SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES and WATCHER IN THE WOODS Finally on Blu-Ray Via Disney Movie Club

[AndyDursin]

I think the bottom line is that the Disney reworked, theatrical version of SOMETHING WICKED is actually better. The Clayton version was lacking -- the pacing needed to be crisper, the tone and mood was too laid back, and as Bradbury noted in his commentary, there were numerous elements "missing" from what Clayton had put together. Delerue's score is lovely and elegiac and would've been fine if the movie worked, but it didn't kick into gear, and as a result Delerue's music comes off as too moody and occasionally morose. Horner's score is more "explicit" but it also has a lot more energy -- which needed to be infused in the finished product.

The seams show, obviously, and portions of it dont come together still, but the "fixes" were necessary in this instance. It wasn't a case where Clayton turned in this masterpiece that Disney was wrong to try and address. I mean the whole opening of the movie with the pumpkins and the leaves and the poetic musings about Autumn -- that wasn't even in Clayton's version!

[AndyDursin]

Interesting tidbit from https://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/

In the most bizarre of coincidences, I was in communication just yesterday while in the midst of writing this, to Harrison Ellenshaw, who acted as vfx consultant on the picture. To our mutual amazement just a week or so ago the Disney Studio sent out an invitation to former staffers - one being Mr Ellenshaw - to come along to the screening room to view, oddly, the original unreleased rough cut of SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES not unspooled since 1982(!!) You can't make this stuff up! True story!

They really going to release this? If not why even show it...

[Monterey Jack]

Maybe they're so broke, they're scouring the Disney Vaults to see anything of value they can exploit...?

Anyways, if they do release it, I'd love to see it (ditto the pre-rejiggered The Watcher In The Woods).

[AndyDursin]

Could be!

BTW the only difference between cuts with WATCHER IN THE WOODS is the ending and they've already released it on the DVD and Blu-Ray so I think they've got it covered. The main body of the film isn't any different, it's just the last reel which you can just flip to if you want to simulate how it played initially.

I don't know if there's anyone at Criterion that's into SOMETHING WICKED. They've released Clayton previously with THE INNOCENTS so maybe they could use that angle.

It's a huge curiosity obviously. Would also be interested in knowing if they have something more than the June 1982 test screening version which is what people have seen/written about.

[Chris Shaneyfelt]

This is very interesting! Andy, have you seen the early rough cut of Something Wicked This Way Comes with the Delerue music?

[AndyDursin]

Chris, I cannot lie to you. I have indeed managed to see it. I cannot disclose where or when this happened but if you have any questions I can answer them!

[Chris Shaneyfelt]

Wow, that's amazing, Andy! I heard there is a VHS copy of the Clayton rough cut in the Ray Bradbury Collection at Indiana University-Purdue, but that's not something they are going to interlibrary loan, lol.

Your excellent analysis of the Clayton cut earlier in this thread answered most of my questions about the film, but I am curious about some things. I read that when the train arrives in Green Town and the carnival appears, it was originally a much longer and more complex special effects sequence, with Tron-like CGI elements. One article said that the train itself magically turned into the carnival, another said smoke from the train's smokestack magically turned into the carnival. Was this longer effects sequence part of the original cut? In a couple of interviews Clayton said that he did not want the film to be effects-heavy (he said he greatly disliked effects-laden films like Poltergeist), but Disney kept pushing for more effects. I read this longer carnival FX sequence was one of the parts of the rough cut that was removed after the poor test screening, but I don't know if that is accurate.

I also read that Clayton felt Bradbury's original screenplay was too dark, which is partly why he brought in John Mortimer to do a re-write, angering Bradbury. However, I heard that the Clayton rough cut is much darker than the final theatrical version - and the theatrical version is actually more in line with Bradbury's vision. What are your thoughts on that?

Thank you so much for your time, Andy!

[AndyDursin]

Wow, that's amazing, Andy! I heard there is a VHS copy of the Clayton rough cut in the Ray Bradbury Collection at Indiana University-Purdue, but that's not something they are going to interlibrary loan, lol.

Yeah absolutely not! I stumbled into seeing it to be honest, Chris. An email friend of mine was talking about it and talking as if he had seen it. I didn't know him well enough to just ask him but I said, so what, I'll just ask -- and then ask if he had it! lol. What else could be said but "no", right? We worked out a way to make that happen.

I am certain the VHS copy from the Bradbury collection is what is out there. I believe when the Delerue score was released, Dark Delicacies or Creature Features -- those now defunct (?) little shops out in L.A. -- one of them had a night to commemorate the release of the CD. They showed a reel or two (maybe more) of the Delerue scored sequences to people in attendance, probably (my guess) from that VHS copy. At some point over the years, that tape was transferred, but clearly not to too many people because it's never shown up anywhere on the collector front.

Either way, the "Clayton cut" opens with a title card stating you're about to see a preview of a work in progress with unfinished effects. Then it opens without any shots of the Vermont reshoot -- just the kids and the teacher. It could be they wanted it to start another way and hadn't filmed those sequences yet -- but I'm not sure. Bradbury in his commentary indicated that whole lovely, lyrical opening was part of the reshoot, and the movie vitally needed that. I agree with him wholeheartedly, the film loses something without it.

I read that when the train arrives in Green Town and the carnival appears, it was originally a much longer and more complex special effects sequence, with Tron-like CGI elements. One article said that the train itself magically turned into the carnival, another said smoke from the train's smokestack magically turned into the carnival. Was this longer effects sequence part of the original cut? In a couple of interviews Clayton said that he did not want the film to be effects-heavy (he said he greatly disliked effects-laden films like Poltergeist), but Disney kept pushing for more effects. I read this longer carnival FX sequence was one of the parts of the rough cut that was removed after the poor test screening, but I don't know if that is accurate.

None of those FX are in this workprint. Like you wrote, those effect sequences were written up substantially in the Cinefantastique article (still the best thing that was ever written about the movie) and many of them didn't make the final cut. I'd imagine if there's ever a release of this, they could be part of the supplemental features.

I also read that Clayton felt Bradbury's original screenplay was too dark, which is partly why he brought in John Mortimer to do a re-write, angering Bradbury. However, I heard that the Clayton rough cut is much darker than the final theatrical version - and the theatrical version is actually more in line with Bradbury's vision. What are your thoughts on that?

My overall take is there are some good extensions to scenes but the movie just sort of "plods along" in the Clayton version. It never catches fire, there's not a lot of fantasy. The Delerue score is gorgeous by itself but it's so restrained in the Clayton version, it matches the lack of intensity in the picture as it was constructed (at least in the workprint).

The goal Bradbury had was to "punch up" the film and I can't say he was wrong. I think it was the consensus really of everyone who worked on it. The pacing needed more energy, it needed the narration and those shots of the fall and the Midwest landscape in Autumn, and to be honest, it needed Horner's score. It needed a "pick up", an injection of "movement" and pace. Some of the reshoots didn't work, but the set-pieces were injected to try and give it a little more suspense -- I think it's fair to argue whether they worked or not. Yet, what was there originally...let's just say it's not really THE INNOCENTS. Probably more like Clayton's misfired GREAT GATSBY in terms of a "staid period piece" that doesn't exhibit a whole lot of cinematic "verve" for lack of a better term.

It's one of those things, though, where I'd still like to see it get remastered and officially released. Seeing it in something beyond VHS quality would undoubtedly help. Maybe they have a version that was more recent than the June 1982 test screening one too -- one that had some of the FX sequences you mentioned -- because they weren't finished in time for this one.

[Paul MacLean]

The pacing needed more energy, it needed the narration and those shots of the fall and the Midwest landscape in Autumn, and to be honest, it needed Horner's score.

According to Cinefantastique Magazine, Clayton and Bradbury were very unhappy about Disney's removal of the "house climbing" sequence, which they felt was the "heart of the film". Disney executive Tom Wilhite defended its removal, as he felt Jason Robards conquered his feeling of being old and weak in that scene (thus making the "house of mirrors" climax redundant, in the executive's view).

Overall Clayton said "I regret the loss of understatement. So does Ray".

However, Bradbury ultimately admitted he was happy with "90% of what's in the film" and was "absolutely in love with James Horner's score!"

Those were the days though, when studio executives let filmmakers get on with it, and (usually) only intervened if the initial cut wasn't working. A far cry from today where executives "creatively supervise" movies and make sure they are both tailored for ADD teenagers and tick the right "socially conscious" boxes.

[Chris Shaneyfelt]

Yeah absolutely not! I stumbled into seeing it to be honest, Chris. An email friend of mine was talking about it and talking as if he had seen it. I didn't know him well enough to just ask him but I said, so what, I'll just ask -- and then ask if he had it! lol. What else could be said but "no", right? We worked out a way to make that happen.

What a stroke of luck! I'm glad you went ahead and asked your friend. Very cool.

Thank you so much for the great information about Clayton's workprint, Andy, and for your detailed thoughts about it. Very interesting about the workprint opening with the kids and the teacher. I completely agree that the opening of the theatrical cut with the shots of Green Town in autumn and the narration is excellent. If I remember right, even Bradbury's novel begins with descriptions of autumn.

There are so many overt fantasy elements in Bradbury's story that I can imagine how Clayton's "original vision" of subduing the fantasy elements would make the movie too plodding and and lack intensity. I agree that in spite of all those flaws, it would be great if Disney could release all of this material. I would like to hear Delerue's score with the picture, even though it is more restrained in the film as you said.

Earlier this evening I read that this month Intrada plans to re-release Horner's score for Something Wicked This Way Comes (with more music). I hope Disney is planning a new home video release as well.

Again, thank you for the great information and your insights, Andy!

[AndyDursin]

I think if someone releases the workprint it would be through a Criterion release, but that would mean someone at the label being a "champion" of the movie. The fact they're showing the workprint to people is interesting...you wonder why.