I note upon reading about the production of this movie that the planned original ending was met with disapproval by the studio and a new ending needed to be shot.
Does anyone know what the original ending was and whether it's available, i.e. as an extra on the DVD?
Due to studio pressure, 15 minutes were trimmed from the original running time and a new ending was shot. (from trivia)
Excatly what they took out I don't know
First I am hearing about this. Now I have to find out.
sharegood question, id also enjoy knowing the answer to that one
shareAccording to Roman Polanski (from the book "Roman Polanski: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers)" by Paul Cronin): "The original ending had Harrison Ford escaping and finding himself in a taxi stuck in traffic, whereupon he discovers the krytron in his pocket"
And for the reasons behind the change from a 1988 article ("Frantic, as in 'Frantic'" by Pat H. Broeske):
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"The film's been scuttling back and forth," said a Warners exec, who told us that after initial preview screenings ("The film just wasn't working"), it was trimmed by some 15 minutes. "But shorter doesn't necessarily mean better," the exec said. "And the narrative suffered."
In the end, the ending didn't work either. "Roman worked on an alternate ending," said Mount [Thom Mount the producer]. "But this wasn't a 'Fatal Attraction'-type thing. We didn't give the film a completely new ending--just a variation in 'shading' concerning the hero's level of victory."
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