Tarantino splits film in two to save it from chop

The latest product of Quentin Tarantino's imagination has been long awaited but few could quite have expected the consequences of a six-year pause in his cinematic output. Tarantino's much anticipated film Kill Bill is to be split into two parts and released in instalments because editing it down has proved impossible.

The film, about a female assassin, played by Uma Thurman, is the first from the critically acclaimed director since 1997's Jackie Brown. It will be released in October, with the sequel at a date which is yet to be determined - though it could come two to six months later.

Cutting Kill Bill in two carries risks for Miramax, which will have to pay advertising and distribution costs on two movies instead of one. But if it succeeds, Miramax stands to profit because viewers will be paying twice to see the film's two parts.