'Donnie Darko' to be re-released
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- "Donnie Darko," a cult drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a disturbed teenager, is getting a new theatrical release, featuring 20 minutes of never-before-seen footage.
Newmarket Films, which released the film in 2001, is unveiling a director's cut at the Seattle Film Festival on May 29. It plans to release the film theatrically in Seattle before moving into other markets later in the summer.
The new version will also have new visual effects and music.
Full Version: Donnie Darko Director's Cut
No new rules -- just a cautionary word. Content organizations / news providers have been known to sue or threaten boards with excessive copyrighted material.
There's generally no risk in links or short, "fair use" excerpts.
There's generally no risk in links or short, "fair use" excerpts.
Cooooooooool.
Haha Oh man wait tell my friend reads about this. He actually dresses up like the Satanic Bunny from time to time 
Oh man.
I'm looking forward to seeing this though as i to liked the movie,but for my freind he stated that it changed his life. It was more powerfull that Passion of christ for him haha sounds funny. Trouble teen or Christ hmmm which one would be more powerfull meaning?
Or atleast should be more powerfull meaning.
Oh man. I'm looking forward to seeing this though as i to liked the movie,but for my freind he stated that it changed his life. It was more powerfull that Passion of christ for him haha sounds funny. Trouble teen or Christ hmmm which one would be more powerfull meaning?
Or atleast should be more powerfull meaning.
I am looking forward to this!
| QUOTE (Brent_Dude33 @ Apr 21 2004, 11:27 PM) |
| Haha Oh man wait tell my friend reads about this. He actually dresses up like the Satanic Bunny from time to time Oh man. I'm looking forward to seeing this though as i to liked the movie,but for my freind he stated that it changed his life. It was more powerfull that Passion of christ for him haha sounds funny. Trouble teen or Christ hmmm which one would be more powerfull meaning? Or atleast should be more powerfull meaning. |
I used the movie once to help explain about the sovereignty of God to someone. That said, I've heard Kelly state once before that the movie was more "religious" in tone, but Newmarket (or Fox?) asked him to move in a slightly different direction. Should be interesting if he restores it to that vision.
| QUOTE (Clint M @ Apr 22 2004, 01:30 PM) |
| That said, I've heard Kelly state once before that the movie was more "religious" in tone... |
IIRC, there are a couple of deleted scenes on the DVD that are along these lines.
| QUOTE (opus @ Apr 22 2004, 03:30 PM) | ||
IIRC, there are a couple of deleted scenes on the DVD that are along these lines. |
I've seen those. Apparently, Kelly has some other deleted scenes that were shot that didn't make it on the DVD. He mentioned something about it in an interview. If I can find it, I'll link it.
EDIT Found it!
| QUOTE |
| I think that when you see the film with the original music, it’s going to really enhance the experience because the song selections are very specific. We are hoping to be able to put it all back. It will [contain] a significant number of new songs. That’s in terms of the music, but there are also a lot of the deleted scenes, some of which you can see on the DVD and others that aren’t on the DVD. I really feel [they] help expand a lot of the supporting characters, and help clarify a lot of the plot points in the film that might seem a little ambiguous or vague in its current incarnation. I don’t feel that they in any way take away from the intended ambiguity of the film when it comes to certain ideas. It’s tough to talk about all this because it’s pretty complicated stuff, but it’s part of the original design of what it’s intended to be. |
The rest of the interview is quite good.
Uhhh cool to now it has a more religous tone. Yea that is a pretty good Interview, Now i'm really looking forward to seeing it. 
Wow. Thanks for posting that interview! That's a lot of information. Considering we've only seen one film... scratch that, one COMPROMISED VERSION of one film... I sure hope he delivers on the potential we see in "Donnie Darko." We need new visionaries.
| QUOTE (Jeffrey Overstreet @ Apr 22 2004, 05:20 PM) |
| Wow. Thanks for posting that interview! That's a lot of information. Considering we've only seen one film... scratch that, one COMPROMISED VERSION of one film... I sure hope he delivers on the potential we see in "Donnie Darko." We need new visionaries. |
Are you going to that festival?
Oh, here is his IMDB listing.
His next couple of movies look interesting. I read a script review of Knowing a couple of years ago, and the reviewer said that it was more esoteric than Donnie Darko.
The other movie... looks quite different in tone.
For the gist of it, here's some more interviews:
BBC
Future Movies
Village Voice - Jason Schwartzman signed on for the lead first!
Indie Wire
I think that covers the gamut of Donnie Darko information.
BBC
Future Movies
Village Voice - Jason Schwartzman signed on for the lead first!
Indie Wire
I think that covers the gamut of Donnie Darko information.
wow! Kelly adapting Vonnegut for Aronofsky! What a team! Its so cool to hear somebody tossing around big ideas. I'd love to see him write for Fincher!!
Here's me holding my breath for this Director's Cut to ever make it to Saskatoon. Hopefully they do a DVD release.
| QUOTE (Anders @ Apr 23 2004, 04:42 PM) |
| Here's me holding my breath for this Director's Cut to ever make it to Saskatoon. Hopefully they do a DVD release. |
Ditto for me in Louisville. It played here once as a "midnight classic" movie last year, and I missed it.
Hopefully Newmarket will give it a wider release this time around. Or spend some decent coin on a good DVD release of this... the first DVD was quite good, but Kelly said somewhere that he wanted to do more.
Part of me thinks a lot of people might come out of the woodwork to see this movie if it were to get a wider release. I remember taking a roadtrip to the East Coast shortly after seeing it, and would bring it up whenever movies started being discussed... only to be shocked at the number of people who had already seen it and loved it. It was rather bizarre.
Oh, and it's playing as a midnight feature in Omaha sometime in June... can't wait.
Oh, and it's playing as a midnight feature in Omaha sometime in June... can't wait.
Is there a link or a list to let us know where it will be?
That's a great one sheet.
I love how it incorporates the line that Donnie says to Frank; the diagram from the book; and the "unconscious" Donnie. Good selection.
I love how it incorporates the line that Donnie says to Frank; the diagram from the book; and the "unconscious" Donnie. Good selection.
Here's a new interview where Kelly talks about a couple of new things we'll get in the director's cut. He mentions very little about changes in the story and more on technical details. There are in the interview, so reader beware...
in the interview, so reader beware...
Has anybody heard more about the release plans for this film after the Seattle opening?
Please let it come to Saskatoon. Please! 
I really like that new poster. And, any word on a Director's Cut DVD?
I really like that new poster. And, any word on a Director's Cut DVD?
| QUOTE (Anders @ May 18 2004, 01:06 PM) |
| Please let it come to Saskatoon. Please! I really like that new poster. And, any word on a Director's Cut DVD? |
I believe I've read somewhere that there will be a DVD release of the director's cut. I'm guessing by the end of the year, given the 3-6 month window that exists between opening day and DVD release day.
Here's a new interview in which Kelley talks about the new film Southland Tales and the Donnie Darko Director's Cut, which sounds more intriguing all the time...
| QUOTE |
| The magic of the formula of independent film financing is very much determined by actors and their overseas numbers and this and that. It can be a little frustrating because you have an attorney somewhere telling you what your film is worth in the marketplace, yet they haven’t read the script, they don’t know anything about the project other than who is in it and the genre. And they think they can tell you what your film is worth in the marketplace based on those elements. And yet, what about the quality of the direction and the quality of the screenplay? What about those little things? And, unfortunately, it can be a little frustrating. That’s just the process of putting together an independent film, trying to get the budget to a place where we can do what we want and need to do. |
How informative, and... disturbing.
Thanks for posting that interview. The more I read about Kelly, the more I like the guy.
Our Seattle friends will have the first crack at seeing the new cut - it will open there June 2nd.
Uptown Cinemas - Seattle, WA
Varsity Theatre - Seattle, WA
Bella Botega 11 Cinema - Redmond, WA
East Valley 13 Cinema - Renton, WA
Grand Cinema - Tacoma, WA
Kitsap Mall 8 - Silverdale, WA
Uptown Cinemas - Seattle, WA
Varsity Theatre - Seattle, WA
Bella Botega 11 Cinema - Redmond, WA
East Valley 13 Cinema - Renton, WA
Grand Cinema - Tacoma, WA
Kitsap Mall 8 - Silverdale, WA
Ain't It Cool News has one of the first "reviews".
are in the review, but the paragraph below has some details on what changes were made without revealing any real plot points:
are in the review, but the paragraph below has some details on what changes were made without revealing any real plot points:| QUOTE |
| It seemed unlikely that Richard Kelly would be able to improve on the stunning mix of regan-era teenage angst, superheros and hard sci-fi. And in fact the changes he did make are, for the most part, only cosmetic in nature. We do not learn anything that was not already in the movie or in the deleted scenes and other features on the DVD. Nor are the events as they occured in the original movie any different in the director's cut... |
anybody make it to the seattle film fest??
Due to my day-job, I just can't make it worthwhile to bother getting a press pass to the SIFF. Nearly all of the press screenings are during the morning when I can't go. Very frustrating. I really wanted to see several of the features. I'm missing Garden State this morning.
| QUOTE (Jeffrey Overstreet @ Jun 1 2004, 11:26 AM) |
| Due to my day-job, I just can't make it worthwhile to bother getting a press pass to the SIFF. Nearly all of the press screenings are during the morning when I can't go. Very frustrating. I really wanted to see several of the features. I'm missing Garden State this morning. |
Bummer.
A couple of more reviews (sorry, I culled these from another board and couldn't find the original articles:)
These do contain
These do contain
| QUOTE |
| By SEAN AXMAKER SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER GRADE: A In Richard Kelly's visually imaginative and intellectually challenging debut film, Donnie is a contemporary Holden Caulfield in a grim and glorious world of nightmares and dreams: jet engines fall from an empty sky and alternate realities and time travel are as present as teen angst and high school melodrama. At least they are to Donnie, who can suddenly see the fabric of fate in the ectoplasmic trajectories that lead us to our destiny. But it's also a frustrating world in which fatuous platitudes are offered in place of practical advice, where censorship hangs over dedicated teachers like a sword of Damocles, and where teenagers aren't trusted to handle the complexities of the world, even through the mirror of literature and philosophy. Fiction predicted reality perfectly. Distributors thought that young audiences wouldn't understand the film and gave it a disastrous release to an urban adult audience in 2001. It was DVD that transformed it from box office flop to home video cult hit, a veritable phenomenon among teens and tweens, who connect with its inarticulate hero and debate the film in chat rooms, discussion forums and fan Web sites. Using the momentum from its home video success, the producers are relaunching the film, hoping to find the audience that eluded it the first time around and entice the converted into the theater with a big screen experience and an even denser cinematic presentation. While 20 minutes of additional footage doesn't transform the film, it enriches the characters (tender new scenes between Donnie and his family makes the heady conclusion even more devastating) and gives the science fiction underpinnings a stronger philosophy (albeit one closer to Philip K. Dick than Stephen Hawking). But even while it "explains" Donnie's odyssey more clearly, it paradoxically opens the film up to alternate interpretations. Whether you think the tangent universe of "Donnie Darko" is real, dreamed or a schizophrenic hallucination, the wonderfully weird trip leaves you with meaty questions, both metaphysical and moral, and a journey through time-space that is, if anything, even more philosophically invigorating and emotionally intense. |
And this one is supra-
-riffic| QUOTE |
| Now for the Donnie Darko Director's Cut Q&A: Okay these are the questions I remember that were asked. The director's comments and answers are all paraphrased since I didn't record it. But you'll get the general idea of what was said. They're probably a little out of order too. Q: The organizer asked the first question. She told him that as a first time director, to have gotten a movie this good, this complex, and so offbeat, made in the first place is in itself a rarity. But not many first time directors get to see the only film they've ever done, released as a Director's Cut only 3 years later, and especially theatrically. She then asked him "How in the hell did you do it?!!" A:Kelly's answer was that he was that he was a just a lucky, lucky bastard. Then he said it really was because of the fans. He said everyone involved in the film were very surprised at how well it did on DVD. Especially where they didn't market it at all. It was just a "grassroots" groundswell and word of mouth buzz that really launched it. So he then told the audience "it's because of you guys that we're all standing here tonight, so thank you!" And if I remember correctly at that point Drew turned to the audience and said "you guys Rock!" Of course, big round of applause for the that. {Spoiler} Q: Someone asked if the inclusion of the chapters and pages of the "Philosophy of Time Travel" book was something he wanted to do in the first place or was it something that came after. A: Kelly said that he actually wrote the text of the Time Travel book during the editing process. He said it was always there in the back of his mind during the writing and filming, but it was king of fuzzy. It all came into focus during the editing. So they put it on the DVD and the internet and he felt including the portions of it that he did in the Director's cut helped make it a little more coherent, and rounded the movie out a lot more. He also liked the idea that for first time or casual movie goers who see the Director's cut they'll get the information from the book in the movie itself instead of having to search for it afterwards. {/Spoiler} Q: Someone told him about how this movie is being debated about all over the internet and how there seem to be hundreds of different interpretations and rumors about it. What are a couple of the misconceptions that you've heard of that you'd like to clear up once and for all. A: He said that a lot of people think the Rabbit is evil. The rabbit is not evil. Not at all. He's just more of a guide helping Donnie figure out what he needs to do. Another one is that he said a lot of people think this is a movie about mental illness. He said he doesn't see it that way at all. He sees it more as a science fiction movie, not so much because of the Time Travel, but because he sees Donnie as having been contacted by an intelligence. Donnie's got a job to do and there are huge consequences if he fails. Donnie realizes that the more things transgress. He said he thinks in the movie that Donnie has been contacted by an intelligence that is feeding the information he needs to complete the job. Whether it's an intelligence from the far, far future, or something else entirely we don't know. One think he likes to think the movie says is that maybe there is no such thing as mental illness. Maybe those people that we label as schizophrenics or whatever are just open to a lot more information than the rest of us. This got a little round of applause. Other misconceptions come from the commentary of the DVD. He said him and Jake were joking around a lot on that and some of the things they said were just them kidding around. For instance, the rumor that Donnie Wahlberg (he mentioned someone else too) were offered the role of Donnie is just not true. Another one is that they didn't have to digitally remove Jake's private parts in post production from the hypnosis scene. Remember when Donnie unbuttons his pants and reaches down there to fondle himself when the psychiatrist is asking him about girls and school. He said he doesn't know wher that idea came from but it's not true. {Spoiler} Q: Someone wanted to know why he changed the opening music to the INXS song "Never Tear Us Apart". A: In the theatrical release, Echo and The Bunnymen's "Killing Moon" plays as Donnie rides his bike back home from the hills. He said it was always intended that way. In the script he even wrote it in to play over that scene. It sounded like they even edited it that way, and it does work well. He never did explain why he didn't use it in the first place. I wonder if perhaps there was a licensing issue or something. {Spoiler} Q: Continuing with the music, someone asked if he'd heard from either of the guys from Tears For Fears. He said it's obvious that their music is important to the film and he must be a big fan. Had he heard from them about how they felt about the movie. A: Kelly said he hadn't heard personally from them, but when Gary Jules was touring Europe and his cover of "Mad World" was #1, Gary met both Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith and he said it sounds like because of people rediscovering their music, there's talk of a Tears For Fears reunion and a new album. He also said everyone else was very cool about letting them use their music. He said the guys from Echo and The Bunnymen sent him an autographed Box Set. He said Aimee Man let them have her "Voices Carry" for peanuts. She apparently went to the same High School that Kelly did (not at the same time), but she was very, very supportive. He said everyone who let them use their music was very cool and very supportive. Q: The guy sitting next to me, and odd fellow I must add, wanted to know if he had any plans to do a sequel? A: Before the director could say anything there was kind of a collective groan. He smiled and said No. He said he liked sequels and thought there were some great ones, but only when they're necessary. And he said he saw no reason that a sequel was necessary for Donnie Darko. Huge Round of Applause! He then turned to Jena and Mary and said "Not that I don't want to work with you talented ladies again. I do definitely want to work together again, but no, not in a Donnie Darko sequel." They both seemed as thrilled as the audience. {Spoiler} Q: Someone asked about the Eye montages. He wanted to know if the eye was something they shot with the first movie and didn't use or was it shot for the Director's cut. He also asked whose eye it was, and could he tell us what it symbolized. A:Kelly seemed reluctant to answer both questions. He kind of dodged the "whose eye was it" question by saying that the eye was something they shot for the Director's cut but he didn't really want to get into whose eye it was or how they shot it. He said he always did kind of imagine the eye sequence but never got around to doing the first time. He said it kind of had something to do with the Deus Ex Machina idea that's talked about in the movie. He actually seemed kind of puzzled about the eye himself, which I found kind of interesting. It sounded like there were a few elements of the movie that even he wasn't quite sure what they were exactly. About the eye and the Deus Ex Machina reference, he said you could look at the eye both figuratively, or literally. Literally it you could say it was Donnie's eye and he was seeing it as part of his visions that were directing him along, or you could see it figuratively, kind of like an "eye of God" or something like that. He said you'll notice that overlay of the technological elements, the grid, the digital code, later the split screens and text, could mean that this eye was part of the intelligence that was directing the information being fed to Donnie. But then you have to think that the technological elements are far more advanced looking than anything that would have been seen in 1988, so maybe it was an eye from the distance future. He said "I don't know" quite a bit when describing the eye sequences, and you kind of got a feeling that these sequences were almost as puzzling to him as they were to us. Which I found kind of cool. Almost like they were visions of his own that he was still trying to figure out. {Spoiler} There was a group of film students from USC who traveled up to see the premiere, driving more than 14 hours one guy said, and a few of them asked about what advice he had for aspiring directors. He said the most important thing he could tell them was to just believe in your material. Make your material so good that they can't say no. And if you want to maintain creative control, if that's something that's important to you, don't give it up. He said when he was trying to get Donnie Darko made, the studios kept wanting to just buy the script from him and let someone else direct it. He kept refusing. He said some of the people at the studio were actually quite annoyed at him for not giving it up. They'd go for a few months and then come back with the attitude of "so are you ready to sell us that script yet?" and his response was only if I get to direct it. Sounded like it drove them nuts. They kept offering him little movies to direct first but he didn't want to do that. One movie he said they kept insisting he direct first was something called "Valentine". I've never heard of it. The audience just kind of laughed. Kelly said "Y'know I'm sure it was a great movie, but I can't really say for sure because I've never seen it. But it wasn't my movie. I wanted to direct my movie." Eventually he said he sent the script to a few people he had in mind for certain roles, most specifically Drew Barrymore. He said Drew immediately signed on and starting talking up his script and pulling strings. And he kind of laughed and said it kind of amazing how quickly the ball started rolling once Drew started showing interest. Then he said the more actors that signed on to the thing or started showing interest, the more momentum it gathered and it eventually got to the point that the studio couldn't refuse anymore. So his advice was to just believe in your material so much that you make other people believe in it too. Someone asked how useful to his success was his experiences at USC's filmschool. He said for him it was very important, but he said he thinks it was because he made his education important. He said he used the resources available there, used the faculty and just did everything he could to get the most out of the resources available. So he said Yes, filmschool was important to him. But did he think that you needed to go to filmschool to be a good, successful screenwriter, or director, and the answer was absolutely not. He said you can go to the shittiest community college in the world and still get a good education, it just depended on how much you put into it. |
| QUOTE (kebbie @ Jun 1 2004, 09:32 AM) |
| anybody make it to the seattle film fest?? |
Not for Donnie -- the $12 tickets were all gone by the time I heard about it and they only had $25 tickets left -- but we did see Primer and enjoyed the Q&A afterward with the writer, director, star.
We are going to see Garden State this on June 11 at the Cinerama.
I also forgot until I just posted that I'm using that icon of my dog because it reminds me of Frank the rabbit.
Hmmm. The Cinematheque is going to host the Vancouver premiere of Donnie Darko in August, but they don't specify whether it's the original cut or the director's cut.
http://www.cinematheque.bc.ca/JulyAugust04/DonnieDarko.html
http://www.cinematheque.bc.ca/JulyAugust04/DonnieDarko.html
Apple just posted the trailer for the director's cut. A few new things (the eyeball shots that have been mentioned before, and I caught a glimpse of an animated sequence), but a lot of the imagery looked very familiar.
And I love how they "proudly present" film, when it got absolutely no support the first time around. Oh well, better late than never.
BTW... here's the original trailer (which is still pretty freakin' cool after all this time).
And I love how they "proudly present" film, when it got absolutely no support the first time around. Oh well, better late than never.
BTW... here's the original trailer (which is still pretty freakin' cool after all this time).
Finally saw Donnie Darko, and must admit I'm trying to work it all out, but really drawn in. I found myself up at 3 this morning trying to suss it out & re-watching the first half hour and the last 15 minutes.
Just a few (seemingly ignorant) questions
1 - 2nd time through could Donnie not have got out of his room, gone through the whole thing, but just not gone to the garage at the end.
2 - Did Donnie really have any control over what went on. Someone somewhere here said that he chose to save his Mum and sister from the plane crash how did this work? How did they then not die, and how can the engine fall out of the sky once on 2nd October once on 30th October?
3 - The opening scene where he wakes up on the road & cycles back to the village overjoyed. Chronologically speaking is this from the end of the film. Like does he come back t life. If not how has he got there as he hasn't met the bunny yet?
By the way I loved the way that the second time through you pick up the subtle things of how Barrymore & Wyle are together. Also is Swayze's closing crying scene meant to be a sign that he is repenting for his dodgy behaviour.
And is there any way that explains it for us? I know this is cheating and ruind the enjoyment of platienty gleaning these things from repeated viewings but I'm too impatient!
Matt
Just a few (seemingly ignorant) questions
1 - 2nd time through could Donnie not have got out of his room, gone through the whole thing, but just not gone to the garage at the end.
2 - Did Donnie really have any control over what went on. Someone somewhere here said that he chose to save his Mum and sister from the plane crash how did this work? How did they then not die, and how can the engine fall out of the sky once on 2nd October once on 30th October?
3 - The opening scene where he wakes up on the road & cycles back to the village overjoyed. Chronologically speaking is this from the end of the film. Like does he come back t life. If not how has he got there as he hasn't met the bunny yet?
By the way I loved the way that the second time through you pick up the subtle things of how Barrymore & Wyle are together. Also is Swayze's closing crying scene meant to be a sign that he is repenting for his dodgy behaviour.
And is there any way that explains it for us? I know this is cheating and ruind the enjoyment of platienty gleaning these things from repeated viewings but I'm too impatient!
Matt
Found DD on DVD at Best Buy for $10 so I picked it up based on a lot of good things I'd heard. Watched it last week and was really impressed; what a breath of fresh air! So many questions, wonderful atmosphere, fantastic music, great camera work, strong performances. I have ideas about some things but I've decided I'm not going to try and figure the whole thing out right away. These things take time, you know!
I'll look forward to seeing the director's cut sometime but I'm ok at the moment. I still need to listen to the commentary track so that'll keep me occupied for a while.
I'll look forward to seeing the director's cut sometime but I'm ok at the moment. I still need to listen to the commentary track so that'll keep me occupied for a while.
Matt look for substantive interpretive efforts HERE.
CTmovies.com discovers teens love Donnie Darko.
In an unusual move, Richard Kelly is recording a commentary track for the new DVD with Silent Bob himself, Kevin Smith.
I should note that Smith is in Kelly's upcoming film, Southland Tales.
I should note that Smith is in Kelly's upcoming film, Southland Tales.
The Director's Cut is playing at one of my favorite local theaters for a week beginning tomorrow. I'm hoping to see it this weekend. The theater's got a cult film series on weekends in the summer, and if I play my cards right, a double feature of DD and The Warriors (which I've not yet seen) could be in my future.
Did anyone here ever get around to seeing it? My take on the original was that it was pretty great in large part, but contained a little bit of plot clunkiness and disparate plot threads (esp. involving the firing of Barrymore's teacher character) that seemed to reflect the director's newness and/or awe at having a few big names in the cast. The tons of deleted scenes on the DVD made me further think that he had been a bit too diffuse in his storytelling. I'm hoping the new cut will tie the room together, and that I'll be able to say I was wrong.
Did anyone here ever get around to seeing it? My take on the original was that it was pretty great in large part, but contained a little bit of plot clunkiness and disparate plot threads (esp. involving the firing of Barrymore's teacher character) that seemed to reflect the director's newness and/or awe at having a few big names in the cast. The tons of deleted scenes on the DVD made me further think that he had been a bit too diffuse in his storytelling. I'm hoping the new cut will tie the room together, and that I'll be able to say I was wrong.
Yes, I saw it when it played at SIFF. Gotta, say I was a little dissappointed. Seems like he dumbed it down to make it more commercial. One of the reason's I loved Donnie Darko is that it doesn't fully explain the science behind what's going on, or even exactly what's going on.
He made some changes too. The opening song is defferent, and the audience reaction to Charita's dance is much more enthusiastic. That totally ruined that scene for me. Mostly he just extended scenes to run a little longer or start a little earlier that the Original cut. To me the timing of the film is off now.
Anyway it didn't ruin the film for me, but I don't think I'll be replacing my Original cut DVD with this version.
He made some changes too. The opening song is defferent, and the audience reaction to Charita's dance is much more enthusiastic. That totally ruined that scene for me. Mostly he just extended scenes to run a little longer or start a little earlier that the Original cut. To me the timing of the film is off now.
Anyway it didn't ruin the film for me, but I don't think I'll be replacing my Original cut DVD with this version.
When Croaker and Friend came out of that screening, their collective responses persuaded me not to spend my money on seeing this on the big screen, for what it's worth. I'm quite happy with my studio-cut DVD and its fantastic extras. I don't want to soil the experience by seeing an unnecessary director's cut that replaces some of the perfectly-chosen soundtrack sequences, much less have some of those great scenes altered.
Huh. I would certainly miss hearing "The Killing Moon."
FYI, I'm right now listening to a story on NPR about Donnie Darko. They're talking about the midnight showing, the gradual growth in its popularity, the various interpretations, and the director's cut.
You can hear the story at NPR's Morning Edition Web site.
--Teresa
You can hear the story at NPR's Morning Edition Web site.
--Teresa
Hmmm, I don't think we ever ahemed the original 'director's cut' thread or linked to the existing 'fishing for meaning' thread.
Anyway, I caught the film at the Cinematheque tonight, and since all the copyright dates at the end were 2001, and since the film was a bit scratchy, and since there weren't any scenes that leapt out at me as new or unusual (I've seen the film once before, on video), I assume we were NOT watching the 'director's cut'. Which is kind of odd. I mean, this was the first time Donnie Darko has been shown in ANY theatre in Vancouver -- the film never had Canadian distribution -- and it seems odd to be showing THIS version when the 'director's cut' had its premiere a few months ago. Ah well.
Really liked it this time around. Its use of '80s music and '80s TV clips is perfect. And what a treat to see this film again now that I know who Maggie Gyllenhaal is.
Anyway, I caught the film at the Cinematheque tonight, and since all the copyright dates at the end were 2001, and since the film was a bit scratchy, and since there weren't any scenes that leapt out at me as new or unusual (I've seen the film once before, on video), I assume we were NOT watching the 'director's cut'. Which is kind of odd. I mean, this was the first time Donnie Darko has been shown in ANY theatre in Vancouver -- the film never had Canadian distribution -- and it seems odd to be showing THIS version when the 'director's cut' had its premiere a few months ago. Ah well.
Really liked it this time around. Its use of '80s music and '80s TV clips is perfect. And what a treat to see this film again now that I know who Maggie Gyllenhaal is.
Finally! The Director's Cut came to my hometown. I might say more later, but I found this version much more interesting and complete than the original theatrical cut. Enjoyed it fully.
(Plus, it was nice to watch the film with a full audience that LOVED Donnie Darko. When the opening credits came on, everyone quit talking - and this was an auditorium full of mostly high school students! That was a nice treat in addition to the film itself.)
(Plus, it was nice to watch the film with a full audience that LOVED Donnie Darko. When the opening credits came on, everyone quit talking - and this was an auditorium full of mostly high school students! That was a nice treat in addition to the film itself.)
Here's the sleeve art for the DVD release (due out on February 15, 2005).
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