Problems with the "Magnolia" script?? (& dixon

Started by kassius, June 25, 2005, 11:10:49 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

kassius

I might be nuts, but in one of the scenes (a deleted one), Stanley is spotted in a local dinner, eating a cookie, where "Dixon" and the "Worm" happen to be.

From what I got out of it, the "Worm" starts to make himself cry, so that Stanley feels sorry for him and goes over to speak with him.  The "Worm", then tells Stanley.

                     WORM: You know what it's like to come home
                     scared, scared that maybe if you don't
                     have the money you're supposed to
                     go out each day and get that you're gonna
                     get beaten....by a belt...he hits me
                     with a belt, Stanley

Of course, this is WORM trying to make Stanley feel bad for him, so that he would get money from him. If he needed money, Stanley was the guy to talk to, at the diner.

I think that line is better suited for "Dixon", who unless I am crazy, is the Worm's son.  So, is this a mix-up and Dixon beats his dad with a belt? mmm. Or is a 40 year old man getting beaten by a belt for money by his old man?  

In "That Moment: Magnolia Diary", we see "Dixon" come in, with a gun, spotting his father and Stanley having a conversation, and telling his dad that they should rob Stanley??

I don't know if the scene was just a mess or it all came down to Emmanuel Johnson's acting.

I loved the final product but if this was the shooting script that was submited to the Academy, it might explain, with it's errors, why it didn't win "Best Orginal Screenplay".

Sorry if somebody else spotted this and wrote a post awhile back.  I can't find anything with the search engine here.

matt35mm

Quote from: ckad79I might be nuts, but in one of the scenes (a deleted one), Stanley is spotted in a local dinner, eating a cookie, where "Dixon" and the "Worm" happen to be.

From what I got out of it, the "Worm" starts to make himself cry, so that Stanley feels sorry for him and goes over to speak with him.  The "Worm", then tells Stanley.

                     WORM: You know what it's like to come home
                     scared, scared that maybe if you don't
                     have the money you're supposed to
                     go out each day and get that you're gonna
                     get beaten....by a belt...he hits me
                     with a belt, Stanley

Of course, the reason behind that line is that they noticed, Stanley, as being the kid on TV who had won money. If he needed money, Stanley was the guy to talk to, at the diner.

I think that line is better suited for "Dixon", who unless I am crazy, is the Worm's son.  So the Dixon beats his dad with a belt? mmm. Or is a 40 year old man getting beaten by a belt for money by his dad?  

BUT in "That Moment: Magnolia Diary", we see "Dixon" come in, with a gun, spotting his father and Stanley having a conversation, and telling his dad that they should rob Stanley??

I don't know if the scene was just a mess or it all came down to Emmanuel Johnson's acting.

I loved the final product but if this was the shooting script that was submited to the Academy, it might explain, with it's errors, why it didn't win "Best Orginal Screenplay".

Sorry if somebody else spotted this and write a post awhile back.  I can't find anything with the search engine here.

Perhaps that bit was a typo, with Worm saying those lines.  There are a lot of typos in the shooting script, so that's not a surprise.  I don't THINK Academy members really read the scripts, and if they do, that is not the reason that it didn't win.  It was clear that Magnolia was a dark horse, and American Beauty simply was a more fitting screenplay for that award.

And things get jumbled all the time between writing and shooting, so any inconsistancies are also not surprising.

The scene was not cut because of the kid's acting.  It was cut because it was an unnecessary subplot.  The whole Worm subplot was pretty much cut out, except for the bit that's left in the final movie.  I, personally, think PTA made the right choice there.  I really didn't need that in the movie, myself.  I think the movie is just rock solid amazing as is, and would've lost steam and focus (the movie's scatterbrained enough as it is) with that whole subplot in there.

Pubrick

Quote from: matt35mmThe scene was not cut because of the kid's acting.  It was cut because it was an unnecessary subplot.
is that the official reason? i always figured it was cut cos dixon is pretty much the worst child actor of all time.. :yabbse-huh:
under the paving stones.

Stefen

That shot from behind Dixons head really irks the shit outta me. Also, I haven't seen Magnolia for years but I remember there was a scene where he flubs his line, something like "And thats/././././.yjthats how you gonna get him" or something like that.
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

The Perineum Falcon

Quote from: Stefen Posts Ghetto?"And thats/././././.yjthats how you gonna get him" or something like that.
I don't know exactly how one would say that, but I believe he says "Now, that shit w-will help you solve the case."
We often went to the cinema, the screen would light up and we would tremble, but also, increasingly often, Madeleine and I were disappointed. The images had dated, they jittered, and Marilyn Monroe had gotten terribly old. We were sad, this wasn't the film we had dreamed of, this wasn't the total film that we all carried around inside us, this film that we would have wanted to make, or, more secretly, no doubt, that we would have wanted to live.

Pubrick

under the paving stones.

matt35mm

Quote from: Pubrick
Quote from: matt35mmThe scene was not cut because of the kid's acting.  It was cut because it was an unnecessary subplot.
is that the official reason?
yes.

Ordet

In THAT MOMENT he seems to be having a hard time shooting this one.
I lioke him for being a happy director.
were spinning

Stefen

Quote from: ranemaka13
Quote from: Stefen Posts Ghetto?"And thats/././././.yjthats how you gonna get him" or something like that.
I don't know exactly how one would say that, but I believe he says "Now, that shit w-will help you solve the case."

Yeah, yeah thats it. Is it just an editing mistake or an acting mistake? Did the film skip a bit or was it just an awful take?
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

The Perineum Falcon

Quote from: Stefen Posts Ghetto?
Quote from: ranemaka13
Quote from: Stefen Posts Ghetto?"And thats/././././.yjthats how you gonna get him" or something like that.
I don't know exactly how one would say that, but I believe he says "Now, that shit w-will help you solve the case."

Yeah, yeah thats it. Is it just an editing mistake or an acting mistake? Did the film skip a bit or was it just an awful take?
I think it was the best take they had. :wink:
We often went to the cinema, the screen would light up and we would tremble, but also, increasingly often, Madeleine and I were disappointed. The images had dated, they jittered, and Marilyn Monroe had gotten terribly old. We were sad, this wasn't the film we had dreamed of, this wasn't the total film that we all carried around inside us, this film that we would have wanted to make, or, more secretly, no doubt, that we would have wanted to live.

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

DUDE.

The Dead Guy in the closet was Worm's dad or step-dad. He beat Worm, or an earlier father figure of Worm beat him.

I didn't think it was confusing. I just thought that a grown man is scared of being beat. Oh well, these strange things happen all the time.


(crickets)

burnttoastcrumbs

Would also like to see this missing footage.  I'm sure it will never surface, however, and perhaps that's the way it should be.  As far as Dixon is concerned, i'm not sure where the issue is with this flubbed line crap.  I think this kid is pitch-perfect, at least in the scenes that remain in the film.  He has an undeniably great chemistry with John C. Riley and screen presence.  That moment where he fubbles with the words was, in the humble opinion of this narrator, there best take by far.  Even if there were one's where this didn't happen.  To capture a moment like that is priceless and I believe adds to the trueness of the scene.  People fubble over their speech all the time.  PTA knows what he's doing.  I'm one for a DIXON RULES thread.

The only thing missing from Magnolia is a commentary track on my DVD.  Maybe we can persuade PTA to do one as a separate purchase, kind of a supplement.  Well, one can dream.  One can dream.

Pozer


Henry Aaron

dixon, dixon, dixon

"lady..."
"i just told you who did it...(voice gets real high)...and you're not even listening..."

Gotta love that little shit.
"I got a whole sack of potatas!"

Henry Aaron

"I got a whole sack of potatas!"