Posted by Kevin at etntwn1-blk1-hfc-0252-d1db060b.rdc1.nj.comcastatwork.com on October 27, 1999 at 19:20:05:
In Reply to: Some thoughts from said "Neil" character posted by Neil on October 27, 1999 at 17:09:50:
: : Ok so for the folks who just go uppity about the Directors cut comment, your responces, seem as if I ment to insult the film or kevin, all I ment was the sceans that were in the origional script were more than relevent to the movie ie (Betheny tells a girl the reason she works in an abortion clinic, due to her own boched abortion.) this scean had it been in the movie would have made the gravity of the ending a little bit better, and I would of liked to see the fat albert stuff, but oh well. All I am saying is when I read the script I could not wait to see this movie,(hence the trip to the Bank) but after the movie, it felt as if it was missing a lot it felt jumpy and in no way had the same feeling that the script did. I am glad I went but, I always look for excueses to go to red bank but I thought the movie (can't wait for the assult from this )was ok. I did not mean to be pedantic, (using big words make us all feel good eh johnboy)
: As to your points, I agree completely that DOGMA is a film that will benefit greatly from a restored earlier cut being released. I think a lot of the material that was cut out was beneficial to the story and understanding the characters more fully. I very much hope that Kevin's desire to release a DVD with the early cut on one side and the theatrical cut on the other will come to fruition. While I'd certainly not complain to loudly about seeing all the missing material in a "Deleted Scenes" section, I don't think it could ever compare to seeing them fully restored into the flow of the film itself.
This is why I'll take great pains in the future to make sure the script to any flick we're making never... NEVER... gets out in advance again.
The only reason anyone feels that the flick is 'choppy' or 'rushed' is because they've read the script in advance. No screening audiences (test, festival, or press) have expressed these same views - my guess at which is because they hadn't read the script before seeing the film (what you don't know is missing isn't missed).
The fact of the matter is the film generally doesn't suffer from the missing material. In fact, the complaints we get are usually that the flick's too long (even now). No one outside of this screening audience (the hardcore fans who've read the script) has ever expressed the aforementioned complaints.
The moral of the story is - Don't Read The Script In Advance. It taints your view of the film. Let the director (who is also the screenwriter) decide what should and shouldn't be in the final print. We're releasing this version (which IS the director's cut) for a reason: this is the movie. The script isn't the movie.
Do I miss things that were in the script? Sure, sometimes. Do I feel their absence adversely effects the film? Absolutely not. If I did, I wouldn't have cut them in the first place. My job is to tell the best story I can, as ECONOMICALLY as I can. Self-indulgence is a real flick-killer, and the cuts that we made were decided upon in an effort to tell the story as effectively as possible. People didn't NEED to hear the sad tale of Bethany's botched abortion. People didn't NEED to know the Stygian Triplet's origin. People didn't need to see Jay and Silent Bob singing 'Fat Albert'. None of that stuff was necessary to tell the story we were telling. Could it have AUGMENTED the story we were telling? Sure. But they weren't NECESSARY to forward the tale - not in the least.
Just my two cents on the matter.