Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #100 :: June 22•28

Warner Bros. Pictures

It’s our 100th edition of Movies By the Decade and this week we have a full century of new movies being released during this week. 1922 to 1972 gave us a lot of films, and some of them did carry some prestige with their awards — nominations, wins or both — and from 1992 to 2012, only 2012 really had any noteworthy films, including a groundbreaking animated film from Disney/Pixar that included a lot of firsts. That year also saw a film about a US president with a secret hobby, and produced the youngest ever Best Actress Oscar nominee. But it was 1982 that once again proved why it was one of, if not the greatest Summer movie season. And oddly enough, none of the three scripted films released that year made much of an impact upon their release … and one perhaps was recognized for all the wrong reasons. But two films that were dismissed by audiences and critics at the time — perhaps partly because they were overshadowed by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — have gone on to gain critical adoration as two of the greatest films of their genres ever made and have developed large cult followings. And one film eventually spawned a sequel, while another produced a prequel. So let’s take a stroll down the red carpet and remember the film’s released this week over the last 100 years.

1922

June 25 – The Dictator (USA)

• Cast: Wallace Reid, Theodore Kosloff, Lila Lee, Kalla Pasha, Sidney Bracey, Fred J. Butler, Walter Long, Alan Hale
• Director: James Cruze
• Production Company: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: The film, and a 1915 version, are considered lost.

1932

June 24 – What Price Hollywood? (USA)

• Cast: Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Neil Hamilton, Gregory Ratoff, Brooks Benedict, Louise Beavers, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Torben Meyer
• Director: George Cukor
• Production Company: RKO Pathé
• Trivia: The film opened in London on July 1, 1932, and received a general UK release on November 7. Based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns and Louis Stevens. Originally titled The Truth About Hollywood. Producer David O. Selznick wanted to cast Clara Bow as the female lead, but by the time the film was approved for production she was committed to another film. Director George Cukor turned down the 1937 A Star is Born because the stories were too similar. He did eventually direct the 1954 version. Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson’s first movie.

June 25 – Jack’s the Boy (London)

• Cast: Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Winifred Shotter, Francis Lister, Peter Gawthorne, Ben Field, Charles Farrell, O. B. Clarence, Hal Gordon, Arthur Rigby
• Director: Walter Forde
• Production Company: Gainsborough Pictures, distributed by Gaumont British
• Trivia: The film received a general UK release on October 17, 1932, and opened in the US as Night & Day on May 26, 1933.

June 25 – Red-Headed Woman (USA)

• Cast: Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Leila Hyams, Una Merkel, Henry Stephenson, Charles Boyer, May Robson, Harvey Clark
• Director: Jack Conway
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Katharine Brush. The first draft of the screenplay by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Marcel de Sano was considered too serious so Anita Loos was hired for a rewrite with the directive to make it more playful and comedic. Clara Bow was offered the lead role but rejected it due to a ‘future services’ clause in the contract. Platinum blonde Jean Harlow wore a red wig for the film, and though it was in black and white her makeup was made more dramatic to reflect the nature of her character. Relative newcomer Charles Boyer was at the end of a sixth month contract and was planning to return to France, but his popularity from the film led to a new MGM contract at ten times his previous salary, jump-starting his career.

1942

June 22 – The Foreman Went to France (UK)

• Cast: Clifford Evans, Tommy Trinder, Constance Cummings, Robert Morley, Gordon Jackson, Ernest Milton, Charles Victor, John Williams, Paul Bonifas, Anita Palacine, Francis L. Sullivan, Mervyn Johns, Sidney Adams, Owen Reynolds, Ronald Adam
• Director: Charles Frend
• Production Company: Ealing Studios, distributed by United Artists Ltd (UK)
• Trivia: The film was released in the US on July 11, 1943 as Somewhere in France.

June 26 – There’s One Born Every Minute (USA)

• Cast: Hugh Herbert, Peggy Moran, Tom Brown, Guy Kibbee, Catherine Doucet, Edgar Kennedy, Gus Schilling, Elizabeth Taylor, Charles Halton, Renie Riano, Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer, Mel Ruick
• Director: Harold Young
• Production Company: Universal Studios
• Trivia: Also known as Man or Mouse. Elizabeth Taylor’s first film, and one of her only films for Universal.

June 26 – Ten Gentlemen from West Point (USA)

• Cast: George Montgomery, Maureen O’Hara, John Sutton, Laird Cregar, Shepperd Strudwick, Louis Jean Heydt, Victor Francen, Harry Davenport, Ward Bond, Douglass Dumbrille, Ralph Byrd, Esther Dale, Richard Derr, Stanley Andrews, James Flavin, Charles Trowbridge, Tully Marshall, Edwin Maxwell, Edward Fielding, Morris Ankrum, Selmer Jackson, Noble Johnson
• Director: Henry Hathaway
• Production Company: 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film opened in New York City on June 4, 1942, and in Los Angeles on June 25 ahead of its general US release. Blake Edward, who would become better known as a director, makes his uncredited acting debut as a cadet. Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography. Originally titled School for Soldiers. Henry Fonda and John Payne were the original stars, but were replaced with George Montgomery and Randolph Scott. Payne then replaced Scott, and Payne was replaced again with John Sutton.

June 27 – One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (UK)

Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors

• Cast: Hugh Burden, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Emrys Jones, Bernard Miles, Godfrey Tearle, Googie Withers, Joyce Redman, Pamela Brown, Peter Ustinov, Alec Clunes, Hay Petrie, Roland Culver
• Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
• Production Company: Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors
• Trivia: The film originally opened in London on April 24, 1942. The film was released in the US on October 16. The fourth collaboration between the British writer-director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and the first film they made under the banner of The Archers. The script was being written during production to keep up with advancing technology during the war, such as floating steel platforms dubbed ‘lobster pots’ that were used to rescue downed airmen, which were previously unknown to the public. The film is notable for having no musical score, only natural sounds that would be heard by the characters. The film was cut by 20 minutes for its US release. This was Peter Ustinov’s second credited film. Oscar nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound and Special Effects.

June 27 – Perils of Nyoka (USA, serial)

• Cast: Kay Aldridge, Clayton Moore, Lorna Gray, Charles Middleton, William Benedict, Forbes Murray, George Pembroke, Tristram Coffin, Forrest Taylor
• Director: William Witney
• Production Company: Republic Pictures
• Trivia: Nyoka the Jungle Girl first appeared in the Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired serial Jungle Girl (1941). Republic did not want to pay royalties for the Jungle Girl name for the follow-up so any repetition of the name was avoided. The name Nyoka was original to the film. The word ‘jungle’ was also avoided. The serial was re-released on April 2, 1952 retitled Nyoka and the Tigermen. The serial was edited to a 100 minute film for television with the new title Nyoka and the Lost Secrets of Hippocrates.

1952

June 25 – Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (USA)

• Cast: Piper Laurie, Rock Hudson, Charles Coburn, Gigi Perreau, Lynn Bari, Larry Gates, William Reynolds, Skip Homeier, Paul McVey, Gloria Holden, Frank Ferguson, Paul Harvey, Sally Creighton
• Director: Douglas Sirk
• Production Company: Universal Pictures, distributed by Universal International
• Trivia: Loosely based upon the Eleanor Porter novel, Oh Money! Money! James Dean appears in an uncredited role as Youth at Soda Fountain. The exterior of the mansion the Blaisdells buy is the Chartwell Mansion in Bel-Air, CA. A decade later, it became famous as the home of The Beverly Hillbillies.

June 26 – Mexican Bus Ride (Mexico)

• Cast: Lilia Prado, Esteban Márquez, Luis Aceves Castañeda, Manuel Dondé, Roberto Cobo, Beatriz Ramos, Manuel Noriega, Roberto Meyer, Pedro Elviro! Leonor Gómez
• Director: Luis Buñuel
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 6, 1952. It opened in the US on July 20, 1954. The original Spanish title, Subida al cielo, translates to ‘Ascent to Heaven’.

June 27 – Flesh and Fury (USA)

• Cast: Tony Curtis, Jan Sterling, Mona Freeman, Wallace Ford, Connie Gilchrist, Katherine Locke, Harry Shannon, Louis Jean Heydt, Tom Powers, Nella Walker, Harry Guardino
• Director: Joseph Pevney
• Production Company: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film’s premiere was held in New Orleans on March 12, 1952.

June 27 – Scaramouche

• Cast: Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh, Mel Ferrer, Henry Wilcoxon, Nina Foch, Richard Anderson, Robert Coote, Lewis Stone, Elisabeth Risdon, Howard Freeman, Curtis Cooksey, John Dehner, John Litel, Owen McGiveney
• Director: George Sidney
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by Loew’s, Inc.
• Trivia: The film premiered in New York City on May 8, 1952. It was released in the UK on August 21. Loosely based on the 1921 novel Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini as well as the 1923 film version starring Ramon Novarro. This movie contains what is reported to be the longest fencing duel ever caught on film, a sequence lasting nearly eight minutes. The horseback chase scenes were filmed in San Francisco’s famed Golden Gate Park. Debut of actress Barrie Chase.

1962

June 22 – L’Amour à vingt ans (France)

• Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Marie-France Pisier, Patrick Auffay, Rosy Varte, François Darbon, Jean-François Adam, Pierre Schaeffer, Cristina Gaioni, Geronimo Meynier, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Nami Tamura, Koji Furuhata, Barbara Frey, Christian Doermer, Vera Tschechowa, Werner Finck, Barbara Lass, Zbigniew Cybulski, Władysław Kowalski
• Director: François Truffaut, Andrzej Wajda, Renzo Rossellini, Shintarō Ishihara, Marcel Ophüls
• Trivia: The film opened in the US on February 6, 1963, and in the UK on September 10, 1964, with the English title Love at Twenty. The film consisted of five segments by five directors.

June 25 – Captain Clegg (UK)

• Cast: Peter Cushing, Yvonne Romain, Patrick Allen, Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper, David Lodge, Derek Francis, Jack MacGowran, Peter Halliday, Martin Benson, Daphne Anderson, Milton Reid, Terry Scully, Rupert Osborn, Sydney Bromley, Gordon Rollings, Bob Head, Colin Douglas
• Director: Peter Graham Scott
• Production Company: Hammer Film Productions, distributed by Universal-International
• Trivia: The film originally opened in London on June 7, 1962, followed by a US release on June 13 under the title Night Creatures. Loosely based on Doctor Syn – A Tale of Romney Marsh, created by Russell Thorndike. Syn’s name was changed to Blyss to avoid legal problems with Disney, which claimed exclusive rights to the stories.

June 25 – The Phantom of the Opera (UK)

• Cast: Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Edward de Souza, Michael Gough, Ian Wilson, Thorley Walters, Harold Goodwin, Marne Maitland, Miriam Karlin, Patrick Troughton, Renée Houston, Keith Pyott
• Director: Terence Fisher
• Production Company: Hammer Film Productions, distributed by J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK), Universal Pictures (USA)
• Trivia: The film opened in London on June 7, 1962, and was released in the US on August 15. A loose adaptation of the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux. The ‘London Opera House’ of the film is actually the Wimbeldon Theatre. A subplot involving a pair of Scotland Yard police inspectors on the trail of the Phantom was shot especially for the American TV version, but handled by the network instead of Hammer Films.

June 26 – Hell Is for Heroes (USA)

• Cast: Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Harry Guardino, Bob Newhart, James Coburn, Nick Adams, Mike Kellin, Bill Mullikin, Joseph Hoover, L.Q. Jones, Michele Montau, Don Haggerty
• Director: Don Siegel
• Production Company: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Bob Newhart’s feature film debut. Newhart has credited the film’s abupt ending to the fact that Paramount refused to send more film stock to the set due to the ballooning production budget, so they ran out of film before completing the scripted finale. Newhart was the only surviving member of the ten main actors playing the squad for the 50th anniversary of the film’s release, even though he was the oldest member of the cast. As of this post, Newhart is still alive for the 60th anniversary. Temperatures reached 117° F during filming. Some of the day sequences were changed to night so the cast would not collapse from the heat.

1972

June 23 – Ben (USA)

• Cast: Lee Harcourt Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, Arthur O’Connell, Rosemary Murphy, Meredith Baxter, Kaz Garas, Paul Carr, Richard Van Vleet, Kenneth Tobey, James Luisi, Lee Paul, Norman Alden, Scott Garrett, Arlen Stuart, Ric Drasin, Ben Crowe, St. Benjamin
• Director: Phil Karlson
• Production Company: Bing Crosby Productions, distributed by Cinerama Releasing Corporation
• Trivia: The film’s Los Angeles premiere was held on June 21, 1972. Sequel to Willard. Michael Jackson performed the theme song, which won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and was nominated for an Oscar (losing to ‘The Morning After’ from The Poseidon Adventure). It also became a Number 1 pop single. Donny Osmond was originally offered the song but a scheduling conflict prevented him from recording it. About 4,000 rats were trained for the film, according to studio publicity.

June 28 – Prime Cut (USA)

• Cast: Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, Angel Tompkins, Gregory Walcott, Sissy Spacek, Janit Baldwin, William Morey, Clint Ellison, Howard Platt, Les Lannom, Eddie Egan
• Director: Michael Ritchie
• Production Company: Cinema Center Films, distributed by National General Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered in Kansas City, Missouri on June 16, 1972. It opened in the UK on September 14. Sissy Spacek’s first on-screen credited role.

1982

June 25 – Blade Runner (USA)

• Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James, Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy, James Hong, Morgan Paull, Hy Pyke
• Director: Ridley Scott
• Production Company: The Ladd Company, Shaw Brothers, Blade Runner Partnership, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film was also released in Canada on June 25, 1982. It was screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August, at the Venice Film Festival on September 7, and opened in the UK on September 9. Adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The film’s score by Vangelis was nominated for a BAFTA and Golden Globe. Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1993. Seven different cuts of the film exist, but the 25th anniversary ‘Final Cut’ is the only one for which Ridley Scott retained artistic control. While unhappy with the first screenplay, Dick did approve the final draft, saying it complemented his novel, and the special effects reel he saw before he died captured what he had imagined. Harrison Ford said everyone agreed the film would have no narration, but he was forced by the studio to record it. While several name actors were under consideration for Rick Deckard — including Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood — Rutger Hauer was Ridley Scott’s only choice for Roy Batty, casting from his performances in several Paul Verhoeven films without ever having met. Dick said his performance was flawless. Debbie Harry turned down the role of Pris. When Pris breaks J.F. Sebastian’s car window with her elbow after slipping on the wet ground, it was a genuine accident and the glass was not breakaway glass. Darryl Hannah chipped her elbow in eight places. This was Ridley Scott’s first American film. After shooting the scenes in Dr. Tyrell’s office, Scott didn’t like the lighting and reshot the scene which put production two weeks behind schedule after the first two weeks of production. A lot of the hats that the passers-by wear in the streets were actually baskets purchased from Pier One. About two-thirds of the neon signs seen in the streets were re-purposed from One from the Heart (1981), most noticeably the kicking cowgirl sign.

June 25 – Megaforce (USA)

• Cast: Barry Bostwick, Michael Beck, Persis Khambatta, Edward Mulhare, George Furth, Henry Silva, Mike Kulcsar, Ralph Wilcox, Evan C. Kim, Anthony Pena, J. Víctor López, Michael Carven
• Director: Hal Needham
• Production Company: Golden Harvest, Northshore Investments Ltd., distributed by 20th Century Fox (USA/UK), Toho-Towa (Japan)
• Trivia: Nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture. This was the first time Barry Bsotwick received top billing in a film, and signed a three-picture deal for possible sequels. The film pioneered the use of Introvision, a system that allows actors to walk in and out of photographs instead of sets. The film had no credited costume designer; all the clothes were designed by the toy company Mattel.

June 25 – Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (USA)

• Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland, Neil Innes
• Director: Terry Hughes, Ian MacNaughton
• Production Company: Python (Monty) Pictures, HandMade Films, distributed by Columbia Pictures (United States), HandMade Films (United Kingdom)
• Trivia: The film was screened at Cannes on May 17, 1982. It did not open in the UK until May 20, 1983. This marked the first occasion where the Monty Python fan favorite ‘Sit on my Face’ was performed live. The film is a compilation of five shows. This marks the last time ‘The Ministry of Silly Walks’ sketch was performed by the troupe. John Cleese had a hip and knee replacement in 2010, thus making Cleese unable to perform the fan favorite ‘Silly Walks’ anymore.

June 25 – The Thing (USA)

Universal Pictures

• Cast: Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, Thomas G. Waites
• Director: John Carpenter
• Production Company: The Turman-Foster Company, distributed by Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film was also released in Canada on June 25, 1982, and in the UK on August 26. Based on the 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There? Production began on the film in the mid-1970s and went through several directors and writers before John Carpenter took the reins. The film received negative reviews and was a box office failure, partly due to being released shortly after E.T., but it has been reappraised as one of the best science fiction films ever. There are no females in the film, but Carpenter’s then wife Adrienne Barbeau is the voice of MacReady’s chess computer. Wilford Brimley was the only cast member not made squeamish by the autopsy scene where real animal organs were used. The sound effect of the Antarctic wind was actually recorded in the desert outside Palm Springs. The first credited feature film of Keith David. Donald Pleasence was the original choice for the character of Blair. Pleasence was unable to perform the role due to a scheduling conflict. Kurt Russell was the last actor cast.

1992

June 24 – Mistress (USA)

• Cast: Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Robert Wuhl, Martin Landau, Eli Wallach, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jean Smart, Tuesday Knight, Jace Alexander
• Director: Barry Primus
• Production Company: Rainbow Releasing
• Trivia: The film originally opened in France on April 29, 1992. It was released in the UK on May 14, 1993.

June 26 – Unlawful Entry (USA)

• Cast: Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe, Ray Liotta, Roger E. Mosley, Ken Lerner, Deborah Offner, Carmen Argenziano, Andy Romano, Harry Northup, Sherrie Rose, Myim Rose, Tony Longo, Djimon Hounsou, Dick Miller
• Director: Jonathan Kaplan
• Production Company: Largo Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film opened in the UK on October 30, 1992. Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe refused to use body doubles for the sex scene.

2002

June 27 – On_Line (USA, limited)

• Cast: Josh Hamilton, Harold Perrineau, Isabel Gillies, John Fleck, Vanessa Ferlito, Eric Millegan, Liz Owens
• Director: Jed Weintrob
• Production Company: Indican Pictures, MGM
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2002, and received a limited theatrical release in Canada on June 20.

June 28 – The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (USA)

• Cast: Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Richardson, Tyler Long, Arthur Bridges
• Director: Peter Care
• Production Company: Egg Pictures, Initial Entertainment Group, distributed by THINKFilm
• Trivia: The film was screened at Sundance on January 18, 2002, was released in Germany on May 17, and opened in limited US release on June 14. Based on Chris Fuhrman’s 1994 semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel of the same name.

June 28 – Pumpkin (USA, limited)

• Cast: Christina Ricci, Hank Harris, Brenda Blethyn, Dominique Swain, Marisa Coughlan, Sam Ball, Harry J. Lennix, Nina Foch, Melissa McCarthy, Caroline Aaron, Lisa Banes, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Phil Reeves, Marisa Parker, Tait Smith, Michael Bacall, Amy Adams
• Director: Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder
• Production Company: United Artists, American Zoetrope, distributed by MGM Distribution Co.
• Trivia: The film screened at Sundance on January 14, 2002, and was also available on Google Play June 28.

June 28 – The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest (USA)

• Cast: Adam Garcia, Rosario Dawson, Anjul Nigam, Ethan Suplee, Jake Busey, Enrico Colantoni
• Director: Mick Jackson
• Production Company: 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by technology-culture writer Po Bronson, who has a cameo in the film as one of the tuba players living in the same building as the main character. The tentative title for this movie during test screenings was The Big Idea.

2012

June 22 – Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (USA)

20th Century Fox

• Cast: Benjamin Walker, Lux Haney-Jardine, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Curtis Harris, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, Marton Csokas, Jimmi Simpson, Joseph Mawle, Robin McLeavy, Erin Wasson, John Rothman, Cameron M. Brown, Frank Brennan, Jaqueline Fleming, Alan Tudyk
• Director: Timur Bekmambetov
• Production Company: Bazelevs Company, Dune Entertainment, Tim Burton Productions, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The film’s New York City premiere was held on June 18, 2012. The film was released in the UK on June 20, and in Canada on June 22. Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. Benjamin Walker trained to be able to do a lot of his own stunt work with an axe. Tom Hardy was approached for the title role, but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts with The Dark Knight Rises.

June 22 – Brave (USA)

• Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Peigi Barker, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Steve Purcell, Patrick Doyle, John Ratzenberger, Sally Kinghorn, Eilidh Fraser, Steven Cree, Callum O’Neill
• Director: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
• Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
• Trivia: The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 10, 2012, and held a Hollywood premiere on June 18. It also opened in Canada on June 22. The film then premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 30 before its UK release on August 3. Brave is Pixar’s first film with a female protagonist, and the first one animated with a new proprietary animation system, called Presto. Brave is the first film to use the Dolby Atmos sound format. Winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Animated Film. Kevin McKidd was happy to work on the film because he could use his natural Scottish accent. Merida is the first Disney Princess to not be based on any preexisting literary character or historical figure.

June 22 – Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (USA)

• Cast: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, William Petersen, Melanie Lynskey, Adam Brody, Tonita Castro, Mark Moses, Derek Luke, Connie Britton, Patton Oswalt, Rob Corddry, Rob Huebel, Gillian Jacobs, T.J. Miller, Amy Schumer, Jim O’Heir, Martin Sheen, Nancy Carell, Roger Aaron Brown, Aleister
• Director: Lorene Scafaria
• Production Company: Mandate Pictures, Indian Paintbrush, Anonymous Content, distributed by Focus Features (United States), Lionsgate (International)
• Trivia: The film was screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 18, 2012. It was also released in Canada on June 22, and in the UK on July 13. Lorene Scafaria’s feature dirctorial debut.

June 22 – The Invisible War (USA, limited)

• Director: Kirby Dick
• Production Company: Chain Camera Pictures, Independent Lens, Rise Films, ITVS, Fork Films, Cuomo Cole Productions
• Trivia: The film was screened at Sundance on January 20, 2012. Oscar nominated for Best Documentary Feature, it won the Peabody Award and an Emmy Award.

June 27 – Beasts of the Southern Wild (USA)

• Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes, Pamela Harper, Gina Montana, Amber Henry, Jonshel Alexander, Nicholas Clark, Henry D. Coleman, Kaliana Brower, Philip Lawrence, Jimmy Lee Moore, Jovan Hathaway
• Director: Benh Zeitlin
• Production Company: Cinereach, Court 13, Journeyman Pictures, distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
• Trivia: The film screened at Sundance on January 20, 2012, and at Cannes on May 18. It received a limited release in Canada on July 13. It screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 12, followed by a UK release on October 19. Adapted by Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar from Alibar’s one-act play Juicy and Delicious. Nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actress for nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, the youngest nominee in that category in history.