MovieChat Forums > And Then There Were None (2015) Discussion > Ad breaks ruining this for me

Ad breaks ruining this for me

posted 9 years ago by sdgresham
27 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone happen to know why/how Lifetime managed to acquire the rights to air this in the US? It's my understanding most BBC programs are aired without ad breaks. I would much rather have seen this on PBS (no ad breaks) or even BBC America (less ad breaks).

I wanted to love this, but there were so many cuts to commercials it absolutely destroyed the pacing tonight. If the creators were intending to build tension, Lifetime succeeded in turning the tension into tedium. I caught myself dozing off some time after the first hour & had to stand up for a good portion of the second hour. Didn't help that the film's colors are much more subdued than the bright colors in the advertisements. My eyes just couldn't take the strain.

I understand the necessity of advertising. I just wish a better network had been given the chance to show this in the US, one which might have taken no/fewer ad breaks. As it is, I'm not sure I'll tune in tomorrow. Would be easier to just order the DVD & watch it as it was intended to be seen.

[–] nmadura 9 years ago

I'm glad I pre-ordered the DVD. I was lucky enough to see this when it aired in the UK without commercial breaks. Watching tonight I wanted to scream every time it cut to the commercials. The frequent breaks really affected the pacing and the build up of tension negatively. It wouldn't have been so bad had there been longer and less frequent breaks. I much would have preferred to see this on PBS. I'll watch tomorrow as Lifetime should be rewarded for a least partnering to produce such a high quality production even though I hate what the commercials are doing to ATTWN.

[–] Irish_Moon 9 years ago

They just cut out friggin 15 minutes from the get go! WoW. The whole train scene. The job place. Her flash backs!

[–] sdgresham 9 years ago

I had no idea it had been edited, too. Definitely skipping this tonight, then. I'll go back to marathoning episodes of Poirot until I can see this uncut & uninterrupted.

[–] jobla 9 years ago

I'll just buy the DVD or Blu-ray when it's released in the US on April 19th. No editing, no commercials, no station logos on top of the image, etc.

[–] Eddie C. 9 years ago

Be warned that while the Blu-ray is CLOSER to the BBC version than what was shown on Lifetime, it too has stuff edited out. I think that maybe the digital two-part version available on Amazon.com might be the complete version.

[–] libby2130 9 years ago

irish, come back after part two and let us know what they cut out of that as welll...and yess I found way too many commercials really screwed up the pacing and the build up of tension

[–] johnhelv 9 years ago

They just cut out friggin 15 minutes from the get go! WoW. The whole train scene. The job place. Her flash backs!

I recall the job scene and the train scene but I dont think the cuts are anywhere near close to 15 minutes in part 1 let alone the entire two part US version.

The running time for the UK version was roughly 169 minutes. Even if Lifetime is airing only 40 minutes an hour of content with 20 minutes of commercials, the US version would be 160 minutes. My guess is the Lifetime version is at least 164 minutes (much more likely they are airing 41 minutes per hour) and there are only around 4 minutes cut from the US version since the US version only has the credits at the beginning twice not three times like the UK version.

[–] Ann1115 9 years ago

I bought the US amazon instant video version after being dismayed by the editing. Fortunately, it's the original uncut version, which will apparently be what is also released on DVD/BLU-Ray. So Lifetime's editing will not affect the home video release.

And no, it's not 15 minutes cut at the start; it's only around 5-7.

[–] sdgresham 9 years ago

Glad to hear the copy on Amazon is uncut. I was tempted to buy the entire "season" earlier since it's so cheap, but was hesitant because I couldn't figure if it was the trimmed version or not.

[–] wendycscott9 9 years ago

Seems to me Amazon never has cut versions but shows the original as it is on a DVD. That was certainly true for Poldark anyway.

There were some things cut in this, some obscenities, for example, but I also noticed at least one scene in the TV version that I didn't recall in the UK DVD I have. I'm not sure it matters all that much, however. Unlike how PBS cut Poldark and we missed out on some very valuable scenes (like the quote below), I don't think we missed any crucial plot points in ATTWN, although it would have been nice to have the original opening scenes with the letters being typed out on old manual typewriters, since it gave a clue about how everyone got to be invited to the island in the first place.

---

"How was the war, sir?" "As any war, ma'am, a waste of good men." (Poldark)

[–] Eddie C. 9 years ago

I have both the Amazon version as well as the Blu-Ray, and I wish that you were right. Unfortunately, the blu-Rae has cuts.

If you watch the blu-Ray, you'll see a scene where Macarthur walks to the beach quickly glances at his feet, and then the scene cuts to Vera packing in her room. You might wonder what was the whole point of him walking to the beach. In the Amazon version, you see him tormented by the voice of Leslie reading her love letter to Arthur Richmond, and then him imagining blood pour over his feet. Also, in the digital version, you see Lombard and "Tubbs" talking about Armstrong being a suspect as they go down the stairs, and Blore saying he has no intention of investigating Lombard when they get back to England because he doesn't care about "darkies." That scene is gone on the Blu-Ray. Instead, you just see Lombard alone as Macarthur comes in from the beach.

[–] pikalive 9 years ago

It's actually 4 hours and 2 minutes on Lifetime, to be exact.

[–] Strawberrry35 9 years ago

4x60=240 additional 4 mins 244mims.
Commercial breaks 20 mins per hour so 20x4=80 mins
Now 244-80= 164 as the poster said.
Since the original version was 169 mins, that means only 5 mins were cut out of lifetimes version. But if you consider that the UK version aired the credits 3 time, vs twice for the US, that is additional time, so only about 4 mins were cut.

[–] pikalive 9 years ago

whatever, I know how to do the math. I only said that it is 4 hours and 2 minutes on Lifetime which is 242 minutes. never debated the rest of it.

[–] lhardman_763 9 years ago

Love this adaptation, but the ONLY way I could have sat through part one last night was that we DVRed it, and replayed, fastforwarding through the commercial breaks. They were disruptive, but it would have been a lot worse if we had actually had to sit through them. I notice that it was a two hour show, but we watched is just over 90 minutes--which means there were a lot of commericals.

[–] melliem42 9 years ago

Did the same thing. The ads were awful.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] highwaytourist 9 years ago

You are so right. I've already included my own complaint on this board.

[–] kharmudarla 9 years ago

The joy of having this on DVR, blowing through the commercials.

[–] CharlesTheBold 9 years ago

One sign of how intrusive the ads were: Wikipedia lists this as a 3-hour movie, but it took 4 hours to broadcast it on Lifetime. That means that all the commercials added up to a full hour.

Another pacing problem: the intended breaks in the BBC version did not match up to the hour breaks in the Lifetime version because the commercials messed up the timing.

[–] sewh-86-654926 9 years ago

I'd like to know how on earth mediocre Lifetime, Television for Women, got the rights to this! This should have been on PBS! This is exactly the kind of programming they love to air! A missed opportunity if it was offered to them first, but somehow I suspect it wasn't... I'll order my copy from Acorn who co-produced it in the U.K. I can watch it commercial free that way and the pacing won't be ruined, which it was, even with the DVR blowing through the ads!

[–] Stoshie 9 years ago

This is why DVRs exist. Record the program, watch it later, and fast-forward through commercials.

I rarely watch any program as it is aired. A one-hour program contains only about 42 minutes of actual show, the rest being commercials. A half-hour show is only around 22 minutes or less. You save time out of your life, and keep the continuity going by watching shows this way.

Get a DVR.

[–] austin-pearce 9 years ago

Lifetime is as dumb as a lot of the people who watch it.

[–] rod775-1 9 years ago

I'm watching this "On Demand" & can fast forward thru those dastardly commercials. And usually some Lifetime specials end up on Streaming Netflix. Eventually. Like "Houdini".

[–] AtticusDraco 9 years ago

Record the program, watch it later, and fast-forward through commercials.

I brake for GEICO commercials!

"Tarzan does not know,,
where Tarzan go!"

"HEAD FOR THE CEMETERY!"

If you're an IMDb member,
you write vacuous, mundane, condescending, &/or insulting thread posts.
It's what you do.

If you want to save 15% or more on car insurance,
you switch to GEICO.
It's what you do.

[–] sdgresham 9 years ago

Finally got around to seeing the whole thing, sans ad breaks. Much better this way. I actually got sucked into the story & got to go for a ride, rather than struggle to maintain interest in little 10-15 minute bites. It's not my favorite Christie adaptation, but overall it's an excellent, gorgeously designed production. 6/10, for me.

[–] GladyRuth 8 years ago

I borrowed the DVD from my local library network. I abhor ads and as you say, they ruin the art of the movie.

I'm grateful my library acquires the DVD's as soon as they go on the market. I do have to wait sometimes if I don't get to the front of the "line". It's well worth it though. I've also heard when some are shown on TV some parts are cut to accomodate for the advertising.