Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released on Blu-ray, 4k UltraHD, and DVD this week along with a handful of deleted scenes. The most notable of these follows Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) after he visits the home of Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) looking for Terry Melcher. In a scene that extends upon the theatrical cut, Manson is seen talking to Paul Barabuta, trying to find out where Melcher went; upon coming up empty, Manson retreats to his Twinkie truck but not before making eye contact with Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) who is working on the roof of Rick Dalton’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) house. Manson waves at Booth and then turns into a wild man, ranting gibberish and yelling, “Fuck you, Jack!” Booth responds, “What the fuck was that about?”
Quentin Tarantino cut many scenes from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (originally intending it to be a novel); however, the aforementioned one feels like a game-changer. Manson was known for ranting and erratic behavior. Seeing Manson exhibit his trademark insanity in front of the chill Booth serves up a brilliant and hilarious juxtaposition. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to see this on the big screen, but sometimes great scenes don’t make the cut. In honor of antenna-fixing stuntmen and Jacks who can go fuck themselves, here are some other great scenes that shouldn’t have been deleted from their respective films.
Cover Photo: Columbia Pictures
Star power: RANKED! 12 Favorite Brad Pitt Movie Roles (Before ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’)
More Booth: Brad Pitt Proves Twice This Year That Some Movies Are Still Worth a Trip to the Theater
Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Cut Manson and Cliff Booth Exchange
-
Yoda and Obi-Wan's lie in 'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.'
In a deleted scene from Return of the Jedi, Yoda admits (while on his death bed) to forbidding Obi-Wan from telling Luke about the whole Darth Vader thing. Not only does this scene land but it changes our entire perception of Obi-Wan.
-
Sauron versus Aragorn in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.'
The original plan for the climactic battle at the end of The Return of the King saw Sauron getting a body and taking on Aragorn. The idea was eventually abandoned because Peter Jackson felt this would take the focus away from Frodo and Sam’s whole ordeal (and probably not make much sense). What’s left of this scene can been seen in the moment when Aragorn faces off against that big CGI troll (which was apparently supposed to be Sauron at one point).
-
Cyberdyne Systems in 'The Terminator.'
A deleted scene at the end of The Terminator sees the T-800’s arm and damaged CPU come into the possession of Cyberdyne Systems, which is of course the company responsible for the creation of SkyNet. This scene not only sets ups T2: Judgment Day but piggy-backs off of another deleted scene from the original film that sees Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese plan to blow up Cyberdyne. arm and a damaged CPU
-
Dudley says goodbye in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part I.'
This deleted scene shows us a different side of a character that we've always despised. As the Dursleys are leaving (because of the whole fascist wizard thing), Dudley stops to say goodbye to his brother from under the stairs.
-
Replicant ending in 'Blade Runner.'
In the theatrical release of Blade Runner, another blade runner leaves Rick Deckard an origami unicorn (but we are unsure why). In a deleted scene, Deckard is seen dreaming of a unicorn, hinting that his dreams may not be his own (he is a replicant). Before the release of Blade Runner 2049, the question of whether or not Deckard is a replicant was one of the most heavily debated questions in cinematic history.
-
Dancing boy in 'Bridesmaids.'
Bridesmaids originally featured a subplot where Annie (Kristen Wiig) goes on a series of horrible dates; before going on one of those dates, she has an awkward (and hilarious) interaction with the son of one of these dates. It could quite possibly be the funniest scene in the film, had it made it into the film.
-
Ripley's daughter in 'Aliens.'
Aliens begins with Ripley finding out she's spent the last 57 years in hypersleep; in a deleted scene, she asks about her daughter and receives a devastating news: her daughter died two years prior at the age of 66. The scene takes an even solemner turn when Ripley laments on the fact that she promised her daughter she would be back in time for her 11th birthday.
-
Captain America assimilating in 'The Avengers.'
A three-minute deleted scene from The Avengers shows Steve Rogers lamenting his lost life (via WWII footage) and adjusting to contemporary life. It sets his character up much better for the remaining events of the movie while also introducing us to that waitress whose scenes were all cut. However, when a film aims to feature as many heroes as The Avengers, it’s not a surprise when good scenes get left behind.
-
Bench press round two in 'Unbreakable.'
Perhaps the most iconic scene in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable is the one where David Dunn takes to the weights. In order to see what he’s really capable of, he and his son put as much weight on the barbell in their basement as possible. In a deleted scene (that takes place after the former), Dunn bench presses at a local gym much to the shock of all the meatheads in attendance.
-
Riggs and Mister Sniper in 'Lethal Weapon.'
Similar to Lethal Weapon’s Christmas tree/coke deal scene that demonstrates Riggs’ status as a psycho, there’s a deleted scene from the film that shows everybody’s favorite “lethal weapon” arriving at a sniper standoff (in what appears to be a schoolyard). Unconcerned with his own well-being, Riggs walks right through the line of fire and shoots the sniper, all while smoking a cigarette.
-
Balboa versus Drago 2 in 'Creed 2.'
The original Creed 2 script saw Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago duke it out in the hospital (briefly) after Adonis Creed gets whopped by Viktor Drago. The scene didn’t make the final cut (much to dismay of Sylvester Stallone) nor did another deleted scene at the end of the film that sees all four men seemingly make peace over a series of locker-room looks.
-
Joker's bus ride in 'The Dark Knight.'
After blowing up a hospital (haphazardly), the Joker jumps onto the back of a school bus and takes a seat. In a deleted scene, the camera follows the Joker as the bus drives away from the collapsing structure; however, Heath Ledger’s character never looks back. He's disinterested in what he destroys. It’s a scene that elaborates on an already magnificent character and performance.
