Where on the Shelf Is…Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Welcome to “Where on the Shelf Is…” In this column, I look at great TV shows and movies that have never been on DVD and/or Blu-ray. For your pleasure and out of all of our frustrations, this column examines the Where, When and, of course, WHY?! of these non-releases.

Up this week is…KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR

What Is It?:

Backlot rebel Quentin Tarantino has made a career and reputation for himself as a filmmaker who constantly toys with genre expectations. RESERVOIR DOGS was a heist movie without a heist. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS was a historical actioner that offed Hitler in the third act. PULP FICTION had absolutely no orange juice whatsoever.

And KILL BILL was a revenge movie that took over four hours for the heroine to actually get her revenge.

Where Is It?:

Even though both VOL. 1 and VOL. 2 were commercial and critical successes (they collectively grossed more than $330 million worldwide and averaged an 84.5% on Rotten Tomatoes), the entire version, known as THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR, has never actually made it to home video.

This version screened at Cannes when Tarantino served as jury president in all of its intended glory, complete with intermission, an extended anime scene and a color House of Blue Leaves sequence, as well as the omission of any “Last week on KILL BILL…” moments. It was screened publicly only once more in 2011. In short, Ordell Robbie has been played more times than THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR.

Since Lionsgate acquired the distribution rights to much of Miramax’s catalogue, that puts THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR in their hands.

So what have they done with KILL BILL since the 2011 deal? More of the same. Last year, they bundled Blu-rays of VOL. 1 and VOL. 2 together as a “double feature,” further supporting the Weinstein-initiated split. And in November, they really screwed the Gimp when they failed to include THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR in their TARANTINO XX Blu-ray box set.

For now, THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR remains stashed away as something of a lost movie.

When Will We See It?:

Lionsgate has respect for their properties and we assume they would want the full cooperation of Tarantino. This, of course, would require a formal sit-down with the director, who has a hard enough time sitting still to begin with.

And in all reality, it’s hard to say exactly where QT’s priorities rest. He’s notorious for spouting out every potential movie-related idea that comes to his brain. Remember THE VEGA BROTHERS? Or when he wanted to direct a Bond movie? Or KILL BILL: VOL. 3: THE REVENGE OF COPPERHEAD’S DAUGHTER?

So even if he did say THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR was due out this year, we’d still be wise to be weary. That is, unless QT swore otherwise on the grave of Alfredo Fettuccini or some other obscure genre director he worships but you’ve never heard of.

Where Can We See It?:

Lionsgate’s aforementioned “double feature” Blu-ray is, as of now, the best option, even though it is still not THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR, no matter how quickly you pop in the second disc after The Bride slices up O-Ren Ishii.

Also available on Amazon through the search words “KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR” is a little book called “The Samuel L. Jackson Handbook.” We’ve never read it, but any book that devotes an entire chapter to DEEP BLUE SEA gets our highest recommendation.

Is one of your favorite movies or TV shows not available on DVD or Blu-ray? Leave your suggestions below or shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].