1 The Final Rewrite
The first cut of the most expensive film in 1936 ran six hours long. It was nearly unwatchable. In collaboration with the film’s director, Frank Capra, the editors, Gene Havlick and Gene Milford, trimmed it down to 3 ½ hours. Even at that length the audience was unreceptive and many walked out.
Jump ahead to the next preview screening and a lucky accident. When the projectionist threaded up the film, he mistakenly left out the first reel, and started with the second reel. The film significantly ...
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