MovieChat Forums > Angels in America (2003) Discussion > Sister Ella Chapter

Sister Ella Chapter

posted 9 years ago by bingobingo25
7 replies | jump to latest

So, I read the play in high school and was in a production of "Angels in America" a few weeks ago.

I finally got around to watching the series in full today and was really sad that HBO left out the scene where Hannah sells her house and says good-bye to her only friend.

It's a beautiful scene and it really adds some more depth to Hannah's character. Especially in "Millenium Approaches" where she comes off a little more harsh.

Anyone know why that scene was cut? Or why Prior's interaction with Harper at the Mormon Visitors' Center was cut? That's another really good one.

[–] patrick_bateman_90056 9 years ago

Probably to do with time and pacing. For a combined miniseries, there's only so much that can be included in a near six hour movie.

[–] willjohn 9 years ago

They did show Prior's interaction with Hannah at the Mormon visiting centre. She got him to hospital when he collapsed.

[–] bingobingo25 8 years ago

There's way more, though. They only showed the very last bit of it. They cut a good portion of his interactions (he has two if I remember correctly) with Hannah at the visitor's center.

[–] bbockatmacdotcom 8 years ago

They also cut Aleksii Antedilluvianovich Prelapsarianov, which is puzzling because Part II is Peristroika, and I'd assume it came from that character.

[–] bingobingo25 8 years ago

Yeah, they really cut a lot which surprises me. The play in its entirety is LONG, but perfectly manageable as a mini-series. Some of the cuts just seem strange.

[–] Thomasina 8 years ago

You keep saying "they" cut:

They cut a good portion of his interactions

Yeah, they really cut a lot which surprises me.

But the screenplay was written by Tony Kushner, the same person who wrote the play--not some anonymous "they" with no feeling for or understanding of the play. He got to make the decisions about what to take out and what to leave in. Just because the filmed version was a miniseries and therefore longer than most movies that get made out of plays didn't mean that everything from the play would have worked well when transferred to a screen, or that every single minute of the plays needed to be in the movie.

[–] bingobingo25 8 years ago

I know he adapted the screenplay. You do know that it's the producers (and HBO) that have final say though, right? He can still have a say, and for all we know that was the only draft of the screenplay version exactly as HE wrote it.

My question was why cut out (or if you insist, LEAVE out) that one particular scene though? It's an excellent scene for Hannah that gives the character much more depth. I love Meryl Streep and I love the character of Hannah (I recently played her in a production) but I wasn't crazy about the film version because a very key scene that offers a LOT of character development was left out.

You should try reading more. It'll do you some good.