Lost in the Movies: Twin Peaks: Untangling Fire Walk With Me from the deleted scenes

Twin Peaks: Untangling Fire Walk With Me from the deleted scenes


If you are asking yourself, "Did I just see TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME or the deleted scenes (THE MISSING PIECES) or some other fanedit/mix?" this post is for you.

Because Fire Walk With Me (the 1992 Twin Peaks prequel) is not available on most streaming services, many people attempt to download it. Unfortunately, this can yield alternate versions of the film. I've been noticing on Twitter, and elsewhere on the internet, that first-time viewers often emerge confused as to what they actually just saw.

Well, I'm here to help.

Below I have laid out the content of the deleted scenes, as well as the scenes from the actual movie. But first, some context. There are four possibilities...

1. Congratulations! You did just see Fire Walk With Me. With its abrupt shift in tone, dual narrative, and fragmented style, the film itself has perplexed viewers over the years. That said, it still plays like a feature film. Chances are if you think you just saw a collection of deleted scenes then you probably did just see a collection of deleted scenes.

2. Good news (sort of)! You just saw The Missing Pieces. This past summer, David Lynch released 90 minutes of unseen footage originally cut from the film. This is good news (sort of) because you haven't actually seen anything from Fire Walk With Me out of context (except for a few scenes that are extended in The Missing Pieces). Surprisingly, the deleted scenes actually make a good transition into the film. They are more in the style of the series (longer takes, wider shots) than the actual movie, and they bridge between the town's and Laura's perspective. If anything, you may enjoy the film even more now, so get to it! Word of advice, though, try renting the disc from Netflix or borrowing it from a friend before tossing the dice in Torrent-land once again...

3. Bad news (to my mind)! You just saw Q2's four-hour fanedit combining Fire Walk With Me and The Missing Pieces. Just to be clear, I am not necessarily knocking Q2's efforts (which I haven't seen, although enjoyed his/her fanedit Northwest Passage, boiling Twin Peaks down to the Laura Palmer investigation). This compilation sounds like an interesting experiment...that should be watched only after you've already seen the film and deleted scenes in their proper context. Lynch presented them separately for a reason; the scenes, while entertaining on their own, mostly detract from the power of Laura's story. What's more, he cut and mixed them in a very different way from the film so I can't imagine they would gel aesthetically. If you watched this, my advice is to revisit Fire Walk With Me as it was meant to be seen, in its theatrical cut.

4. Worst news of all! You just saw some other fanedit that not only combines different material, but leaves out scenes from the movie. I've heard rumors that there are numerous "remixes" out there, playing fast and loose with what is and isn't in the actual film. Again, potentially interesting as an experiment but...not the best way to see this movie for the first time. If this is what you encountered, or think you encountered, then you are the one most in need of this list.

Just watched the film and you still have questions? Who doesn't?! Feel free to check out my video 7 Facts About Fire Walk With Me. It explores the context of the film's controversial relationship to the TV series. And more videos are on the way, with much to discuss. Fire Walk With Me is a rich, provocative movie that deserves to be seen in its proper context. Here is a list of deleted scenes, followed by a list of scenes in the actual movie:


THE MISSING PIECES (deleted scenes from the film)


Title sequence
Short credits appear over Laura's portrait, mountain landscape, and Red Room
Chet & Sam leave the morgue
(EXTENDED from film)
More dialogue from the FBI agents, and they are shown exiting the frame
Arriving at Hap's Diner
(EXTENDED from film)
We see the car pull in and the agents enter the diner (this is only a four-second establishing shot in the theatrical cut)
Talking in the hallway
(EXTENDED from film)
The agents talk for a longer time to the man in the hallway and we see more wide shots of the whole group and close-ups of the other people
Leaving the diner
The agents briefly chat in the parking lot and see Irene the waitress going home; first scene that is not in the film at all
Chet fights Sheriff Cable
First long scene that is not in the film
Cooper talks to Diane
...whom we neither hear nor see
Cooper talks to Sam
...and see his bizarre churning machine
Philip Jeffries in Buenos Aires
The FBI agent - played by David Bowie - strolls through a hotel lobby
The #6 pole
Standalone shot of this pole from the trailer park (featured in context in the film) is used as a transition into the convenience store sequence
"Above the convenience store"
(EXTENDED from film)
Much longer version of the scene with Bob, the Little Man, and other spirits, not intercut with FBI headquarters; includes Laura's face superimposed over Red Room and spirits fading into woods
Phillip Jeffries in Philadelphia
(EXTENDED from film)
Longer version of Jeffries' visit to FBI headquarters, which is not intercut with the spirits' convenience store meeting; quieter music, no television static, and less fragmented presentation
Phillip Jeffries back in Buenos Aires
Dramatically zapped onto a hallway in the hotel he left before, Jeffries moans and extends his hand, while a maid and bellboy freak out
Bobby & Mike talk to Laura & Donna
(EXTENDED from film)
Longer version from a different angle (we stick with the boys rather than the girls), without music or cutting, starting before the girls walk by
Laura helps Sarah with cigarette
...before running out the door
Sarah confronts Laura
...about lying to her in a small matter
Palmer family Norwegian chant
Begins with Leland shouting "I'm hungry" and placing an axe on the cabinet
Laura & the trucker
Laura exchanges sexual offers for a ride
Pete, Josie, and Mibbler in the Lumberyard
Explaining the real meaning of a 2 X 4
Norma sees Ed & Nadine
(EXTENDED from film)
In the film, we only see Norma tell Shelly to help Laura; Ed and Nadine were cut from the scene
Laura sees something
(SHORTENED from film)
We only see Laura's reaction to the Tremonds, but do not actually see them ourselves
Shelly takes the tray outside
Instead of sticking with Laura outside, we follow Shelly
Laura abandons Shelly
(SHORTENED/EXTENDED from film)
Again, we do not see the Tremonds as Laura tells Shelly she has to go; but Shelly's preparations to help Laura may be extended from the film - essentially these scenes shift our focus away from Laura's perspective as presented in the film
Norma cries and sees Ed
We return to the diner where Shelly tells Norma what happened, and Norma weeps before Ed returns to cheer her up
Donna comforts Laura
(EXTENDED from film)
Donna's dialogue is extended and we only see her without cutting to Laura's reaction, unlike the film
The Hayward living room
Laura is reassured by the family (including Doc giving her a note about angels) before her father calls up to get her home again
Cooper & the Little Man in the Red Room
(EXTENDED in the film)
Using some wider shots and more dialogue, this was originally presented as part of Laura's dream; similar to another deleted scene, except this time a ring is on the table
Laura under the fan & with Sarah
(EXTENDED from film)
Longer scene with overlapping shots of Laura's creepy smile, which are not in film; also concludes with Laura comforting her mother as she worries she is having a nervous breakdown
Church establishing shot
Very quick establishing shot, not in the film
Leo tells Shelly to clean
(EXTENDED/SHORTENED from film)
We see Shelly standing close to the camera before Leo forces her to clean the floor; ends when Leo gets on the phone (in the film we witness a couple phone conversations)
Ed & Norma in the car
...talking about whether their lives are a "smash-up" and listening to the title theme on the radio
Driving to Partyland
Donna drinks and Laura snorts cocaine as they and their "dates" speed across the border
Parking lot of Partyland
Laura taunts Donna for refusing to do drugs
Arriving at Partyland
...or the Pink Room, or "The Power and the Glory" or "Can-a-do and U.S. of Fuckin' A" depending on what you want to call it; we do not see the dance floor only the entry through the bar
One-Armed Man with candles
Philip Gerard/Mike lights candles and chants backwards
Flashback: Meet Teresa Banks
(EXTENDED from film)
Teresa talks on the phone with her newest customer; we only hear one piece of dialogue from this scene in the film (over a shot of her in a magazine)
Flashback: Teresa, Ronette & Laura in motel
(EXTENDED from film)
The film only features a brief shot of Teresa's ring (as well as a preceding scene setting this one up)

Flashback: Teresa blackmails her customer
Teresa figures out who her customer was and calls him up after talking to Jacques; we only hear about this in the movie but never see it
The Palmers prepare for the Horne party
Leland quickly tells Laura & Sarah to get ready; the party scene itself was apparently never shot


Laura looks for coke in her diary
(EXTENDED from film)
Reveals the hiding place of Laura's key but is otherwise the same as the film scene
Truman talks to Hawk & Andy
...about tracking down Bernard Renault
Laura teases Bobby
...about killing someone
Bobby finds out his coke is baby laxative
...and tosses it everywhere on a wooded path
Jacoby calls Laura
(EXTENDED from film)
In the film, Jacoby never appears and we only see Laura snorting coke
Laura eats asparagus & goes to Bobby
Laura's last supper before departing for the Briggs
Briggs read the Bible
...as Laura arrives to find out Bobby is in the basement
Laura and Bobby on the couch
(EXTENDED from film)
Bobby actually tells Laura about the baby laxative (which we don't see in the film); there's a bit more at the end of the scene too
Laura leaves the Briggs
...and Bobby sneers at his parents
Lucy & Andy scare each other
...after Truman leaves and Lucy tells a raccoon story to no one in particular
Leland stares at Laura
(EXTENDED from film)
In the film, we only see Laura climb out her window and get on James' bike; the long sequence of Leland approaching the house and staring in Laura's direction is cut
The Log Lady hears Laura's cries
In the film, the Log Lady only appears in a short scene outside the Roadhouse with Laura and we do not cut away from Laura's death scene
Laura floating in the morning
(EXTENDED from film)
The film has only a few brief seconds of Laura's corpse bumping against the log; this shot is a bit longer
"Some months later..."
Glastonbury Grove introduces us to the post-finale footage (except for Laura's dream and Cooper's appearance in the Lodge there is no post-finale footage in the movie; it ends with Laura's story)
Annie rushed to hospital
Medics race down the hallway with their bloody, non-responsive patient on a stretcher
Cooper & the Little Man in the Red Room, part 2
Similar shots to the previous Cooper/Little Man scene but this time the ring is not on the table and they discuss the unfolding of time
Annie in the hospital
The nurse takes Annie's ring; Annie's dialogue is delivered to someone else in the film
Evil Cooper in the Great Northern bathroom
An extension of the last scene of the series (although this was shot specifically for the film, not as part of the show; same goes for previous two scenes)
Creamed corn on a spoon
...as the credits unfold





TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (the theatrical cut)


Title sequence
Credits over TV static before the set is smashed
Teresa Banks' body floats down the river
Gordon Cole calls from Oregon intercut with...
Chet Desmond talking to him from his car at a strange crime scene
Airplane approaches Oregon airport
Cole introduces Chet to Sam and Lil, the Dancing Woman
As Chet & Sam drive to Deer Meadow...
...they discuss the meaning of Lil's "code"
Chet forces his way into the sheriff's office
Chet confronts Sheriff Cable
Chet & Sam do the autopsy on Teresa
Chet tells Sam they're going to Hap's Diner
(longer version in The Missing Pieces)
Chet talks to man in diner hallway
(more shots of the group, longer dialogue in The Missing Pieces)
Chet & Sam inside the diner
Chet & Sam arrive at Fat Trout Trailer Park & meet Carl
Chet & Sam explore Teresa's trailer & see strange lady with icepack
Chet argues with Sheriff Cable about moving Teresa's body
Chet tells Sam he's going back to the trailer park
Chet talks to Carl and then sees a ring underneath a trailer
Agent Cooper tells Cole he's worried because of a dream
Coop experiments with a surveillance camera, Phillip Jeffries (David Bowie) arrives at FBI headquarters, intercut w/ images from the spirit world "above the convenience store"
(The Missing Pieces has no surveillance footage and divides the Jeffries & convenience store footage into separate scenes)
Cole & Coop investigate the surveillance tapes
Coop investigates the trailer park
Coop says he thinks the killer will strike again
"One year later" in Twin Peaks, Laura walks to school, joined by Donna
Mike & Bobby call to Laura & Donna
(longer version from different angle, no cuts, in The Missing Pieces)
Laura runs into James at school (no dialogue)
Laura leaves Donna to snort cocaine in the bathroom
Bobby kisses Laura's portrait (after a quick shot of Laura emerging in a towel to see James)
Laura & James talk and make out near the locker room
Laura argues with Bobby and then makes him smile
Laura & Donna discuss James, "falling in space," and angels
Laura discovers missing pages from her diary...
...drives to Harold's...
...and gives him the diary (her face turns white)
Bob hypnotizes Laura under ceiling fan
(longer version in The Missing Pieces inserts Laura's "smiles")
Coop tells Albert about the next victim
Laura prepares for Meals on Wheels
(in The Missing Pieces, Ed & Nadine have cameos in this scene)
Laura gets a picture from the Tremonds
(we only see the beginning & end of this scene in The Missing Pieces and don't actually see the grandson and grandmother)
Laura sees Bob in her bedroom
Leland exits the house while Laura hides in the bushes
Laura at Donna's doorstep
(longer version, consisting of a close-up on Donna, in The Missing Pieces)
Leland tells Laura to "wash her hands"
Laura cries in the bathroom
Leland cries to Sarah in his bedroom
Leland visits Laura in her bedroom
Laura puts door picture on her wall and goes to bed
POV walks through hallways past Tremonds
The Little Man & Coop in the Red Room
(longer version, with different angles, in The Missing Pieces)
Laura's finds someone in bed with her, sees ring, sees herself in picture
In the morning, Laura removes picture
Leo torments Shelly and talks to Bobby on the phone
(The Missing Pieces starts the scene earlier, with a shot of Shelly closer to the camera, and ends it when Leo answers the phone)
Bobby calls Jacques to set up drug deal
Donna annoys Laura before she goes out for the night
The Log Lady talks to Laura outside Roadhouse
Laura cries in Roadhouse, solicits customers, and Donna joins them
Inside the Partyland/Pink Room nightclub with Laura, Donna, Ronette, Jacques, etc
Laura & Donna talk in morning, Leland arrives & flashes back to Laura & Ronette
The One-Armed Man confronts Laura & Leland in traffic
Flashback to Leland with Teresa, intercut with...
(Leland's opening line is extended into a full scene in The Missing Pieces)
...Laura and Leland talking in the car, intercut with...
...flashback to Leland "chickening out" on Teresa's rendezvous, intercut with...
...Laura asking Leland questions in the car
Laura flashes back to the One-Armed Man's and Teresa's rings and sees bright light outside window
(in The Missing Pieces, the shot of Teresa's ring is extended in a separate scene)
Leland paces in the living room, intercut with...
...Teresa getting killed
Laura looks for coke in her diary
(longer version in The Missing Pieces)
Bobby tells Laura about upcoming drug deal
Laura & Bobby in woods for drug deal, results in violence
Laura talks to James outside her house as Leland watches
Laura does coke in bed, intercut with...
(in The Missing Pieces, a phone call with Jacoby is added to this scene)
...Leland giving Sarah a drink
Leland turns on the fan
Sarah sees a white horse
Bob visits Laura's bedroom and she finds out who he is
Laura leaves the breakfast table in tears
Laura tells Leland to stay away from her
Laura walks to school
Laura's day at school passes in a blur
Laura gets drugs from Bobby
(longer version, holding on master shot rather than close-ups, in the Missing Pieces)
Laura says goodnight to Sarah
Laura talks to James on the phone and sees the angels disappear from her picture
Laura sneaks out and Leland watches from the window
(The Missing Pieces includes an extended middle section, showing Laura hiding in the bushes while Leland stares in her direction)
Laura & James talk in the woods
Laura abandons James at the traffic light at Sparkwood & 21
Laura finds Jacques, Leo, & Ronette in the woods
Party in the cabin before Leland arrives
Laura's death scene (including ring & angel)
Leland places Laura in water
Leland enters Glastonbury Grove
Leland/Bob meet Mike/Little Man in the Red Room
(intercut with shot of Laura's body floating, which is extended in The Missing Pieces although this Red Room scene does not appear there)
Laura is unwrapped, monkey whispers "Judy"
Laura, Coop & her angel in the Red Room







For more on Fire Walk With Me, watch my video:

And you can start my full exploration of the series and film, Journey Through Twin Peaks, here:

No comments:

Search This Blog