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Not a likely possibility.

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on November 26, 2007 at 10:40:40

In Reply to: There is another possibility... posted by jamesgarvin on November 25, 2007 at 11:46:10:

>>> "When the Coens purchased the rights to the story, the author mandated that the ending accompany the filmed version, and that requirement was part of the purchased contract." <<<

If you're familiar with movie options, then you should be aware that this is rarely the case. While some authors would like more input into the process, authors just don't have that kind of leverage. Those authors who demand it will usually lose the sale, and the money on the table is substantial, typically so much more than what most authors see in advances & royalties that holding out for creative control is foolhardy.

>>> "It would not be the first time that an author refused to sell the rights to a story until a studio or film maker agreed not to make substantial changes to the story." <<<

It wouldn't be the first time than an author lost a major sale by being stubborn, too! Keep in mind that there are others who must be considered in this process. Authors usually employ specialized agents who negotiate the most lucrative option and associated screen credits, but aspects of creative control are rarely on the table even for the most prestigious authors, assuming that an optioned work has any chance of being green-lighted for production, which is rarer than you might think.

Agents (both literary and film industry) have a vested interest in making the best FINANCIAL deal (15% of which is typically their end) for their clients; trust me, creative control is a LOW priority in the negotiating process.

>>> "I am curious as to which choice the posters who complain about the ending would make." <<<

One can only subjectively assess the final product that arrives on screen; it isn't simply a matter of 'complaint' when one evaluates a film: it's an assessment of the film-maker's final achievement, warts and all. That said, I would've dropped the last speech where a beaten Tommy Lee Jones resigned himself to being of the pasture rather than the future or better yet, placed that discussion at or nearer the film's start and framed the movie with it. That speech, placed at the end made the film feel unfinished or rather anti-climactic.

>>> "Obviously, I do not know whether this is the case, and whether the Coens could have written another ending. But it seems only fair that before people criticize the Coens they conduct a little research to determine why the Coens did what they did. You certainly would not want people to watch you enter and leave your office and make determinations about what and why you did what you did in the privacy of your office when they never bothered to set foot in the building. " <<<

You can only judge the quality of the "office" by the work that's delivered. Assessing the thought processes of the product's designer or the office management is not important to the customer. What is important to the customer is the final delivered product!

Constructive criticism of the Coen brother's "product" is fair since their reputations haven't been sullied in the process; the work is still valid and praiseworthy even if folks are less than satisfied with the end product.

AuPh

Edits: 11/26/07

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