Little Shop of Horrors original ending restored for new release

[Replies From View]

I'm sure we've talked about Little Shop of Horrors before in one of the "lost endings" threads, but this link features a new clip of the original end in colour and with proper audio, as restored for the forthcoming blu ray release:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/10/08/ellen-greene-alan-menken-little-shop-of-horrors-video/

[Angst in my Pants]

I am unhealthily excited about this release. I've seen the old B&W clip, but stopped watching that new clip after a few seconds - I want to see this properly. BIG.

[KLG-7A]

Heh, the video says "DIRECOR'S CUT" at the end. I'm pretending that a Direcor is a kind of plant.

[Jemble Fred]

While I'm very, very glad that the original ending is going to be finally shown intact, I still think I'm going to prefer the bowdlerised theatrical version, for the reasons given in that there article. Ultimately, I just really, really hate Audrey II, and since I was a kid, I always cheered Seymour's triumph. Dramatically it's piss-weak, but it's a tribute to Moranis, Oz and everyone involved that the audience SO wants him to win through. So the released version will always be unbeatable, for me.

I'll be fascinated to see what Oz's very final image was intended to be, though. I would say that the very end of Corman's original Little Shop of Horrors is honestly the worst ending to any film I've ever seen – that's another reason why I'm a fan of the musical movie as we know it. Hard to imagine how Oz wanted the crowd to head off into the night, what final image could give the feeling of actual satisfaction required.

[Replies From View]

I'll be fascinated to see what Oz's very final image was intended to be, though. I would say that the very end of Corman's original Little Shop of Horrors is honestly the worst ending to any film I've ever seen – that's another reason why I'm a fan of the musical movie as we know it. Hard to imagine how Oz wanted the crowd to head off into the night, what final image could give the feeling of actual satisfaction required.

It was an unfinished ending, of course.  I don't think there's a problem with the idea of the final image, but it could do with being more polished.  What's filmed is a bit slow and clunky and could probably be fixed just by speeding it up a bit.

[Jemble Fred]

3D ending, huh?

Yes, you see, with the apocalyptically tragic ending, I just can't fix on a single final tableau which would crash into the credits satisfyingly, like the joyously tacky "Or is it?" ending they came up with for the cinema release.

Good point in that article about the cast having a curtain call after their deaths in the theatre, which totally transforms the audience's enjoyment. You couldn't do that in the cinema.

I just don't think it could ever have really worked without Seymour's happy ending. That kind of corn just seems to inescapably be part of how cinema musicals satisfy the viewer.

[Catalogue Trousers]

I seem to recall reading that the proposed final shot involved a slow zoom to Audrey II on top of the Empire State or similar, laughing gleefully...then apparently noticing the camera, turning to face it, and lunging at it, smashing the lens. Cut to credits.

[Replies From View]

I seem to recall reading that the proposed final shot involved a slow zoom to Audrey II on top of the Empire State or similar, laughing gleefully...then apparently noticing the camera, turning to face it, and lunging at it, smashing the lens. Cut to credits.

That's in the black and white version you can find on youtube.  A couple of plants are on the top of the Statue of Liberty, then there's a rather slow zoom into the mouth of Audrey II, who has just smashed through what seems to be the cinema screen.

It looks like they were after a "That's All Folks! - CHOMP!" but didn't finish it because the entire final sequence was scrapped.

[olliebean]

Good point in that article about the cast having a curtain call after their deaths in the theatre, which totally transforms the audience's enjoyment. You couldn't do that in the cinema.

You could have them reincarnated as parts of the plant, like in the original stage version. Then you could maybe kill the plant and transfer their absorbed faces onto, I don't know, paving stones, or something...

[KLG-7A]

Children throwing custard pies should jump out of their corpses.

[Replies From View]

I'd like to see a detailed sequence showing the cells of digested humans being redistributed around the plants' bodies, and the plants becoming more powerful and better singers as they absorb their nutrients.

[neveragain]

I wish I wouldn't keep mixing up Little Shop of Horrors with the Rocky Horror Picture Show! It's quite simple:
Little Shop - plants ... Rocky Horror - trannies
Little Shop - plants ... Rocky Horror - trannies
Little Horror - plants ... Rocky Shop - trannies
Little Horror - trannies ... Rocky Shop - plants
Little Trannies - horror ... Rocky Shop - plants
Little Plant Trannies - horror... Rocky Shop Show...?

[Small Man Big Horse]

It's now out on blu-ray / dvd, at least online, anyway, I'm obtaining it right now. I love the movie to pieces and have done since I saw it on the day of release, and had no idea that the additional footage is 20 minutes long. Unfortunately I'm going to a bloody dinner party tonight so won't get the chance to see it until tomorrow, which annoys. Does anyone know if the extra 20 minutes is at the end, or if some new scenes are mixed in throughout the film?

Edit: Ah, I didn't read the above linked article, it seems like it's all at the end which is exciting stuff.

[Replies From View]

Small Man of Big Horrsors

That's a hybrid of your name and the film we're talking about!  Good huh!

[Small Man Big Horse]

I certainly enjoyed it.

[Rev]

Without wanting to sound like one of those arseholes in the test audience - it is a bit ropey.

I've seen the black and white version that's been knocking around for years, obviously, and thought it was ridiculous that it was dumped in favour of the hasty substitute (complete with that final camera swoop because, eh, a third of the chorus couldn't make it).  But seeing it assembled properly:  it doesn't work.  The 'changed' stuff - you know what i mean - before the coda is fine, but the expensive stuff at the end goes on for so long that the actual film becomes a distant memory.  Chop it down to the length that 'Don't Feed the Plants' is supposed to last and we may have a winner.  Special edition in 2047?

[Dark Sky]

Without wanting to sound like one of those arseholes in the test audience - it is a bit ropey.

I've seen the black and white version that's been knocking around for years, obviously, and thought it was ridiculous that it was dumped in favour of the hasty substitute (complete with that final camera swoop because, eh, a third of the chorus couldn't make it).  But seeing it assembled properly:  it doesn't work.  The 'changed' stuff - you know what i mean - before the coda is fine, but the expensive stuff at the end goes on for so long that the actual film becomes a distant memory.  Chop it down to the length that 'Don't Feed the Plants' is supposed to last and we may have a winner.  Special edition in 2047?

I saw the Blu-Ray a couple of weeks back and I completely agree.

The trouble is, what they've done is slavishly follow the edit of the very rough black and white workprint Frank Oz put together for the original DVD release (which then got pulled).  On the commentary for it, Oz talks about how this whole sequence is far too long and laughs when he notices that he's repeated certain shots.  He explicitly says that if he'd used this sequence in the finish film, it would be far, far shorter and snappier.

But the people who put together this version literally copied that workprint, repeated shots and all.  So it's overlong and cumbersome, and the horribly repeated music just makes it seem badly put together.

It looks stunning though.  All that model work...the detail and the imagination in it is brilliant.  I wish for this Blu-Ray they could have stumped up some more money to do some new sound, work, though.  There's little to no foley, and they didn't bother recording any new voices or music.  Meaning the music is mostly synthesised (which is jarring coming straight after the rest of the film), and the plants laugh silently, and people shout and yell silently.  Which just makes it feel strange and unfinished.

Also, this ending just doesn't work as a film.  Little Shop is my favourite musical, but the stage version doesn't translate.  This big budget monster movie ending doesn't tally with the rest of the film we've seen.  It's too sudden, too different.  And in a way I like that, but I can understand completely why they felt they had to change it.

I waited for years to see the ending restored and it was a bit disappointing.  Stunning, but disappointing.

[olliebean]

No DVD release, so is there any way I can get to see this restored ending short of buying a Blu-Ray player or subscribing to LoveFilm or some such nonsense? (Not the work print; I've already seen that on YouTube.)

<edit> OK, apparently there is a DVD release but Amazon UK don't have it. Still, disinclined to buy it after the comments here given that I already have the theatrical version on DVD. I'd like to see the restored ending, but it doesn't sound as if I'm likely to want to watch it more than once.

[Replies From View]

The trouble is, what they've done is slavishly follow the edit of the very rough black and white workprint Frank Oz put together for the original DVD release (which then got pulled).  On the commentary for it, Oz talks about how this whole sequence is far too long and laughs when he notices that he's repeated certain shots.  He explicitly says that if he'd used this sequence in the finish film, it would be far, far shorter and snappier.

But the people who put together this version literally copied that workprint, repeated shots and all.  So it's overlong and cumbersome, and the horribly repeated music just makes it seem badly put together.

How disappointing - and surprising too.  I thought the entire point of this was to finish the original ending by editing it properly and showing us what the film could have been, not just present the workprint in colour.

Aren't there new bits of audio though?  The clip I linked to in the first post has the plant laughing, where the black and white workprint is all silent bar the music.

[Dark Sky]

It's been ages since I last watched the workprint, but as you put out they must have done some work on the audio...  They've certainly re-recorded some of the music cues (sadly only synthesised) whereas the workprint had very rough, wavery temp track backing. 

Extra audio effects are minimal and it's really noticeable in a few places, such as when Seymour is being eaten, and all the little baby Audrey offshoots are (visibly) laughing, all completely silently.  Also many people featured being terrorised are seen to be shouting and yelling (there's a guard whose lips quite obviously mouth 'WHAT THE FUCK!") but again, no sound.

I also imagine that if the film had been released with this ending, there would have been a new music cue written rather than the same sixteen bars (or whatever it is) put on loop.

In a way it is amazing to see so much of the brilliant model footage, but it's a shame to not see the film how the film would have been presented.  The Blu-Ray claims it's a Director's Cut, but really Oz had nothing to do with it beyond supporting its release.  He certainly didn't edit this version together, he was merely shown it.

[Dark Sky]

No DVD release, so is there any way I can get to see this restored ending short of buying a Blu-Ray player or subscribing to LoveFilm or some such nonsense? (Not the work print; I've already seen that on YouTube.)

<edit> OK, apparently there is a DVD release but Amazon UK don't have it. Still, disinclined to buy it after the comments here given that I already have the theatrical version on DVD. I'd like to see the restored ending, but it doesn't sound as if I'm likely to want to watch it more than once.

The new Blu-Ray (and DVD) is only available in the US at the moment, but you could ship one over from Amazon.com quickly enough, which is what I did.

Whether you think it's worth it is up to you.  Of course, as we live in the 'I'm entitled to see everything for free' age, I'm sure it'll appear on torrent sites or YouTube before long, if it hasn't already. 

But I do recommend anyone who loves the film gets the Blu-Ray; the whole film looks beautiful.  And you can always just watch the originally released version :D

[Small Man Big Horse]

Just watched it tonight and absolutely loved it, fraid I can't agree with the disappointed comments above. The scenes of the

Spoiler alert

Audrey II invasion are ridiculously absurd but made all the more enjoyable by the fact that all you can hear is the instrumental to Don't Feed The Plants whilst the plants laugh like crazy

[close]

. I do understand your viewpoints, and do admit it goes on maybe 30 seconds too long, but overall I thought it was superb. Though at the same time I like to imagine there's no definite edition, just one where

Spoiler alert

Seymour saves the day, and one where Audrey II and co destroy the world.

[close]

The only bit I did think didn't quite worked is

Spoiler alert

Seymour's death, perhaps it would have been too disturbing to hear him scream so much, but having no audio at all in that section felt a bit weird.

[close]

[Replies From View]

The Blu-Ray claims it's a Director's Cut, but really Oz had nothing to do with it beyond supporting its release.  He certainly didn't edit this version together, he was merely shown it.

This happens so often, and it really annoys me.

[Dark Sky]

Just watched it tonight and absolutely loved it, fraid I can't agree with the disappointed comments above. The scenes of the

Spoiler alert

Audrey II invasion are ridiculously absurd but made all the more enjoyable by the fact that all you can hear is the instrumental to Don't Feed The Plants whilst the plants laugh like crazy

[close]

. I do understand your viewpoints, and do admit it goes on maybe 30 seconds too long, but overall I thought it was superb. Though at the same time I like to imagine there's no definite edition, just one where

Spoiler alert

Seymour saves the day, and one where Audrey II and co destroy the world.

[close]

I do agree the footage is superb.  It's really, really good stuff, and it looks fifty bazillion and one times better than I ever imagined it would do from the black and white workprint version.

I guess I've been waiting to see this for so long, I was bound to find faults.  But I was surprised to find myself thinking, 'this doesn't work as a film'.  Whether that's because it just goes on for a bit too long, or if it just seems like too big a genre swap after the rather intimate story which precedes it, I'm not sure.

I'll have to watch it again soon.

[Rev]

if it just seems like too big a genre swap after the rather intimate story which precedes it, I'm not sure.

The intimacy is the thing, I feel.  I definitely prefer the new/original ending over the theatrical (er, not stage - YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!) ending in plot terms, but in this form it distances you from the actual film a little too much.  The longer it goes on, the further away the characters feel, and it breaks the spell for me a little.

I've watched the original version of this film a hundred billion times and will watch it again, but I'm not sure which version I'll be bunging on in future.