[MissDexter]

Can you think of any films where part of the story suffers from bad editing?

I recently re-watched Steel Magnolias and can't help thinking some of Daryl Hannah's story was edited out.
She comes in as a geeky frump, she "finds herself" a little and becomes more relaxed, confident, assertive and sexy. Then for no real reason she turns to religion and becomes a little dull and frumpy. It's never really explained why her character changes so much in the film.
It kind of bugs me.

Any more examples?

[Big Boy Barry]

Quantum of Solace


Choppy editing makes most of the action scenes incomprehensible.

[Ted Cunterblast]

Hmmm...I wonder if we will get any actual examples of bad editing, or just the 'Usual suspects'.

Bad editing? Life of Brian. My fave comedy movie, but atrocious editing.

[mialicious]

Nightbreed
Event Horizon
Sphere
Dark Knight rises

[DemdikeStare]

Originally Posted by Big Boy Barry

Quantum of Solace


Choppy editing makes most of the action scenes incomprehensible.

But that was clearly an aesthetic choice (mimicking the Bourne/Greengrass fight scenes). I'm not really a fan of that style but that is 100% deliberate.

I thought Prometheus was badly edited, those deleted scenes on the bluray would have improved the flow of the story a lot along with actually hinting at characters motivations.

[Eddie Badger]

Practically any film that ends up on ITV or Channel 5, especially when it's shown in the afternoon.

[Smerph]

The ending of From Russia With Love. Brought upon by the censors, but you'd think they'd still have the original footage and could have spliced it back in when rules relaxed.

[Takae]

Once Upon a Time in America.

Every time I remember this film, I want to destroy the world. So poorly edited. I'm pretty sure that the editor and the director were nursing a grudge against producers when they worked on this.

[CAMERA OBSCURA]

The Deer Hunter.

In both direction and editing IMO.

[downtonfan]

Any film by Ed Wood. Topic over :-)

[NinjyBear]

The Dark Knight Rises had some pretty poor editing. Will have to watch it again before listing examples, but on first viewing there were quite a few noticeable moments.

[Platinum_Rose]

The Room

[ItsTimmyTime]

As much as I love The Hunger Games, the scene where Katniss volunteers is sloppily edited.

She's struggling with the guards screaming "I volunteer!!", then next frame she's standing tall away from them clearly saying "I volunteer as Tribute!".

It just registers on my radar everytime in a glaringly obvious way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUO1k1YadXQ @1:33

[MissDexter]

When I started the thread I was meaning sloppy editing that affected story structure and events rather than editing that results in continuity errors like someone is holding a drink one second then it's suddenly gone.

[degsyhufc]

There was a thread on a different topic but had some that would fit in here.

It was about characters disappearing in films.
Some of those could be down to editing where they had decided just to cut the scenes without telling the viewer what happened to the character.

[RedSnapper]

Someone mentioned Event Horizon above - i have always thought the same. There was a good movie in there somewhere...

best example for me of the power of editing is Ridley Scotts Kingdom of Heaven. What a huge difference the Directors Cut is - whole plot strands added back in, a much much better film.

[Chairman___Meow]

Tonys Scotts films (particularly the later ones) had a very tiring editing style. Pretty much all the films are shot with edits of three to five seconds. Coupled with the endless tracking shots and different setups it makes the films mentally draining.

[CBFreak]

Sister Act 2
The part where Delores asks the kids to change outfits and BLAMMO the scene instantly changes to the same place and her saying something else and the kids in different clothing.

[Simon Rodgers]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

When a certain character confesses to killing Eddie's brother: this part is cut from some TV edits so how did Eddie know towards the end?

[Smerph]

Originally Posted by MissDexter

When I started the thread I was meaning sloppy editing that affected story structure and events rather than editing that results in continuity errors like someone is holding a drink one second then it's suddenly gone.

I don't think you could blame your example on bad editing. The editor wouldn't have made that choice, it would have been the director or the producer's prerogative to cut out a subplot - if one did even exist in the original script.

The examples others give are better examples of "bad editing" to be frank.

[f_196]

Independence Day.

About 5 minutes of the car scene where David and his father are travelling to Washington ended up on the cutting room floor. Those 5 minutes explain so much more easily the depth of the story.

You don't really work out until much later on the complexity of the relationship between Connie and he.

[Big Boy Barry]

But that was clearly an aesthetic choice (mimicking the Bourne/Greengrass fight scenes). I'm not really a fan of that style but that is 100% deliberate.

True, but it makes the sequence incomprehensible.

[Shizuku]

Originally Posted by MissDexter

When I started the thread I was meaning sloppy editing that affected story structure and events rather than editing that results in continuity errors like someone is holding a drink one second then it's suddenly gone.

Editors are working to the brief of the director and producer, they can not usually affect story structure of their own accord.

Also continuity errors are the mistakes of the crew on set, editors can only work with the footage they've got.

Editors are still under direction imo, so I'd say these were all, if anything, bad direction or bad screenplays, not bad editing.

[Erythroleukos]

Can I mention Highlander II - The theatre release was edited in such a way that entire scenes from the middle of the film were placed at the end and the whole thing was an unfathomable mess.
There was another version which made more sense released a couple of years later - still a poor film but at least it made some sense.

[MissDexter]

Originally Posted by Smerph

I don't think you could blame your example on bad editing. The editor wouldn't have made that choice, it would have been the director or the producer's prerogative to cut out a subplot - if one did even exist in the original script.

The examples others give are better examples of "bad editing" to be frank.

I'm not specifically blaming the editor but it is bad editing, whether that be down to the director - quite often on documentaries you hear the director say certain scenes were shot but they slowed the flow down so they didn't use them.

I was trying to avoid "blooper" editing examples because they're just boring and there's a gazillion examples.

I was after examples of story or characters affected by the edit of a film, to be frank.