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This edit is complete. Latest details including cutlist can be found here.
Original Post:
Original Post:
This is a fanfix of Hitchock’s 1956 remake of “The Man Who Knew Too Much”.
I love this film and, personally, I don’t think it gets enough love. I do think it has a few flaws, however, some of which I have tried/am trying to rectify with this cut.
These are the changes I initially set out to make to the film:
Now having taken a swing at it, I’ve also found myself making some slight trims to the Albert Hall sequence. Although I love it, I noticed there is a section of the piece that is precisely the same and repeats during the scene. During the first runthrough, mostly shots of the orchestra are shown, during the second, Jimmy arrives and the action picks up. What I have done is eliminate the repeated section, so that we only hear it once through, thereby making the scene a little under 70 seconds shorter. I then intercut the shots of the orchestra and the shots of action taking place. Shots were chiefly trimmed, a couple dropped, and as a result I think the pacing is much improved:
(edited section starts at 0:18 and ends at 1:41):
Here also is my current version of the trimmed taxidermists sequence. This one is tricky, and I'm not wholly sure if what I've done works or not:
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I have a first draft of the full edit that I am yet to watch through in it’s entirety, but before I jump into version 2, it’d be great if anyone would be willing to feedback on the clips I've shared.
Here is a complete cutlist of what’s currently been changed across the film:
Original runtime: 120 mins
Current runtime: 113 mins
Time Cut: 7 mins
I love this film and, personally, I don’t think it gets enough love. I do think it has a few flaws, however, some of which I have tried/am trying to rectify with this cut.
These are the changes I initially set out to make to the film:
- General trims for pacing (such as shortening some location/travel shots)
- Alter the Taxidermist "comedy" sequence. The tone is weird and awkward here, and it goes on too long.
- Keep the film chiefly (but not entirely) from the parent’s perspective, therefore eliminating several scenes that show where the boy is/is being taken. Scenes such as the kidnappers/boy within the church + travel from the church to the opera house slow the pacing down, contain some of the weaker acting moments and generally add little to the film. By keeping us in the dark during this phase of the plot, we are put in the shoes of the parents - Eg. we don't know if their son really is inside the church or not (until we hear him yell). When Jimmy Stewart is knocked out and wakes up - we don't know where he has been taken. IMO, this would create greater tension.
Now having taken a swing at it, I’ve also found myself making some slight trims to the Albert Hall sequence. Although I love it, I noticed there is a section of the piece that is precisely the same and repeats during the scene. During the first runthrough, mostly shots of the orchestra are shown, during the second, Jimmy arrives and the action picks up. What I have done is eliminate the repeated section, so that we only hear it once through, thereby making the scene a little under 70 seconds shorter. I then intercut the shots of the orchestra and the shots of action taking place. Shots were chiefly trimmed, a couple dropped, and as a result I think the pacing is much improved:
(edited section starts at 0:18 and ends at 1:41):
I have a first draft of the full edit that I am yet to watch through in it’s entirety, but before I jump into version 2, it’d be great if anyone would be willing to feedback on the clips I've shared.
Here is a complete cutlist of what’s currently been changed across the film:
- Trimmed bus arriving into Morocco. No shots removed, simply shortened.
- Trimmed coach arriving at hotel
- Trimmed Morocco festivities
- Trimmed plane arriving
- Cut first shot of spy-organist
- Cut second shot of spy-organist
- Cut spy-organist in telephone booth (there’s some bad miming going on here)
- Trimmed “comic relief” in Taxidermists:
- Less antics (man doesn’t come and grab sword fish etc.)
- Jimmy Stewart's hand is caught in Tigers jaw for less time.
- Smoothed transitions between following shots: shot of men grabbing door as Jimmy leaves, Shot of lion, shot of lounge. This feels more natural as it syncs with the time of the music.
- Reversed shot of woman walking upstairs, then cut straight to her walking into the meeting with the assassin. She does not ask to come in.
- Cut “Music is less your forte than marksmanship” – a badly delivered and easily misinterpreted line. The putting down of the assassin gets a bit much as well.
- Cut assassin saying “a very clever disguise, I must say”, so that he simply says: "a wolf in sheep's clothing".
- Trimmed assassin leaving church
- Cut kidnappers sneaking out building and driving away.
- Cut kidnappers arriving at embassy.
- Cut kafuffle in the kitchen and staff talking about the embassy being odd and secretive (this also means we don’t have the shot of the British agent shown to be undercover, but it has little relevance + we are shown him once again a little later)
- To cover the above, we briefly cut away from Doris Day at Albert Hall (re-scored using music from scene of kidnappers arriving at embassy). She arrives and enters the building, we cut to Jimmy climbing the bell, and then we cut back to Doris inside the foyer and stay with her.
- Cut 67 seconds from the Albert hall sequence, trimming shots (mostly Jimmy Stewart waiting around), but keeping as much as possible, while increasing the pace and sense of urgency.
- Cut repeated shot of man falling down stairs
Original runtime: 120 mins
Current runtime: 113 mins
Time Cut: 7 mins