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As long as the other character is ''bereft'' I'm sure you'll be OK cypherhouse.

Although aware of the theme and its characters, I am struggling to identify the two letters spelt out by the cryptic representation provided by the letters in the 19 clues referred to in the fourth sentence of the preamble. For the time being, however, it would be most helpful to know whether or not all cells in the final grid are occupied, given one possible interpretation of 'bereft'.

I think the assumption is that they're left blank ('bereft').

Agreed, yet there is an alternative interpretation of how one of the protagonists was made bereft at the end of the film and doesn't 'replacing contents of destination cells' in the preamble indicate a full final grid ?

I have nearly everything: the two messages, the film, the names of three characters - but I cannot parse 33d.

If I am correct in my answer, I have a constructed clue which I cannot solve, even though I know the theme and the three characters.

Do the 'initial letters' (in the second sentence of the preamble) refer to the clues or to the redundant words? Either way, they do not suggest anything to write below the grid.

son - no, think that phrase just means that the destination cells get written over with the new letters; it doesn’t say anything about the source cells

foinaven - who is the famous “key contributor” to the film?

Thanks - I had mistaken one of the six redundant words. However, I will have to rebuild what happens as a consequence, including parsing an entry.

33d - 'brass' is slang and its synonym is a more obscure slang term (its first letter is replaced by ...) def. 'horse drawn vehicles' (also quite obscure).

The constructed clue gives the film title (it's &lit, I think). The first two words give the container synonym (5 letters) - the 4th short word gives what's inside (we see this obscure def quite often) it's 4 letters but the abbrev (6th word) is removed.

I have finished everything without solving the six word cryptic clue. Is the answer supposed to be the film title? If so, I cannot parse it. Just an annoying loose end but nothing more.

Look just below, ozzy - it might help.