A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : MISSING FILE : Hey, It’s Only the Plot Thing Anyway

To anybody who’s seen “White Sands,” it’s pretty apparent that something’s missing--critics have said it’s a coherent plot.

But there’s also some one missing: actress Mimi Rogers, who makes a brief appearance at the film’s beginning. And when Rogers was largely cut out of the film, so was a subplot that some people close to the production say might have made the thriller, which stars Willem Dafoe, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Mickey Rourke, less confusing.

Why did Rogers, who’s not even listed on the credits, and some of the story end up on the cutting-room floor?

According to William Sackheim, one of the film’s producers, it was that all-too common culprit--the movie’s running time. “We were in one of those terrible binds that you frequently get into where the film is too long,” says Sackheim.

“White Sands” is the story of a small-town sheriff, played by Dafoe, who assumes the identity of a dead man in order to crack a murder case. Rogers plays Dafoe’s wife, who is seen at the beginning of the film and in one other brief scene. But before the film was cut to its current length, Rogers’ character goes out after her husband when he leaves to solve the case and eventually catches up with him.

Daniel Pyne (“Pacific Heights”), who wrote the film’s screenplay, says that although he’s happy with “White Sands,” he wishes Rogers’ part could’ve stayed in the movie. “It would’ve been better with more of that side of the movie,” says Pyne. “There was more up front about her relationship with her husband and that resonated throughout the rest of the film.” Pyne also blames some of the film’s confusing elements--mentioned by some critics--on the missing footage. “I think when people complained about the confusion, a lot of it was related to cutting out the whole beginning of the film that established their relationship.”

According to Pyne, one of the key missing scenes involves the widow of the murdered man visiting Rogers, which tips her off to the fact that her husband is in danger and decides to find him. “That was a great scene,” says Pyne, “because it’s really the first inclination for the audience that something is really wrong.’

Aside from the film being too long, Pyne speculates that the cuts were made after the film was tested in front of audiences by Morgan Creek and Warner Bros. “I know that audience testing came into play,” he says. “They would ask people where they found the movie slow and they’d say at the beginning. But, inevitably, a movie is slow up front if it’s any good because it’s building momentum. So then, they decide that they have to cut some things up front and the movie suffers. People are now taking test results so seriously that they’ll change a movie, rather than just trusting the filmmakers.”

As for why Rogers isn’t listed on the film’s credits, her publicist says that the actress was asked by producer Scott Rudin if she wanted her name taken off the credits, and she said yes. Rogers would not comment.