Cats: The Better Edit

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Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2019
Original Running Time:
110
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
95
Time Cut:
15
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
When I first saw the film, I enjoyed its bizarre energy and lack of self-awareness: it's a spectacle of misguided creativity (and a bit of a train wreck). However, the film regularly sags at certain points by becoming repetitive or confusing, which dilutes that enjoyment. By tightening it in this manner, I think it retains its momentum much better than the original.
Intention:
The part of my brain that loves detailed editing isn't often fully utilized by my videography work; narrative work is where that passion lies, and making fanedits scratches the same itch.
Special Thanks:
ArtisDead - Thanks for finding my old thread and helping me get the edit approved. Also, thanks for making that nice cover art!
Release Information:
Blu-Ray
Editing Details:
My editing goal is to improve what the film aims to achieve, not to impose my own vision upon it. My hope is that someone could watch this edit without realizing it's an edit and enjoy it more than they'd have enjoyed the original release.
Cuts and Additions:
Problem: The end of the overture stalls before the beginning of "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats."
Solution: Shorten overhead gib shot to sustain the overture’s energy. Shorten glimpses of cats to amplify Victoria’s reveal, with the final note occurring as Victoria stands alone in the middle of the stage. Shorten the delay between this shot and the beginning of the next song.

Problem: Cats scatter too slowly when Macavity approaches after "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats."
Solution: Slightly trim the shots to hasten their fleeing.

Problem: “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats” contains repetitive and meandering elements.
Solution: Cut a short segment as they arrive at the city fountain. After Macavity looks down on them, cut to the key change at the end to finish the song more quickly.

Problem: “The Naming of Cats” introduces confusing narrative elements and lacks musicality.
Solution: Cut the first spoken word segment of Munkustrap’s dialogue. This allows us to get right to the surreal parts of this scene and avoids misleading the audience with the idea that any part of the film’s plot will involve cat names.

Problem: Extended shots of Jenny scratching herself.
Solution: Remove first shot.

Problem: “The Rum Tum Tugger” stalls in the middle of the song.
Solution: Cut the third verse, which is lyrically redundant and includes a number of incongruous jokes. Additionally, cut the “Stop milking it” line from Tugger’s crooning towards Victoria.

Problem: Grizabella’s introduction is ponderously slow, and the song she sings is difficult to follow narratively.
Solution: Condense the progression of cats leaving the bar to approach Grizabella. Remove half of her exposition before being interrupted. Additionally, the line explaining her fate (“Then, she went with Macavity”) is followed by another character saying “No, she lives on the wasteland” which confuses the narrative. The point of the scene is that we understand she lived a bad life in the past and wants to move past it, so we cut this second line.

Problem: “Bustopher Jones” brings its momentum to a crashing halt with some jokes about Jones’ sensitivity about weight, which is narratively incoherent since the entire song is about how fat he is.
Solution: Remove launch sequence entirely.

Problem: “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer” has no plot relevance and begins to make the continuous cat introductions feel tiresome.
Solution: Remove song.

Problem: “Old Deuteronomy” begins in a slow manner with redundant lyrics.
Solution: Remove first verse.

Problem: Uncomfortably long transition between “Memory” and “Beautiful Ghosts.”
Solution: Slightly reduce the delay between songs.

Problem: Old Deuteronomy’s spoken word segment after “Beautiful Ghosts” is indecipherable and confusing.
Solution: Remove segment. Cover up part of the missing music with a reprise of the understated overture as Victoria returns to the theater.

Problem: The tap-dance segment of “Skimbleshanks” stops the momentum of the song dead in its tracks.
Solution: Remove slow tap-dance segment. Remove extra verse on the bridge to maintain momentum.

Problem: "Macavity" is slow and stagnant, losing its direction midway through.
Solution: Cut intro in half, remove two slow verses in the middle.

Problem: The cats waking up after being dazed with catnip is too slow.
Solution: Remove Munkustrap's asking "Where is Old Deuteronomy?"

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