Being in school for editing, I've learned to accept that just because a producer or studio orders something to be recut doesn't necessarily mean that said cuts are a bad idea. Often, the direcor is just so close to the material that he can't understand why this fantastic scene doesn't belong in his film, especially if it was particularly difficult to shoot. For example, George Lucas' films tend to fall under this category (American Graffitti, THX 1138, Star Wars ... ), while Ridley Scott's tend to fall under the "director knows best" category (Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven, Legend ... ).