10 Movies Saved By One Single Cut
5. Cutting Miranda's Vulnerability - The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada is a ludicrously entertaining comedy remembered largely for Meryl Streep's towering, Oscar-nominated performance as takes-no-prisoners magazine editor Miranda Priestly.
Yet the entire tenor of the film would've been irrevocably changed had director David Frankel included a brief deleted beat from the gala scene, where Miranda's husband (James Naughton) drunkenly belittles Elias-Clark chairman Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman).
This could naturally have devastating ramifications for Miranda's career, but her co-assistant Andy (Anne Hathaway) quickly diffuses the situation by distracting Ravitz with a question. We then cut back to Miranda, who mouths a silent "thank you" to Andy.
It's an interesting moment, albeit one that annihilates the film's delicate tonal balance.
It feels out of character for the icy Miranda to suddenly treat Andy with such gratitude at this point in the film, and would've had a significant impact on how the audience perceives the rest of the story.
Furthermore, the idea that Miranda is threatened by the fancies of her booze-soaked husband really undermines the impression that she's an all-powerful, indefatigable force of nature, no?