Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #83 :: February 23 to March 1

Lionsgate

For most of the decades this week, the end of February did not yield many memorable films, or some that were memorable but for the wrong reasons. There were no new films released in three different decades this particular week in history. Of the ten new films between 1932 and 1962, five of them came from overseas. 1992 had an infamous Chevy Chase bomb, while 2002 produced an historic Oscar win and 2012 had a popular film that scored some Golden Globe nominations but no Oscars. You may remember the films we hinted at, but are any of your favorites on the list this week? Let us know below!

1922

• No new movies were released this week in 1922.

1932

February 27 – Polly of the Circus

• Cast: Marion Davies, Clark Gable, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Hatton, David Landau, Maude Eburne, Little Billy” Rhodes, Guinn Williams, Clark Marshall, Lillian Elliott, Ruth Selwyn
• Director: Alfred Santell
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The film was released in the London on March 23, 1932, with a general UK release on August 8. Originally announced by MGM in 1927 to star Norma Shearer and to be directed by Tod Browning.

March 1 – The Impatient Maiden

• Cast: Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke, Una Merkel, Andy Devine, John Halliday, Oscar Apfel, Ethel Griffies, Helen Jerome Eddy, Bert Roach, Cecil Cunningham, Lorin Raker, Blanche Payson, Arthur Hoyt, Monte Montague
• Director: James Whale
• Production Company: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in London on March 16, 1932, followed by a general UK release on August 1. Film debut of Hattie McDaniel.

March 1 – Law and Order

• Cast: Walter Huston, Harry Carey, Russell Hopton, Raymond Hatton, Ralph Ince, Harry Woods, Richard Alexander, Russell Simpson, Andy Devine
• Director: Edward L. Cahn
• Production Company: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in London on February 9, 1932, then premiered in New York City on February 28 before going into wide US release on March 1. The general UK release came on June 20. Early in the film the man in the saloon who shows John Huston’s band to their room is Walter Brennan.

1942

March – The Courtship of Andy Hardy

• Cast: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, Ann Rutherford, Sara Haden, Donna Reed, William Lundigan, Frieda Inescort, Harvey Stephens, Joseph Crehan, George P. Breakston, Todd Karns
• Director: George B. Seitz
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: While the film was released in the US in March 1942, the exact date seems to be lost. The twelfth of sixteen Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney.

1952

February 25 – The Card

• Cast: Alec Guinness, Glynis Johns, Valerie Hobson, Petula Clark, Edward Chapman, Veronica Turleigh, George Devine, Joan Hickson
• Director: Ronald Neame
• Production Company: British Film-Makers, A Ronald Neame Production, distributed by General Film Distributors (UK), Universal Pictures (USA)
• Trivia: The film opened in London on February 25, 1952, but was not released in the US until October 28. Released in the US as The Promoter.

February 27 – Just This Once

• Cast: Peter Lawford, Janet Leigh, Lewis Stone, Richard Anderson
• Director: Don Weis
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Final film of actress Virginia Angels.

February 28 – Rome 11:00

• Cast: Lucia Bosé, Carla Del Poggio, Maria Grazia Francia, Lea Padovani, Delia Scala, Elena Varzi, Raf Vallone, Massimo Girotti, Paolo Stoppa, Armando Francioli, Paola Borboni, Irène Galter, Eva Vanicek, Checco Durante, Alberto Farnese, Bianca Beltrami, Cabiria Guadagnino, Teresa Ellati, Maria Pia Trepaoli, Fulvia Trozzi, Donatella Trombadori, Helène Vallier, Nando Di Claudio, Fausto Guerzoni, Michele Riccardini, Renato Mordenti, Pietro Tordi, Ezio Rossi, Henry Vilbert, Marco Vicario, Mino Argentieri, Anna Maria Zijno, Maria Ammassari, Renata Ciaffi
• Director: Giuseppe De Santis
• Production Company: Titanus, Transcontinental Films, distributed by RKO Radio Films (Italy), Times Film Corporation (USA)
• Trivia: Based on a news story that took place in Rome in 1951. The film was released in Italy on February 28, 1952. It did not open in the US until April 29, 1953, or the UK until October 1953.

February 29 – Le Plaisir

• Cast: Claude Dauphin, Gaby Morlay, Paul Azaïs, Gaby Bruyère, Jean Galland, Madeleine Renaud, Ginette Leclerc, Mila Parély, Danielle Darrieux, Pierre Brasseur, Jean Gabin, Amédée, Antoine Balpêtré, René Blancard, Mathilde Casadesus, Henri Crémieux, Arthur Devère, Paulette Dubost, Jocelyne Jany, Robert Lombard, Héléna Manson, Georges Baconnet, Jean Servais, Daniel Gélin, Simone Simon
• Director: Max Ophüls
• Production Company: Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in France (Fécamp) on February 14, 1952, before its general French release on February 29. The film opened in London on February 5, 1953, and in the US on May 19, 1954.

1962

Concordia Compagnia Cinematografica

February 23 – Boccaccio ’70

• Cast: Marisa Solinas, Germano Giglioli, Peppino De Filippo, Anita Ekberg, Romy Schneider, Tomas Milian, Romolo Valli, Sophia Loren
• Director: Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli, Luchino Visconti
• Production Company: Concordia Compagnia Cinematografica, Francinex-Gray Film, distributed by Cineriz (Italy), Cinédis (France)
• Trivia: The film premiered in Milan on February 22, 1962, followed by the Italian release on February 23. The film opened in the US on June 26, but did not reach the UK until March 28, 1963. Federico Fellini’s segment, ‘Le Tentazioni del Dottor Antonio’, was his first work in color.

March – Operation Snatch

• Cast: Terry-Thomas, George Sanders, Lionel Jeffries, Jocelyn Lane, Mark Eden, Mario Fabrizi, John Gabriel, Gerard Heinz, Bernard Hunter, Dinsdale Landen, Howard H. Lang, Angus Lennie, Jeremy Lloyd, John Meillon, Warren Mitchell, Lee Montague, Nyree Dawn Porter, John Scott, Mark Singleton, Graham Stark, Michael Trubshawe, James Villiers, Ian Whittaker
• Director: Robert Day
• Production Company: Regal Films International (UK)
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK in March 1962 but the exact date is unknown. It made its debut in the US on September 24.

1972

• No new movies were released this week in 1972.
  

1982

• No new movies were released this week in 1982.

1992

February 28 – Memoirs of an Invisible Man

• Cast: Chevy Chase, Daryl Hannah, Sam Neill, Michael McKean, Stephen Tobolowsky, Jim Norton, Pat Skipper, Paul Perri, Richard Epcar, Steven Barr, Gregory Paul Martin, Patricia Heaton, Barry Kivel, Donald Li, Rosalind Chao, Jay Gerber, Shay Duffin, Edmund L. Shaff, Sam Anderson, Elaine Corral, Ellen Albertini Dow, Jonathan Wigan, I.M. Hobson, Rip Haight, Aaron Lustig
• Director: John Carpenter
• Production Company: Le Studio Canal Plus, Regency Enterprises, Alcor Films, Cornelius Productions
• Trivia: The film was released in the UK on May 15, 1992. John Carpenter replaced Ivan Reitman as director after Reitman refused to work with Chevy Chase after several heated arguments.

Warner Bros. Pictures

February 28 – The Mambo Kings

• Cast: Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Cathy Moriarty, Maruschka Detmers, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Roscoe Lee Browne, Talisa Soto, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Cordelia Gonzales, Tito Puente, Helena Carroll, Celia Cruz
• Director: Arne Glimcher
• Production Company: Le Studio CanalPlus, Regency Enterprises, Alcor Films, Northwest Productions, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Miami International Film Festival on February 7, 1992. It opened in the UK on May 29. Antonio Banderas couldn’t speak English when this movie was filmed, and thus performed all his lines phonetically. Armand Assante couldn’t speak Spanish and also performed all his lines phonetically.

2002

February 27 – Amen.

• Cast: Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Mathieu Kassovitz, Marcel Iureş, Michel Duchaussoy, Ion Caramitru, Friedrich von Thun, Antje Schmidt, Hanns Zischler, Erich Hallhuber, Angus MacInnes, Bernd Fischerauer, Pierre Franckh
• Director: Costa-Gavras
• Production Company: Kino International (US), Pathé (France)
• Trivia: Based on the very successful and controversial play Der Stellvertreter. Ein christliches Trauerspiel [The Deputy, a Christian tragedy] by German playwright Rolf Hochhuth. The film was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2002, the opened in France on February 27, Germany on May 20, and the UK on July 12. In the US, the film was screened at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival on June 12, 2002, and then opened in New York City on January 24, 2003 followed by Los Angeles on January 31.

March 1 – Big Bad Love

• Cast: Arliss Howard, Debra Winger, Paul Le Mat, Rosanna Arquette, Angie Dickinson, Sigourney Weaver, Michael Parks, Michael Owens, Christopher Webster
• Director: Arliss Howard
• Production Company: IFC Films
• Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 12, 2001, TIFF on September 10, the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2001, and the Austin Film Festival on October 11. It made its debut in New York City on February 22, 2002 followed by a limited US release on March 1. Debra Winger’s return to acting after a six year absence. Directorial debut of Arliss Howard.

March 1 – Monster’s Ball

• Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Coronji Calhoun, Sean Combs, Mos Def, Charles Cowan Jr., Taylor LaGrange
• Director: Marc Forster
• Production Company: Lee Daniels Entertainment, distributed by Lionsgate
• Trivia: The film was screened at AFI Fest on November 11, 2001, then opened in New York and Los Angeles on December 26 for awards consideration. The film opened in Canada on February 22, 2002, the US on March 1 and the UK on June 7. Vanessa Williams was offered the role of Leticia, a role that won Halle Berry an Oscar, but turned it down because of the full frontal nudity. To date, Berry is the only Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar.

2012

February 24 – Act of Valor

• Cast: Jason Cottle, Derrick Van Orden, Rorke Denver, Dave Hansen, Sonny Manson, Brendan “Weimy” Weimholt, Ajay “A.J.” James, Ray Mendoza, Douglas “Mike” Day, Katelyn, Billy, Duncan Smith, Callaghan, Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sánchez, Nestor Serrano, Emilio Rivera, Ernie Reyes Jr., Drea Castro, Marissa Labog, Keo Woolford, Thomas Rosales, Jr., Antoni Corone, Gonzalo Menendez, Ailsa Marshall
• Director: Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh
• Production Company: Bandito Brothers, distributed by Relativity Media
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in Nashville, Tennessee on February 7, 2012 ahead of its general release in the US and Canada on February 24. The film was released in the UK on March 23. The film stars actual, active-duty US Navy SEALs and SWCC. According to conditions set by the U.S. Government, their real names and identity are not revealed. Due to the SEALs deployment cycles principal photography of the film took two and half years.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

February 24 – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

• Cast: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Tina Desai, Lillete Dubey, Diana Hardcastle, Sid Makkar, Seema Azmi, Paul Bhattacharjee, Rajendra Gupta, Neena Kulkarni, Liza Tarbuck, Denzil Smith, Honey Chhaya, Bhuvnesh Shetty
• Director: John Madden
• Production Company: Dune Entertainment, Ingenious, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ, Blueprint Pictures, distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on February 24, 2012, then received a limited US release on May 4 followed by a general release on May 25. The film also opened in Canada on May 4. Nominated for two Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The hotel is actually the Ravla Khempur; a hotel with stables that is located in Khempur in the state of Rajasthan. Built in 1620, it served for centuries as the residence of a series of village chieftains, eventually being converted into a hotel. Due to the success of this film, the place was renamed The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

February 24 – Gone

• Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Wes Bentley, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Sunjata, Jennifer Carpenter, Nick Searcy, Socratis Otto, Emily Wickersham, Joel David Moore, Katherine Moennig, Michael Paré, Ted Rooney, Amy Lawhorn, Susan Hess, Jeanine Jackson, Hunter Parrish, Jordan Fry
• Director: Heitor Dhalia
• Production Company: Summit Entertainment, Lakeshore Entertainment, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, distributed by Lionsgate
• Trivia: The film’s Hollywood premiere was held on February 21, 2012. It did not open in the UK until April 20. WC Winks Hardware store is a real store in Portland, OR and is actually located at the location shown in the film.

February 24 – Good Deeds

• Cast: Tyler Perry, Thandiwe Newton, Gabrielle Union, Eddie Cibrian, Brian J. White, Jordenn Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Beverly Johnson, Rebecca Romijn, Jamie Kennedy, Andrew Masset, Victoria Loving, Tom Thon
• Director: Tyler Perry
• Production Company: Tyler Perry Studios, distributed by Lionsgate
• Trivia: The film’s Los Angeles premiere was held on February 14, 2012.

February 24 – Wanderlust

• Cast: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Malin Åkerman, Lauren Ambrose, Joe Lo Truglio, Alan Alda, Kathryn Hahn, Jessica St. Clair, Ken Marino, Jordan Peele, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Michaela Watkins, Linda Lavin, Ray Liotta, Keegan-Michael Key
• Director: David Wain
• Production Company: A Hot Dog Productions, Apatow Productions, Relativity Media, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s Los Angeles premiere was held on February 16, 2012. It opened in the UK on March 2. Despite being naked throughout the film, Joe Lo Truglio wore a prosthetic penis. Most of the cast ran up to him and touched it as a joke after showing up on set.