I'm a strong believer that the overwhelming majority of DVD extras are a complete waste, as only the audio commentary tracks and deleted scenes add any real value. Chicago - last year's best picture winner - hit shelves last week, and makes for a great example of why watching a deleted scene can really teach aspiring filmmakers how sometimes making a cut is the best decision, even if that means losing a scene you adore.

The deleted scene in question (the only one included on the Chicago DVD) is the performance of the song "Class" - a duet by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah. It's a pretty good song, with the same ironic cynicism as the others, but I'm not so sure how some people would have reacted to Zeta-Jones singing about how "every girl is a twat." That said, the song was obviously removed for other reasons. In his voice-over commentary explaining the scene's removal, director Rob Marshall demonstrates that he understands precisely why his film was so popular in a culture that, until recently, shunned musicals.

You see, "Class" would have taken place in the middle of the trial scene, in which Big Mama and Velma Kelly are listening in over the radio. By including a song in which Roxy (Renee Zellweger) was in no way present to imagine it, therefore breaking the fantasy pattern that the rest of the film abides by, the whole thing would be contradictory and out of place. You can tell by listening to him talk about it that Marshall was really torn between leaving the song in and taking it out, but wisely understood that when a film sets its own rules, it should never dare to break them.

What's also revealing about the decision to leave this song on the cutting room floor is how it reflects modern audiences' tastes. Myself, I was never a fan of musicals other than Singin' in the Rain, and I think the main reason is that I always hated having the story interrupted for the sake of singing. I know many other people who feel the same way. "Class" would have been guilty of this, and I have to believe its inclusion would have damaged the film's chances with The Academy. What's really interesting is, with all of these other musicals in the pipe-line, do the people making them realize this possible distinction? I hope so, or the revival of the musical could come to an end as quickly as it began.

Posted August 25, 2003 | link