10/07/2013
Bong Joon-Ho Reportedly "Furious" Over 'Snowpiercer' Cuts
A couple of months ago rumors began to surface that The Weinstein Company were looking to chop up Bong Joon-Ho's sci-fi film Snowpiercer for American audiences.. Those familiar with ol' Harvey Scissorhands have been worried about this since the studio acquired the rights, and with estimates of as much as 20 minutes being cut there was a considerable amount of outrage. Bong diffused the situation a little bit by saying the edits wouldn't be so bad, but according to Variety they are pretty bad and the director is more upset than he's been letting on.
Talking to audiences at the South Korean Busan Film Festival where Snowpiercer recently screened, Bong made it clear that it was the last time his complete vision for it would be available. He said, “We are still in discussions about the cut, but it is clear that this is the only director’s cut you will be able to see." He didn't go into specifics on what the changes are, but sources close to him are saying they are significant enough that "privately he is furious."
Snowpiercer has been a major hit in Bong's native South Korea, where they received a full unedited version. The Weinstein hold the rights to the U.S. and a number of other major regions so the only hope at this point is that a director's cut will be a part of the DVD/Blu-Ray package.
I emphasized caution when the original story hit back in August, but that was before Bong Joon-Ho himself started getting pissed about the situation. More than anything I want to experience everything that a filmmaker intends, and considering what Weinstein did to The Grandmaster I'm officially worried.