MovieChat Forums > Begin Again (2014) Discussion > Can a Song Save Your Life?

Can a Song Save Your Life?

posted 10 years ago by brett-bayne
9 replies | jump to latest

I was lucky enough to acquire a rough cut of this film under its original title, "Can a Song Save Your Life?" Some scenes are longer and the film is edited differently. One interesting variation is that the special effects in the scene where Mark Ruffalo's character imagines Keira Knightley's performance "coming to life" with instruments playing themselves have not yet been rendered -- you can see performers wearing dark clothing playing the violin, oboe, drums, etc. Kind of cool. Some other elements, such as end credits, are not present.

[–] Ilario1 10 years ago

I wonder why they changed the title. And that scene was one of my favorite.

"What happens to a dream deferred?"

[–] brett-bayne 10 years ago

From Wikipedia:

It was later screened on April 26, 2014 on the closing night of the Tribeca Film Festival. The film's title was changed from Can a Song Save Your Life? to Begin Again between its festival premiere and its theatrical release because viewers found it difficult to remember and it was often misquoted.

[–] Ilario1 10 years ago

Ah thanks for checking Wiki. I like the original title better. Begin Again is appropriate as well but a bit bland, imo.

Can a Song Save Your Life gets right to the heart of the movie.

"What happens to a dream deferred?"

[–] Mat_Nichol 10 years ago

It's called "Can a Song Save Your Life" in Germany although I saw it in the UK as Begin Again. They tend to change titles a lot in Germany although in this case they've kept the original title. Weird.

[–] cengaveri 10 years ago

Can a Song Save Your Life was a awful title.

[–] Mat_Nichol 10 years ago

Yes, absolutely. Some of the German titles for films are pretty bad.

http://www.imdb.me/matnichol

[–] BetelgeuseT800 10 years ago

What are some of the differences as far as extended scenes? Doe it have the deleted scene with Dan kissing Greta?

[–] brett-bayne 10 years ago

I haven't watched the entire rough cut, but I just A/B'd the two versions. In "Begin Again," after their meeting with the record company exec, Dan and Greta discuss the possibility of doing a European recording tour; they hug, Dan grabs her arm, their eyes lock and then she walks away. The sequence plays out almost the same way in "Can a Song Save Your Life," except Dan kisses her hand.

[–] BetelgeuseT800 10 years ago

I know they reshot the scene where her and Dave meet and he invites her to the show- how is this different in the original cut?
What's the runtime?
Thanks