AOTC Deleted Scenes DISCUSSION (now discussing Padme's Parents' House)

I agree! Padme's family scene really should have been in the movie. It would have really helped the romance side of the plot that many find lacking. I really liked that line from Padme and her look of shock and then turns her head and give a "hmmmmm" expression. The entire scene seems very natural.

Also R2 playing with the kids! Great.

Padme's Bedroom scene was ok, but it's good it was cut. That would be too much.

 

I am also glad that this particular scene was excised from the film, as it contains more exposition than we really need. Although it is interesting to view Padme and Anakin in this context, the interlocution in which they engage carries on for quite a while, in a film that is already far too leaden with heavy dialogue passages. That isn't to say that this deleted scene is "bad," in of itself, just kind of extraneous. I am actually one of the few who is relieved that the scenes involving Padme's parents' house were not a part of the theatrical edit; I very much appreciate the brooding narrative qualities that Lucas was attempting to build throughout the Naboo/Kamino passage in "Attack of the Clones," and the deleted scenes appear to be a little too tonally discordant to be properly woven into the picture's story arc without obstructing the palpable sense of mood that otherwise exists within this aspect of the picture. While I do feel that some of the scenes in the aforementioned act of the film could have benefited from some more judicious editing, in addition to dialogue polishing in some of the character exchanges, the imparted directorial sweep is still evident, and would have been offset with the inclusion of these somewhat straightforward deleted scenes.

 

Thank you for all your participation in CBC (Chapter by Chapter). AOTC-DS Chapter 7: Dooku Interrogates Padme DISCUSSION will be made available 2:40 PM EST. Although the discussion timeframe has passed, you may still discuss this chapter at your convienience. However, we will be moving on to the next chapter.

-Moleman1138

 

Due to the success of the PT and CT CBC discussions, I would like to discuss the deleted AOTC scenes chapter by chapter on the DVD. There are 8 chapters to discuss over the next month.

Each discussion will last 5 days. At the end of 5 days, the following chapter will be posted.

DS - Chapter 7: Dooku Interrogates Padme
DISCUSSION: August 24, 2005 ? August 28, 2005
DVD TIME INDEX: 0:00 ? 1:05

Synopsis:
Anakin and Padme come before Dooku in the Geonosian chamber. Padme demands that Obi-Wan to be handed over immediately. Dooku says he can hear her plea if Naboo joins the alliance. Padme refuses and Dooku turns the lovers over to the Geonosians to be tried for espionage. END OF CHAPTER

Opinion:
In between the Droid Factory scenes and the Arena, the confrontation with Dooku is one of two scene before getting back to the action in the last act. It stands on its own quite well, but in the film it doesn?t work.

If this and the next scene were in, you?d have action, exposition, exposition, action. You want to get to the climax of the film and don?t really need many detours, especially with the lengthy running time, AOTC does have. Don?t get me wrong it is a good scene and is the alternative to Obi-Wan captive.

Obi-Wan Captive is more about Jedi; this is more about politics. Padme is being tempted by Dooku to join him. In the long run it would have benefit Padme to do this since she?s stuck in an order that she indirectly needs to destroy. The only problem is Gunray is an ally of Dooku and wants her dead.

The cinematography is unique, with the many over the shoulder shots. This is also the last time we see Padme with her shawl, which we do not know the fate of since she loses it before the go on trial. Good deleted scene.

 

I think it would've been great of parts of this deleted scene would've been put in the movie. The way it is now it's quite redundant, but I do think it adds to the story and the characters.

In this scene, Dooku somes across more as the political idealist he is described as in the beginning of the film, especially through a great line such as "The Republic cannot be fixed, it's time to start all over".
We also get to see a bit more of Padme's loyalty to the Republic, which is good, since the scene in which she pleads to the Senate was cut as well.

It's also great to see more of Geonosis and its inhabitants too! And I agree with Moleman on the cinematography.
Lucas wanted Dooku to have some duality to him, and I think he succeeded in that in the first cut of the movie. This scene, as well as the Anakin and Padme on trial contribute to that.
However, the addition of new scenes, especially Dooku tempting Obi-Wan, bring up more questions than it answers. Is Dooku really trying to destroy the Sith? This is never really explained.
Also, the second scene in the war-room, also shot during pick-ups, Dooku refers to his Master, while at that point, we're not supposed to know he's a Sith.

It all gets a bit confusing here, while as I mentioned above, the first cut seemed to have it nailed.

 

This particular deleted scene is one of the few that I don't consider to be very good at all. I am once again quite pleased with the decision to excise this sequence from the theatrical version of the movie.

In between the Droid Factory scenes and the Arena, the confrontation with Dooku is one of two scene before getting back to the action in the last act. It stands on its own quite well, but in the film it doesn?t work.

Although I feel that the last half-hour of "Attack of the Clones" is perhaps a little too busy, I do admire the way in which Lucas structures his various action scenes (at least conceptually) during this passage of the film: He begins with the heavily-maligned "Droid Factory" sequence, which is more "intimate" in terms of the number of principal figures involved; from there, he progresses to a large-scale smack down in the Geonosis arena, which owes more than a little to the genius of Ray Harryhausen; continues the ferocious activity in an even more expansive battle involving the Jedi, Clones, and Droid Army; and finally, resolves the gradually ascending levels of action with a return to more personal engagements, with a confrontation between the Jedi and Count Dooku, which makes a nice "bookend" to compliment the initial "Droid Factory" set piece. If the director were to have included the Dooku-interrogation scene, it would have violated the structure of AOTC's last 30 minutes.

If this and the next scene were in, you?d have action, exposition, exposition, action. You want to get to the climax of the film and don?t really need many detours, especially with the lengthy running time, AOTC does have. Don?t get me wrong it is a good scene and is the alternative to Obi-Wan captive.

As I've indicated earlier in this thread, there is already too much speechifying in "Clones," and the film's last act does not beg for more; I tend to regard the brief exchange between Anakin and Padme, which precedes the Geonosis arena sequence, as an expository punctuation, rather than a tangential side-issue.

The cinematography is unique, with the many over the shoulder shots. This is also the last time we see Padme with her shawl, which we do not know the fate of since she loses it before the go on trial.

I don't feel as though the special-effects in this scene are as saturated and rich as in other areas of the film; even on DVD, the images appear unusually granular, lacking in depth and clarity. The mechanics of cinematography, at least as they pertain to camera movement and positioning, do seem at odds with the formal stylization of this film, but are not particularly bothersome (although there were a couple other instances of "over-the-shoulder" shots in the movie, though used sparingly).

 

Thank you for all your participation in CBC (Chapter by Chapter). AOTC-DS Chapter 8: Anakin and Padme on Trial DISCUSSION will be made available 2:30 PM EST. Although the discussion timeframe has passed, you may still discuss this chapter at your convienience. However, we will be moving on to the next chapter.

-Moleman1138

 

Due to the success of the PT and CT CBC discussions, I would like to discuss the deleted AOTC scenes chapter by chapter on the DVD. There are 8 chapters to discuss over the next month.

Each discussion will last 5 days. At the end of 5 days, the following chapter will be posted.

DS - Chapter 8: Anakin and Padme on Trial
DISCUSSION: August 29, 2005 ? September 2, 2005
DVD TIME INDEX: 0:00 ? 0:41

Synopsis:
Anakin and Padme are before Poggle the Lesser and the other separatist leaders. They have been tried and found guilty of espionage. Padme asks if they?re ready for war. Poggle says they are since they rely on machines. Gunray in the balcony with Dooku wants to the process get hurried and see her suffer. Anakin and Padme are led to their doom. END OF CHAPTER

Opinion:
This deleted scene like the last only drags out the inevitable. Anakin and Padme along with Obi-Wan are going to be executed by the Geonosians. When I first saw AOTC back in 2002, I was disappointed of the rushing between the droid factory and the arena, but the more I look at it, the more it works.

It?s just redundant since Jango turns them over to Dooku, who then turns them over to the Geonosians. It?s like pass around the prisoners and it gets old after a few scenes. Jango is affiliated to both Dooku and the separatists so in my opinion, it?s quite pointless bouncing them from one leader to another.

The scene is quite dark visually. In the balcony scene, I couldn?t make out a few of the separatists. I knew who they were, but visually you just couldn?t tell. Passel Argente for example almost blended into the background. I could also only see half of Shu-Mai. It?s know it?s not important, but visually it is.

And also the fact that Dooku is evil takes away from his enigmatic character. You?re really not supposed to know until the duel if he?s playing both sides or is just evil. This scene definitely shows his dark side a bit to early than should be shown. Decent deleted scene.

 

Just like the scene before, I think this scene has some quotable dialogue, like Padme's "You're committing an act of war...", and Poggle's reply.

I agree that the scene didn't add much, but I liked the cinematography: Anakin and Padme standing on that corgeous ornament in the floor, caught in that beam of light while everything around them is left in the dark, while you can still hear all those Geonosians, whom you know are there, chittering.
The shots I like the most are the first wide shot that opens the scene, and the last shot in which Anakin and Padme are taken away.

All in all, an okay scene, but not necessary in any way, I think.

 

According to the commentary, that was the same reason it was deleted!

 

I knew it was on the commentary, but I have the same opinion. I wasn't even listening to it when analyzing.

 

Thank you for all your participation in CBC (Chapter by Chapter). TESB Chapter 18: Leaving for Dagobah DISCUSSION and ROTJ Chapter 6: The Max Rebo Band will be made available 11:00 PM EST. Although the discussion timeframe has passed, you may still discuss this chapter at your convienience. However, we will be moving on to the next chapter.

-Moleman1138




A MESSAGE FROM THE HOST

"Here at last on the shores of the sea comes the end of our CBC. I will say do not weep for not all tears are of an evil."

I am proud of the impact CBC has made since its creation in August 04. It has seriously been an incredible journey for all, myself included. To analyze these films on such a detailed basis gives me such a great feeling.

I want to thank everyone who participated one way or another in CBC. Strilo, Stryphe, Windy, Bertocci. Thank you mods for allowing me to do these discussions and moving them over to PT. The regulars: Grand Moff Kevin, Tyrannus the Hutt, Rechedelphar, General Dodonna. If I forget any other regulars, I apologize, but you're here too.

Please be sure to join in upcoming discussions. We are now discussing ESB and ROTJ over in Classic Trilogy. And also ROTS DISCUSSIONS are coming as early as 11/7. Hope to see all of you.

-Moleman