Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wise)

[GhostFaceSaint]

So Robert Wise said in the DVD version of the film commentary that his editing works better than the original theatrical cut or the TV/VHS cut, and I agree with him the Director's Edition is a good film. It still a little slow compared to the original series in general but it is a mature film, however, I still would have preferred that they didn't go with the original pilot script from "Phase II" and do something with more passion. V'Ger as a galactic threat, many before me have noted, felt like a TV episode, and even looked to some like a certain other sentient space probe from the TV show, you all n-know the episode I am referring too. So 'Wrath wasn't the only film to recycle a formula from the show nor would it be the last however the movie had some good talent in it and Wise gave put some emotion back in his personal editing of the film.

So why do you think Robert Wise is correct in his assessment of his cut of the film, or, is he wrong and it didn't need re-editing?

Am I the only one who feels that Wise did a good job editing but the script could have been better to begin with?

 

[Joker]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Nothing about the film felt like a TV episode to me.

Oh, and your thread title is vague and useless.

 

[Grant]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Wow, even I find that harsh.

I find it plenty specific to know if i want to click on it.

And the movie in nothing like the TV show. Except the actors and terms and technology & ship exterior, but style-wise it's not at all like it.

Of course it needed a better script. One that felt more like the series, but still had an epic feel.

 

[Maurice]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Oh, and your thread title is vague and useless.

Needlessly nasty.

 

[TigerOfDarkness]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

So why do you think Robert Wise is correct in his assessment of his cut of the film, or, is he wrong and it didn't need re-editing?

The DE works a lot better for me, so I think he was right, though even more cutting of reaction shots could be good.

Am I the only one who feels that Wise did a good job editing but the script could have been better to begin with?

No, I'd agree with you.

 

[Grant]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

More cuts of reaction shots and orders being repeated. after a few times we understand that they are being repeated----we don't have to hear 40 lines repeated to get the point. that alone takes two minutes of the film.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

V'Ger as a galactic threat, many before me have noted, felt like a TV episode, and even looked to some like a certain other sentient space probe from the TV show, you all n-know the episode I am referring too.

Sounds to me like you've never seen "The Changeling". It wasn't that V'ger "looked... like a certain other sentient space probe". The idea that an old Earth-sent probe would return with a resolve to complete its mission, now twisted into a new and deadly threat to human beings, and had achieved a level of sentience, that was similar.

So why do you think Robert Wise is correct in his assessment of his cut of the film, or, is he wrong and it didn't need re-editing?
Am I the only one who feels that Wise did a good job editing but the script could have been better to begin with?

Almost everyone, including Wise and Roddenberry, were disassatisfied that the film was locked into an impossible release date. It meant that they had to start filming with only only two-thirds of the script locked down, and that the final cut couldn't even be tested with an audience before premiere night.

 

[Chrisisall]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Oh, and your thread title is vague and useless.

I submit that you, sir, are purple & clairvoyant.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

TMP is the mos epic and cinematic of all the Trek films. Nothing about feels like a TV show.

It's fine if you don't like it, but that's just pure silliness.

 

[GhostFaceSaint]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

TMP is the mos epic and cinematic of all the Trek films. Nothing about feels like a TV show.

It's fine if you don't like it, but that's just pure silliness.

Didn't I already state that my words about the feeling for the movie aren't really mine but what I have heard from many others fans over the years and read on forums, though personally the movie feels too slow to be like an original Trek series episode, however, I understand the complaint, a lot of the scenes in the movie seem just be filler killing time for lack of plot is what I have heard from others, the complaint seems pretty legit to me, lots of boring CG shots shots hardly seems epic if it takes you out of the film emotionally.

 

[Maurice]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

... the complaint seems pretty legit to me, lots of boring CG shots shots hardly seems epic if it takes you out of the film emotionally.

CG? CG?! Oh come on...

 

[GhostFaceSaint]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

... the complaint seems pretty legit to me, lots of boring CG shots shots hardly seems epic if it takes you out of the film emotionally.

CG? CG?! Oh come on...

"Come on"...nothing, when was the last time you watched the film, for example when the were penetrating the V'Ger cloud they used a combination of water effects and early digital tech to show the V'Ger could, not the outside mind you (that was a painting I believe), also during the worm-hole scene that was also CG, DUH!

 

[Gary Seven]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Well, on that you're just incorrect. There was no CG in the original film. The cloud effects were airbrushed artwork photographed on a motion control rig with multiple passes... and the wormhole was a laser pattern photographed on a multiple pass motion control rig as well.

 

[Maurice]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

"Come on"...nothing, when was the last time you watched the film, for example when the were penetrating the V'Ger cloud they used a combination of water effects and early digital tech to show the V'Ger could, not the outside mind you (that was a painting I believe), also during the worm-hole scene that was also CG, DUH!

<Rimmer>Wrong, wrong. Absolutely brimming over with wrongability.</Rimmer>

Well, on that you're just incorrect. There was no CG in the original film. The cloud effects were airbrushed artwork photographed on a motion control rig with multiple passes... and the wormhole was a laser pattern photographed on a multiple pass motion control rig as well.

Thank you for saving me from having to do that. <puts Cinefex 1 & 2 back in the bookcase>

The CG in the film is mostly limited to some of the bridge monitor readouts.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

when was the last time you watched the film

Tee hee! Egg on face?

ST II was the film remembered for its brave foray into CGI SPFX, with the Genesis Presentation Tape.

 

[GhostFaceSaint]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Well, on that you're just incorrect. There was no CG in the original film. The cloud effects were airbrushed artwork photographed on a motion control rig with multiple passes... and the wormhole was a laser pattern photographed on a multiple pass motion control rig as well.

I was under the impression that the laser effect was done with the help of a computer, and was thus a computer generated effect, didn't they use a computer for the laser effect?

 

[GhostFaceSaint]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Well anyway the point was there were many of the special effects heavy scenes that took viewers out of the film because they were way too long, Robert Wise acknowledged this in the commentary on the DVD and that was the point I was driving at, the other thing about what generated the effects are unimportant and a distraction.

Wise tried to address the issue in his version of the edited film and I think that since he did take out whole minutes of scenes with special effects and no dialog, thus shortening those scenes and making them much tighter, that he improved the film overall which is one of my original points.

If the film had been allowed to come out at a later date the film would have been refined and I think more successful in the theaters, we would have scene V'Ger's ship orbit Earth; would have scene the "monster", people would remember TMP more fondly. The unfortunate thing about the DVD is that I don't think that every fan bothered to watch it which I believe they should, it may not have the literary passion of 'Wrath but it is good Trek film and one all fan's should watch. If this is you please try to watch Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition because it is a better film than the theatrical version, and a good sci-fi film in general.

 

[Warped9]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

I find the TMP DE a significant improvement over the theatrical cut in many ways. The better editing does improve the films pacing. But it isn't the story itself that's wanting, but that it needs more character interplay.

I've said it before but I'll say it again here. What TMP needed bugged me for quite some time until I came across a 1950s era film called Run Silent Run Deep. In that film a young up-and-coming sub commander (Burt Lancaster) is unexpectedly replaced by a seasoned veteran (Clark Gable) for a particular mission. There is barely constrained resentment and friction amongst the crew between those loyal to one command officer or the other. It's a friction that even threatens the success of their mission. This is exactly the sort of thing we could have seen played out more forcefully between Kirk and Decker as it would have given us more emotional energy between the spectacular visual sequences. It could have been an undercurrent of tension to keep us guessing what could happen next.

And it wouldn't have been unprecedented for Star Trek to borrow from classic film. After all "Balance Of Terror" is a science fiction retelling of the '50s era film The Enemy Below.

Unfortunately this aspect of tension between the characters would have had to have been there from the start because there was no way a Director's Cut could add such a thing. One could assume that it was always there only unseen (except for a bit of it in the beginning), but if it isn't apparent onscreen then it doesn't count.

 

[GhostFaceSaint]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

I find the TMP DE a significant improvement over the theatrical cut in many ways. The better editing does improve the films pacing. But it isn't the story itself that's wanting, but that it needs more character interplay.

I've said it before but I'll say it again here. What TMP needed bugged me for quite some time until I came across a 1950s era film called Run Silent Run Deep. In that film a young up-and-coming sub commander (Burt Lancaster) is unexpectedly replaced by a seasoned veteran (Clark Gable) for a particular mission. There is barely constrained resentment and friction amongst the crew between those loyal to one command officer or the other. It's a friction that even threatens the success of their mission. This is exactly the sort of thing we could have seen played out more forcefully between Kirk and Decker as it would have given us more emotional energy between the spectacular visual sequences. It could have been an undercurrent of tension to keep us guessing what could happen next.

And it wouldn't have been unprecedented for Star Trek to borrow from classic film. After all "Balance Of Terror" is a science fiction retelling of the '50s era film The Enemy Below.

Unfortunately this aspect of tension between the characters would have had to have been there from the start because there was no way a Director's Cut could add such a thing. One could assume that it was always there only unseen (except for a bit of it in the beginning), but if it isn't apparent onscreen then it doesn't count.

I forgot about that film and I like Run Silent, Run Deep too, you make a good point, Roddenberry would have remembered that film too and was probably looking to it for inspiration, which was why he obviously chose Robert Wise. I think the script should have been given more revision as the movie was filmed so they could have added more dialog in it to improve the story telling, Wise was a great story teller too, he directed films like The Haunting, West Side story, Citizen Kane, and yes Run Silent Run Deep. Roddenberry was under a lot of pressure from the Paramount execs however and probably felt like he could take a stand and ask for a later release date. The execs would have been happier with TMP if it came out later, it still wouldn't have been a Star Wars sized success but it would have given the execs a reason to give the next Trek film a big budget instead of doing what they did. However if it wasn't for Roddennberry's removal we wouldn't have been given Nick Meyer and The Wrath Of Khan, which was a literary and impassioned film.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Re: Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition (By Robert Wi

Roddenberry was under a lot of pressure from the Paramount execs however and probably felt like he could take a stand and ask for a later release date. The execs would have been happier with TMP if it came out later

Impossible. It was contractually "locked in", and Paramount would have had to pay out millions in compensation to cinema chains if TMP missed its premiere date.