Documentary Framing Britney Spears is an incendiary, comprehensive testament to the pop star’s conservatorship history, but there is some footage that didn’t make the final 74-minute cut.
The latest installment in The New York Times Presents series, the documentary addresses Britney Spears’ conservatorship legal battle as well as the casual abuse she has been subjected to by certain media outlets, family members and friends.
What Was Left Off From The Final ‘Framing Britney Spears’ Cut?
Director Samantha Stark and Senior Story Editor Liz Day discussed the parts that weren’t included in the documentary, “either for time or other challenges.”
“There’s so much to it that we could’ve included if we had a ten-part series,” Day said in an interview with FX.
Day said she would’ve been interested to address how Spears’ ex-boyfriend/fiancé and manager Jason Trewick became her co-conservator in the early 2010s.
“I wish we could’ve explored that further. I think it must’ve been a very interesting dynamic to have your boyfriend or your partner also […] having special powers and decision-making ability over your personal life,” Day said.
“It was hard to include [that] in the film because, when you gloss over it like that, is like ‘Wait, what,’” director Stark added.
“There’s all this kind of shocking things in Britney’s story… there’s much more to tell about it,” she added.
The Unseen Footage That Incapsulates Britney Spears’ Energy
Day explained that they couldn’t incorporate “loads and loads of fascinating footage” due to the limited runtime.
“Two months after Britney gave birth to her second child, the paparazzi take this very graphic upstart of her and the reaction from the public is just to laugh,” Day continued.
“Whereas today that would be a crime in many states,” she added.
The editor then pointed out there is an unseen scene of MTV documentary Britney: For The Record, released in 2008, which perfectly encapsulates how the singer felt about the way she was portrayed in the media.
“The filmmaker asked Spears, ‘Do you want people’s sympathy?’ and she says, ‘No, I don’t want people’s sympathy, I just want their understanding and I want privacy and I’d like a day off,’” Day said.
Framing Britney Spears is streaming on Hulu