28. Eyes Wide Cut with Marshall Allman

Question: What do Blade Runner, The Magnificent Ambersons, Cinema Paradiso and Brazil have in common?

Answer: They have all been re-edited after their initial theatrical releases.

Originally released in the US on the 16th July 1999, Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick’s final film was generally received by audiences and critics alike as somewhat disappointing. There seems to be some debate over wether the final cut of Eyes Wide Shut, that Kubrick submitted to Warner Brothers just days before his death would have been his actual final cut. The film was still 4 months away from release.

In 1968, Kubrick had removed almost 20 mins of film from 2001: A Space Odyssey after it’s premiere screenings saying, “It does take a few runnings to decide finally how long things should be, especially scenes which do not have narrative advancement as their guideline.” Then in 1980, he removed the original final scene of The Shining, again after the films initial US release and then a further 24 minutes for the European cut. So, it’s not hard to imagine that Kubrick could have in fact implemented changes to Eyes Wide Shut, during the 4 month period between his untimely passing and the release of the film, had he lived.

No, one will ever really know, but a young actor and Filmmaker from Texas has actually made some cuts to Eyes Wide Shut saying “I am not trying to do what Kubrick would’ve done but seeing what changes were even possible without losing the essence of the film”. His un-authorised edit, which is available to watch at EYESWIDECUT.COM, runs at 120 Minutes, having trimmed 40 Minutes from the officially released version.

As he explains on his website :

“So, in the spirit of "never say no to an idea", I decided to make the edit to Eyes Wide Shut not only as a homage to my favourite filmmaker but also as a personal challenge to myself as an editor and storyteller.”

The man behind this rather controversial undertaking is actor and filmmaker Marshall Allman.

Recorded: 16th July 2018

Hosted by Jason Furlong / Written by Stephen Rigg and Jason Furlong / Theme and original music written and performed by Jason Furlong / Produced and edited by Stephen Rigg

Watch Eyes Wide Shut (iTunes) : https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/eyes-wide-shut/id272819260

Listen to Eyes Wide Shut Soundtrack (iTunes) : https://music.apple.com/us/album/eyes-wide-shut-music-from-the-motion-picture/378854658

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