Bad cutting of movies on commercial channels

K

Kelly Belly! :DD

New member
I've noticed recently that some movies on commercial channels are being cut very badly. I don't mean cut as in losing bits, although I think they do lose bits, but I mean as in cutting in the commercial breaks.

For example yesterday I was watching ET on ITV2. I've watched the uninterupted version several times as I got in on video when it first came out, but I watched it on TV anyway because the video is now buried away somewhere.

There is a part where ET is about to die and Eliot is very ill, and ET cuts the telepathic tie so that if he dies Eliot can live. They start to cry because ET's dead (and so do I, usually), and it's a very emotional moment in the film - CUT RIGHT INTO BY SOME STUPID SOFA SALE ADVERTISEMENT GRRRRRRR! :mad:

I remember channel 4 years ago doing something similar to "A Christmas Carol" staring Patrick Stewart doing a highly credible job as Scrooge. Just as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was showing scrooge the Tiny Coffin of Tiny Tim, the camera cuts to Stewart's face, but you didn't get time to appreciate the moment before the adverts cut in. Again, grrrrrrr! (I remember writing to complain bitterly, as this had really spoilt the movie for me, and it's not one I have on video).

I don't mind adverts, but why can't they choose their moments better? It's as if they don't care how they butcher a good movie to get them in. ITV used to be quite good with how they treated their movies, but recently they are butchering quite a few good ones. :mad:

Okay, rant over.
 
Good Lord! You read my mind! I was going to post on this.

I have noticed the same thing. It seems to be a relatively new thing and is lazy and inconsiderate. Before, the timing of the ad breaks seemed to make some sort of sense
 
No, you're right, as you will see from the OP I did mention "A Christmas Carol" from a good few years ago (2000, I think). I remember it, and I remember it was on Channel 4, and I was moved enough to email and complain about it to the channel. So it can't have been happening that often in those days.

However, it's rather more prevalent now and I've noticed it a lot this past couple of weeks, and whether or not you think it's a more recent phenomenon may well depend on how long you've been watching the movies on TV, I suppose. ;)

Cutting a film to fit in a time slot I can forgive. Sometimes they've got no choice, but there's no excuse for shoddy insertion of aRAB, when a couple of seconRAB later would avoid ruining a film.
 
I rent or buy them. There is not much point watching them on television these days either due to adverts which I hate and never see the point of or cutting a 15 film to fit an afternoon slot.
 
Yeah, I guess I'm griping about nothing really as I taped ET when it was on in the late 80s, so I've got a good copy. It just seems like sacrelige when they do it.

I'm also lucky enough to have a copy of Memento, but am currently watching it on Film 4 anyway. So far they are doing quite a sensitive job of the cutting in for the aRAB. :)
 
Yeah, technology, there's the thing. With today's technology, they've got no flipping excuse for the pigs' ears they are making of some films, except perhaps for carelessness and a complete lack of appreciation of the finer points of a movie, and in that case what the flipping heck are they doing in the entertainments industry? :mad:
 
It can really ruin the mood. I notice it with tv programmes that when first shown did not have adverts too. sometimes in film it can be mid conversation and the aRAB are so often to. I will only watch them on sky movies not channel four or five because of the constant aRAB.
 
I don't watch too many movies on ITV,but certainly Channel 4 seems very thoughtful as to where they schedule their commercials so as not to interrupt the flow of the movie.But I very rarely tape any mainstream movies off C4,rather the late night,low budget or independent ones.

ITV 2 however,if the placing of aRAB on regular series is anything to go by,are the absolute worst.Last year I watched Surface and Supernaturals on ITV 2,and they would literally cut off the end of a sentence with an ad break. :mad:

I would have to be pretty desperate to even think about watching a film on ITV 2 now.
 
I hardly ever watch films on television because of the editing. Once watched Jurrasic Park and they edited an entire part out of the Velo/Kitchen scene, was terrible.
 
Hardly a huge example but I noticed they cut an entire conversation from Jackie Brown when it was on BBC last week. Essentially all that remained of the scene was the "hello" and the "goodbye"
 
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