Gof: Good Movies, Time, and Coffee

[irene_mikhlin]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:

> bboy_mn:
> 
> Have you ever heard of the "Director's Cut" of a movie. That's a
> re-edited where the director gets to override the studio and assemble
> the movie the way HE thinks it should be cut. These are invariably
> substantially longer than the studio's version. Any film buff would
> very much prefer the Diretor's Cut over the studio's cut.

Yes, and it's very interesting that Columbus hasn't offered such a
version, isn't it?
Maybe he really believes that he did his best?

> 
> I suspect that the studio is responsible for the Hagrid Hug Fest
> ending to GoF. My (unfounded, unprovable) guess is that the studio
> said, 'you're out of time and money, give us the movie RIGHT NOW!' and
>  the Director had no choice but to film the quick and dirty 'hug fest'.

Or maybe that's the sort of thing the director likes. Given his
history, it's entirely possible.


> 
> Do you really believe that the director, who is trying to make the
> best movie possible, trimmed out those 10 minutes of his own accord?

No, but the question is - did this specific director understand what
would make it "the best movie possible"? Could it be that for him to
keep some cool CGI sequence was more important that advance the plot?
 
> 
> Do you really believe that most people would have had to struggle to
> endure those extra 10 minutes?

Of course not.

> 
> While I can't prove it, I'm am absolutely convinced that Studio
> decisions are keeping these movies from being the great movies they
> could have been.
> 
> When I look at the quality and craftsmanship that went into the Lord
> of the Rings movies, it's very easy to see the difference between a
> movie that is controlled by the Director and a movie that is
> controlled by the studio. When I see Lord of the Rings, I see what
> Harry Potter *could* have been.

Agreed. I just don't know which proportion of blame should go to the
evil studio, and which to the inept director.

> 
> As an additional note, I thought many of the scenes that were on the
> 'extras' were better than the ones that made it into the movie. 

Agreed again.

> 
> But then, that's just my opinion.
> 
> bboy_mn

Irene