BetterMost, Wyoming & Brokeback Mountain Forum
Our BetterMost Community => Chez Tremblay => Topic started by: Kd5000 on December 15, 2006, 10:10:09 pm
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release of BBM. The interview was done by AFTERELTON in observation of the film's one year anniversary. Schamus says there will be no deleted scenes as Ang wanted them deleted in the first place. Why put them back in. DUH!!! We should still have the option of seeing these deleted scenes and decide for ourselves. Some of us want every morsel of BBM that is out there.
Here's the link if you want to proceed go directly to the interview.
http://www.afterelton.com/people/2006/12/schamus.html. It's got a few photos.
I cut and pasted the FIRST page of the article. It's 3 pages so I don't wanta overun the "box." The interview done today is worth the full read.
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One year ago this month, Brokeback Mountain opened in New York City before gradually opening across the country. After breaking box office records in New York, Brokeback went on to gross $83 million domestically (more than double that worldwide) and won more Best Picture and Director awards in America than any other film in history. Indeed, Brokeback Mountain is arguably the most honored film of all time. To celebrate the anniversary of Brokeback Mountain's release, we recently spoke with Brokeback's executive producer and the CEO of Focus Features, James Schamus.
AfterElton.com: What can you tell me about the director's cut of Brokeback Mountain?
James Schamus: It's not even really a director's cut. … The changes really are very minuscule. They're going to package in some … featurettes about the music, the reception of the film. What you saw [in the theaters] was the director's cut. It's what Ang wanted.
AE: That's good to hear.
JS: Yeah. They wanted to put in some deleted scenes. There was a discussion about deleted scenes, but quite frankly, as Ang said, “The reason I deleted them was because I wanted to delete them. So why would I put them in the DVD?” [Laughs.] That's a pretty good point there, Ang!
AE: There was probably a certain faction of the audience hoping for an alternative ending.
JS: Well, yes. You know my joke is that in the sequel, Heath will go to New York and become one of the Village People. [ Laughs.] That's a whole other different movie.
AE: It's just so sad that so many straight men wouldn't see the movie. I hadn't thought about this when I saw Brokeback, but what would director John Ford have said about Brokeback Mountain?
JS: Ang did not want to put the film in the western category. He knew the film was about the West, and he knew if he overstudied westerns while he was preparing it, he would be stultified a bit and getting into a genre he wasn't interested in, because [Brokeback Mountain] is not a “western” per se. But it is about people of the West and men of the West.
So he is very aware of westerns, and we watched a lot together. And what he wanted was a movie that was, I think, stylistically a little different. You know, there are a lot of main wide shots, and [in] Brokeback he doesn't punch in a lot. When he does, it's usually very specific, and it's a very simple course of filmmaking.
AE: It also seems very much a movie about class.
JS: Thank you! No one talked about that. A few people did. But in terms of general culture, I think because of the gay love story there was really very little discourse saying “ Jeez, you actually don't see a lot of movies about working-class people, historically.”
AE: Absolutely.
JS: It's almost like a law saying you're not allowed to do it. So thank you for saying that, because we always knew why it wasn't being discussed. … There is a whole other part of this [film] that gets teased out that has to do with the relation of class.
AE: Well, even through the prism of gay issues, it seems like Jake, since he has more money, is able to think outside the box about having a different kind of life, whereas —
JS: This is exactly right.
AE: Heath is in such a small world that he can't really see outside it. Unless you have a certain amount of economic freedom, you can't really think of those things. If you're willing to comment at this point, do you have a sense of how Brokeback is going to fit in cinematic history?
JS: I honestly — I make 'em, you tell me …
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That was a pretty sucky interview. >:(
No deleted scenes, Schamus agrees, then so does the interviewer?
Here is a good reason to have them: THE BUYING PUBLIC WANTS THEM!~
I hope Focus features takes a huge loss on the production of this new "Collectors edition" when nobody buys it.
And Schamus says his idea of an alternate ending is Ennis joining the Village People?
Geez, I thought this guy was nice, but now I think he is just an idiot. Another straight man cashing in on the financial popularity of BBM. A friend of the gay community? I THINK NOT.
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The deleted scenes were almost certainly deleted for good reason. The hippie scene sounds like an immense embarrassment, BUT...it was part of the historical process in which the film became a reality, AND it allows a further glimpse of Ennis and Jack (and Heath and Jake displaying their art). These are all solid reasons to include them on a DVD, especially a DVD being marketed as a deluxe edition.
I liked the invocation of class in the interview; I agree that this is an element of the story's theme that tends to be underdiscussed.
I did not like the lazy habit of referring to Jack and Ennis by the names of the actors portraying them...it is very apparent that Heath is not Ennis.
Thanks, Kd5000, for posting this. It was an interesting read, and will play a valuable role in individual readers' decisions regarding their potential investment in the upcoming "deluxe" DVD.
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I had mixed feelings while reading this interview. Thanks for posting it, KD5000. This is the part that gives me hope:
Suddenly there was that kind of tipping moment where it was not cool to tell a homophobic Brokeback joke. Suddenly you had to tell nice jokes or do nice parodies or celebrate [the movie] because there was no one to argue with. I really think there is a very powerful aspect to the things you don't notice. You don't notice when the guy at the water cooler pauses and thinks, “I better not tell this joke because I realize that a lot of people have seen this movie and seem to like it, and maybe it's not safe for me to push it here.”
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And Schamus says his idea of an alternate ending is Ennis joining the Village People?
He's laughing at the very idea of sequels and alternate endings.
I thought it was pretty funny, but then, I think the urge for sequels and alternate endings needs to be mocked a bit.
It's interesting that they don't seem to be considering the possibility of including deleted scenes as out-takes. I can't see putting, say, the hippy scene back into the movie, but I wouldn't mind seeing it on its own.
And nobody mentioned the lack of commentary tracks.
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Besides, Ang's rationale for leaving the deleted scenes out could apply to every movie ever made.
Yes, deleted scenes are deleted for good reason. But putting them on the DVD -- as extras, of course, not reinserted into the movie -- would not only help satisfy the craving of fans for every morsel of footage they can get their eyes on, but would be very educational in terms of understanding how a great film director makes decisions about editing and narrative and so on.
I watched the deleted scenes extra on the DVD of "Gosford Park," accompanied by Robert Altman's explanations for why he chose not to use this or that. Even though I was only mildly entertained by the movie itself, I found Altman's commentary informative and enlightening.
So, boo, Ang!
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Besides, Ang's rationale for leaving the deleted scenes out could apply to every movie ever made.
Yes, deleted scenes are deleted for good reason. But putting them on the DVD -- as extras, of course, not reinserted into the movie -- would not only help satisfy the craving of fans for every morsel of footage they can get their eyes on, but would be very educational in terms of understanding how a great film director makes decisions about editing and narrative and so on.
I watched the deleted scenes extra on the DVD of "Gosford Park," accompanied by Robert Altman's explanations for why he chose not to use this or that. Even though I was only mildly entertained by the movie itself, I found Altman's commentary informative and enlightening.
So, boo, Ang!
Boo indeed!
James Cameron also issued a "Collectors Edition" of Titanic. All of the deleted scenes were included separate from the film. He included commentary on why he thought the particular scenes didn't work. This way the original movie stayed intact, yet the fans got to see all the neat stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor.
Why didn't Ang Lee and Focus features do that? Boo! indeed!
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I'm not necessarily blaming Focus Features. I think it's more a director's call. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, which had a strong following, though limited success at the box office was a Focus Feature and had director's commentary and many extras.
Of course, F.F. could still put pressure on Lee to make this a one time occurance. BBM is the crown jewel of FF's films. It won the most awards and it's their best performer at the box office. It's deserves so much better then this "B-movie" treatment.
As other posters have pointed out, I'd rather not have the deleted scenes inserted in the film, but as an option which one is free to view or choose not to. Simple as that. Plus, does Lee think a commentary will close the door on speculation of certain matters? Many ppl will jump to their own conjectures about events regardless of what the directors says.
Did Jake take time to do voice commentary for Bubble Boy?!! Maybe he had to. Evidently neither he or Heath are going to be doing commentary either. What a shame.
Poor marketing, that's all I can say. Focus Features is aware of this matter as there are so many on-line petitions I've seen as well as addresses to write Universal expressing your disapproval. I've heard letters are more effective then on-line petitions, but I think it's a done deal right now. :(
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It's all yet another part of this roller coaster of emotions called BBM... It was funny, when we were watching it Saturday night at a get together, I felt like it went too fast and there was not enough scenes with Jack and Ennis again. Maybe because I been readin' all this fan fiction... :D
Somethin' tells me someday, we're going to get the DVD with the deleted scenes on it. It may be 5 years from now, but somethin' tells me someday we'll see it. Stay tuned kids....
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I am a little late for the party but the interview gives much more information than just the reason why the deleted scenes aren't included in the DVD. It has interesting stuff about the movie, it's release from Schamus point of view. Thanks for posting Kd.
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Besides, Ang's rationale for leaving the deleted scenes out could apply to every movie ever made.
Yes, deleted scenes are deleted for good reason. But putting them on the DVD -- as extras, of course, not reinserted into the movie -- would not only help satisfy the craving of fans for every morsel of footage they can get their eyes on, but would be very educational in terms of understanding how a great film director makes decisions about editing and narrative and so on.
I watched the deleted scenes extra on the DVD of "Gosford Park," accompanied by Robert Altman's explanations for why he chose not to use this or that. Even though I was only mildly entertained by the movie itself, I found Altman's commentary informative and enlightening.
So, boo, Ang!
And why are there deleted scenes on the DVD of Sense And Sensibility? Another movie by Ang Lee, produced by James Shamus. There's even a commentary by both of them with Ang explaining why he shot certain scenes the way he did. I would love to hear that about Brokeback Mountain!
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And why are there deleted scenes on the DVD of Sense And Sensibility? Another movie by Ang Lee, produced by James Shamus. There's even a commentary by both of them with Ang explaining why he shot certain scenes the way he did. I would love to hear that about Brokeback Mountain!
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Good point. I'd like to hear that about BBM too.
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(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/icestorm.jpg)
Here's something interesting. A new critical edition of "The Ice Storm" (http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=426) is due out on DVD in March, and they're including, among other things like new commentaries from some of the actors, the following:
Audio commentary featuring Lee and producer-screenwriter James Schamus
Footage from an event honoring Lee and Schamus at New York's Museum of the Moving Image
Deleted scenes
If Ang and James agreed to do this for "The Ice Storm," could there be some hope for an eventual critical editon of BBM? *Hopes*
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That's interesting news indeed Meryl.
We can only hope...
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But if they wait as long after the initial release of BBM as they did for Ice Storm, that means it'll be almost a decade.
I don't WANNA wait that long!!! [whining, stamping foot] >:(
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Half empty, half full - gives me hope! :)
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But if they wait as long after the initial release as the did for Ice Storm, that means it'll be almost a decade.
I don't WANNA wait that long!!! [whining, stamping foot] >:(
Me neither.
This thought just popped up. What if the commentary by Ang Lee and Schamus tells us that we've been reading way to much in certain aspects of the movie. You know, the whole 'sometimes a cigar is just a cigar' thing? ??? Would I want to hear Ang Lee say THAT? hmmmm, don't think so.
On the other hand, the commentary on Sense and Sensibility was very interesting. He was telling about the way he shot certain scenes with Emma Thompson's character. The way she was 'framed' by a doorway to demonstrate the more 'closed inn' and repressed character. I really liked that. And it made me think of the opening scene in front of the trailer immediately.
So, yeah, the commentary NOW please!!
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Me neither.
This thought just popped up. What if the commentary by Ang Lee and Schamus tells us that we've been reading way to much in certain aspects of the movie. You know, the whole 'sometimes a cigar is just a cigar' thing? ??? Would I want to hear Ang Lee say THAT? hmmmm, don't think so.
On the other hand, the commentary on Sense and Sensibility was very interesting. He was telling about the way he shot certain scenes with Emma Thompson's character. The way she was 'framed' by a doorway to demonstrate the more 'closed inn' and repressed character. I really liked that. And it made me think of the opening scene in front of the trailer immediately.
So, yeah, the commentary NOW please!!
Fabienne, I think your example of Emma Thompson being consciously framed by the door shows that there must have been plenty of that deliberately in BBM. And if there are actually revelations that we've discovered that Ang (or any of the others who were part of the creativity) never deliberately meant to have in the film, then I guess It Was Meant To Be. :)
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I think we should make an effort to see the commentary/deleted scenes in Ice Storm and try to determine what his comments might imply about the cigars in BBM.
On the other hand, I've realized a couple of things since I last contributed to this thread.
1) Ang is not the world's most articulate person when he's speaking, at least in English, at least in interviews. Sometimes his descriptions of the plot of BBM seem almost ... oversimplified. So it's possible that a commentary would be disappointing because his actual work as a director is much more nuanced than he would describe it, speaking.
2) Having since read the screenplay of the deleted hippie scene, I'm not sure I'd even want to see it! :o
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2) Having since read the screenplay of the deleted hippie scene, I'm not sure I'd even want to see it! :o
Oh, I know. I read that the actors were almost embarrassed shooting the whole thing. That is was that obvious just how bad that scene was.
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Oh, I know. I read that the actors were almost embarrassed shooting the whole thing. That is was that obvious just how bad that scene was.
And it suggests unappealing aspects to the characters -- particularly Ennis, who comes off as kind of rednecky -- that aren't otherwise apparent in the movie.
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If the hippie scene had made the final cut, I have little doubt it would have been universally seen as the single worst thing about the film.
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1) Ang is not the world's most articulate person when he's speaking, at least in English, at least in interviews. Sometimes his descriptions of the plot of BBM seem almost ... oversimplified. So it's possible that a commentary would be disappointing because his actual work as a director is much more nuanced than he would describe it, speaking.
You might want to look at the essay he wrote in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Portrait of a Film. He wrote about his personal spiritual beliefs and how they contributed to the movie...about the Tao te Ching, etc. He is more articulate on paper than speaking in English. Probably he was well edited!
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You might want to look at the essay he wrote in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Portrait of a Film. He wrote about his personal spiritual beliefs and how they contributed to the movie...about the Tao te Ching, etc. He is more articulate on paper than speaking in English. Probably he was well edited!
Well, I'm more articulate on paper than when speaking in English, too, so I can relate! ;D