Joker: The Multiple Choice Recut

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9.6 (10)
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Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2019
Original Running Time:
116
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
99
Time Cut:
17
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
This edit retells the story of Joker in four parts and leans into the unreliable nature of the character.
Intention:
Joker was an interesting film that was largely inspired by The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver by Scorsese - two great films I highly recommend you go watch - but I thought it'd be interesting to rework it so that it followed a more ambiguous route - after all, the Joker's backstory has always been a mystery and reworking the film in this way keeps it as such.
image
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
Scenes were rearranged into four different arcs.
1. I Have A Condition - Follows Arthur's mental condition, the shootings on the train that result from it, and the subsequent clown-related protests.
2. Clowning Around - Follows Arthur's party clown career and the trouble he runs into after buying a gun.
3. Happy - Follows Arthur's difficult financial situation and his relationship with his mother.
4. That's Life - Follows Arthur's stand up career and his interest in Murray's show.

The character of Sophie (and the subplot relating to her) was almost completely cut, save for a few brief appearances. The asylum scene from the end was split up and used at the end of each arc, in order to imply Arthur is telling these stories to the prison psychiatrist. Some overlap between the arcs was inevitable - I mostly let this be as it feeds into the unreliable narrator aspect of the story.
Cuts and Additions:
1st arc - I Have A Condition:
Cut Arthur on the bus with the kid. Although this scene provides exposition, I thought it best to leave Arthur's condition be ambigious, plus there is a clash here as the very next scene is Arthur on a train - didn't want to go from a bus scene to a train screne.
Trimmed scene where Arthur and Sophie see the poster so that they are not walking together, she is just a random person who talks to Arthur.
Cut shots of Arthur at the first protest, as the next scene is him going out in clown makeup and running into protesters on the train.

2nd arc - Clowning Around:
Cut Arthur playing with the gun and accidently firing it.
Cut mention of the train killings as Arthur clears out of work.

3rd arc - Happy:
Cut Sophie from the scene where Arthur is at hospital.

4th arc - That's Life:
Cut Arthur meeting Sophie, stalking her, inviting her to his standup, their relationship, her at the standup, Arthur entering her apartment. Reason: her presence had no relevance to any of the four arcs, felt like a Fight Club-inspired idea that was tacked on.
Cut shot in asylum implying Arthur is laughing at Thomas' murder.

User reviews

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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.9(10)
Audio Editing
 
9.5(10)
Visual Editing
 
9.4(10)
Narrative
 
9.5(10)
Enjoyment
 
9.6(10)
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Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
This edit reminds me of Pulp Fiction, how every mini story is put into a messy timeline. Nothing is pieced together though, which is the point, I get that. But it can get quite confusing and requires a lot of abstract thinking for those who haven't seen the original film before. But if you haven't seen the film before and want to see this one, might be a fun challenge to figure out in your head what's going on in the story.

I'd like to say that I'm surprised that it introduces concept late into the film such as the introduction of Murray Franklin, Arthur's hero throughout the film, though throughout all the confusing placements, not only does it all fit together neatly, it restructures the story to give it more mystery within the film, makes you keep watching and say "How did he get that gun?" "Why did he kill those people?" only for you to be given the answer to those questions in the next sections of the film.

Also, good on this person to remove the woman story line, didn't really feel like it was super important.

Overall, it's a neat spin on the Joker movie. I hope to see more edits like this in the future!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
A
1 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
At the beginning of the 2nd Act, the opening titles that remain (because that scene is at the start of the original film) are a bit weird and out-of-place, but they would be hard to remove without destroying that important section. Also, a couple of audio edits were a bit too obvious, maybe they were intentional but still seemed a tiny bit too much.

Now the (many) good parts. The non-linearity here works wonders, because the viewer experiences a portion of what’s happening inside Arthur’s head.

Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is a tour de force and I believe that is even more highlighted by the new four-Act structure. The narrative flow is now brilliant. It’s a different film, a different story and that births several different new perspectives on an insanely complex personality. Also, excluding Sophie was absolutely the right choice.

What an experience of cinema this edit has created; it morphed from an original film that didn’t really click for me (something seemed wrong about the pacing…) to a display of good narrative structure and storytelling.

Many thanks!

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Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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Overall rating
 
10.0
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10.0
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10.0
I was a bit confused as to the order of things but instead of questioning how the original order was i just accepted the ride. GReat cut. It turned another origin super hero story into a full pyschological film - kinda reminds me of taxi driver. I remember in theaters thinking "everyone is gonna keep picking on him until he goes crazy " With this cut i am now very excited for the sequel!

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Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
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9.0
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9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Maybe Spoilers ahead !

I have to start by saying that i personally find the Cinema Cut exceptional and the Movie is in my Top Films for eternety.

So i was really looking forward, to see this (what i think is a brilliant film) put together in a new and different style.
It worked very well.
The 4 Part Storyline is a great choice to get into it all - but here i have to say
i was a bit putt off by the Titles rolling in later as part two came around it seemed missplaced, but thats just me.

The narrative is driven and unreliable as it should be.
IN the end we all dont know what made him The Joker.
What is his origin and what part of his lies we fell in.

To exclude the neighbour was a good choice, again, it is a different view and spin and the so called Love interest wouldnt work.
Scenes are not "missing" and the whole Film was very enjoyable to view.

Thx for this great work.





User Review

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Yes
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Digital
V
Top 100 Reviewer 47 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
A great alternate way to watch the Joker movie - it feels like short, focused narratives rather than the multiple plotlines interwoven in the original, and for me, it especially hit hard with the mother relationship section, feeling even darker than the original by putting it all together.

Great work, a couple audio transitions hit a little bold for me but nothing distracting and up to personal tastes. Lots of great planning work must have been done to "mix" up how to retell a story by "unmixing" things, bravo. A worthy FEOTM winner, showing what this great hobby is capable of in fresh, new ways.

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