American History X: ReWorkedPrint


Updated: 28th May 2024

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American History X: ReWorkedPrint

Faneditor: BobsonDugnutt  
Fanedit Type: FanMix
Fanedit Release Date: 28th November 2023
Fanedit Runtime: 1h:39m:0s
Time Cut: 0h:20m:0s
Time Added: 0h:0m:0s
Genre: CrimeDrama
Original Title: American History X (1998)   
Original Release Date: 1st January 1998
Original Runtime: 1h:59m:0s
Original Links:

Certificate: 18
Source: Blu-Ray
Resolution: 1080p
Sound Mix: Stereo
Language: English
Subtitles: No
 

Synopsis:

American History X had a very tumultuous post-production, ending with the director leaving the film and wanting his name taken off. He has disowned the film as Edward Norton supervised editing, adding over 20 minutes of footage that director Tony Kaye detested. Based on an early workprint, this edit aims to recut and rearrange the film using this preliminary cut for reference, and present what the director's original intention could have been had he not clashed with the studio.


Intentions:

As there is virtually no details out there about the production of the film, with the DVD/Blu-Ray containing no behind the scenes material, and only some hearsay about what happened in post, the workprint is the only reference for what Kaye's vision could of been. It was really interesting to watch as almost every element was different, coverage, editing, music, voiceover, scene arrangement, etc. And so, I wanted to try and recreate what this version of the film could of been had he gotten the creative autonomy that he wanted.


Change List:

Editing Details: There's too much changed to list, but I did anyway. It's a lot of useless detail so here are the broad strokes. - trimmed every scene, sometimes just a reaction shot, sometimes a line here or there, sometimes the start or end is gone - Danny's flashbacks are all rearranged, breakfast with dad is right at the start instead of towards the end - Prison sequence is all rearranged too, with stuff being cut and moved around for a different sequence of events - new voiceover from both Danny and Derek, some are alternate takes for the theatrical, some are all new segements - cut Derek and Danny meeting Sweeney andthe police captain on the way to school, and Derek agreeing to help with investigating the neo-nazi gang - cut most of the suspense and tension around the final shooting in final minutes of the film, it's more of a shock than a built up event The film is 20 minutes lighter so there are a lot of changes to make this happen. I wasn't able to accomplish many of the differences between both cuts, but I've done my best to try and recreate it with the materials I have. Also, the curb-stomp is exactly the same as it is in the theatrical. There is no additional uncut gore footage. Both run visually parallel and are the exact same besides the theatrical cut having much more gruesome sound design. Cuts and Additions: warning: way too detailed and unweldly - rearranged shots after first car scene - added 3 years later card after prologue - added new establishing shot of the school after three years later card - moved Danny saving the kid being beat up in the bathroom, to right after this card - added another establishing shot of the school hallways after bathroom scene, with Murray's dialogue running over it - trimmed start of shot of Murray sitting down after closing door - cut Sweeney "you know Murray you actually did this to yourself" - trimmed reaction shot of Murray after Sweeney's "plain english!" - trimmed shot of Murray so that Sweeney responds quicker to his "this goes too far!" - added off-screen Sweeney dialogue "I'm with you Murray, give me a chance to talk to this child" - rearranged Danny/Sweeney meeting so he starts angry and stays there, rather than starting angry, calming down and getting angry again - cut Sweeney "this petty crap you're pulling, have a seat" - cut some of the small talk about things at home with Danny - cut the exposition about Derek in high school and how he was a good student - moved Danny down by the beach to after his meeting with Sweeney - added new alternate voiceover from Danny down by the beach, transitioning into the flashback with the Dad instead of the basketball game - cut shot of Dad laughing and drinking coffee - cut Dad joking that Derek might get a B- in English - cut exchange with Mum implying that Dad doesn't ready anything but Tom Clancy - trimmed Derek reaction shot and moved up Mum dialogue about affermitive action - cut Dad "you gotta question these things Derek" - cut Dad "you know what I'm saying?" - cut Derek pushing back and defending Sweeney, with Dad cutting him off and telling him it's bullshit - cut Sweeney pulling up to the police station - cut various inserts of skinhead/neo-nazi files and photos - cut police captain introducing Sweeney before he comes in - cut captain's expositional line about Derek going to prison - moved a chunk of exposition about who Cameron is and his relation to Derek, to the end of the scene - cut the captain's last line of the scene "keep it low" - cut Derek getting out of prison - added alternate voiceover from Danny as he's walking home, about how Derek didn't let him see him - cut Derek commenting how small the new apartment is - cut Derek defending him growing his hair out, and Danny not liking it - cut Derek going into the bedroom and taking the phone call - cut Mum kissing Danny and calling him her babyboy, and Danny resisting - cut Derek on the phone again - cut the family noticing someone is at the door and Davina getting up to answer it - cut Derek telling Seth he'll be out in a minute - cut Derek repeating himself when asking Danny was Seth is doing here - cut Derek repeating himself when asking Danny to leave while he's on the phone - added shot of Derek listening in to the entireconversation happening in the living room, rather than only only coming in at the end - cut Seth telling Davina to shut up - cut another segement of Derek's phone call - trimmed shot of Danny as now Seth cuts him off earlier when he says that some black people are alright - trimmed shot of Danny smoking - added alternate and recut dialogue when Derek is telling Danny not to pull something like the Mein Kampf essay - cut Danny talking about the stuff that Sweeney is making him do - cut Derek telling Danny to put his cig out, and pouring a glass of water for Mum - cut Derek laughing about how much of an idiot Seth is - the first flashback during Danny's essay writing is now the basketball one, rather than the grocery store - cut some silent stares back and forth from Seth and the other guys on the basketball court - cut some silent stares back and forth from Derek and Cam - trimmed some dead air before one of the guys from the opposing team laughing at Derek's proposition - added some new voiceover from Danny during the game, comparing the black guys to monkeys - added alternate voiceover to take us into the grocery store flashback 2nd, instead of the dinner with Murray - cut some voiceover from Danny about Derek making a name for himself - cut a shot and a line from Derek pointing out the skinhead crowd - added alternate voiceover from Danny as the skinheads are milling about - cut Derek telling off another skinhead about smoking weed - cut a few lines from Derek about some government policies - added some new voiceover from Danny to the end of the grocery store scene about how Derek was an inspiration - moved scene with Danny taking his sister to see Mum, to after the 2nd, rather than 3rd flashback - added alternate voiceover from Danny taking us into the 3rd essay flashback, now being the dinner with Murray - cut some laughing about Derek losing his point for a moment, before coming back to it - cut 2 reaction shots of Derek and Danny - cut Derek reiterating his point again about Rodney King - trimmed shot of Murrary so he responds quicker - cut a few reaction shots after Derek shoves his mother, so he now rips his shirt off faster - ended the dinner flashback after Mum sits outside on the curb, so Davina attacking Derek is gone, and Derek asking Danny if he is alright - moved Danny going through his Nazi box to after the 3rd essay flashback rather than the 2nd - added alternate voiceover while Danny is going through his Nazi box with newspaper clippings - cut the cut back to dinner flashback, with Mum telling Derek to get out of this house before going back to the night of the shooting, the 4th essay flashback starts straight into the shooting - added alternate voiceover from Danny at the end of the shooting flashback about Derek being prosicuted - moved the shot of Danny in tears at the computer to after the shooting flashback, instead of after the Dad flashback - cut a line from Stacey as Derek tells her he is leaving - trimmed shot of Derek so that he responds quicker to Cam - cut exposition about how Cam was a rat and was only in prison for 2 months - muted a line from Cam "get laid, do something" - cut one of Danny's shoves into the metal garage door - cut Derek reiterating to Danny about how it's all over and they can't go back - added voiceover from Derek about how he thought it was going to be easy - muted a section of voiceover from Derek about how he wasn't going to last, and moved it to later - recut and rearranged some shots of Derek walking out on the roof - added new voiceover, with exposition about the skinheads he hooks up with in prison - trimmed the end of the first lunchroom scene - trimmed the start of the laundry scene - cut Lamont talking about working in the kitchen - added new voiceover from Derek about how its not so different in prison - trimmed up Derek talking to the skinhead about making deals with mexicans in prisons - added new voiceover about how the other skinheads don't believe in the real white nation - swapped Mum's visit and the angry laundry scene with Lamont - trimmed the start of the laundry scene so it starts on him hitting the sheets - trimmed shot of Derek throwing the laundry so he does it earlier - cut Lamont telling Derek to chill out - trimmed Lamont putting the sheet on to impersonate a klansman, so he does it faster - ended the scene after Derek turns away from Lamont - trimmed start of the jail visit from Mum - cut Mum getting the cig out and fiddling with her purse - cut the dicussion about how the rest of the family is besides Danny - trim Derek responding to his mum, so that he responds quicker - cut Derek responding to his mum about Danny flushing his toilet, now he doesn't say anything in response and so she keeps piling on while he is silent - cut Lamont "god I miss it" referring to women - trimmed Lamont talking about girlfriends visiting and leaving on a good note - trimmed Lamont talking about angry makeup sex - added some new voiceover from Derek about how much Lamont loved to talk - moved laundry scene about how they got locked up, to right after the other laundry scene about angry sex - trimmed shot of Lamont messing around with the laundry - trimmed Derek stopping and thinking about Lamont going to prison over dropping a TV on a cop's foot - ended the scene early after Lamont says "assault, six years" - trimmed and shifted around scene with Derek leaving the skinhead gang - moved lunchroom scene to right after Derek leaving the gang - added new voiceover from Derek in the lunchroom - moved shower scene to right after the lunchroom - cut Derek looking up at Sweeney as he walks into the infirmiry - trimmed Derek's reaction shot when Sweeney brings up Danny - cut Derek "well you think I want him in here?" - added new voiceover from Derek in the lunchroom as he sits alone - cut a shot of Lamont at the start of the laundry scene as they talk about leaving the skinhead gang - cut Derek recounting 6 of them jumping him in the shower and that it won't happen again - trimmed shots while Derek tells Lamont he can't do anything if they come for him - added alterante voiceover with the prison montage, with Derek talking about he thought he was done for, but it never happened - trimmed some shots to accomodate the new voiceover - cut Derek and Danny running home after Derek tells his story - added establishing shot of the apartment - cut the brothers talking to their mum when they get home - added some new voiceover as the boys are taking down the nazi stuff in Danny's room - trim end of that scene, with it ending as Derek takes down the big red flag - moved Derek tucking his younger sister into bed to after they take down the nazi stuff - moved Derek in the shower to after that - regraded shower scene, day-for-night, as it now takes place late into the night instead of the morning - moved the crips in the car outside the apartment, to after the shower - added alternate voiceover from Danny as he finishes up his essay - trimmed the dialogue about the parole officier - trimmed a few shots in the apartement, nothing too consequential - cut out Danny and Derek stopping in the coffee shop, and them being apparoached by Sweeney and the police captain for Derek to go back in and try and take down Cam's operation, with him reluctantly saying yes - recut the walk to school with some new voiceover instead of the coffee shop scene - cut Derek's paranoia as he walks the streets, there's now very little buildup and tension to Danny being shot, it now largely is a surprise and shock as it happens - cut Derek being stopped by Sweeney as he runs into the bathroom, he now gets in unstopped


Other Sources:

- Remembering Olivia Newton John Xanadu,Grease movie locations Venice High School - Youtube video by German in Venice (new establishing shot of the school was borrowed from here - 3081-015 SCHOOLS - Stock footage from Sony Pictures, originally shot for the film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005) (a new shot in the school hallway is used) - American History X Workprint - Only voiceover is used and cleaned up, no video is present in this cut


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