donnie darko director's cut

[mogwai]

That has to be one of the wierdest website I've been to.

what about requiem for a dream? (flash only)

[MacGuffin]

Time-traveling to success
The science fiction film 'Donnie Darko' flopped in its 2001 release but has won a huge cult following on DVD.
Source: Los Angeles Times



A dense hybrid of teen angst and science fiction, a metaphysical meditation on the nature of being and time travel aided by the presence of a 6-foot-tall bunny rabbit, "Donnie Darko" hit theaters in the fall of 2001 with a resounding thud of indifference. The disastrous initial release of the debut feature from then 26-year-old writer-director Richard Kelly should have been the beginning of a rapid descent into movie-land oblivion. Then a funny thing happened on the way to being forgotten.

Beginning with a series of feverishly attended midnight screenings around the country, followed by a surprisingly successful theatrical success in Britain and capped off by its release on DVD, "Donnie Darko" has grown into perhaps the preeminent cult film of this decade. The transformation from bomb to breakthrough is now beginning a new phase with the release of an extended director's cut, which has its Los Angeles premiere Thursday at the American Cinematheque and which opens in theaters July 23. Featuring more than 20 minutes of footage not included in the initial theatrical cut (including shots not even available among the extensive outtakes on the DVD), as well as a new sound mix, additional songs and visual effects, the re-release is unprecedented for a first-time filmmaker.

Kelly, now 29, seems philosophical about the film's curious fate. "In hindsight, I'm kind of grateful because it's being seen now as a success entirely on its own merits. Honestly, if it hadn't failed I wouldn't be getting this re-release and the opportunity to finish my movie as I'd always wanted to. Everything happens for a reason."

From its inception, "Donnie" had always been a problem child. Kelly and producer Sean McKittrick struggled for more than a year to get the film financed, eventually raising their modest budget through the involvement of Drew Barrymore as producer and costar. They assembled a cast that appears all the more impressive in hindsight, including as it does such rising talent as Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone and Maggie Gyllenhaal, as well as established actors Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle and Katharine Ross. Heading into the requisite acquisitions frenzy of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, "Donnie Darko" was considered a definite buzz item. The tale of a troubled teenager who may be mentally ill or just as possibly may have been transported to a parallel universe, the dark and challenging film did not have the feel-good spark that usually inspires festival bidding wars.

"It was such a weird movie," says Marc Valen, a programmer with the Landmark Theatres chain who attended the film's premier Sundance screening. "Everybody afterward, you could sense a feeling of general disappointment. The film is so many different things, it's very ambitious, and people just didn't know what to make of it." A months-long process of failed negotiations and disappointment followed. Kelly trimmed seven minutes in hopes that certain distributors would give the film a second look. He wrote the script for "Southland Tales," the film he will begin shooting this fall, simply to cheer himself up. Newmarket Films, a relative upstart distributor then riding high on its success with "Memento," eventually picked up the picture, only to release it in the ill-fated months after Sept. 11. Though disappointed, Kelly was simply happy the film hadn't been summarily dispatched to cable and video. "After Sundance the film was seen as inaccessible, uncommercial and at best an impressive failure," he says. "There was such a negative energy around the film at the time, the fact that Newmarket even gave it a release at all, I don't hold any ill will."

Bob Berney, president of Newmarket Films and famed for his marketing savvy in selling such films as "Y Tu Mamá También," "Monster" and most recently "The Passion of the Christ," was at the time working for IFC Films but nevertheless oversaw the initial release of "Donnie" as part of his transition from an earlier stint at Newmarket. Though it earned something less than $600,000 at the time, Berney is reluctant to point fingers for the film's spectacular disappointment at the box office. "I think it was really just a classic case of tough timing. It opened essentially right after Sept. 11, and I think it really was just the general mood of the country, and people just couldn't even deal with it."

Likewise, Kelly prefers not to blame the marketing, as is often the fashion when a film performs poorly. "You can second-guess yourself, but that's how it happened. Not to beat a dead horse here, but it was initially released on 58 screens in eight cities. Every theater outside L.A. and New York was empty. There was a complete lack of awareness in other cities. The film just kind of disappeared."

By the end of the year, however, "Donnie Darko" had been booked as a midnight movie at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, a 100-seat venue attached to a pizza parlor in New York City's East Village. The film would play there every weekend for more than two years. Landmark's Valen first booked the picture as a midnight screening in the spring of 2002 because of patron requests passed on through theater managers. "I thought, 'That's really interesting,' because it certainly didn't do any business initially," Valen said. "But I like to sometimes give something a try. That's how cult films are born. So I tried Denver, which is kind of a neutral area, and it did very well. I thought, 'Wow, I'd like to see how that does somewhere else.' We started playing it other places, and it just kept growing."

The enigmatic "Donnie Darko" website, supervised by Kelly, contained additional information not included in the film, most notably pages from a book titled "The Philosophy of Time Travel," which Kelly had written while editing the picture as a way of explaining it to himself. (Images of those pages mark one of the major additions to the director's cut.) A strong Web-based following began to emerge, with multiple message boards and chat rooms popping up full of people discussing their own theories on the film's meaning.

Things approached fever pitch with the release of the DVD in early 2003. Kelly had made certain to cram the disc full of hidden information and arcana because, he says, "I knew the DVD was going to be my day in court, the thing that saved me. Ultimately the DVD was what the film would be judged on, because no one saw it in theaters."

The disc has gone on to make, according to Berney, "somewhere around $7 million, which is approximate, but that's really good considering theatrical was around $600,000." Kelly says he has even more extras up his sleeve for the eventual DVD release of the director's cut.

"At well over 750,000 copies sold, it far outperformed anything we've seen with that level of box office," said Steve Feldstein, senior vice president of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, which distributed the video. "Like many films that didn't find an audience in theaters, this one certainly did in DVD — and it continues to sell."

Having done a small test release in Seattle following the world premiere of the director's cut at this year's Seattle International Film Festival, Berney is optimistic about the film's prospects in theaters the second time around. "I think the main goal is to have fun with the theatrical release, show audiences what Richard has done and see how it goes. In my mind, it's sort of a success that we've done it, and we feel like it's a completed circle. Business-wise, I feel like there's a real shot for this to work in terms of the money and time we've invested in this new version. I think it will be a great payoff.

"The whole thing with 'Donnie,' it just fits. I almost feel like we at Newmarket are going backwards to go forwards, like the film somehow. It is unusual, but nothing about the re-release, or anything about 'Donnie,' is usual or makes any real sense. I look at it like this was the path. For whatever reason, it took a certain path to success and it took a while, but it's made it."

Kelly is currently busy prepping "Southland Tales," which he reluctantly describes as 30% a musical, while also seeing a number of scripts he has written for other directors, including Tony Scott and Jonathan Mostow, move toward production. For the moment he is happy as well to revisit the strange saga, both on screen and off, that is "Donnie Darko."

"I look forward to the day I can talk about something else," he says, "but I feel obliged to talk about this as long as people want to hear it. I get tired of hearing myself talk about this movie, but I'd never want to appear ungrateful that people are curious and interested. So I'm happy to do so as long as I'm not overstaying my welcome. I just don't want people to think I'm a one-hit wonder."

[Ghostboy]

I just got back from seeing The Director's Cut, and it's phenomenal. I can't believe how much better it is with the new material. A much more epic and timeless sense is achieved, and things make more sense without being in any way expository. I was pretty stunned. And I'll have to go back to the DVD and see how many deleted scenes it has, because I don't remember seeing most of the new material in this cut. All of the character's relationships are strenghtened to wonderful effect. Also, the sound design will blow your mind.

[El Duderino]

where do you live Ghostboy, because i heard they showed it in Seattle, but that was like a few months ago. are they gonna do wide release? probably not, but i hope so.

[Sleuth]

I think he lives
Location: Dallas, TX

[Ghostboy]

I think the release will be nationwide, on a limited scale (i.e. arthouses only).

I looked through the DVD, and most of the new scenes are indeed on there -- I guess I just never watched them all. I'm glad I didn't -- as good as they may be, they work much better in the context of the film. It must have been truly painful for Kelly to cut some of this stuff the first time around.

[Kal]

Yep... I'm waiting for the Miami release... they usually show these films only in the South Beach Regal... where they show all the foreign films as well...

[Mesh]

I just got back from seeing The Director's Cut, and it's phenomenal. I can't believe how much better it is with the new material. A much more epic and timeless sense is achieved, and things make more sense without being in any way expository. I was pretty stunned. And I'll have to go back to the DVD and see how many deleted scenes it has, because I don't remember seeing most of the new material in this cut. All of the character's relationships are strenghtened to wonderful effect. Also, the sound design will blow your mind.

Wow.  I couldn't disagree more.  

*SPOILERS*

1.  Those "Chapter Break" style pages from Sparrow's book are terrible, useless garbage, especially considering the fact that no one, not even someone familiar with the mythos behind that book/the whole plot could possibly read everything presented.  Turns all that extraneous info into gobbledeegook.

2.  On the topic of extraneous shit:  Those awful, awful digitally rendered flashes with the inset video and the close up eye and the "subliminal" bunny rabbit drawings?  They were terrible.  Once was OK, maybe, but like 7 times, each increasingly long and useless?  Good God, what crap that was!  (The most heinous crime there was the inset video game "OutRun!", which Kelly says "foreshadows the sports car death at the end."  That's just lame.)

3.  Yes, several of the reintroduced "deleted scenes" deserved a place in the film.  Here are some of the mediocre to bad ones, though:  

a.  The hotel scene became long, dull, and unfunny where before it was short and unfunny.

b.  The Watership Down inclusion:  Way too obvious, bashing you over the head with the Bunny/Destruction theme.  C'mon......  OK, at best.

I've got more to say but I'll let you guys respond and see what more you want to/don't want to know.  In short, I have no desire to ever see the Director's Cut ever again.

Where the original seduced you into its confusing, intriguing ultimately unfathomable world, the Director's Cut slaps you repeatedly in the face with it's now-far-too-obvious Savior/Jesus/God's Plan mythos/subtext (which is now so blindingly brought to the fore, it can't really be considered subtext).  Donnie's God's agent, everyone else is a pawn.  Big deal.

[modage]

apparently its playing here in DC which i didnt know.  i thought it was still the regular one which has been on the midnite circuit forEVER but according to moviefone i have plans this weekend.  i guess i should call to confirm....

[Ghostboy]

b.  The Watership Down inclusion:  Way too obvious, bashing you over the head with the Bunny/Destruction theme.  C'mon......  OK, at best.

Ah, that was my favorite one!

I didn't feel there was anything slapping you over the head; but I'm one of the people who only completely figured out the film after listening to the commentary track, and what I felt was great about this version was that, while the answers are still not clear, all the necessary pieces to the puzzle are now in place throughout the film.

[xerxes]

i thought the "chapter breaks" worked very well.

[Mesh]

b.  The Watership Down inclusion:  Way too obvious, bashing you over the head with the Bunny/Destruction theme.  C'mon......  OK, at best.

Ah, that was my favorite one!

I didn't feel there was anything slapping you over the head; but I'm one of the people who only completely figured out the film after listening to the commentary track, and what I felt was great about this version was that, while the answers are still not clear, all the necessary pieces to the puzzle are now in place throughout the film.

If I were to choose my favorite additions, both would be scenes involving Donnie's dad, the one in which he tells Donnie about saying "Fuck you" to the world's asshole liars and the scene between Dad and Mom: "I say we buy him a moped."  Both so real, such good establishers of character.....

Several of the commentary tracks from the original DVD's deleted scenes have Kelly admitting that "the decision was made" not to [quoting roughly here] "beat the audience over the head with the God's stuff".  This D'sC reverses that wise decision in basically every conceivable way.

1.  What were the circumstances of this re-release?  Did they give Kelly carte blanche?  Did they demand he use all that web/DVD extras only content?

2.  Were the chapter breaks eliminated from the original or added just for the D'sC?

I'm one of the people who only completely figured out the film after listening to the commentary track

So then my question would be: Which movie did you actually enjoy most?  Donnie Darko (original), Donnie Darko (original w/Kelly's commentary), or Donnie Darko Director's Cut?

I just don't see how the third improves on either of the 1st two.

To me, this is as if Kubrick's zombie came back and explained in detail every nuance and symolism in 2001.  Yeah, sure, it'd be interesting.... But would it make the movie any better/more enjoyable/fun to dialogue with?  I vote "No" every time.

[Ghostboy]

So then my question would be: Which movie did you actually enjoy most?  Donnie Darko (original), Donnie Darko (original w/Kelly's commentary), or Donnie Darko Director's Cut?

The third, no doubt about it.

Your Kubrick comparison doesn't work for me because I, personally, was able to follow 2001 just fine -- it requires some cerebral work, but all the pieces fall into place. Mulholland Drive, too, works this way. The original cut of Donnie Darko, on the other hand, didn't seem to have all the elements necessary for the story to make complete sense in any but the most extenuating sense; the commentary track filled in some of the holes, but I think the new cut fills in those holes even better. I mean, I'd rather see the film answer its own questions than have to rely on the director to do so. Again, I don't think there's anything overbearingly obvious in the new cut, but that's just me.

From what I understand, this is pretty much the cut that played at Sundance, minus the new FX and sound design.

[Mesh]

Your Kubrick comparison doesn't work for me because I, personally, was able to follow 2001 just fine -- it requires some cerebral work, but all the pieces fall into place.

You do realize how much bullshit that sounds like, right?  NO ONE HAS ADEQUATELY ACCOUNTED FOR WHAT GOES ON IN THE LAST, OH, SAY, QUARTER OF THE FILM.  NO ONE.  People have their theories, sure, but Donnie Darko has been rendered utterly transparent, more a less a confabulation of two well-trod film cliches:  "It was all a dream!   " and "He's Jesus."  

Is that Salon.com explication of the movie all over this board yet?  It should be.

http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2004/07/23/darko/print.html

.....once again an extremely complicated film can be basically explained as being a representation of the dream a troubled character has just before death.

[Ghostboy]

You do realize how much bullshit that sounds like, right?  NO ONE HAS ADEQUATELY ACCOUNTED FOR WHAT GOES ON IN THE LAST, OH, SAY, QUARTER OF THE FILM.  NO ONE.

No, it doesn't sound like bullshit, and I don't think it is.  2001 makes sense to me. Personally. I feel my understanding of the last quarter of the film is valid. I imagine many studied film critics and theorists would agree with me, just as they'd also agree that Kubrick crafted the ending so that it would be open to such interpretation on a personal level.

Donnie Darko has been rendered utterly transparent, more a less a confabulation of two well-trod film cliches:  "It was all a dream!   " and "He's Jesus."  

It didn't seem that simple to me, but again, that's just me.