the question though, that you have asked, should have been directed at dayton duncan.[laughter] he just assured me the question did not come from him. what happens, invariably, is that the cutting room floor is not filled with bad scenes, but in fact wonderful scenes. if we could pick them up and show them to you, you'd think we'd lost our minds. why isn't that in the final film? but for some strange alchemy, some strange reason, it just did not fit. you remember the movie "amadeus" -- too many notes. we end up with the process of having to pull something out that looks great, but somehow destabilizes the film a half an hour down the line. it often takes a great deal of courage, not just on this film makers park, but certainly on the writer's part, to accept with graciousness and magnum at that -- magnanimity, the many amputations of his work that take place. fortunately for us, alfred not has published a wonderful book that -- alford knopf has permitted us the chance to expand the scenes that may have ended up on the cutting room floor that the film medium requires us

there is no person more central to this enterprise than my best friend, dayton duncan, the author andproducer of this film, the person who brought this to my attention, who every day served as the general of this project and should be standing here with me as an equal co author of this effort. would you please acknowledge his central role? [applause] in every gesture and breath, i speak for him today and you know i stand here supported by his extraordinary words and kindness and friendship in all of this. we cannot imagine every subject to continue to pursue the questions that have propelled us for so long. it is not as if the national parks have not been done before. they have. but it was our intention to make a documentary film series and a book on the history of the parks. this would not be a tour guide, a travel log filled with pretty pictures of wildlife or spectacular natural scenery, bill our senior -- and though our film would have that in the end. nor would this be in a lodge to stay at one on vacation. we were more and agree -- we were more interested in calling the individu

the question though, that you have asked, should have been directed at dayton duncan. [laughter] he just assured me the question did not come from him. what happens, invariably, is that the cutting room floor is not filled with bad scenes, but in fact wonderful scenes. if we could pick them up and show them to you, you'd think we'd lost our minds. why isn't that in the final film? but for some strange alchemy, some strange reason, it just did not fit. you remember the movie "amadeus" -- too many notes. we end up with the process of having to pull something out that looks great, but somehow destabilizes the film a half an hour down the line. it often takes a great deal of courage, not just on this film makers park, but certainly on the writer's part, to accept with graciousness and magnum at that -- magnanimity, the many amputations of his work that take place. fortunately for us, alfred not has published a wonderful book that -- alford knopf has permitted us the chance to expand the scenes that may have ended up on the cutting room floor that the film medium requires u