Related Sections: Interviews Movies News
What had to be cut at the last minute to keep Watchmen watchable
Watchmen director Zack Snyder said that the final cut of the movie's theatrical release runs about 2 hours and 37 minutes, and that he had to omit a favorite sequence from the graphic novel to get it to that length. (Spoilers ahead!)
In adapting Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic graphic novel to the big screen, Snyder found he had to remove portions of the book to keep the film to a manageable length. One of the last sequences to go was the death of Hollis Mason (Stephen McHattie), the original Nite Owl, on Halloween night.
"We have, you know, the whole thing with the Top Knots [a gang distinguished by their samurai-style haircuts] are mad, and they go over to his place and kill him," Snyder said in a group interview in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday.
Cutting that scene, a brutal beating, also necessitated cutting a companion scene in a bar involving Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) and Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson). "They see on the TV [that] Hollis Mason died," Snyder said. "And so then, you know, Dan goes and beats up the Top Knot that's in the bar, and, like, knocks the teeth out, and it's really violent and cool."
Earlier cuts of the film were running longer than 2 hours and 40 minutes. But cutting the scene pained Snyder, who has otherwise tried to be as faithful as possible to the graphic novel. "Though I love him, you know?" he said. "And, also, ... I also reshot ... the phone call between Sally [Carla Gugino] and Hollis as well. ... There's that long phone call that they have right before, actually, he's killed. So those kind of came out sort of modularly. ... So that was a bit of a bummer for me, because ... I like that stuff. ... It's ... big. It's a lot of time."
Snyder promised to restore the shots and other material into one of several longer cuts that will eventually appear on DVD and Blu-ray home video releases once the movie finishes its run in theaters. Watchmen opens March 6.
By Daria at 9:02 PM ON 02/18/09
This is sounding like they really should have made it "Dances with Wolves" length. Cutting out Hollis' death (although not a major plot point), is still an important scene to the overall arc of the story. I'm getting anxious about this film. I may wait for the DVD cut if they're only cutting it to appease the ADD of theatrical audiences. :/
By irrelevant at 9:03 PM ON 02/18/09
less pointless graphic brutality and more story will make it a better movie, whether it is "true" to the graphic novel or not is irrelevant - this is a different medium, and the two-panel violent shocker in the novel turing into a five-minute bloodbath in the movie does not advance the plot - and would certainly turn off a lot of the audience. Story matters first, then special effects. Violence, especially graphic violence, is a special effect. If it is overdone or overused, it is no longer "special".
By Kerrith at 9:10 PM ON 02/18/09
irreverent,
Not a single panel of Watchmen was pointless, graphic brutality included. It upsets me to see anything lost from the story for fear that it will diminish the story. That being said, I a glad to hear how much it bothers Snyder too. It demonstrates that this project is in the right hands and It shows the promise that the end product will be as faithful a retelling as we could hope for.
By irrelevant at 9:18 PM ON 02/18/09
Kerrith,
Watchmen was a brilliant piece of comic art. The effect of the 2-4 panels was enough to tell the story, convey the emotion the main characters were feeling, and leave the reader with a lasting impression. Does it really take 3+ minutes of ultra-violence to do the same thing in the movie? That sounds pretty lame.
By Valkyrie at 10:38 PM ON 02/18/09
The death of Hollis was a pivotal moment in the story, particularly for Dan. Hollis was his mentor, and his friend. The scene also served to lay up Rorschach's theory of a "Mask Killer", which finally galvanizes Dan into action.
To be honest, the scene, though brutally violent, does forward the plot, and makes the following actions of the characters more understandable and believable.
On a final note, it carries the social commentary of how a man who was once revered for trying to make the city a safer place, had the people he wanted to protect turn on him and kill him. It's a heart breaking moment.
By Chaintinker at 2:12 AM ON 02/19/09
Unfortunately a major consideration in the running length of a movie is how many times a day they can show it and thus sell more tickets per day. WE would love a longer movie but that means less profit per day for the big old companies that paid for it in the first place.
By shatnerfan at 5:34 AM ON 02/19/09
The theatrical cut length is exactly why I believe that this movie will have major legs upon DVD/Blu release. Snyder has been pretty open with discussing everything he had to cut to get this in theaters and the plans to release a much longer version on the home mediums.
Overall movie length does not bother me as long as it is justified by the depth of story...and yes, that does include graphic violence if necessary. I understand the studio needs as well.
Visit mobile.syfy.com/wire on your mobile device.
shatnerfan:
The theatrical cut length is exactly why I believe that this movie will have major legs upon DVD/Blu release. Snyd...More »