing confusion about why he doesn't want her in his life anymore. She begs him, and he becomes angry, and wants her to leave.
German DEG video cut: the fifth scene. ( alternate clip at end of this scene. )
This scene where Tanya is on the train car set with smoke / fog walking towards the camera is the same as the U. S. Dvd cut until the end, where there is a clip, similar to the one at the end of the film, where Tanya is inside the video monitor smiling.
U. S. DVD cut: the sixth scene.
Next is the black and white footage of Lobo and Tanya, nude and struggling in the shower. This appears in the German DEG video cut, but it is edited into another scene ( see below ).
German DEG video cut: the sixth scene. ( alternate footage in German DEG video cut only. )
This scene is exclusive to the German DEG video cut of the film. Tanya is seen standing outside watching the woman director, standing inside an art gallery with creepy paintings. Tanya enters and talks to the director. It seems that they are discussing Lobo (this version of the film is in German language only, so I can only make out a little of the dialogue.), and Tanya seems upset. Perhaps, this female director is the other woman Lobo is seeing, when Tanya begs to come back ( this is the above scene only in the U. S. DVD cut.). After the conversation between the two, the woman director leaves, and Tanya looks with anger at a painting of a woman in ecstasy, or agony (the painting appears to resemble the female director, hence another reason I interpret her being a "replacement" lover of Lobo's.), and has a flashback. This 'flashback' is the black and white footage of Tanya and Lobo struggling, while nude in the shower.
U. S. DVD cut: the seventh scene.
This next sequence has Tanya inside a house packing things into a bag. She hears lusty heavy breathing, and follows the sound upstairs, walks through a hall with lanterns lining the hallway, finds a strange glowing object, and then sees fog / smoke and light spilling from underneath a closed door. Continuing to follow the almost animalistic lusty breathing, she enter through this door and finds herself enveloped in fog and light.
German DEG video cut: the seventh scene.
This sequence is the same as in the U. S. DVD cut. Tanya is packing her things into a bag, and hears lusty breathing. She follows the breathing upstairs, where she ultimately ends in the room with smoke and light enveloping her.
There is some brief extra footage (about 7 min. in ) only on the German DEG video cut of Tanya standing in the fog / smoke as it fades to island sequence where her and Lobo are having sex outside ( see below. ).
U. S. DVD cut: the eighth scene. ( only in U. S. DVD cut. )
After Tanya is overtaken by the fog / smoke and light in the last sequence, the film cuts to a shot of the ocean, and then a pan over to an island in the distance, with clips of a superimposed nude Tanya, as the opening credits roll. As the credits end, the film cuts to Tanya and Lobo having sex on the rocks by the shore. This footage does appear, although edited into alternate footage in the German DEG video cut. This credit sequence with the superimposed Tanya footage is only in the U. S. DVD cut of the film.
German DEG video cut: the eighth scene. ( most of footage only in German DEG video cut )
After Tanya's is overtaken by smoke / fog and light in this version of the movie, it cuts to an alternate sex scene with Tanya and Lobo, which also includes the sex scene footage from the U. S. DVD cut.
U. S. DVD cut: later scene about 40min.-41min. into film. (superimposed images only in this cut.)
Superimposed clips of Tanya during the scene where Lobo follows Tanya when she visits Blue the ape in his cave. This superimposed footage is missing from the German DEG video cut.
German DEG video cut: later scene. About 42 min.-43min. into film.
Like stated above the superimposed footage is missing from this version of the scene where Lobo follows Tanya to Blue's cave.
U.S. DVD cut: ( additional scene only in this cut that are about 54 - 55 min. into film). Lobo is seen throwing things around outside, and then he enters the tent, where he asks Tanya, if she wants the red flowers from Blue, and tells her she has no choice in leaving with him.
German DEG video cut: about 47 mins. in, just cuts to the scene following this where Lobo goes back outside, and then Tanya comes out of the tent, and walks to the horse to go find Blue.
U.S. DVD cut: at about 1 hour and 9 minutes - 1 hour and 10 minutes in, the scene where Lobo rapes Tanya ,as Blue watches from out side, the bamboo wall, there is additional footage of Tanya and Lobo after the rape. The camera pans from the Tanya and Lobo, past the horse, and then to the sky. More footage exclusive to this cut follows where we see Lobo asleep, Blue out side the bamboo wall, and Tanya waking up. Blue begins throwing coconuts over the bamboo barrier at Lobo.
In the German DEG video cut: the scene right after the rape is shorter, the above footage of Lobo asleep, Blue walking up to the Bamboo fence , and Tanya awakening are missing, and it cuts right to where Blue bombards Lobo with coconuts. This scene is about 1 hour and 6 minutes into this version of the film.
The interesting thing about this film is how I haven't been able to find information anywhere online regarding this alternate cut of the film. Also if there is any existing English language tracks for this alternate German language version. It is something I am investigating, and I will certainly post it here, if I discover anything new about this.
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