A director's cut is a version of a film that is released after the original cinema version has been shown. The director's cut is supposedly the version that the filmmaker thinks is the most true to the film he or she intended to make. The original cutting or editing of the film may have been taken out of the director's control.

Many film studios give directors final cut. This means that the director ultimately has the say in what is shown in cinemas. However, even if the director thinks they have final cut, a studio may still decide to cut down the film or to add certain scenes. This may occur for a number of reasons.

One very powerful organization in the film industry is the MPAA. This anonymous group of industry executives decides what ratings films will receive, and as a result, what audience films will attract. While an original release of a film may be edited to maximize viewership by earning a PG-13 rating, the director's cut may include more risque material, and will be released after the original, or in supplemental form such as DVD.

When a film is finished, many studios run a test screening for an audience. The audience are given ratings cards, which have numbers that the audience ticks in order to rate the film. If the test screening is given a low rating, the studio may decide to recut the film in order to increase the ratings.

Many directors hate test screenings. They say that you cannot gauge a proper rating of the film from a single screening for a select amount of people. However, the studios take these screenings very seriously. Low ratings mean low performances in the theaters, which translates into lost revenue. Scenes may be reshot, added or cut depending on the producer’s thoughts on the film.

Harvey Weinstein, a producer at Miramax films, was notorious for cutting films. The habit earned him the name Harvey Scissorhands, but nine times out of ten, his cutting made a positive difference to the films' popularity ratings. Weinstein cut down the running time of certain films to make them more accessible to a film audience.

The director's cut usually includes deleted scenes, and there may be a different ending to the film. Studios often want happy endings to films, and this can be directly opposed to the director's cut. In many cases, director's cuts are released by the studios themselves on DVD to gain more revenue from a film. The cut that was seen originally in the cinema may have been the director's intended version.

Studios may add scenes that were deleted for a reason with the sole intention of making more money. Sometimes, placing deleted scenes back into a film does not enhance the film at all. It may detract from the pace and storyline of the film. Nevertheless, if a studio can make more money by marketing the film as a director's cut after the original, they will do so.

Which version of a film is superior is up to the viewer. A famous director's cut was made by Ridley Scott of his film Bladerunner. Scott shortened the film, changed some scenes and completely deleted a voiceover narration by Harrison Ford. Many critics think that the director's cut is superior, but audiences at the time, if they cared at all, were divided.

In the end, it is up to the viewer to decide whether he or she wishes to pay extra for a different version of the film. The director's cut can sometimes add up to thirty minutes of extra footage. However, in some cases, the film may only be a few minutes longer than the original.