Who has the rights to choose which alternate ending to show?
I was re-watching Stephen King's 1408 (2007) this week and remembered an old question of mine:
The first time I saw this movie, was on TNT (Brazil), and I thought it was an amazing movie because I saw it with the alternate ending where Mike (John Cusack) dies and meets his daughter as a ghost in the burnt room. However, some time later, I caught the movie in another channel, and wanted to show it to my brother, however, to my surprise, it had a terrible ending (IMO), where he lives and the detective hears his tape (also he sees Mike's ghost). I hear this movie has four, maybe more, alternate endings.
So my question here is:
Is the TV free to pick whatever alternate ending it wants to air? It was a special case with this movie? I sincerely do not remember catching different endings commonly like that.
Best Answer
Sometimes more than one ending is given, for reasons of country by country laws, or TV censorship.
Which ending a movie gets is also sometimes the subject of ferocious legal battles, often between the director and the studio. For example Terry Gilliam's brilliant film "Brazil" was taken away from him (legally), recut and given an awful "feel-good" ending because the studio thought his cut was "too depressing." Gilliam's version was subsequently released after some fighting and received much better reviews.
The answer to that question is "no." TV stations do not get to decide which endings to show. That would run afoul of their contract with the studio, the distributor and probably the Directors Guild of America. If they want to show "Movie X" they show the version they signed up to show.
For a detailed look at some of the behind-the-scenes wrangling, read the book "Final Cut" by Stephen Bach, which details how the film "Heaven's Gate" destroyed the United Artists studio financially and effectively ended director Michael Cimino's career.
Pictures about "Who has the rights to choose which alternate ending to show?"
What is alternate ending to the story?
An alternate ending (or alternative ending) is an ending of a story that was considered, or even written or produced, but ultimately discarded in favour of another resolution. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on the canonical narrative.Why do some movies have alternate endings?
One of the biggest reasons behind the restoration of movies with added scenes or alternate endings is due to overbearing studio control which can result in last-minute reshoots and changes to the ending that can detract from the story and even ruin the theme of the movie.What does alternate ending mean in movies?
Alternate ending is a term used (usually in movies) to describe the ending of a story that was planned or debated but ultimately unused in favor of the actual ending. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on the canonical narrative.How do you write an alternate ending in a screenplay?
Follow these steps:What's So Difficult About Alternate Endings?
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