The Reason why Donnie Darko needs a director's cut (and doesn't)

In France they used to hold a film festival of 'cursed' films in Biarritz each year: A cursed film being one which through poor distribution, untimely public mood or just plain old bad luck failed to achieve its rightful place in the sun. Donnie Darko is a cursed film featuring dismantled jet engines in 2001; a year memorable for planes disintegrating in horrifyingly crushing reality.

Donnie Darko had the jinx lifted however through shrewd marketing, and will now receive that badge of honour for the troubled film now going straight, the director’s cut. Among the 'improvements' are new special effects, additional scenes, and most terrifyingly of all - new songs on the soundtrack: Director Richard Kelly couldn’t afford the rights for some of the tunes he wanted apparently. For a near flawless debut film, Donnie Darko’s soundtrack is one of the highlights in a mountain range of high points. How could it be improved?

To give you an idea of the quality of the soundtrack, I’m going to talk you through an early scene in Donnie Darko that hooked me utterly. From this point the film could have imploded and I wouldn’t have cared, and I suspect neither would you. After being introduced to the mystery elements of the plot and the Darko family, one strand of the film remains – the period '80s teen movie and Kelly introduces this to us with unforgettable style and verve. Some people will rave about the Cococabana introduction in Goodfellas or the opening single take of Touch of Evil, but for me the introduction to High School in Donnie Darko ranks up there as the single most impressive induction to a cast of characters and their interactions. Having seen this scene you can almost feel how the film will follow.

With the camera on its side the back door of the school bus swings open, and Donnie leaps to the ground in time to the opening synth power chords of Tears of Fears’ Head Over Heels. The shot then rotates round and tracks out to reveal throngs of schools kids entering the main door. Now we’re in the school and the guitars sing as Donnie notices Seth, the school bully. Scowling at Donnie and his friends, Seth barges past them and steals the camera as he swaggers down the corridor. His next gesture is to Mrs Farmer, the weak PE teacher obsessed by Patrick Swayze’s self help Guru. We watch her glare at Seth walking past as the opening lyrics commence and then the biggest throwback to the '80s yet occurs – the fast forward. In the two years since I saw Donnie Darko this single clip is the one that lingers in my head the most, and irritates me the most as I fail to identify which music videos used it.

Anyway the fast forward speeds Mrs Farmer out the way to let us find Gretchen (the love interest) beautifying herself before giving Seth, the ‘what a jerk’ face as he sniffs substance unknown (we’re thinking ajax here) from a locker. Now the principal catches the camera, totally ignoring the blatant drug abuse going on behind him and we’re back into another fast forward as he trots into the school yard and a white fade out.

A vast bronze bulldog (the school's symbol and mascot) fills the next shot and we see Cherita, by herself as you might expect. Finding Mrs Farmer, she’s now talking to Patrick Swayze - a man identifiably creepy by his collarless shirt. The principal joins in, and they introduce him to the trendy (and sympathetic) teacher couple, Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore. They are clearly embarrassed, summed up by Wyle’s lowered head. Drew Barrymore takes the camera and looks perplexed as she notices ‘Sparklemotion’, a group of dancing girls (Donnie’s sister included), who revel in girlie delight at their performance. Barrymore then walks into class to teach the book that will lead to her losing her job and closes the door on us. The camera goes through the door and as Tears for Fears sing about how ‘time flies’ the class speed up as they settle down and the song fades out.

And that’s it. For those brief two and a half minutes we are introduced superbly to a school community few of us can have participated in directly here in Britain, yet all have experienced via the films of John Hughes in the '80s and the teen revival with She’s All That and Buffy in the late '90s which continues to fill multiplexes even now, the anointed successor to the Western through works such as Elephant, Dazed and Confused (also being shown in this year’s festival) and of course Donnie Darko.

Returning to Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut, I’ll be blown away if Richard Kelly tampers with this scene, and I’m reasonably confident he won’t, such is its power and impact. If he does however, I give him my faith. If a curse can be lifted once, why not twice?

Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut will be shown on Saturday 17th July at 11pm.