MovieChat Forums > The Abandoned (2007) Discussion > Question for those who understand French...

Question for those who understand French.


Unlike the American, British and Australian DVDs, the French DVD (Abandonée) is packed with special features, including four documentaries, four deleted scenes and multiangle storyboards.
I found a review of the DVD that has detailed descriptions of the deleted scenes, but unfortunately the review is in French, and even with Google's translation software, I can't really understand it.

If anyone here speaks French, can you translate what the review says about the deleted scenes? I really want to know what happens.

http://cinema.jeuxactu.com/test-dvd-zone-2-abandonnee-1093.htm

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Whoa, there's quite a bit of nuanced jargon there, and I wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

If you're still seeking a translation . . .

I worked at a state university for years, and most language departments there (of any size, and French should be one, wherever you are if in the US) would translate an article or the like for people, as they are, after all, divisions of a public institution. You might check with one in your state, because you'll want someone who's fluent. Or try a private college, who knows?

Bonne chance!

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Here you go :


We are also gifted four scenes, either alternative or deleted footage.

First of all, the scene where Mila meets Michari, longer and more complex than the one that was kept in the end. It was originally edited in a way where it alternated between moments where Mila was in Michari's office, moments where she was watching television in her hotel, and moments where she arrives in her childhood village.

In the scene "a strange dream", Mila dreams about a river, an arm floating in water, and ends with a close-up on the face of a young girl, after which Mila wakes up. This scene goes in pair with another scene that was cut : "alternative ending".

"Mila in the forest" adds another step in her escape : deep in the forest, she faces her doppelganger, which is holding a briefcase. It suddenly opens, letting the clothes it contained fall to the ground. After aiming her gun at her doppelganger, Mila runs away.

The most significative modification is without a doubt the ending sequence. Initially, when Mila falls in the river driving the truck, she had faced the apparition of her daughter. Trying to dodge her, she brutally swerved and fell in the water. The freeze frame is mixed with a flashback where the mother evoques the difficulties she has to communicate with her daughter.

On the bridge, the young girl watches her mother, who (in a normal non-doppelganger state) rejoins with her, they both head out in the direction of the house, where the now complete family awaits them. The daughter lets her mother rejoin them and watches the door of the house closing.

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