Back to the Future

[Tictacbk]

see footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly!

http://www.avclub.com/articles/watch-eric-stoltz-play-marty-mcfly-in-this-alterna,46268/

part of a documentary on the bluray release.

[Stefen]

Oh, yeah, I didn't want to see that.

[Pubrick]

i'm still waiting for actual footage.

with sound.

[Stefen]

Stoltz will never rape my memory of Marty.

[Pubrick]

even without sound you can see what was wrong with stoltz from that footage.

as zemeckis describes, there's just no humour. he looks too serious, even a bit disturbed. like he's secretly freaking out inside about being in the future.

michael j fox was a great marty cos he made it seem like he was amazed at the situations his character got himself into but also it never felt like he was struggling with the psychological weight of having the entire time-continuum resting on his shoulders. just look at stoltz eyes, he's definitely thinking way too much about it.

[Pas]

Stoltz was maybe/surely doing his thing from the original script which was a lot more serious and quite depressing. Zemeckis doesn't want to go into that to explain it cause this at first was not a family comedy.

Edit: Im not saying th script hadn't already changedat that point but maybe his whole character idea was from the earlier script. Whereas Fox never read the early thing to screw up his vision.

Just a theory

[pete]

I was under the impression that it was always a family comedy - that it was this clean-as-a-whistle family comedy that all the studios were passing on for five years because everyone was making porky's-type raunch.

[Pas]

Here's the first script

http://www.scifiscripts.com/scripts/back_to_the_future_original_draft.html

it's real crazy and different. Google "early script back to the future cracked" there's a website that lists the differences. Marty is depressed or something if I recall.

[pete]

but was that the draft that eric stolz took part in?

[RegularKarate]

but was that the draft that eric stolz took part in?

No.  They didn't change the script for MJFox, they were shooting with the same script.

I don't think Pas is saying that the Stoltz script is the first one, I think he's suggesting that because Stoltz was familiar with the first version, that's the tone he was prepared for, not the more light and comedic version.  MJF worked better because he didn't even know about that first script.

Interesting theory, but it could also be that Stoltz isn't funny.

[socketlevel]

even without sound you can see what was wrong with stoltz from that footage.

as zemeckis describes, there's just no humour. he looks too serious, even a bit disturbed. like he's secretly freaking out inside about being in the future.

michael j fox was a great marty cos he made it seem like he was amazed at the situations his character got himself into but also it never felt like he was struggling with the psychological weight of having the entire time-continuum resting on his shoulders. just look at stoltz eyes, he's definitely thinking way too much about it.

agreed, especially the shot in which marty is revealed behind his dad in the greasy spoon restaurant. MJF delivered the shock and wonder in spades compared to Stoltz performance.  Stoltz has always been best when he's playing a pompus douche who doesn't give a shit (pulp fiction, killing zoe), this just required too much of him.

NERD SIDE NOTE - in an episode of Fringe from 2nd season, two watchers come out of a movie theatre and on the marquee we see "Back to the Future staring Eric Stoltz".  It's a cool easter egg.