Posted by Neil at 205.163.142.226 on October 27, 1999 at 19:36:31:
In Reply to: Re: Some thoughts from said "Neil" character posted by Kevin on October 27, 1999 at 19:20:05:
: : 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.
I'm actually glad about this. I hope it works out.
: 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).
I think you are very much correct in all of this.
: 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.
I'm glad to hear it. I'm very much looking forward to going with my girlfriend (who I went to CHASING AMY with on our first date, btw) and hearing her opinions, since she has gone to pains to avoid not only reading the script, but learning details of the story.
: 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.
I seem to recall saying something about the theatrical cut being the "director's cut"... when was that? Oh, yeah... after someone suggested that saying that was "pedantic". You're not being pedantic now, are you Kevin?
: 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.
I agree completely. I specifically used the word "beneficial", because I felt it said that same thing. I thought the movie really chugged along quite nicely, especially for the first hour. I think it would be nice on video, when I'm kicked back with my girlfriend on the couch, with two warm cats and a cold Coke, to see the old three hour, more leisurely cut in its entirety.
I want to say that I really enjoyed the movie and I had a great weekend visiting your fellow fans. It was also nice to (ever so briefly) meet you and see you very adorable baby (no, of course I wouldn't say if I thought the baby was ugly, but I wouldn't have said anything at all). Thank you for giving us all to get together and celebrate our fandom.