Good films spoiled by a tedious segment

[Tonch]

Have you ever watched a film and been enjoying it until the momentum is suddenly slowed or derailed by a long and tedious scene which dilutes your appreciation of the overall movie?

Two examples which spring to my mind are The Red Shoes and its lengthy ballet scene devoid of dialogue (a shame because the preceding and closing parts of the film are terriffic in my opinion) and the deeply boring underwater silence that prevails throughout an overlong stretch of the Bond outing Thunderball.

No doubt plenty of people will disagree with the above choices. Any other examples?

[GRAEME]

I agree with the idea for the thread - but I must take issue with the example of The Red Shoes. I think the ballet sequence is absolutely breath-taking and mesmerising cinema! Unforgettable imagery and beautiful use of colour, editing and choreography combining to create magic on screen...

[Steve Crook]

Two examples which spring to my mind are The Red Shoes and its lengthy ballet scene devoid of dialogue (a shame because the preceding and closing parts of the film are terriffic in my opinion)

But ballet is always devoid of dialogue
Even so, it still manages to tell a story, and that story is echoed in the rest of the film. The ballet is the culmination of the artistic creation of a group of people which is one of the main strands of the story. The efforts and dedication that people put into a work of art, and what it can cost them.

From the Powell & Pressburger canon more people usually mention A Matter of Life and Death and its courtroom scene. Although I find that to be a very clever discussion many people think it slows things down too much and spoils their enjoyment of the film.

Steve

[RogerThornhill]

In Play Misty for Me the part that ends with Clint indulging himself by wandering around the Monterrey Jazz Festival. The purpose seems to be that we should all be impressed by Clint's cool jazz musician friends.

[paul kersey]

May I be so bold as to suggest that large sections of the original "Italian Job" are superfluous.

[Mr Sloane]

Even though it's great film A Touch Of Evil would be improved by cutting the drug scene when Janet Leigh is kidnapped. Oklahoma would be much improved by cutting the interminable ballet sequence.

[GRAEME]

The sequence where the two henchman chase around trying to catch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with various allegedly hilarious European slapstick gags galore could certainly be trimmed down, IMHO. Although lovable, CCBB is a tad too long.

[Mr Sloane]

Not so much scenes but editing, most if not all Blake Edwards film would be improved but a strong editor telling him when enough was enough with slapstick jokes.

[batman]

Any film in which the leading couple demonstrate their love for each other by wandering around deserted beaches or secluded woodland accompanied by 'dreamy' mood music. Even the best Bond film (OHMSS) has one of these dreadful sequences.

[RogerThornhill]

Any film in which the leading couple demonstrate their love for each other by wandering around deserted beaches or secluded woodland accompanied by 'dreamy' mood music. Even the best Bond film (OHMSS) has one of these dreadful sequences.

Hear hear and that also applies to Play Misty For Me, it's part of the segment that I referred to above. Clint and his significant other are shown while we hear "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"

[GRAEME]

Any film in which the leading couple demonstrate their love for each other by wandering around deserted beaches or secluded woodland accompanied by 'dreamy' mood music. Even the best Bond film (OHMSS) has one of these dreadful sequences.

Ah, now! But it is covered by Satchmo singing All the Time in the World! I love that bit - doesn't last that long, brings a tear to my eye especially when you link it to the ending.

In general, though, I'd agree - but not OHMSS...

[jaycad]

Any film in which the leading couple demonstrate their love for each other by wandering around deserted beaches or secluded woodland accompanied by 'dreamy' mood music. Even the best Bond film (OHMSS) has one of these dreadful sequences.

Every romantic/sex scene in any film is tedious and I fast forward them all!

[faginsgirl]

Every romantic/sex scene in any film is tedious and I fast forward them all!

I agree Jaycad, they are the scenes which really are tedious and are often irrelevent to the story.

[Tonch]

Oh I don't know about that. I think if properly contextualised within the main plot and filmed with due care and attention to detail within the overall narrative, such scenes can flesh out the storyline providing an integral part of the core artistic framework to the general thrust of the film.





















Debbie Does Dallas made no sense without them.

[Wolfgang]

I can do without C3PO and R2D2 wandering around desert dunes for what feels like forever in Star Wars. I think George Lucas blew his budget on space battles and only had one hour of film to show for it, so had to come up with some filler.

[MonicaMC]

But ballet is always devoid of dialogue
Even so, it still manages to tell a story, and that story is echoed in the rest of the film. The ballet is the culmination of the artistic creation of a group of people which is one of the main strands of the story. The efforts and dedication that people put into a work of art, and what it can cost them.

From the Powell & Pressburger canon more people usually mention A Matter of Life and Death and its courtroom scene. Although I find that to be a very clever discussion many people think it slows things down too much and spoils their enjoyment of the film.

I found The Red Shoes ballet to be a bit long, but maybe it could have been edited so that it was even more of a centrepiece. For me, it showed up too late in the film and there was too much film after it.

When I saw AMOLAD, I found the courtroom piece to be not so much overlong as it was heavy-handed and a bit preachy, particularly in the "American jury" part. But then, that would have meant less Roger Livesey, and that would have made me a sad panda.

[Tonch]

You can enjoy a film without having to like the subject it hangs upon. My sister in law's friend loved that dreadful TV series "Footballers' Wives" Quote: "Because there's no football in it!" I like films and I like the cast of The Red Shoes but I don't like ballet. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy a film about a ballerina and about an intense love triangle and ambition and vocation etc. The ballet scene would have worked better for a none dance lover like me if the ballet (quarter of an hour or more?) had been punctured by cutaways to the viewing characters and a bit of their dialogue. Must admit the corporeal newspaper bit was clever though.

Hark at me telling the great P&P how to direct!!!

I personally enjoy the courtroom scene in AMOLAD and don't feel it detracts from the story. But as I said in my opening post, differences of opinion are inevitable.

I love the high octane anarchy of The Marx Brothers​ but whenever the comedy gives way to those musical interludes my heart sinks a little. I know Chico was a great pianist and Harpo's harp playing is wonderful but it breaks the spell every time for me.

[Steve Crook]

You can enjoy a film without having to like the subject it hangs upon. My sister in law's friend loved that dreadful TV series "Footballers' Wives" Quote: "Because there's no football in it!" I like films and I like the cast of The Red Shoes but I don't like ballet. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy a film about a ballerina and about an intense love triangle and ambition and vocation etc. The ballet scene would have worked better for a none dance lover like me if the ballet (quarter of an hour or more?) had been punctured by cutaways to the viewing characters and a bit of their dialogue. Must admit the corporeal newspaper bit was clever though.

Hark at me telling the great P&P how to direct!!!

They couldn't cut away to the audience because one of the main points of it was to show the ballet from the dancer's point of view. They showed things in the ballet that couldn't have been shown in a ballet on stage like Vicky seeing Julian & Lermontov as the shoemaker and when she and the others were transformed into clouds, flowers and birds. That's to say nothing of all the camera tricks like when Vicky jumped into the red shoes and they laced themselves around her legs, or the dance with the newspaper that you mentioned or even the way that Jack Cardiff ran the camera a bit faster as the shoemaker leapt in to the final scene and so made him appear to linger in the air just a bit longer than gravity normally allows.

There really is a lot of the story of the rest of the film reflected and portrayed in that ballet, especially when you realise that what we're seeing on film isn't what the audience in the theatre are seeing.

Steve

[Steve Crook]

I found The Red Shoes ballet to be a bit long, but maybe it could have been edited so that it was even more of a centrepiece. For me, it showed up too late in the film and there was too much film after it.

That's how others like Gene Kelly did it in An American in Paris, putting the ballet at the end. The ballet in The Red Shoes starts about half way though the 133 minute film and lasts for about 15 minutes. Then they spend another 5 minutes showing Vicky dancing the leading roles in the rest of their repertoire. There really isn't very much dancing in the film at all

Steve

[GRAEME]

Every romantic/sex scene in any film is tedious and I fast forward them all!

I don't mind romance - but I agree about sex scenes. Ugh. Once upon a time they were new and cutting edge - but it is so boring now. We know what people get up to, no need to stop the film and have several minutes of rolling about.

Unless there is a crucial point to the nitty gritty being shown - let's just fade out guys!