Batman Forever Deleted Scenes - Part 1

A few scenes were cut from Batman Forever. Some of these have been released on the DVD and Blu-ray. So let's take a look at these first.
I've got two versions of the deleted scenes. First up is the raw footage that appeared on the DVD and Blu-ray.

But I also have versions of the deleted scenes with music and sfx added. This is taken from a fan edit called the Virtual Workprint (look it up on google - it's easy to find. Someone posted it to reddit a while ago). The so-called Virtual Workprint took the deleted scenes from the DVD and added them back into the film (the maker also reordered the beginning to match the production script - it starts at Arkham, then has Bruce meet Nygma, THEN we go into the bank heist.

Anyway, enjoy.

SCENE 1 Dr Burton discovers Two-Face has escaped from Arkham.

This is a fun set up - I love how Gothic they made Arkham Asylum - but it's kind of redundant and the writing on the wall is a little hard to read. I can see why they cut this.

SCENE 2 Longer confrontation between Two-Face and Batman in helicopter.

It’s nice to get a little more Tommy Lee-Jones. He definitely got pushed off screen by Jim Carrey's dominating presence but I think the short version in the film works better.

SCENE 3 Riddler redirects Batman to Beauty Parlour.

Yeah I can see why they cut this. It’s really goofy and makes Batman look like a fool.

SCENE 4 Bruce talks with Dick while he trains.

I'm sorry, Dick taping a photo of Two-Face to a dummy is really silly looking. I do like the ending with Bruce high kicking the the top off though. I think Val just about pulls it off. Imagine Michael Keaton doing something similar?  Yeah, me neither.

SCENE 5 Bruce watches the Kenneth Frequency show on TV.

This is kind of interesting. The early scripts had a character called Vondelle Millions who hosted a TV talk show that debated whether Batman was a menace or not. It seems this scene is what it got reduced down to. It’s okay - not a fan of the actor's delivery - but it makes Bruce seem really impulsive. Like because he saw something on TV he decided to quit being Batman.

SCENE 6 Bruce finding his father's diary and confronting giant bat.

This is fascinating. I love the giant bat. I love the symbolism and over the top-ness of it but it sort of stops the film when it should be building towards the climax. I don't love the whole diary aspect. The deleted scene is missing a voiceover. Basically the idea is that Bruce discovers from reading the diary that when he was a boy his father chose to go to the cinema on the night his parents were murdered. Bruce mistakenly thought he had been the one and thus, inadvertently, the one to blame. It’s kind of silly. I'm glad they cut it.

I love the giant bat though and wish they could have found a place for it.

SCENE 7 Does it ever end?

Yeah it's an ill advised copy of the ending to the 1989 film.

I get the pun they are trying to make. "Does it ever end?" Alfred should have said "No, he's Batman Forever" and then winked at the camera. It just the look Nicole gives at the end. She looks like "Oh, maybe I've made a mistake dating this guy."

Originally the film was to end on a shot of Batman and Robin on the rooftops of Gotham City. We'll be looking at that and other deleted shots next time.