Discuss: Director's Cuts You're Dying to See
In a world of cinematic double-dipping, studio interference, hard-to-reign-in directors, and a mania for deleted scenes and more-more-more footage, "director's cuts" have become common place. Rarely is it any big deal when a new cut is released -- there's often more footage to share, package, and sell off to fans.
Sometimes things slip through the cracks. The rediscovered footage of Metropolis -- or Clive Barker's Nightbreed for example -- they reveal a world where film clips disappear, only to be found years later, to our delight. And then there's other footage that should never see the light of day, the stuff that should slip into a vortex forever, like Richard Kelly's director's cut of Donnie Darko. But what about the cuts we haven't seen, but are definitely out there?
Every time I watch Across the Universe (I know I'm in the minority, but I adore the film), I wonder what Julie Taymor would have made of it if the studio hadn't interfered and cut the film without her. Would there be more acid-trip wonder? More Beatles covers? Would it have really been too wild? With Taymor, I'd say there's no such thing.
I've also spent about a decade heading to sites like Dugpa.com to see if we'll ever get to see the many deleted scenes from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. According to reports, pretty much all of the big characters were filmed for the movie, but later cut -- Pete Martel, Dr. Jacoby, Lucy Moran, Sheriff Harry S. Truman. It's like making an Arrested Development movie and then cutting out George Michael, Maeby, or Tobias.
Chatting with Scott Weinberg, he also suggested Eyes Wide Shut (people can't seem to agree about whether Stanley Kubrick ever finished it before he died) and Friday the 13th Part 7 (there's a petition for it here).
But these are only four examples. What director's cuts are you dying to see?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-25-2009 @ 12:47PM
LMN0Potts said...
Really, you want more Across the Universe? I've been playing it now to clean my house because it's so long by the time I'm done and putting on a swimsuit to get in the pool Jude's getting back off the boat.
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6-25-2009 @ 1:06PM
Trace said...
WATCHMEN...god I want to see the Director's Cut.
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6-25-2009 @ 1:09PM
Kevin said...
No Country for Old Men. I really want to hear what the Coen brothers would say about that movie, but I'm 99% sure it'll never happen.
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6-25-2009 @ 4:25PM
Steven Flores said...
I would like to see a 6-hour version of Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line". There's rumors of a 6-hour version. A lot of which had more scenes of Adrien Brody as the lead plus 3 hours of narration by Billy Bob Thornton. Also, here are the following actors who got cut from the final version: Martin Sheen, Jason Patric, Gary Oldman, Mickey Rourke, Viggo Mortensen, and Lukas Haas.
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6-25-2009 @ 1:43PM
JimeneX said...
I love Eyes Wide Shut as much as my favorite Kubrick movies (Dr. Strangelove, 2001, Clockwork Orange), I think Kubrick had control over the final cut.
On that subject, I would have loved to see A.I. as kubrick would have directed it. The story of that movie is just PERFECT for kubrick, but Spielbergh tried to make it audience-friendly. I could envision how abstract kubrick would have made it, and have people debating for years about what happens in those final moments, similar to 2001 (instead of a british robot flat-out saying what's happening). Please picture the final scene of 2001, and give that same robo-british voice to the monolith while telling the astrounat what's going on.
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6-25-2009 @ 2:19PM
Mike said...
The question is not whether Kubrick had final cut (which I'm sure he did), but if he lived long enough to finish the film. I'm not really a Kubrick fan, but I know one thing is for sure; if he were alive, he wouldn't have agreed to digitally add set pieces to hide the sexual acts.
6-25-2009 @ 2:03PM
Arash said...
David Lynch's Dune: It's his only imperfect film, but not because of him, and the perfect example of why studio executives need to be eviscerated. Metaphorically, of course (ahem).
Orson Welles' Magnificent Ambersons: This one's a heartbreaker too.
It's always the studios and those wormy executives. ALWAYS!
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6-25-2009 @ 2:06PM
CPav said...
You're not alone, Monika. I liked Across the Universe, and would have loved to see a non-studio version. I didn't like it as much as I wanted to, but I still love the soundtrack.
And I'd love to have seen a filmed version of Sam Hamm's original script for Batman (back in the Tim Burton era) or Kevin Smith's Superman.
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6-25-2009 @ 2:17PM
Josh said...
Thin Red Line. Hands down. There are countless cut scenes, with actors like Mickey Rourke and Gary Oldman who never made the final cut.
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6-25-2009 @ 2:25PM
NP said...
Yes! I second this.
6-25-2009 @ 2:31PM
AJ said...
American History X - is that ever supposed to be released?
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6-25-2009 @ 3:16PM
InitechEmployee said...
I would love to see a director's cut of Todd Solondz' Storytelling, and maybe it would show the entire cut storyline.
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6-25-2009 @ 3:27PM
Monika said...
Good memory.. I'd forgotten about that!
6-25-2009 @ 3:35PM
Josh said...
I agree with this one too. I recommend seeking out a copy of the script, which was much, much better than the film.
6-25-2009 @ 4:21PM
justin said...
Planes Trains & Automobiles - sure it would be overkill, but i'd love to see the long-rumored 3+ hour cut.
Excalibur - apparently WB screened a much longer version, which a friend somehow managed to see, and he said it was amazing. always intrigued me.
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6-25-2009 @ 4:49PM
Mike said...
Doesn't Hughes have a longer cut of Breakfast Club, too?
6-25-2009 @ 4:46PM
Anthony E said...
KILL BILL - the much talked over full version, with no B&W fight and Sofia lossing the other arm... although some cuts sound dumb, it losses the Klingon proverb and the "daughter is still alive." Two of best parts lost.
GRINDHOUSE - amazing film, can't wait to see this again on DVD. All the great trailers and in all its glory.
REAL GENIUS - love this film, great 80s flick, want to see the flying chair scene from the trailer.
RULES OF ATTRACTION - just for the GLITTERATI film, it is the connection between this film and GLAMAROMMA, one of the best ELLIS books.
STORYTELLING - Todd Solondz film and the other missing story, love the film and I am dying to see the lost scene.
91/2 WEEKS - have read there are deleted scenes.
LOVE JONES - the trailers features many deleted scenes. More of this great film would put me over the moon.
BELLY - A very gorgeous and beautiful film. Dark and thick with atmosphere. Have written CRITERION many emails over the years for this film to get a proper DVD with all the music videos, the MTV behind the scenes special, and the HOUR and a HALF that was filmed and cut... This truly great cult classic.
BEHIND THE SMILE - Damon Wayans writing and directing vehicle starring the very talented Marlon Wayans (Requiem for a Dream) and has never been released to theatres or dvd ever.
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6-25-2009 @ 7:01PM
Ian said...
Greed and The Magnificent Ambersons to name 2 legendary examples. Some more modern examples: Kill Bill, Gangs of New York, Fire Walk With Me, and The Thin Red Line
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6-25-2009 @ 5:48PM
David said...
It's certainly nothing I'm "dying" to see, but Jonathan Demme's version of "Swing Shift" was apparently quite brilliant before (legend has it) Goldie Hawn -- the producer -- had him chop out most of the story involving Christine Lahti, who presumably outshown the leading lady.
Interesting that you're running this story today, because over at slate.com, critic Jonathan Rosenbaum goes into the questionable artistic morality of so-called "Director's Cuts." I strongly recommend the article.
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6-25-2009 @ 9:37PM
Nick said...
According to Taymor, the version of "Across the Universe" you saw in theaters is her version. She signed off on it, she went to the premiere, she resolved the conflict.
"CS: I know there've been a few different versions of the movie, so did you end up getting your own edit at the end?
Taymor: Yes, that's my cut.
CS: Is there a longer version or other things that you wound up cutting out?
Taymor: No, what you'll see on the DVD extras, which will be a gas, is expanded musical numbers, which you always knew would be cut. You'll get those because we shot them, they're there, not necessarily the whole song, but you'll get more. When you get into the DVD extras is fun, because you'll see there is a huge dance number at the end of "Come Together" that we knew early on in the editing, it wouldn't work. The story just becomes performance, so that's something with my editor Francoise, who I adore--she did "Frida" and "Titus"--we go through. You have that material. So that's all you get. This is the director's cut, I'm happy to say, and very supported by the studio on that."
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=37341
Also I think everyone is confused as to what a "Director's Cut" is, most of what people are jonesing for are things the directors themselves cut, not the studios.
Obviously things that were mangled like Magnificent Ambersons and Blade Runner deserve directors cuts, but with the Malick movie and others, those were artistic choices by their makers, interesting to see maybe, but not what they intended for you to see.
I'd like to see Oliver Hirschbegel's cut of "The Invasion" because that movie is a mongoloid of a movie right now. There's litterally a point in that movie when Nicole Kidman opens a door and it's obvious that's where the James McTeigue reshoots start.
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