timothy_gray_el34lojg1aih1's profile

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Sunday, April 7th, 2024 7:44 AM

This is a theatrically released feature film, why did they change it to a TV episode?

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)

This title was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2022. Recently, the title type has been changed from feature film to TV episode. The film was funded by American Playhouse, a company that primarily produced television. But that doesn't mean it should be classified as a TV episode. IMDb shows it as being released simultaneously on TV and in theaters. Shouldn't the theatrical release be given precedence over the TV release?

290 Messages

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6.6K Points

1 month ago

This seems relevant (it's from the Cast/Acting credits guidelines):

This seems to suggest that a shell episode should have been created and added to American Playhouse instead of changing the title type of the original.

(It's possible that a shell episode already existed and someone erroneously came along and merged it with the feature film, but that's just speculation.)

290 Messages

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6.6K Points

1 month ago

So, I've just discovered that the TV episode version of this title is actually the older one. The feature version was probably created around 2022 (when it was inducted into the NFR), and somebody recently discovered the older version on IMDb and merged the two of them together.

Here's why I still think the title should be listed primarily as a feature, not a TV episode:

  • Visibility: TV episodes get buried in the bottom of search results and lists when sorted by popularity. A feature-length, award-winning film doesn't deserve to get hidden like that.
  • Individuation: TV episodes can't be edited as much as stand-alone features, particularly when it comes to genre data. You'll notice that the genre data on this title currently marks it as Comedy, Drama, Romance, and Sci-Fi. The only one of these genres that fits this specific title would be drama. Notably missing from this list is "western". Why is this a big deal? Well, to throw out one example, supposing someone comes along and does an advanced search wanting to see a list of all the Westerns in the National Film Registry? Well, you'll notice that "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez" doesn't show up. Then again, if you do the same search but with Sci-Fi instead of Western, you will see it... right between Blade Runner and Return of the Jedi. If you fail to see how this is somewhat of a less than ideal situation, I really don't know what else to tell you.

Lastly...

  • It was released theatrically. It had a limited release in 1982, followed by a film festival in May 1983 and a wide release in August of that same year. It aired on TV once, in June 1982. The available information on this title's production is scant, but everything I've read seems to indicate that this was planned as a theatrical release from the start, that just happened to be also shown on television. The TV release should not take precedence over the theatrical release; nay, it ought to be the other way around.

In my opinion, this issue should be resolved by creating a shell episode for the TV series American Playhouse, and changing the title type of the National Film Registry-listed current page into a feature film.

If I knew how to do that, I would do it myself. Alas, I am befuddled. Won't somebody with knowledge and authority please respond to this post? Or, better yet, just fix it, and then tell me how you did it?

Employee

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12.1K Points

Hi @timothy_gray_el34lojg1aih1,

Thank you for your problem report.

We have reviewed this title and any relevant data as to the way it is listed on IMDb and can confirm that it should be listed as it is. This is because the title was originally funded, produced and released by PBS as a TV episode, and then happened to get a subsequent theatrical release. Therefore, a shell episode is not required in this scenario, as these are for when a title originally releases theatrically, or as a standalone title, and then is subsequently released as part of a series.

Additionally, for a title to have another version listed on IMDb, there needs to be a substantial difference between the later release and the original - i.e. additional footage or significant re-editing, etc. Our Alternate versions help guide has more information on this.

Therefore, we suggest adding any appropriate information you have mentioned above to the title's trivia, keyword or alternate version sections.

Cheers!

290 Messages

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6.6K Points

@Ozzy​ In that case, I think IMDb needs to update its policy on genre data for individual episodes of anthology series. The current workaround of adding genre keywords (e.g. "western-episode") does not solve the problems I outlined above with respect to using the filters on the advanced search. I might create a separate post about this later if I have the time.

Employee

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1.2K Messages

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12.1K Points

Hi @timothy_gray_el34lojg1aih1,

Please do create an "Idea" post for this observed problem so we can feed it back to the appropriate team for review.

Cheers!