A Director's cut is a specially edited version of a movie that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit of the movie. It is often released some time after the original release of the film, where the original release was released in a version different from the director's approved edit. 'Cut' is synonymous with 'edit' in this context.

With most studio films the director does not have final cut , rather the studio can insist on changes to make the film more likley to succeed at the box office. This sometimes means happier endings or less ambiguity. Most common, however, is that studios ask that the film be shortened. The most common form of director's cut is thus to have extra scenes added making films often considerably longer.

The director's cut was first introduced in the early 1980s alongside the rise of the video tape industry. They were originally created for the small but dedicated cinephiles market. One of the first films to have a director's cut was Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. The director's cut removed the happy ending and the narration, and many feel that the new version is the better film.

When it was discovered that the market for alternate versions of films was substantial director's cuts for a wide array of films were introduced, even some where the director had final cut. These mostly contained deleted scenes, often adding a full half hour to the length of the film. Rarely are these director's cuts considered superior to the original film.

Movies which have a director's cut version include:

• Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola), re-released as Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)
• Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean)
• The Abyss (James Cameron)
• The Big Blue (Luc Besson)

A related concept is that is that of an extended or special edition An example is Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies. While Jackson considers the theatrical releases of those films to be his final 'director's cut', the extended cut was made so that fans of the material could see nearly all of the scenes shot for the script, but that were cut for theatrical running time or other reasons. Other examples of extended/special editions include James Cameron's lengthier cuts of Aliens and Terminator 2, and Luc Besson's Version Intégrale cut of Léon.

Less frequently, video games will receive rereleases with added material under a director's cut label. One of the earliest games to use this concept was Resident Evil for the Sony PlayStation.

See also: Film modification