Afterwards, discussing the universally reviled revisions to the movies, my sister said that though she thought the changes were terrible, she kind of understood George Lucas' impulse to keep fiddling with and adjusting his creations, trying to perfect them. Frankly, he should have laid down until the impulse went away, but the comment made me think... if I could change a scene in a famous movie, something which (in my opinion) would improve the film, what would it be?
Last weekend, one of my sisters hosted a Star Wars marathon, in preparation for seeing the new movie this weekend. I'm sort of planning to go see it, but it's a bit up in the air at the moment as to whether or not I'll be able to make it this week. I'm not really a huge fan of Star Wars, so it's not the end of the world, one way or the other. In any case, I did go to my sister's marathon, though I took my needles and yarn and knit a pair of socks over the course of the movies. We watched episodes IV, V, and VI only, of course... we do not speak of episodes I, II, and III. We also watched them on old VHS tapes, so that we wouldn't be afflicted with George Lucas' annoying modifications. I hadn't seen the films in years, and probably would never choose to watch them on my own, but they're fun with a crowd. In my opinion, The Empire Strikes Back is the best of the trilogy, followed by A New Hope, followed by The Return of the Jedi. In the last one, the plot is hampered by the whole Ewok thing, which we should have taken as a warning sign from Lucas that Jar Jar Binks was soon to follow. Afterwards, discussing the universally reviled revisions to the movies, my sister said that though she thought the changes were terrible, she kind of understood George Lucas' impulse to keep fiddling with and adjusting his creations, trying to perfect them. Frankly, he should have laid down until the impulse went away, but the comment made me think... if I could change a scene in a famous movie, something which (in my opinion) would improve the film, what would it be? At first I thought that, in Gone With The Wind, I'd have Sherman's men burn Tara to the ground, beggaring Scarlett, forcing her to go out and earn her own living and stop ruining everybody's lives. It would certainly serve the floozy right. But then I decided that this was too sweeping of a change, as it would radically alter the plot. Then I thought that I'd have Ashley played by someone- anyone- other than Leslie Howard. I love Leslie Howard in so many films: The Scarlet Pimpernel, Pygmalion, Pimpernel Smith, The 49th Parallel... the list goes on. But I despise the weak, backbone-lacking Ashley and hate that it's Howard in the role. However, this is just personal, and wouldn't actually improve the film in any way. But then I thought of the perfect movie to change a scene in: Singin' In The Rain. Now, don't get me wrong- I love this film. It's so much fun. But there is one scene which I have never liked in it, and have always felt didn't mesh with the rest of the movie. And that is the Broadway Ballet with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. This scene has never worked for me... it feels kind of shoe-horned in, is really long, and doesn't advance the plot at all. In fact, it brings it to a screeching halt, and is completely unnecessary. I generally skip it when I'm watching the movie. Apparently I'm not the only one who feels this way; I was once talking to a co-worker who is also a fan of old- ahem- classic movies, and mentioned that there was a scene in Singin' In the Rain which I didn't like. She immediately asked if it was the Cyd Charisse dance number, and agreed that it didn't fit with the rest of the film. So if I was going to change a scene in a movie, I would remove this one from Singin' In the Rain. I think the film would be improved without it. So, if you could change/ remove one scene from a famous movie, what would it be?
Comments
|
About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
Fun SitesOdds & Ends |