In some instances, the films that emerged from the editing room were considered to be influential triumphs.
Others were commercial failures, while one or two were later reassessed as cult classics… Lynch appeared to be unaware that Dunes producers had entirely other ideas.
The resulting film was widely panned by critics, andDuneunderperformed at the box-office.
That ad served as the first shot in an unpleasant battle.
Well take a loss on it.
Its unlikely that this bowdlerised version would have been a hit in cinemas, either.
I wondered who the hell they were at first.
Its like having an extra fucking audience for every scene.
You cant get a clear picture of who wants what, it gets changed as we go along.
I dont know what theyre doing here.
Rewriting some of the script?
Getting in the way?
Fuck knows…
Worryingly, worse was to come.
93 days into the shoot, Fox executive vice-president Jon Landau had the production shut down.
I was absolutely horrified and felt I had been bombed back into medieval times.
Inevitably, the resulting film was something of a compromise, but a hugely entertaining one.
What happened to the middle?
film critic Mick DeSalle asked of this adaptation of the 60s spy series of the same name.
Clearly, this wasnt just edited but gutted.
No doubt they did us all a favour, but it doesnt help.
All of the absurdity of it was connected in its own logic, Chechik said.
You could understand it.
The aftermath ofThe Avengersleft Chechik reeling.
I thought, I dont know if I want to direct any more, Chechik said.
I really questioned my own worth, or if my instincts were so wrong.
I couldnt manage the politics, because, ultimately, thats me.
And I had no place in the movie industry.
A directors cut could prompt a critical reassessment forThe Avengers,but sadly, none has surfaced so far.
When face-to-face meetings finally broke down, Kaye tried to do everything he could to derail the movies release.
Michael De Luca responded by putting out a full-page ad with a quote from Dr Seuss on it.
Kayes aggressive reaction toAmerican History Xs editing is all the more sad because it was so self-defeating.
