Here's a cool 2 minute preview video of the original ending. It looks fantastic!
Menken took EW through the clip above, noting that the director’s cut finale is a tribute to classic 1950?s horror films in a way the musical wasn’t. “The finale of our musical, which we didn’t have in the original [ending of the film], is ‘Don’t Feed the Plants’ and then of course in the movie there’s a whole sequence where it turns into a horror film,” Menken explains. “That’s where the movie really stakes its own claim and its own stylistic place, because clearly what we did on stage referred to it, but it’s the simply theatrical telling of the story and it’s over. It’s actually shown in the film, Audrey II eating the world, and that’s where Frank Oz really got to do his homage to horror movies. I think it’s pretty fantastic. I think it’s shocking to some people because it’s a very unusual ending to a musical.”
I saw it at the nyff and it was great to finally see all that work with puppets and miniatures. The work prints give you an idea of the ending but seeing it as part of the movie is so much better. I can't wait to get it tomorrow.
Got my copy from eBay this past Saturday. It was truly astounding to get to see this movie in all its HD glory. I noticed things I've never noticed before and I've seen this movie hundreds of times. It is just truly glorious!
PLUS finally getting to see this movie with its original ending in full glorious (and color) completeness was astounding. I really think they must've found a print of the actual ending. This didn't look like colorized work print footage to me. It looked as finished and clean as the rest of the movie. I LOVED IT and it was worth the wait!
They tracked each & every negative strip from the original ending, which were literally scattered all over the world (Los Angeles, Kansas, London) following the failed screenings. It was a painstaking process but they went right to the original negatives. This was according to Kurt Galvao from Warner Home VIdeo, who led the restoration. He talked about it at the NYFF screening.
He mentioned the one segment that was the hardest to track down was the scene at the disco club. LSOH @ NYFF
I don't think so. It seems that with just a couple of exceptions all the special features are ported from the DVD release. Those couple of exceptions are all based around the original ending and its restoration. I didn't get a chance to fully explore the features yet though so I will check again when I get home just to be sure. I would love to see the original full "Meek" as well since they included stills from it in the book about the film that came out at the time the film was in theaters.
My understanding is that Meek Shall Inherit was one of the first things on the chopping block for Oz's own reasons (pacing, etc.) and was not even part of the test screening cut. Could be wrong, but that's what I remember from an interview with Oz a few years ago. I will try to locate it.
I would really like to see that sequence sometime, though.
I LOVE the original ending but I think there are three problems with it:
WARNING - SPOILERS!!!
1) In the stage version (and the original movie as well), Seymour goes out attempting to be a hero. It's finally hit home what he's done and he can't live with it anymore so his mind snaps and he attempts to take Twoey down! In the mad attempt he basically sacfrifices himself trying to rid the world of this abomination but tragically it doesn't work. In the movie his attempts are LAME and cowardly.
2) As an extension of that, the plant picking Seymour up and SO slowly bringing him towards its mouth and seeing it swallow Seymour in such close-up is torturous for an audience to watch. We've come to love Seymour (in spite of the killing) and seeing his death this way is just too harsh for the audience.
3) The loss of the face flowers (from the original movie and stage show) is sad to me. It was a clever way of bringing the characters back one last time and would've helped with what Frank Oz always talks about with no curtain call and the emotional loss the audience feels.
Just my two cents and don't misunderstand me. I still LOVE the B-Movie monster feel of the original ending and am still ecstatic to finally get to see it!
Count me in as one who thinks the finale sequence is overlong. It's neat to finally have it in color and as part of the movie proper, but I think it's too long.
My issue with it is the length, but also the fact that--as Menken says himself apparently, though he doesn't see it as an issue--it does suddenly turn the movie into a big monster movie homage, which the movie hasn't been up to that point. It feels a bit late in the game, to me, to do that--I think the point mentioned here about the fact that we don't see the pod versions of the characters as well, is an issue, as is the point about Seymour coming off as less heroic, which is something I hadn't thought of before.
Either way, it's great to have the option now to watch whichever ending you prefer. From a quick glance, the restoration of the film in general looks *terrific*.
Yeah, the finale is too long and excessive. A few minutes easily could've been shaved off- basically everything between the Audrey II on the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
But the restoration really is beautiful, and it's great to see the 'Death of Audrey' sequence.
Just watched it! It's nice to have the original ending (a tad too long, I agree, but much more satisfying than what made the original cut) and the restoration is lovely. I also think the ending makes the entire film more enjoyable.
I get that in terms of the stage musical's endiung, but I never really found the Faust element as strong in the movie, for some reason. I guess I see the movie's final ending as still posing an eventual threat to Seymour for his actions. Either way, it's great to have it, and looking so good.
Bea Arthur Nude Sells For Nearly $2 Million At Auction
Drama Desk Award Winners - MATILDA, VANYA AND SONIA, PIPPIN, VIRGINIA WOOLF & More!
John Bantay Talks to Richard Jay-Alexander About Musical Mondays Farewell
STAGE TUBE: Join Them! Watch the PIPPIN Cast on Letterman!
CHUCK Star Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez Set to Lead FIRST DATE
Photo Flash: First Look - Tomorrow's Season Finale of LAW & ORDER: SVU
VIDEOS: New Clips from Seth Rogen's THIS IS THE END Released
Rooney Mara is the Face for New Calvin Klein Scent
VIDEO: She & Him Release Music Video for 'I Could've Been Your Girl'
EA Announces Battlefield 4 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4
BWW Blog: Leah Edwards - Practice. Perform. Repeat
BWW Reviews: Blue Lapis Light's Encore Engagement of HEAVEN-EARTH-ONE is Heavenly
VIDEO: Must Watch - Mel Brooks AMERICAN MASTERS on PBS May 20!
joined:9/16/07
Posted: 6/18/12 at 12:23am