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August 1995, Week 2

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Subject:
From:
"KEITH NIGHTENHELSER, DEPAUW UNIVERSITY" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 5 Aug 1995 17:39:18 -0500
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On 5 Aug 1995 08:56:27 -0500 Mark Langer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>Terry Gilliam's film BRAZIL played in two different versions in
>Canada.  The Quebec version included a scene where Mr. Helpman,
>dressed as Santa Claus, visits the protagonist in jail and informs him
>that Jill is dead.  It also had a lengthy sequence detailing the
>various stages of the arrest process, in which the protagonist was
>charged for the expenses on his credit card.  This sequence came
>between the arrest of the protagonist and the kindly guard's greeting at the
>interrogation chamber -- "Confess son.  Think of your credit rating."
>
>I am told that in some areas of the U.S. market, the death of the
>protagonist is omitted, leaving the audience with the impression that
>he and Jill escaped.  I vaguely recall reading an article in the N.Y.
>Times about the various versions.
> . . .
 
     Jack Mathews' book _The Battle of Brazil_ explains what went on in this
case.  The version shown in Quebec fits the description of the original
cut for European release, which was 142 minutes long.  Gilliam himself,
under pressure from his studio, cut 11 minutes from this version for
the American theatrical release, and according to Mathews "The decision
for Gilliam was strictly a matter of time.  They [the cut scenes] are
among his favorite scenes, and they contain a lot of information."  The
film Gilliam originally delivered to the studio was 17 minutes over what
his contract allowed.  His 131 minute version showed in US theatres and
is the one now shown by cable channels, I believe.
 
    And then there was a third edit of the film, done without Gilliam's
approval, which cut it down to only 90 minutes (!), used some footage Gilliam
had shot but not used in either of his cuts, played up the boy-meets-girl
plot, and imposed a happy ending.  This cut many years ago played on
US TV.  When I saw it I was stunned.
 
     Finally, some name trivia: The 90 minute version was released with the
director's name given as Alan Smithee, a phony director's name which
is used in Hollywood [because of DGA rules maybe?  anyone know?] when
a film's actual director disowns it.  I think the Cheech and Chong film
_Shrimp on the Barbie_ may have been release as an Alan Smithee film.
And recently I saw an American Independant film, I cannot remember by
whom, with the writer credit given to Sam Lowry--the protagonist of _Brazil_.
 
     Mathews' book is excellent.  In about 90 pages it tells the story of
the making of the film and the struggle over its editing and U.S. release,
and then it reprints with commentary  the screenplay of the European cut
of _Brazil_, which was written by Gilliam, Tom Stoppard, and Charles McKeown.
The commentary among other things notes sequences that were in the original
screenplay but were dropped from the shooting because of expense.
 
--Keith Nightenhelser    DePauw Univ., Greencastle, In.   [log in to unmask]
 
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