Hotchka Movies by the Decade feature #121 :: November 16•22

Summit Entertainment

After last week’s large number of 1922 releases, that decade sat out this week but the rest had something to contribute with several films nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes with many winners among them. 1932 had an Oscar nominee and a National Board of Review winner, and 1942 had another Oscar nominee and a Silver Condor (Argentina) winner. 1962 had two Oscar nominees, with one of those also scoring Golden Globes and BAFTA wins. 1972 had a musical Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, while 1992 saw Denzel Washington earn both Oscar and Golden Globes nominations. 2012 was a banner year with four films that earned major award nominations and scored some wins as well. 1972 also had a somewhat historic film due to its filming location, and 1982 was packed with not one, not two, but three animated feature films … and none of them from Disney. Want to know more about these and the other films released this week? Read on and tell us if your favorites are on the list.

1922

• No new films were released this week in 1922.

1932

November 19 – I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (USA)

• Cast: Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson, Noel Francis, Preston Foster, Allen Jenkins, Berton Churchill, Edward Ellis, Sally Blane
• Director: Mervyn LeRoy
• Production Company: The Vitaphone Corporation, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Based on Robert Elliott Burns’s 1932 autobiography of a similar name I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang! originally serialized in the True Detective magazine. Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1991. Warner Bros’ highest paid director Roy Del Ruth turned the film down because of the heavy subject matter, saying it lacked box office appeal. Mervyn LeRoy dropped out of directing 42nd Street to direct the film instead. Nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Muni) and Best Sound Recording.

November 21 – Rome Express (London)

• Cast: Esther Ralston, Conrad Veidt, Harold Huth, Cedric Hardwicke, Joan Barry, Gordon Harker, Donald Calthrop, Hugh Williams, Frank Vosper, Finlay Currie, Eliot Makeham, Muriel Aked
• Director: Walter Forde
• Production Company: Gaumont British
• Trivia: Went into general UK release on February 6, 1933, and opened in the US on February 25. Winner of the American National Board of Review award for Best Foreign Film.

1942

November 19 – You Were Never Lovelier (USA)

• Cast: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Adolphe Menjou, Isobel Elsom, Leslie Brooks, Adele Mara, Xavier Cugat, Gus Schilling, Barbara Brown
• Director: William A. Seiter
• Production Company: Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: American remake of the 1941 Argentine romantic comedy Los martes, orquídeas (On Tuesdays, Orchids). Columbia head Harry Cohn insisted Hayworth’s vocals be dubbed by Nan Wynn. Received three Academy Award nominations: Best Original Score, Best Original Song (‘Dearly Beloved’), and Best Sound Recording.

November 20 – ‘Neath Brooklyn Bridge (USA)

• Cast: The East Side Kids, Gabriel Dell, Noah Beery Jr., Marc Lawrence, Anne Gillis, Dave O’Brien, Jack Raymond, Betty Wells, Dewey Robinson, Patsy Moran, Jack Mulhall, Bud Osborne
• Director: Wallace Fox
• Production Company: Sam Katzman Productions, distributed by Monogram Pictures
• Trivia: The eleventh East Side Kids film. The film has fallen into the public domain.

November 20 – The Gaucho War (Argentina)

• Cast: Enrique Muiño, Francisco Petrone, Ángel Magaña, Sebastián Chiola, Amelia Bence, Ricardo Galache, Dora Ferreiro
• Director: Lucas Demare
• Production Company: Artistas Argentinos Asociados, distributed by Chamartín
• Trivia: Based on the novel by Leopoldo Lugones published in 1905. The film won three Silver Condor awards (the Argentinian version of the Oscar) for Best Film, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

1952

November 19 – 1. April 2000 (Austria)

• Cast: Hilde Krahl, Josef Meinrad, Waltraut Haas, Judith Holzmeister, Elisabeth Stemberger, Ulrich Bettac, Karl Ehmann, Peter Gerhard, Curd Jürgens, Robert Michal, Heinz Moog, Guido Wieland, Paul Hörbiger, Hans Moser
• Director: Wolfgang Liebeneiner
• Production Company: Wien-Film, Österreichische Bundesregierung, distributed by Sascha Filmverleih (Austria), Lewis Productions Inc. (USA)
• Trivia: Opened in the US on February 16, 1954. The script was reportedly commissioned at the request of the Austrian government.

November 19 – Desperate Search (USA)

• Cast: Howard Keel, Jane Greer, Patricia Medina, Keenan Wynn, Robert Burton, Lee Aaker, Linda Lowell, Elaine Stewart, Jonathan Cott, Jeff Richards, Dick Simmons
• Director: Joseph H. Lewis
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Based on the novel by Arthur Mayse. To keep the budget low, most of the aerial scenes were stock footage, and most of the film was shot on the MGM backlot. Selected scenes of the earlier Captains of the Clouds film are used, matching the action shot on the studio stage.

November 20 – The Black Castle (USA)

Universal Pictures

• Cast: Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, Stephen McNally, Rita Corday, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Hoyt, Michael Pate, Nancy Valentine, Tudor Owen, Henry Corden, Otto Waldis
• Director: Nathan H. Juran
• Production Company: Universal Pictures
• Trivia: The film was going to be directed by Joseph Pevney with Nathan Juran doing the art direction. Pevney was unhappy with the script and when Universal refused to make the changes he wanted, left the picture. Juran was promoted to director two weeks before filming began. Filming was completed in 20 days. Universal was so impressed with Juran’s work that he was offered a one year contract as director.

November 21 – The Hour of 13 (USA)

• Cast: Peter Lawford, Dawn Addams, Roland Culver, Derek Bond, Leslie Dwyer, Michael Hordern, Colin Gordon, Heather Thatcher, Jack McNaughton, Campbell Cotts
• Director: Harold French
• Production Company: MGM-British, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: Remake of the 1934 thriller The Mystery of Mr. X.

1962

November 20 – The L-Shaped Room (UK)

• Cast: Leslie Caron, Tom Bell, Brock Peters, Cicely Courtneidge, Bernard Lee, Patricia Phoenix, Emlyn Williams, Avis Bunnage, Gerry Duggan, Mark Eden, Antony Booth
• Director: Bryan Forbes
• Production Company: Romulus Films, distributed by British Lion Film Corporation (UK), Columbia Pictures (USA)
• Trivia: Released in the US on May 27, 1963. Based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. Leslie Caron won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Actress, and was Oscar nominated.

November 21 – Girls! Girls! Girls! (USA)

• Cast: Elvis Presley, Stella Stevens, Laurel Goodwin, Jeremy Slate, Benson Fong, Beulah Quo, Guy Lee
• Director: Norman Taurog
• Production Company: Hal Wallis Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Golden Globe nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical, losing to The Music Man. Presley’s ‘Return to Sender’ was featured in the film. The second of three Presley films shot on location in Hawaii.

November 21 – It’s Only Money (USA)

• Cast: Jerry Lewis, Joan O’Brien, Zachary Scott, Jack Weston, Mae Questel, Jesse White, Francine York, Barbara Pepper
• Director: Frank Tashlin
• Production Company: Jerry Lewis Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Final film of Zachary Scott.

1972

November 17 – 1776 (USA)

Columbia Pictures

• Cast: William Daniels, David Ford, Ken Howard, Ron Holgate, Howard Da Silva, Donald Madden, Emory Bass, John Cullum, James Noble, Blythe Danner, Virginia Vestoff
• Director: Peter H. Hunt
• Production Company: Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1969 Broadway musical of the same name. Portions of the dialogue and some of the song lyrics were taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants of the Second Continental Congress. 13 members of the original Broadway cast reprised their roles in the film, a decision Jack Warner made after regretting replacing Julie Andrews with Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Donald Madden’s only film. Most of the Colonial sets built on the Warner backlot were destroyed by a fire in the 1970s. The water fountain seen during the musical number ‘The Lees of Old Virginia’ is known now as the fountain seen in the opening credits of Friends. Warner stated the song ‘Cool, Cool, Considerate Men’ was removed at the request of President Richard Nixon who felt it was an insult to conservatives. Warner later regretted the decision and it was restored decades later. Nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy but lost to Cabaret. Oscar-nominated for Best Cinematography but also lost to Cabaret.

November 17 – Asylum (USA)

• Cast: Robert Powell, Patrick Magee, Geoffrey Bayldon, Barbara Parkins, Sylvia Syms, Richard Todd, Barry Morse, Peter Cushing, Ann Firbank, John Franklyn-Robbins, Charlotte Rampling, Britt Ekland, James Villiers, Megs Jenkins, Herbert Lom, Frank Forsyth
• Director: Roy Ward Baker
• Production Company: Amicus Productions, Harbor Productions, distributed by Cinema International Corporation
• Trivia: Originally opened in the UK on July 6, 1972. Known as House of Crazies in subsequent US releases. Robert Bloch wrote the script, adapting four of his own short stories.

November 17 – Daughters of Satan (USA)

• Cast: Tom Selleck, Barra Grant, Tani Guthrie, Paraluman, Vic Silayan, Vic Díaz
• Director: Hollingsworth Morse
• Production Company: A & S Productions, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: Released as a double feature with Superbeast. The film was shot partly on location in Manila, Philippines.

November 17 – The Mechanic (USA)

• Cast: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland, Linda Ridgeway, Frank de Kova, Takayuki Kubota, Patrick O’Moore, Enzo Fiermonte, Celeste Yarnall
• Director: Michael Winner
• Production Company: Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Carlino Productions, distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: The film’s martial arts scenes were shot in one day at the dojo of Takayuki Kubota and required 65 camera set-ups.

November 17 – The Triple Echo (UK)

• Cast: Glenda Jackson, Oliver Reed, Brian Deacon, Anthony May, Gavin Richards, Jenny Lee-Wright, Kenneth Colley, Daphne Heard, Zelah Clarke
• Director: Michael Apted
• Production Company: Hemdale Film Corporation, Senta Productions, distributed by Hemdale
• Trivia: Began its US engagement on September 26, 1973 under the title Soldier in Skirts. Based on the 1970 novella by H.E. Bates.

November 20 – Black Gunn (USA)

• Cast: Jim Brown, Martin Landau, Brenda Sykes, Herbert Jefferson Jr., Luciana Paluzzi, Vida Blue, Stephen McNally, Keefe Brasselle, Timothy Brown, William Campbell, Bruce Glover, Bernie Casey, Gary Conway
• Director: Robert Hartford-Davis
• Production Company: Champion Production Company, World Arts Media, World Film Services, distributed by Columbia Pictures
• Trivia: Baseball pitcher Vida Blue appears in a supporting role, as does former football player-turned-actor Bernie Casey.

November 22 – Lady Caroline Lamb (UK)

• Cast: Sarah Miles, Jon Finch, Richard Chamberlain, John Mills, Margaret Leighton, Pamela Brown, Silvia Monti, Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, Michael Wilding
• Director: Robert Bolt
• Production Company: Pulsar Productions, distributed by MGM-EMI (UK), United Artists (USA)
• Trivia: Opened in the US on February 11, 1973. The only film written and directed by Robert Bolt, who was married to star Sarah Miles. The last film of Michael Wilding, who appeared in a cameo. Nominated for three BAFTA awards.

November 22 – Rage (USA)

• Cast: George C. Scott, Richard Basehart, Martin Sheen, Barnard Hughes, Ed Lauter
• Director: George C. Scott
• Production Company: Getty & Fromkess Corporation, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Opened in the US on February 11, 1973. The plot was inspired by a true event, the Dugway sheep incident in which a jet accidentally sprayed VX, a lethal nerve gas, in Utah’s Skull Valley resulting in the deaths of 3,000-6,000 sheep.

November 22 – They Only Kill Their Masters (USA)

• Cast: James Garner, Katharine Ross, Hal Holbrook, Harry Guardino, June Allyson, Tom Ewell, Peter Lawford, Edmond O’Brien, Arthur O’Connell, Ann Rutherford, Art Metrano
• Director: James Goldstone
• Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The last major film shot on the MGM backlot before it was sold. Several former MGM stars accepted supporting roles in the film because it gave them the opportunity to be in the last film shot on the backlot. James Garner wrote in his memoirs that ‘I’d rather not talk about’ the film.

1982

November 17 – Identification of a Woman (France)

• Cast: Tomás Milián, Daniela Silverio, Christine Boisson, Lara Wendel, Veronica Lazar, Enrica Antonioni
• Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
• Production Company: Iter Film, Rai 2, Gaumont, distributed by SACIS (Italy), Gaumont (France), Artificial Eye (UK)
• Trivia: Released in Italy as Identificazione di una donna. Awarded the 35th Anniversary Prize at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.

November 19 – Bugs Bunny’s 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (USA)

• Voice Cast: Mel Blanc, June Foray, Shepard Menken, Lennie Weinrib, Bea Benaderet, Arthur Q. Bryan, Tom Holland, William “Bill” Roberts
• Director: Friz Freleng
• Production Company: Warner Bros. Animation, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film constructed an original story using classic cartoon shorts, many of which were abridged. Many of the voice artists who had never been credited were billed in the film as ‘Additional Classic Voices’. For the first time, and 23 years after his death, Arthur Q. Bryan (the voice of Elmer Fudd) received an on-screen credit.

November 19 – Heidi’s Song (USA)

• Voice Cast: Lorne Greene, Sammy Davis Jr., Margery Gray, Michael Bell, Peter Cullen, Roger DeWitt, Richard Erdman, Fritz Feld, Pamelyn Ferdin, Joan Gerber, Virginia Gregg, Janet Waldo, Frank Welker, Michael Winslow
• Director: Robert Taylor
• Production Company: Hanna-Barbera Productions, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1881 novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri. One of only four films made by Hanna-Barbera that did not feature their classic stable of characters. The film was a box office disappointment, released the same week as two other animated films.

November 19 – The Last Unicorn (USA)

• Voice Cast: Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Tammy Grimes, Robert Klein, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee, Keenan Wynn, Paul Frees, Don Messick, Nellie Bellflower, René Auberjonois, Brother Theodore
• Director: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
• Production Company: Rankin/Bass Productions, Topcraft, ITC Films, distributed by Jensen Farley Pictures
• Trivia: Based on the 1968 novel The Last Unicorn written by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the film’s screenplay. The core group of Japanese animators eventually went on to form Studio Ghibli.

November 19 – Smithereens (USA)

• Cast: Susan Berman, Brad Rinn, Richard Hell, Nada Despotovich, Roger Jett, Kitty Summerall, Rbynne White, D.J. O’Neill, Joel Rooks
• Director: Susan Seidelman
• Production Company: Domestic Productions, distributed by New Line Cinema
• Trivia: The first American independent film invited to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. Chris Noth appears briefly as a prostitute in his second screen role.

1992

November 18 – Mac (France)

• Cast: John Turturro, James Madio, Michael Badalucco, Katherine Borowitz, Carl Capotorto, Nicholas Turturro, Matthew Sussman, Ellen Barkin, Dennis Farina, Olek Krupa, Mike Starr, Aida Turturro
• Director: John Turturro
• Production Company: Macfilm productions, distributed by AFMD (France), The Samuel Goldwyn Company (USA)
• Trivia: Released in the US on February 19, 1993. John Turturro’s feature directorial debut. Winner of the Caméra d’Or award at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

November 18 – Malcolm X (USA)

40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks

• Cast: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee, Theresa Randle, Kate Vernon, Ernest Lee Thomas, Christopher Plummer, Lonette McKee, Tommy Hollis, Giancarlo Esposito
• Director: Spike Lee
• Production Company: 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures (USA), Largo International (International)
• Trivia: Based largely on Alex Haley’s 1965 book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2010. Nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actor (Washington) and Costume Design. Washington was also nominated for the Golden Globe. Ossie Davis provides narration at the end of the film, reading the eulogy he originally delivered at the actual funeral of Malcolm. The studio originally wanted Norman Jewison to direct, and Jewison brought Washington on to the project. Controversy arose over a white director making this film, Spike Lee among the main voices of criticism. Jewison eventually left the film not because of the protests but because he could not find a way to reconcile Malcolm’s private and public lives and was unsatisfied with the script. Lee confirmed this as the reason for Jewison’s departure, saying if he felt he could have made the film he would have. Jewison and Washington reunited years later on The Hurricane. Lee didn’t escape criticism either, with those looking to preserve the legacy of Malcolm X concerned about Lee’s portrayal, while others simply just weren’t fans of his previous films. Lee noted the irony that the criticism he faced mirrored the criticism of Jewison. Lee requested a $30 million budget, but the studio only gave him $28 million. Francis Ford Coppola told Lee to ‘get the studio pregnant’, take the film far enough into production so they could not deny his request for more money. The film eventually cost $33 million with Lee contributing $2 million of his $3 million salary. The studio also demanded the film be no longer than 2 hours 15 minutes, causing a conflict with Lee that shut down post-production. The film was saved financially by prominent Black Americans including Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Janet Jackson, Prince and Tracy Chapman who made donations to help complete the film. This helped Lee complete the film as he envisioned it. Enlisting his friends angered Warner Bros. so much that they cut him out of participating in the development of Space Jam, for which Lee had offered to polish the script. Malcolm X is the first non-documentary, and the first American film, to be given permission to film in Mecca. A second unit film crew was hired to film in Mecca because non-Muslims, such as Lee, are not allowed inside the city. Warner Bros. originally wanted to film the Mecca scenes in New Jersey. The film includes cameos by Christopher Plummer, Peter Boyle, William Kunstler, Al Sharpton and Bobby Seale.

November 20 – Bad Lieutenant (USA, limited)

• Cast: Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderón, Eddie Daniels, Bianca Hunter, Zoë Lund, Vincent Laresca
• Director: Abel Ferrara
• Production Company: Bad Lt. Productions, distributed by Aries Films
• Trivia: While Abel Ferrara and Zoë Lund are credited with the screenplay, Lund claims Ferrara had very little input, and claimed she co-directed several scenes. Another source claims Lund’s ex-boyfriend Edouard de Laurot wrote most of the script. Ferrara admitted to using drugs while making the film. Christopher Walken was originally cast as the titular character. While the theatrical version of the film was rated NC-17, a special R-rated version was created for sale to the Blockbuster and Hollywood Video chains which had a policy against stocking NC-17 films. The film was banned in Ireland in 1993, and the home video release was banned almost ten years later.

November 20 – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (USA/Canada)

• Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, Devin Ratray, Hillary Wolf, Kieran Culkin, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Eddie Bracken, Dana Ivey, Bob Eubanks, Rip Taylor, Jaye P. Morgan, Jimmie Walker, Ally Sheedy, Ron Canada
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Production Company: Hughes Entertainment, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: The last Home Alone film to feature the original cast, although Devin Ratray reprised his role of Buzz, Kevin’s older brother, in the sixth film Home Sweet Home Alone.

November 20 – Samantha (USA)

• Cast: Martha Plimpton, Mary Kay Place, Hector Elizondo, Dermot Mulroney, Maryedith Burrell, Robert Picardo, Ione Skye
• Director: Stephen La Rocque
• Production Company: Planet Productions, distributed by Academy Entertainment Inc.
• Trivia: After ten years in the business, this was Martha Plimpton’s first starring role. Robert Picardo and Maryedith Burrell have cameos.

2002

November 22 – The Quiet American (USA, limited)

• Cast: Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen, Rade Šerbedžija, Tzi Ma, Robert Stanton, Holmes Osborne
• Director: Phillip Noyce
• Production Company: Miramax Films, Intermedia Films, Mirage Enterprises, Saga, IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG, Giai Phong Film Studio, Pacifica Film, distributed by Miramax
• Trivia: Film adaptation of Graham Greene’s bestselling 1955 novel set in Vietnam, The Quiet American. The story was previously filmed in 1958. The film was to be released in 2001 but was shelved for a year due to the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the film’s ‘unpatriotic message’. Michael Caine was Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated for Best Actor.

2012

November 16 – Chasing Ice (USA, limited)

• Director: Jeff Orlowski
• Production Company: Exposure, Diamond Docs, distributed by Submarine Deluxe
• Trivia: The documentary includes scenes from a glacier calving event that took place at Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland, lasting 75 minutes, the longest such event ever captured on film. The same glacier is believed to have produced the iceberg that sank the Titanic. Oscar nominated for Best Original Song, ‘Before My Time’, written by J. Ralph and performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell.

November 16 – Lincoln (USA/Canada)

• Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Gloria Reuben, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Todd Lincoln, Gulliver McGrath, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Elizabeth Marvel, Bill Camp, Adam Driver, Jared Harris, Colman Domingo, David Oyelowo, Lukas Haas, Dane DeHaan, David Strathairn, Bruce McGill, Joseph Cross, Jeremy Strong, Tommy Lee Jones, Lee Pace, Stephen Spinella, Michael Stuhlbarg, Walton Goggins, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, John Hawkes, Julie White, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jackie Earle Haley, Gregory Itzin
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Production Company: DreamWorks Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media, Dune Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (North America), 20th Century Fox (International)
• Trivia: Loosely based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Spielberg approached Daniel Day-Lewis to play Lincoln in 2003, but he rejected the offer believing himself playing Lincoln would be preposterous. Liam Neeson was cast in 2005. Neeson left the role in 2010 saying he had grown too old at 58 for the part (Lincoln was 55 and 56 during the events depicted in the film). Neeson later said during a table read of the screenplay he realized he was not right for the part and asked Spielberg to recast. Sally Field said in an interview the decision was influenced by the death of Neeson’s wife Natasha Richardson less than a year earlier. Day-Lewis was announced as Lincoln in November 2010. The film earned seven Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture – Drama and Best Director, winning Best Actor for Day-Lewis. It received 12 Oscar nominations including Picture and Director, winning for Day-Lewis and Best Production Design.

November 16 – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (USA/Canada/UK)

• Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Mackenzie Foy, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Billy Burke, Maggie Grace, Michael Sheen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Heyerdahl, Casey LaBow, Lee Pace, Mía Maestro, Booboo Stewart
• Director: Bill Condon
• Production Company: Summit Entertainment, Sunswept Entertainment, Temple Hill Entertainment, distributed by Lionsgate
• Trivia: Based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. The highest grossing film of the series. In May 2010, only two cast members — Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli — were confirmed for both Breaking Dawn films. If other cast members like Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz had not signed on for both films, they would have been replaced. The film was proposed to be released in 3D to differentiate it from the first part, and Bill Condon agreed only if it was filmed in native 3D and not post-converted. The studio confirmed the film would not be shot or released in 3D. The film earned 11 Golden Raspberry Award nominations including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Pattinson), Worst Actress (Stewart), Worst Supporting Actor (Lautner), Worst Supporting Actress (Greene), Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Screen Ensemble. It did win the MTV Movie Award for Best Shirtless Performance by Lautner, while Pattinson won the Richard Attenborough Film Award for British Performer of the Year. It also swept the Teen Choice Awards, winning all seven awards for which it was nominated.

November 16 – Up There (UK)

• Cast: Burn Gorman, Kate O’Flynn, Aymen Hamdouchi, Kulvinder Ghir, Farren Morgan, Jo Hartley
• Director: Zam Salim
• Production Company: UK Film Council, Creative Scotland, BBC Films, Eyeline Entertainment, distributed by BBC Two
• Trivia: Based on Zam Salim’s short film ‘Laid Off’.

November 21 – Gambit (UK)

• Cast: Cameron Diaz, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, Stanley Tucci, Cloris Leachman, Togo Igawa
• Director: Michael Hoffman
• Production Company: Crime Scene Pictures, ArtPhyl, FilmNation Entertainment, Michael Lobell Productions, CBS Films, distributed by CBS Films (USA), Momentum Pictures (UK)
• Trivia: Remake of the 1966 film of the same name starring Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine. Was never released theatrically in the US but went straight-to-video on April 24, 2014. Aaron Sorkin was approached to write the script in 1997 but he was too busy with Sports Night and The West Wing to accept. The Coen brothers were looking for a project between their own films and came on board. Alexander Payne was in talks to direct with his Election star Reese Witherspoon to star but he was reluctant to work on a film he didn’t write. Witherspoon agreed to remain with the project on the condition that Robert Altman or Mike Nichols were hired to direct. Altman was interested but backed out, feeling the material was not suitable for him. Nichols was not interested. The film received mostly negative reviews, holding an 18% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

November 21 – Life of Pi (USA/Canada)

• Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Gautam Belur, Ayush Tandon, Rafe Spall, Tabu, Adil Hussain, Gérard Depardieu
• Director: Ang Lee
• Production Company: Fox 2000 Pictures, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Media, Haishang Films, distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: Based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name. Directors M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuarón and Jean-Pierre Jeunet involved at various stages before the hiring of Ang Lee. Nominated for three Golden Globes including Best Picture – Drama, winning for Best Original Score. Nominated for 11 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, winning four including Best Director. 3,000 young men auditioned for the lead role, with newcomer Suraj Sharma being cast in October 2010. Production in a specially designed water tank lasted two-and-a-half months.

November 21 – Red Dawn (USA/Canada)

• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise, Alyssa Diaz, Brett Cullen, Edwin Hodge, Julian Alcaraz, Will Yun Lee, Michael Beach, Matt Gerald, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
• Director: Dan Bradley
• Production Company: Contrafilm, distributed by FilmDistrict (USA), FilmNation Entertainment (International)[
• Trivia: Remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film was to be released in November 2010 but was shelved due to MGM’s financial issues. The studio sold the movie to FilmDistrict for US release. During post-production, the invading army was changed from Chinese to North Korean in order to secure access to the Chinese market. The film did not receive a release in China.

November 21 – Rise of the Guardians (USA/Canada)

• Voice Cast: Chris Pine, Jude Law, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher
• Director: Peter Ramsey
• Production Company: DreamWorks Animation, distributed by Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: Peter Ramsey’s feature directorial debut. Golden Globe nominated for Best Animated Feature. The last DreamWorks film to be distributed by Paramount. Guillermo del Toro joined the film as an executive producer, helping to shape the story, character design, theme and structure of the film. Cinematographer Roger Deakins advised on how to give the lighting a realistic look. While based on the book series by William Joyce, the film takes place about 300 year later than the books’ stories. Joyce didn’t wanr people to see the film and say they liked the books better, and he also didn’t want audiences who knew the books to know what was going to happen in the film.

November 21 – Silver Linings Playbook (Canada/UK)

The Weinstein Company

• Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, Shea Whigham, Dash Mihok
• Director: David O. Russell
• Production Company: The Weinstein Company
• Trivia: Opened in limited US release on November 19 followed by a wide release on December 25. Based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel The Silver Linings Playbook. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, and was the first film since 1981’s Reds to be nominated in the four acting categories, and the fifth since 2004’s Million Dollar Baby to be nominated in the ‘Big Five’ categories. Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe (the film earned four Globes nominations). David O. Russell initially planned to cast Vince Vaughn, Zooey Deschanel and Mark Wahlberg in lead roles. Russell felt 21-year-old Lawrence was too young to play opposite 37-year-old Cooper but her audition convinced him otherwise.