The American Edit

Two of the films I've been anticipating this year are Bong Joon-Ho's science-fiction action film, "Snowpiercer," and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's fantasy romance "Mood Indigo." They've already both been released in their home countries, South Korea and France. As is the norm with foreign features, they won't reach theaters in the U.S. for some time, probably not until next year. "Mood Indigo" doesn't have a U.S. distributor yet. However, recent announcements have just vastly lengthened that wait time by several months at least, and maybe more. "Snowpiercer" is being distributed by the Weinstein Company, which sent around a press release a few weeks ago revealing that they would remove roughly twenty minutes from the 125 minute running time. Australia's Vendetta Films, which is handling "Mood Indigo," recently followed suit, announcing an international version of the film trimmed from 130 minutes to just 94.

Sadly, this isn't rare. Over the course of film history, many films have been pared down due to studio demands, often resulting in multiple versions. And it has to be acknowledged that sometimes the shorter cuts are better than the longer ones. The most famous examples is "Cinema Paradiso," where Harvey Weinstein trimmed over fifty minutes and the film became a critical darling, racking up awards and praise. However, just as often we end up with something like the American version of "Shaolin Soccer," also distributed by the Weinsteins, which lost over twenty minutes and came out a garish mess. Harvey Weinstein has cultivated a reputation for his editing policies over the years, earning him the nickname Harvey Scissorhands. His edits and other changes, such as simplified subtitles and voice-overs, have been met with outcry and resistance every time. And he's ignored them all, because he knows he can get away with it. Most Americans simply don't pay enough attention to foreign films to care, and his tactics have proven to be effective at attracting audiences.

But can he and Vendetta Films get away with this with two of the most high profile international films being released this year? What's especially galling about the "Snowpiercer" situation is that the film is already very U.S.-friendly. It's mostly English language with a whole passel of recognizable Western stars like Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, and Ed Harris. It's gotten some excellent reviews already, including a rave from Variety, and is a box office smash in South Korea. And the running time is barely over two hours, not remotely overlong compared to some of the bloated American blockbusters in theaters this summer. There's no artistic eye behind this decision. These aren't even going to be content cuts to secure a lower rating. Interviews with director Bong Joon-ho have revealed the cuts will mostly be to character development scenes, and voice-over narration will be added. This is a hack job intended to make sure the film "will be understood by audiences in Iowa ... and Oklahoma." Or as Twitchfilm put it, Weinstein Thinks You are Too Dumb for "Snowpiercer."

One thing to keep in mind is that the Weinsteins haven't tried such a high-profile stunt in a while, and the movie landscape has changed. More importantly, the marketing landscape has changed and the way that people find out information about new films has changed. The internet and social media have become a major force, and it's difficult to keep negative information under wraps. I've seen other attempts at localizations of foreign media go terribly wrong before, especially when there's an existing base of fans ready to provide comparisons to the original versions. Bong Joon-Ho may not be well-known in the U.S., but he has some passionate supporters thanks to cult movies like "The Host." Harvey Weinstein has done a wonderful job of alienating these fans so far, and he's not going to be able to escape a storm of controversy when "Snowpiercer" makes its American debut. Usually controversy is good for Weinstein films, but this time it may not be good for Weinstein. There's another variable to consider, which is how much easier internet piracy of movies has become. If Weinstein's not going to make the hotly anticipated, highly lauded original version of "Snowpiercer" available to the American public, in all likelihood the internet will.

Foreign film fans who still have some scruples can take heart that the original versions of "Snowpiercer" and "Mood Indigo" will eventually be made available in the U.S. Original versions of edited films are often released as "Director's Cuts" after the initial home media releases have come and gone. However, they rarely receive their own theatrical releases, and the default versions that you see on television and available through streaming services tend to be the edited ones. I've been lucky enough to be in a position where I have been able to access former Weinstein victIms like "Hero" and "Shaolin Soccer" through Chinese language distribution channels, but unless I resort to imports (which I might), I expect a long wait before I can see "Snowpiercer" and "Mood Indigo" as intended.
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