M: Director's Cut - our wish list

[sfsraffie]

What would you like to see in the rumored extended dvd cut? I've suggested some things that Weitz probably wouldn't agree to, but please limit suggestions to feasible ones (i.e., no scenes that weren't shot already, no significant script revision.) Here are some ideas I've had:

- Of course, restore the cut scenes, but only if they work, and make the rest deleted scenes.

- PP's voice speaking the Milton "Dark Materials" quote over black before the movie starts
- Regardless of the dvd packaging, see the in-film title "Northern Lights".
- Remove the Lyra intro/exposition scene ("I heard you're an orphan.") Begin the film with Lyra in the hallway, not with Asriel.
- Non-moving slides during Asriel's presentation.
- No in-film references to "golden compasses". Not all aleitheometers are gold.
- Remove the Asriel capture scene. Rather unnecessary.
- A less Star Wars-scale London skyline.
- Digitally add some crosses to Magisterium places. Doesn't have to be filled with Church-imagery, but have some here and there.
- See the aleitheometer-vision once, maybe, but not more than that.
- Alternate sound track with the original Iorek voice actor.
- Iorek eating Iofur's heart. Bloody fur during the fight.
- Obviously, restore the ending, though Weitz has said the Director's Cut may only feature a teaser of it if sequels are still planned.

EDIT: I just read the thread "Just a Little Cut". If Bolvangar/Svalbard could be put back in the correct order, by all means do this.
EDIT 2: I'd like to see daemons vanish like the lightning-fast morphings, but into nothing. The Dust showers were pretty, but a bit much.

[delta10]

- PP's voice speaking the Milton "Dark Materials" quote over black before the movie starts

Only if he speaks slowly and clearly.

- Regardless of the dvd packaging, see the in-film title "Northern Lights".

eh, I prefer the title "Golden Compass".

- No in-film references to "golden compasses". Not all aleitheometers are gold.

Huh? How do you know?

- A less Star Wars-scale London skyline.

I like the skyline!

[Townie]

Zaal meeting
Cocktail Party

[Midnighttosix]

I think the Director's Cut should be a stylised spaghetti western that follows Lee Scoresby around for the entirety of its running time. The first hour of the film should focus on Lee growing his moustache, then he meets Lyra and Iorek in Trolleslund. It ends in a Mexican standoff with Lee, Iorek and Lyra over the claims to the true cross buried under Svalbard.
I call it: 'Bring Me The Head of Stanislaus Grumman'.

[Ian]

You're good midnight, you're good

Um, we can't alter the film at this stage y'know. Only include what was filmed before.

I would say that I don't care about the word golden ... but the alethiometer is not a frigging compass. And the title is Northern Lights.

[sfsraffie]

- No in-film references to "golden compasses". Not all aleitheometers are gold.

How do you know?

I could be wrong, but I thought somebody said at some point that Lyra's was smaller and prettier than other ones. If not al aleithemeters are gold, then saying aleithometers in general are "golden" is, IMO, even more inaccurate than calling them "compasses". I know PP never intended for them to be called compasses, but in fairness, they do point people in certain directions.

Either way, the phrase "golden compass" shouldn't appear.

[royalbip]

You're good midnight, you're good

Um, we can't alter the film at this stage y'know. Only include what was filmed before.

some dvd's have the theatrical version and an alternate dvd version..so he could add the deleted scenes and put the Bolvangar, Svalbard and ice bridge scenes into the right order! and make that the alternate movie version!

[krebbe]

I think the Director's Cut should be a stylised spaghetti western that follows Lee Scoresby around for the entirety of its running time. The first hour of the film should focus on Lee growing his moustache, then he meets Lyra and Iorek in Trolleslund. It ends in a Mexican standoff with Lee, Iorek and Lyra over the claims to the true cross buried under Svalbard.
I call it: 'Bring Me The Head of Stanislaus Grumman'.

Intriguing, I'd like to hear more about this proposed moustache-orientated adaptation.

[Alex-Giovanni]

You're good midnight, you're good

Um, we can't alter the film at this stage y'know. Only include what was filmed before.

I would say that I don't care about the word golden ... but the alethiometer is not a frigging compass. And the title is Northern Lights.

I completely agree with you. Even if Chris Weitz is American, he still shouldn't use the American name, he should use the original.

And all of the people who have posted that they want bits removed, by the time they've taken all of them out, there won't be anything left!

[sfsraffie]

Of the people who have posted that they want bits removed, by the time they've taken all of them out, there won't be anything left!

I'd rather have top quality than quantity. The Asriel capture scene lasted a minute or two, but felt like an excuse for a fight and was an unnecessary digression from Lyra's story. The lesser two Harry Potter movies, after all, are also the two longest.

[Midnighttosix]

Intriguing, I'd like to hear more about this proposed moustache-orientated adaptation.

Wouldn't we all... *sighs longingly*

[sfsraffie]

- Of course, restore the cut scenes, but only if they work, and make the rest deleted scenes.

- PP's voice speaking the Milton "Dark Materials" quote over black before the movie starts
- Regardless of the dvd packaging, see the in-film title "Northern Lights".
- Remove the Lyra intro/exposition scene ("I heard you're an orphan.") Begin the film with Lyra in the hallway, not with Asriel.
- Non-moving slides during Asriel's presentation.
- No in-film references to "golden compasses". Not all aleitheometers are gold.
- Remove the Asriel capture scene. Rather unnecessary.
- A less Star Wars-scale London skyline.
- Digitally add some crosses to Magisterium places. Doesn't have to be filled with Church-imagery, but have some here and there.
- See the aleitheometer-vision once, maybe, but not more than that.
- Alternate sound track with the original Iorek voice actor.
- Iorek eating Iofur's heart. Bloody fur during the fight.
- Obviously, restore the ending, though Weitz has said the Director's Cut may only feature a teaser of it if sequels are still planned.

EDIT: I just read the thread "Just a Little Cut". If Bolvangar/Svalbard could be put back in the correct order, by all means do this.
EDIT 2: I'd like to see daemons vanish like the lightning-fast morphings, but into nothing. The Dust showers were pretty, but a bit much.

No other objections to the above, then? Moustaches aside, no other additions/changes?

[Ian]

Well, y'know, like I said, I don't think that they're particularly realistic aims. Other than that no objections to the majority of them...

[Will's.Lost.Fingers]

This movie is ruined,a director cut won't compensate for this.It should be ignored and recreated.But this will never happen.

[Kyrillion]

I think the last post is a little unfair. I felt there was a good film in there, and it shone through on occassion. Which leads me onto my point:

Surely 'director's cut - our wish list' is something of an oxymoron. I want to see a director's cut because I'm curious to see Weitz's version of the film before NL did their panicked hack-job. I think he may be a good director and I want to see what he intended. I'm not expecting - nor hoping for - something that more closely resembles MY version of the film. I just want to see Weitz's creative vision.

[tato]

yes, me too. im sure weitz version can be fair to the books; i agree that quantity is diferent from quality, but in this case, in this movie, i cant imagine a good adaptation with less than 3 hours. the major problem is the edition and the sense of running; the cast, special effects and all scenes are great, but see all those perfect elements in a rush way its sad, so, i think the movie can be saved with more footage to improve the already good movie; a just good movie can turn out in a great movie with more time to people understand it and see and enjoy. there are really terribles moments in the movie, like the ice bridge, all rushed; i have the feelling that the movie can be awsome with more time, as weitz wanted. i dont think that just adding the final chapters could save the movie; less than 3 hours its pointless, i think.

[sfsraffie]

Well, y'know, like I said, I don't think that they're particularly realistic aims. Other than that no objections to the majority of them...

Well, maybe I was thinking more along "fan edits of the Director's cut" lines. Some of my proposals would be pretty easy for someone versed in fan edit-making... specifically:

- PP's voice speaking the Milton "Dark Materials" quote over black before the movie starts - does he do this for the audiobook? If so, this'd be simplicity itself.
- See the in-film title "Northern Lights" - Equally easy.
- Scene removals (Lyra intro/exposition scene, Asriel capture scene, alethiometer visions) - this is 90% of what fan edits are. Removing references to "golden compasses" could be trickier, but not at all impossible.
- Digitally add some crosses to Magisterium places - especially in that all-white building, this'd be entirely doable for someone versed in fan edits/films.

Some of my suggestions (alternate sound track with the original Iorek voice actor, non-moving slides during Asriel's presentation) are admittedly unchangeable. I'm just saying (see Wikipedia on the Two Towers Purist Edit) that even Weitz's dvd cut need not neccesarily be the last word on the film.

Oh, and... take out that darned Kate Bush number!

[Yrael]

PP's voice speaking the Milton "Dark Materials" quote over black before the movie starts - does he do this for the audiobook? If so, this'd be simplicity itself.

Sorry, but he doesn't, well not with mine he doesn't, though i still think that it would be rather easy to do.

[sfsraffie]

PP's voice speaking the Milton "Dark Materials" quote over black before the movie starts - does he do this for the audiobook? If so, this'd be simplicity itself.

Sorry, but he doesn't, well not with mine he doesn't, though i still think that it would be rather easy to do.

Dang. Somebody corner him in a quiet room with a mic!

[sfsraffie]

... And remove the bogus reference to a single remaining alethiometer.