High Spirits (1988) is a fantasy comedy directed by Neil Jordan and featuring Peter O'Toole, Daryl Hannah and even a young Liam Neeson. It's the sort of movie destined to be filler for cable TV or streaming services nowadays; not funny enough to be great, not bad enough to be funny, not weird enough to be a cult hit.

It has a certain je ne sai quoi though. The cast seems to be having a great time, and the high production values and elaborate sets make for some fun gags. As unmemorable as it is it's hard not to enjoy your time with it.

Interestingly, the director Neil Jordan claims he made a very different movie. In an interview he talks about how the studio didn't care for his version, so they made a new cut which he had zero control over; "making a bland comedy out of what was meant to be a biting satire," as he puts it.

You always have to be skeptical of directors who make it out like there was some masterpiece buried beneath studio meddling. In the case of High Spirits the problems go deeper than what can be done with an edit. Still, it makes you wonder.

It turns out there's an answer to this mystery out there, to some extent: in the National Library of Ireland there exists a complete screenplay for High Spirits, among other notes and related material. While it's not the same as being able to see Jordan's cut (which is rumored to exist as a Japanese-exclusive direct-to-video VHS - I'm skeptical) it would certainly give some insight into the original direction for the film.

Why do I care? I don't know, exactly. I guess it's just so tantalizing to know there's an answer to a question out there, and all that's needed is to put the pieces together.

So, if someday someone near Dublin with too much time on their hands and/or a passion for obscure 80s movies happens to read this: you know what you have to do.